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Why Don't Most Public Golf Courses Offer College Rates?


golfindude1
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3 minutes ago, Bonvivant said:

College aged folks are the last people golf courses want playing. I'll give 3 reasons that I see for this, and people can comment on each points' validity.

1.) The college aged crowd drinks, and you better believe they aren't buying all of their booze from the clubhouse. This is a liability for a number of reasons, from revenue to legality.

2.) College aged people do not take care of the course as well as other groups (but they aren't that far behind the average ball basher). From divot replacement, to pitch mark repair, and the worst of them all....improper cart management. They take their toll on the course in a way that most others don't.

3.) This one is more obscure and general, but I'll just say "respect for others". There is another hot thread on the forum about music being played on course. The only age group I see that does this "without exception" is 19-25 year old players. Not letting others play through can be put in here as well. Lack of yelling fore or hitting into others could also be here.

With all of these points (particularly the last one), college aged players aren't the only ones that do these things, but they seem to be the largest offending group (in my eyes) and I would see no reason to give them a discount. It's like giving a discount to minors that hang outside of a convenience store smoking cigarettes....they are the last people you would give a discount to.

This post is mega cynical, and I will gladly play with a group of students (and hopefully teach them some stuff during the round). I just wanted to add some stuff that I hadn't seen covered in earlier posts.

Would you reconsider that thought if they've fulfilled at least 2 of the 3 that you've mentioned? I've honestly never thought that even the slightest amount of music can be problematic for others. The restaurants are all closed down during COVID so it makes sense for the golf courses to not be flexible during this time. Thank you for the thoughtful response nonetheless.

I'd also like to mention, unimportantly, that there are a handful, besides the golf courses funded by the university, that offer student rates. Including the only one throughout the county. Hard to believe, but they are a thing.

 

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3 minutes ago, golfindude1 said:

Would you reconsider that thought if they've fulfilled at least 2 of the 3 that you've mentioned? I've honestly never thought that even the slightest amount of music can be problematic for others. The restaurants are all closed down during COVID so it makes sense for the golf courses to not be flexible during this time. Thank you for the thoughtful response nonetheless.

I'd also like to mention, unimportantly, that there are a handful, besides the golf courses funded by the university, that offer student rates. Including the only one throughout the county. Hard to believe, but they are a thing.

 

As others have mentioned, there is no reason to discount tee times if they are being sufficiently filled. I don't disagree that the issues I talked about can be "easily" fixed, it really just comes down to experience of what is expected on the golf course.

In addition to the music thing, I would add the "GET IN THE HOLE" a la Tiger, or "OHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHH" that I can hear from 2-3 holes away because of a made putt or a chip-in. Just because one makes a great shot doesn't mean they get the privilege to disturb others. There is a reason there is such thing as the "golf clap". This is just a gripe from me, and I am a fairly loud person, but when I'm on the course I try to use my 5-30 yard voice instead of my normal 100-1000 yard voice.

I definitely feel for you though, because being in college is a potentially straining financial time, and golf ain't cheap. I hope that your efforts with a club in your school works out for maybe getting you a discounted rate.

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7 hours ago, rob0225 said:

And there is the crux of the issue.  You'd rather have "fun" than get a job to pay for your golf.

 

On 11/20/2020 at 9:55 PM, FlyingAce said:

Using your same simple logic - if you cannot afford to pay for golf, then don’t play. Plain and simple. We all have to make sacrifices once in a while.

Why expect golf courses (or anyone) to give you a handout so you can do something that you cannot afford to do? Why should they? Finish school, get a job and when you are that 40-something, you can afford to pay for your own rounds like everyone else.

I am that 40-something. I play golf because I can afford it with time and money. My housekeeper doesn’t play golf because she cannot afford either. That’s life. The last time I heard someone said “this is not fair” was when my 12 yo nephew didn’t get to have chocolate ice-cream because all we had was vanilla.  I told him to grow up and buy his own icecream. 

 

 

On 11/20/2020 at 8:53 PM, Typhoon92 said:

“Entitlement”... we see it everyday at work with the College age people now.  I won’t even get into it, most of it has been said earlier on page 1 by Chetlovesmer, Iacas and a few others.  
 

It’s sad.

