Yup, you heard me right; the cost of golf just doubled! It is the strangest thing and no matter where you are in the world, this phenomenon happens all the time! It is the strangest thing, you walk into the club house to pay your green fees and you have to dig deeper and deeper to find the correct amount of coin to be allowed on the links. It is absolutely crazy, but no one seems to notice!
Kevin, a regular at The Grateful Golfer, mentioned that peak season in Florida started yesterday. I was curious as to what that meant and asked. He said that their peak season was starting so the cost of playing golf at his regular courses increased by 100%. At first I was aghast, but after I thought about it, it only made sense.
The golf market is driven by supply and demand. This is nothing new for North America as we live in a market society. We have watched the prices drop or increase overnight. Halloween candy or costumes is a perfect example…..how much are they advertised for now? A fraction of what they were charging before 31 Oct!
Thinking about my home course, they have different rates depending on when you golf. It is even broken down into different prices on the same day (twilight prices). This only makes sense. The managers of a golf course understand supply and demand better than most and adjust their pricing accordingly. Additionally, they have to compete with other courses for our hard-earned dollar, so change in prices is expected.
I can image that doubling the cost to play golf can be frustrating for Kevin. Not to mention the increase number of players all demanding more time on the local courses. However, it is how golf course can afford to offer deals and lower prices during the off-season. In our case, the off-season generates zero revenue, so our economy window of opportunity is much shorter. Therefore, proper pricing is critical the health of each course.
The cost of golf in warmer climes has increased significantly. It is their peak season and they must make hay while the sun shines. As a regular golfer, I look for deals and take a membership. These are two simple ways to stretch my fixed income. Doubling the price of green fees is tough to swallow, but it is nature of the golf industry.
Thanks to Kevin for sharing info on pricing in Florida. I am sure the same principles apply throughout the world.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
Hi Jim,
Is Kevin a member of his golf club, or does he just play there regularly on an ad-hoc basis. I pay the annual fee, and it is much cheaper than paying for each round separately. Our course has many different scales of fee’s, the most expensive is reserved for the overseas visitors. Wether you think golf is expensive depends on how many rounds you play each year. I feel sorry for the younger working people who pay an annual fee, but can only play at best once a week, on the week-end.
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Pete
Kevin is not a member. He likes the ability to play different courses. You cost averaging approach is how I play golf as well. A membership is by far the cheapest way for me considering the amount I play. I have to play at least 30 rounds to make the membership worthwhile and I usually play double or triple that each year. The value is there for me for sure.
Cheers Jim
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Hey Pete. Jim’s right. I haven’t become a member at any course. Where I live, there are almost 500 courses within a couple hours of my house and double that number in a 3 or 4 hour circle. Courses designed by some of the greats among them as well as courses the tour uses or has used over the years and I want to play as many of them as I can.
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Play well Kevin, and enjoy all the good deals you get at the courses. I play three times a week, at the best course in the area, so it works out well for me.
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I’ve found ways to make my golfing dollar go farther year round so the rate changes don’t upset me. I want the courses I play to be in good shape and I know that takes money so I don’t let those rate increases worry me. But I do make more use of discounts during the winter months. GolfNow.com and TeeOff.com both provide me with significant savings year round but I make more use of them during the season than I do in the summer months. Also, I play more in the late afternoon than in the mornings year round. The courses are cheaper to play in the afternoon, plus, most of the courses I play allow us to play as many holes as we want or can get in before sunset without additional charges at the end of the day. And those that don’t usually only charge a cart fee to go around again. So I play 27 holes or more way more often than I play just 18 which makes whatever rate they are charging seem smaller. I haven’t done the math, but I’d bet I managed to average less than a dollar a hole most of the last six months and that’s nothing to complain about.
Playing at the end of the day rather than the beginning has one more advantage around here that I find important especially in the summer months. 3 or 4 in the afternoon may be the worst time of day to start off as far as heat goes, but it gets a little cooler as you go rather than hotter and that makes it easier on your body as you tire.
On another note, have you ever played at night? I decided to head across the bay to play this weekend. We have one course on the other side that I play every once in a while that has lights. There’s only nine holes and no par 5’s, but in the summer, playing under the moon and stars is a real treat. Loosing sight of your ball as it shoots towards a full moon is an experience not many people golfers get.
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Kevin
Thanks for the tips, I am sure the readers will be thankful. I have not played golf at night under lights. I have finished a round or two in the dark and that was fun. There is nothing like that up where I live. Let me know how it goes.
Cheers Jim
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