What's the most you've paid for a round of golf (all included)

[AmazingWhacker]

I once paid $40 to play the "good muni" . .it was worth it.  So far I have always gravitated towards the cheapest golf I can find . . I figure a place like Pebble Beach probably has some nice out-of-bounds areas .. but I can essentially play the same golf for $12.  My game is finally getting good enough, though, that I might be able to see a few fairways and at least get a hint of what the course is all about .. so I've been thinking about playing one of the upper-level public courses around here . . .probably cost me $80 if I can't find a deal.  Someday, I really do want to play Pebble Beach, though.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

That's pretty much what I said.  I said we have differing levels of disposable income.  How how that income is disposed of is also different.  What's the big deal?  I said I wouldn't pay that much for a round of golf at Pebble Beach, and I doubt I would even if I had the income for it.  It simply doesn't mean anything to me.

The Old Course is a different story.  St. Andrews is steeped in golf history, and that is something I love.  If I ever get to Scotland, that is on the top of my very short bucket list.  At the $300 you mentioned, I'd do it.  If it gets too much higher, then I'd probably have to think hard about how much it means vs. what else I can do with the money (meaning that I could play several Scottish links courses for the same outlay).  But first I'd have to get to Scotland, and at the moment I have no such plans.

I never really questioned anyone's values, only stated that I couldn't see the value in it.  If someone wants to save his vacation money for years to play one round at Pebble, that's his privilege.  He simply has a very different idea of how to dispose of his disposable income than I do.  I guess it's not so much a case of the amount, but how one chooses to use it.  When I see a person driving a $60,000 car, it's obvious to me that he either has more money than I do, or he values his ride (or his image) a lot more than I do.  It's no different than choosing where one plays golf.

I think you need to relook into your definition of "very."  $500 for one round at Pebble (plus travel and lodging) versus $300 for one round at St. Andrews (plus travel and lodging) is not "very" different.  When you factor in that each person has to get to each of these places ... for arguments sake, coming from the Bahamas, it's going to be $2500 versus $2300 or something like that.  Point being, it is certainly something other than "very" different.

You are in awe of the Old Course ... that's cool, so am I.  I would absolutely pay the $300 to play there once.  I am equally in awe (or close to it) of Pebble and will absolutely pay the $500 one of these to play there once as well.

The one exception I would make to your comment is that if I was to ever have the opportunity to play the Old Course, I wouldn't be in Scotland specifically for golf.  I would be there with my wife as a tourist with the plan to include a round at the Old Course in my itinerary.  At this point in my life, I doubt that I would take a trip that far just for golf, even to the home of golf.

As Erik said, and I thought that I amended in my last post, we all place different values on the things we spend our "fun money" on.  I would rather play a $20 round on a goat track with my brother than play a perfectly prepared $300 course with a bunch of strangers. It's the company I'm with and simply playing the game that I treasure, and I'm less concerned with where I play.  That's just me.  Others can do the things which add value to their lives (it was never my intent to denigrate anyone else's choices).  It's all good.

[Lefty-Golfer]

480 includes caddie at Pinehurst #2. was it worth it? i don't know, i had a great round and loved the course. i would be happy to do it again so i guess it was. i guess a big part of if something is worth it depends on your own proiorities and ability to afford them. i drive a 5 yr old Tahoe because it is in good shape and i don't need a new one - my partner drives a BMW because it is important to him...

i will say that most of the guys that i know that are playing the big ticket courses are doing it for fun, just because they spend X on a day or a week on a bucket list place has no bearing on how much or what other golf they play.

[RayG]

Recently went to Myrtle Beach and had a carpload of courses to choose from in various price ranges. Dunes, True Blue, Caledonia, etc... All are premium $100+ per round. I thought maybe I would try one of the Barefoot courses since they had a Wednesday special for $60 instead of the usual $95 or more. I played the Love course. Conditions were excellent and the amenities were pretty good. Was it worth the $100 price it normally gets? To me? No... Was it worth the $60 I paid? Probably- but I have played better tests of golf for less. But I certainly would NOT have played it on any of the other days. I played a couple of other mid-range courses for 40-50 bucks and enjoyed myself just as much just because I was on vacation and playing golf. There were a couple of local public courses on Long Island that stressed a "County Club" experience for the general public. With rates running around $129 weekend AM. We played them each once on a special during the week. The first one was no where NEAR a "country club" experience- either in treatment OR conditions. Basically, the sod came up with every shot. They didn't let it grow in for a season trying to get the money flow going. This affected their future business but they never adjusted for the loss in business and kept prices high. They went bankrupt and sold off the land to developers. The other was also affected by the gas spike since it was fairly far out, and priced to a premium. There are several courses nearby that offered a less expensive option. They DID try and adjust prices, have specials, etc... but they also went bankrupt. It was recently bought out of receivership and will be turning private as of Spring 2014.