Revamped Wentworth West Course...report

I don't care how good the course is, or exclusive the club, £360 is a ridiculous amount of money for a round in the current financial climate. Saying that though, would love to play there at some point - fingers crossed for my 3 lucky dips tonight then!!!!
 
Don't know about £300 being rediculous, I'd never be able to afford to play Walton Heath at £120 or whatever it is, but there's no way you could stop me playing, given the chance.

And I wouldn't flinch at playing Wentworth for free either.

My morals lose to my selfishness, I'm afraid.

And as for a damn good golfer hitting 99 round there, just makes it even more important for me to remember to bring a change of underwear on Wednesday.

 
£360!!? Forcing you to take a caddie as well?
I'm sure it's very pretty and nice and everything, but come on!
You can get three rounds on Carnoustie Championship for that price and still have enough for a fish supper and your bus fare home.
I'll give it a miss methinks.
 
For places like Wentworth, a fee that brings in a decent number of the right sort of punter (who also spend well in the bar, restaurant and pro shop), while keeping most of the chavs away, is ideal. They would get more people at a lower fee but just don't want more.
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Thats an elitest statement which is what is wrong with this game, i for one am not a chav and after last weeks trip i'm sure Machrihanish did very well out of the 20 guys who were there so totally disagree with what you posted.

Have never fancied it much ,even more so having to pay £360 for the pleasure of doing so.
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I am not saying I agree with what Wentworth does - I don't, nor was I calling anybody here chavs, but the reality is that this is precisely how some retailers and the like maximise their income. They set a price the market will just about bear, and that economic model allows some empty slots and free days, and they still come out quids ahead of a price where there is excess demand. They don't give a toss if the same people who wouldn't pay £200 complain - they are just not part of the target market.
 
Not very well expressed but not necessarily wrong either. Different courses are marketed at different demographics as they have different business models.
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Until they go tits up
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I can't see Wentworth going bust any time soon. There will always be demand to play courses like that.

It is a great set up there and mighty impressive. I always preferred the East Course. The West was too difficult and not much fun. The East was a good challenge and a lovely course.

I personally wouldn't pay £360 for a round as its a lot of money but there are plenty out there who wouldn't even blink at that price.
 
Thats an elitest statement which is what is wrong with this game, i for one am not a chav and after last weeks trip i'm sure Machrihanish did very well out of the 20 guys who were there so totally disagree with what you posted.

Have never fancied it much ,even more so having to pay £360 for the pleasure of doing so.
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Steve

That is only elitist if I am supporting that method of pricing.

I am not.

I was not agreeing with the methods WW uses to determine prices, but the reality is that they want big money corporate income. Disagree if you like, but I am afraid that is how it is. If WW moved to the Mull of Kintyre, they would have to have a radical rethink of their pricing strategy. But Surrey has a lot more corporate golf business.

PS. I have played it twice, one as a competition prize. I will not be stumping up £360, but I am not in the target market either, so WW doesn't care.
 
They will undoubtedly still get the large corporate users and more money than sense US and Japanese visitors and so they will continue to justify the fee. Sadly the only way I'd play it now is courtesy of a GM freebie. I do feel that it would have to be something special to warrant that fee and I don't think the changes they've made, albeit good ones to make it a tougher test justify the fee
 
i for one am not a chav and after last weeks trip i'm sure Machrihanish did very well out of the 20 guys who were there so totally disagree with what you posted.
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How many bottles of Krug did you get through?
 
Small (but admittedly not really face-saving) correction to OP - must remember to change this in the feature too before it goes to press next week!

I actually parred the 440 yard or so 3rd too - in fact, seemed like a birdie bordering on eagle having nailed a drive, just about squeezed a 3-wood into the front left trap then holed my only 4-footer of the day!

Where did it all go wrong having hit the ball pretty well really (no Micky Duffs or random shots)...

Well, 2 lost balls, 2 penalty drops and eight putts missed inside 8 feet (four of them from half that) certainly don't help the cause. Bookending the front nine with two fat ladies (treble and quad) wasn't quite what I wasafter either. Mike hit the ball well too - but like me just sadly into some very wrong places!

Throw in an SSS of 76 which in theory could have sneaked up to 79 (in our dreams) and it makes me feel marginally better.

Playing quite well really to be honest even if 94 blows doesn't suggest as much!!
 
Ethan

I understand what your saying it's the same as Loch Lomond in a way I've been lucky enough to play it twice but I can't understand there pricing, this is another corporate course,who 10 years ago were charging £150 for a members guest , it's totally criminal in today's climate but your right people will pay it.

Justoneuk we washed down a few bottles of Krystal followed by 6 litresof White lightning cider, Krug is there such poverty in the world. :)
 
I have played the 'old' West a few times, well a good few actually, it was good....I have taken the dog for a walk around the 'new' West Course a couple of time now and I have to say that one word can be attributed to it and that is 'awesome' - the chnages are immense, there is not a course like it in the UK now.

Forget that WW wants the common manto play, they don't, the joining fee is 15K, the membership about 5K - if you actually compared your green fee to your membership fee, it's not that different on a %age basis.....

