Are you guys seeing private courses advertising great deals because of this economy??

[jcard71]

I live just north of Boston and the deals are starting to pop out everywhere!!
This is going to be a really TOUGH year for golf play in general, but more so for private courses..

I know that the topic has been argued over and over on this forum, but for me the most important thing is the pace of play at private courses. It's just a lot faster and if someone is holding a group up they'll let you play through more often a private course then a public. It's the case at my place anyway.

Aanyway, just wondering what people are seeing for changes and delas in their area.

[Ben]

I live just north of Boston and the deals are starting to pop out everywhere!!

At our course we were practically giving away memberships. They waived the intitiation fee ($12,000). Just start paying monthly dues and you're in...

[PEZGolf]

I live just north of Boston and the deals are starting to pop out everywhere!!

Here in our area of Central New York (near Utica), there are not that many private courses---the Yahnundasis, Skenandoa, Cedar Lake, and Sadaquada (notice the Native American names?). However, in the Syracuse area, there are many private courses, and they are doing "deals"---reducing the annual membership fee, waiving the initiation fee, eliminating the mandatory monthly dining requirement, etc. Last summer, in that same area, a real "price war" broke out at the public courses, and green fees dropped from $50-$100 to a range of $20 to $45!! I am sure the new schedule for green fees will continue, because the golfers are used to it, and the courses are afraid to raise them back because they will lose too much business to the competition.

[Brakkus]

Here in the UK the initial joining fee has been dropped and it's a straight in annual membership which in my area ranges from 400-800 pounds depending on the status of the club.

Royal Norwich which is a big deal to have royal in front of the name,usally means higher fees has dropped to 225 pounds for the year which is really cheap,considering there is a 9 hole course near me at only 2300 yds which is still 375 pounds to join.

[TheWarHound]

Not around here. The big, nice golf course in the next town has been advertising on the radio and newspapers a lot, but you still have to pay $2800 per year to join and play. Bastards.

I may join the small course that is between home and work, where several of my buddies play, but it is only $500 per year. It's not a bad course, it's just not a good course.

[msd3075]

The course I’m about to join here in Fort Smith, AR (Hardscrabble CC) is offering a deeply discounted initiation fee as well as 3 months of free dues. I don’t know about the other courses around here, but it’s a pretty good deal.

The club I’m a member at back in Houston (Champions GC) probably isn’t giving any deals. For the caliber of club that it is, the normal initiation fee/monthly dues are a deal in itself.

[rjfan91]

The management company that manages my home course now includes membership at 2 other local courses they manage as part their standard membership package. I've also been paying the same amount for membership for the last 3 years.

I live just north of Boston and the deals are starting to pop out everywhere!!

[Drew]

I looked around a bit... the local country club is selling a few memberships on a silent auction starting at $1000... The thing is the dues total $375 per month... If I had a big family... or lived right on the course it would probably be tempting. The issue is here if we are looking for a cheap round I can get 9 in walking for $13 bucks. So this is what 28 9 hole rounds but since we cannot golf 3 months out of the year and in a couple of others it would be a miracle to get that many rounds in... so it would be more like 40 rounds at the $13 per 9 rate you would have to get in in a month...(without the start/joining fee) Yes there are times and situations this may make sense... but for me right now... nope...

[HytrewQasdfg]

I'm seeing some of the private "real estate" clubs (couses built as part of a housing development) start to go public, but that trend has been going on for at least a year.

Some are offering some pretty good deals too.

[Quinn07]

I have seen a couple of courses up here advertise some deals, but nothing too crazy like some of you guys are seeing.

Mind you I am still under 30 and there are normally deals to be had for players under 30 around my neck of the woods.

[Clambake]

In the San Diego area there has been some increased marketing by the "low end" clubs like Lomas Santa Fe, but it doesn't appear they're dropping pricing much - just advertising more. I heard anecdotally that one of the high end clubs in Rancho Santa Fe (The Farms) had dropped initiation fee from about $125k to $40k, but they're still holding the monthly cost at $1500.

[walk18]

not yet, because it's only February, but I have a feeling there will be some deals coming.