How Do You Decide Where to Play Golf

[bkuehn1952]

My decision tree is fairly complex.  If I am arranging a tee time for 2-3 additional people, I tend to peruse GolfNow and a couple of other sites looking for a deal.  If I am going out alone, I tend to go to one of my rota that allows walking, is single friendly and typically not too busy.  My tournament play is at courses that I enjoy or have not played before.  Plus I have a regular game with a couple friends on Tuesday at twilight.

How about everyone else?

[SavvySwede]

I work at a course and they let me play there Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. Then on weekends I find cheap times on Golfnow where I know it won't be too busy or venture out to play a course I hadn't played before.

[dave s]

Decision matrix:

Course quality, then time available, then cost.

dave

[alleztom]

Proximity to where I/we am/are coming from/going to, busyness of the course, cost.

[billchao]

I usually play at the local munis where I buy a card for every season. They have two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole "learning" course where I'll usually play in the afternoons after work. There's also a privately owned 9-hole course I play at, but they are a bit pricey for my taste so I mostly go there when I don't feel like climbing hills.

Even with the two courses, good tee times can be a pain to get. Never want to play too late in the say because of pace of play issues, so if I can't get a good start time then I'll start looking around at some of the other local privately owned courses.

If my friends call me about a round then I just go wherever they're playing.

[Club Rat]

Most of my golf is at the club I belong to. On occasions, I'll play at other courses with friends.

I rarely play as a single, mostly in local tournaments, or if it's a favorite course I haven't visited for sometime.

[Patch]

Not sure if I could vote for more than one of the options, but I voted for 5. 

Most of the time it's a spur of the moment decision. Other times it's a planned trip some where. I can get a phone call from a friend who wants to try a specific course out. It could be a road trip and we see an unexpected sign that reads "golf here". 

In my case it does not take much to go golfing, or practice on a daily basis. I usually do something golf related every day. Last count, I already had 21, 9/18 hole rounds in since the beginning of January.

No, it don't take much. 

[DaveP043]

I belong to a club, so play most of my golf there.  If I'm out of town n my own, maybe for work, I'll look for course quality first and price second, and then see about availability.  For golfing vacation, I'll pay to play at special courses, but I also like to find good courses that aren't as well known.  Fir instance, when I go to Ireland this summer, I'll play 4 very well-known (and expensive) courses, as well as 4 lesser-known (and cheaper) ones.

[Ernest Jones]

Whichever one doesn't have snow all over it!

I'm like @alleztom , convenience of location and pace of play are the main factors, it's gotta be "time efficient" in both ways. It also has to be reasonably priced, I'm not a fan of paying triple digits.

[pumaAttack]

Usually play the course closest to me or if one is having a good tee time special.  

The courses near me are in good shape but not the cheapest, so I occasionally drive a little bit to play a cheaper course and to change it up.

[SteveH]

Mostly I play my home course as I have a membership and there are no other courses within an hour or more. Last winter I was away and played a few different courses but if there is a package deal for a month or two, I will take that and the associated savings. I am retired and can afford to play wherever but try to limit the costs where possible as I play most days. Golf can be an expensive sport and there are some high course fees. 

[NJpatbee]

I play most of my golf at a well maintained, nearby semi private course.  I pay for each round that I play since their Senior green fee is so reasonable rather than paying for unlimited golf and then getting in 20 rounds.  When I do retire and if I stay in the area I will  pay one price for unlimited golf and cart.

When I play with some other golfers that live anywhere from 10 - 40 miles away, we try to find a good course that is not too far away from anyone and can usually get a decent price on GolfNow.

[jsgolfer]

8 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I belong to a club, so play most of my golf there.  If I'm out of town n my own, maybe for work, I'll look for course quality first and price second, and then see about availability.  For golfing vacation, I'll pay to play at special courses, but I also like to find good courses that aren't as well known.  Fir instance, when I go to Ireland this summer, I'll play 4 very well-known (and expensive) courses, as well as 4 lesser-known (and cheaper) ones.

This is pretty much my MO as well. Belong to club, but when I travel I look for a good quality course to play, price is the last thing I worry about. And I'll still drive a good distance to play a great course even on vacation.

[uitar9]

On my own: I have a muni course I like to play/walk

With my wife: its a muni course she likes-we take a rickshaw and a power cart and each walk 9 holes

through work: I get 6 or 7 rounds a year in with clients and play their private clubs or other personal choices of theirs.

Family vacation: we get 3 or 4 rounds with the brother in law and his partner-its usually the same three muni's in his city

[DrvFrShow]

I belong to a league and play there a couple times a month. I also play twice a week and rotate the affordable courses in the area.

[mcanadiens]

With my City of Dayton rates card, I primarily play those six courses and Troy's Miami Shores. Most frequently I play one of Kittyhawk's three because its on the way to and from work. If I am leaving my mom's place down south, I'll hit Community GC. Miami Shores is the closest to home and the choice if I'm staying in Troy all day.

In other words, it depends on where I am and where I'm heading.

 

[sjduffers]

My decision tree is very similar to the OP, except that my standing weekly game is on Monday afternoon.

[Tod]

Once I decided to return to playing full bore, I joined a course that I like in the country. It's a bit of a drive, but it is a better value IMHO than the courses I pass on the way.