You can think that I'm an entitled college student all you want, but no. I'm not saying that I want free golf. I believe that more public courses should have college rates. I believe that if you want to play golf as a college student you have to pay the price to get on the course.

I hope I've made my position clear to you. 🙂 

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4 hours ago, golfindude1 said:

 

 

You can think that I'm an entitled college student all you want, but no. I'm not saying that I want free golf. I believe that more public courses should have college rates. I believe that if you want to play golf as a college student you have to pay the price to get on the course.

I hope I've made my position clear to you. 🙂 

Courses that are close to Universities have this. Some Universities even have their own courses. I’ve played the U Maryland course. URI has a Par 3 near it that has intramural leagues on it at a reduced rate. It is a decent par 3 course too.

Alas, I think San Jose is a pretty busy area and may not have these things available.

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5 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

College aged folks are the last people golf courses want playing. I'll give 3 reasons that I see for this, and people can comment on each points' validity.

1.) The college aged crowd drinks, and you better believe they aren't buying all of their booze from the clubhouse. This is a liability for a number of reasons, from revenue to legality.

2.) College aged people do not take care of the course as well as other groups (but they aren't that far behind the average ball basher). From divot replacement, to pitch mark repair, and the worst of them all....improper cart management. They take their toll on the course in a way that most others don't.

3.) This one is more obscure and general, but I'll just say "respect for others". There is another hot thread on the forum about music being played on course. The only age group I see that does this "without exception" is 19-25 year old players. Not letting others play through can be put in here as well. Lack of yelling fore or hitting into others could also be here.

With all of these points (particularly the last one), college aged players aren't the only ones that do these things, but they seem to be the largest offending group (in my eyes) and I would see no reason to give them a discount. It's like giving a discount to minors that hang outside of a convenience store smoking cigarettes....they are the last people you would give a discount to.

This post is mega cynical, and I will gladly play with a group of students (and hopefully teach them some stuff during the round). I just wanted to add some stuff that I hadn't seen covered in earlier posts.

That’s an awful lot of assumptions you’re making, man.

4 hours ago, golfindude1 said:

You can think that I'm an entitled college student all you want, but no. I'm not saying that I want free golf. I believe that more public courses should have college rates. I believe that if you want to play golf as a college student you have to pay the price to get on the course.

I hope I've made my position clear to you. 🙂 

Asking for or expecting a discount because you’re a college student is still entitlement.

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24 minutes ago, billchao said:

Asking for or expecting a discount because you’re a college student is still entitlement.

Well...not really. ASKING isn’t. EXPECTING might be. 

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5 hours ago, golfindude1 said:

You can think that I'm an entitled college student all you want, but no. I'm not saying that I want free golf. I believe that more public courses should have college rates.

We know you want to pay less. What you haven’t done at all is tell us why a course should offer a college rate. What’s the upside for them?

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5 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

Well...not really. ASKING isn’t. EXPECTING might be. 

I think some level of entitlement must exist to think to ask in the first place.

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5 hours ago, iacas said:

We know you want to pay less. What you haven’t done at all is tell us why a course should offer a college rate. What’s the upside for them?

This actually made me curious - why do so many courses offer junior golf rates?  (hopefully this isn't OT)

The only thing I could think of is that people make purchasing choices based on perceived value.  So they're more likely to pay $40 for a round of golf if it's a discount from a $50 "standard" rate.  That could apply to the college students as well...but probably only helps if a course is in a college town where you want to specifically compete for those golfers over others.

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40 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

The only thing I could think of is that people make purchasing choices based on perceived value.  So they're more likely to pay $40 for a round of golf if it's a discount from a $50 "standard" rate.  That could apply to the college students as well...but probably only helps if a course is in a college town where you want to specifically compete for those golfers over others.

There’s a number of reasons. No single reason but a number of other good reasons.

  • Kids typically don’t pay for themselves.
  • Kids play at less optimal times.
  • Kids play a lot. And bring friends, and often bring their parents.
  • Kids can’t drive a cart. 🙂
  • Kids also represent a lot of future business.
  • There are some other reasons.

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So I just looked at my Alma Mater, the University of South Florida in Tampa. They have "The Claw" which is our home course and have some serious deals for college students. But it makes sense, its a university course. I wish I took advantage of it more when I was there as I played it once or twice. I think it is a perfect reason to transfer. Check out the Green and Gold card deals! 

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