Forget the elitist bollocks - you wanna see what I've just paid for my house just round the corner....people around WW have jobs, very good jobs, the type of jobs that keep everyone else in jobs, which is why they don't want us there in the past, now and in the future, unless you can pay the going rate, and they'll welcome you with open arms and it will be the best 360 quid you have ever spent.....
 
£360 to entertain a client (or 10) for a multi-million dollar contract is peanuts. It wouldn't surprise me to find out someone from RBS is teeing it up there every day.

No different to owning a box at Chelsea or having a few race horses.
 
Played the West course last year a the guest of a member. Very nice it was as well.

I have also been very lucky and have played, amongst many others, Woodhall Spa, Walton Heath, The Berkshire, The Old Course, Kingsbarns, Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, Notts, Royal Dornoch, Formby, Woburn and North Berwick and I would rate any of them as the same or higher level. None of them cost even a third of the Wentworth green fee.
 
Jezz - sincere apologies for forgetting your epic up and down for par at the 3rd
Sam - I think we were round in about 3& 1/2 hours. As you'll know its never quick out there (hard walk espeially in heavy conditions) and there was more than a little ball hunting

Regarding the green fee - we had a very long debate about this in the office this week and all agreed that it was crazy money. Then again I don't think the GM lads - and I'd wager 99% of the folk on the forum too - arent the Wentworth target audience. The reality is that there are enough golfers and corporates out there for whom that is affordable. Weird, granted, but it's true.

I guess that raises the question of what the most you'd pay for a game of golf?

For me I think it'd be £150 as something like a once a year treat. But for that I'd want it to be a day price where I could (and would) play a minimum of 36 holes. Id also only pay that if I had my three oldest golfing pals playing with me and I knew that that the course would be in tip top nick. I'd certainly feel short changed if the weather turned out to be poor, the course was busy, and/or I played crap!
 
£360 how does that compare with other sports? Grand Prix tickets? Wimbledon tickets? Man U box? Final tickets for J'burg in June? This is elite stuff but with one key difference - you're actually taking part for that sum not just watching.

It is elitist and clearly designed to be; I am sure other courses are better and cheaper but possibly not in southern England where more people will pay £360 than in Fife or Aberdeenshire.

If I ever get good enough and win the lottery then just maybe......
 
This goes back to the whole 'are Scotty's over priced' theme.....

Wentworth will charge £360 a round because they can and because they know that people will pay it - simple. If no-one turns up and they start losing money then the price will come down. Simple economics.

To us mere mortals - is it worth it??? Of course not but then is a Bentley really worth more than a Ford??? Is a Rolex a better time keeper than a Casio??? Is a Scotty a better putter than a Bronty Greenmaster VII???

To the owner of the Bentley, Rolex and Scotty - yes they are and that's the most important thing.

£360 a round - I'd shoot a 99 as well and I'd make sure I visited every single part of the course to get my money's worth!!! Seven hour round - I think so.....
 
Excellent thread this and i will look forward to reading Jezz's artical.

Several issues that have come up here.

THE COURSE

WENTWORTH have several of course so they can taylor each to a price and to a style.

http://www.wentworthclub.com/golf/48/3015/

They obviously took a decision that the WEST would be the one to be slightly different to the other traditional Surrey courses that they have as they wanted a different test for the PRO competitions that they have.

To have a few of the top Pro's saying that they didnt want to play because of the course as was happening, must have been very hurtful to the Club and the EUROPEAN TOUR who are based and have their flagship event there.

Now i would have thought that has been addressed.

I went to have a look a few weeks ago and although all i saw was the 18th Green, you can see that it will have a diferent look and feel.

GOLF BEING ELITEST

This is the biggest thing i hate about golf but unfortunatly IMO it will never be changed. What we all know about life is that for a commercial golf opperation to survive it needs footfall and people spending money, or a super rich backer who will bankroll the place and will do as they like.

Just look at Loch Lomond. That is not a course that wants loads of footfall, it is one for the exclusive player. Thats why (i understand) its gone bust.

But what a course.

WENTORTH WEST since around 1989 when it was sold has never been a place for the average green fee anyway. Its not what was wanted for that course. I played there in the late Eightys for £25 on a November Winter rate and then in the January the place was sold and this went up to £50.00. Since then i have only played there on a corporate invite for free.

The average person baulks at paying £300+ for a round of golf but those courses are not aimed at the average person. Just the one that wants the cudos or has the means to play.

WENTWORTH have made these changes and it seems the old
"Burma Road" has gone.
 
£360 a round - I'd shoot a 99 as well and I'd make sure I visited every single part of the course to get my money's worth!!! Seven hour round - I think so.....
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. . . and the reason for the caddy is?
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I'd ignore everything he said!!! As I say, I'd want value for money. I'd want to visit parts of the course they didn't know existed!!!

"Ahhh, on this hole, drive down the left Mr Warrior - that'll give you the best shot into the green."

"Thanks caddy."

I'd then power fade one down the right into the trees...... :o
 
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