What is your opinion on ride along fees?

[nevets88]

His opinion? And I quote "Bow wow wow wow bow wow wow. Woof!"

[rkim291968]

But the dogs fertilizes field.   They shouldn't be paying for their service.

[Mr. Desmond]

You didn't answer my other question - Why should non golfers get a better deal than the players do?

____

Because it's a golf course, and the rider is not playing golf, and not adding to maintenance costs. My guess is  the rider only adds pennies to the cost. The enjoyment of the rider is probably minimal and the stated fee may take that enjoyment into consideration.

As a operator, I would not charge a fee and try to find revenue elsewhere, if revenue can be found in other places.

You want to disagree - great.

BUT given the facts that the course makes no $$ from food, that changes the picture. If the course keeps fees to a minimum, and that is their philosophy,  then charging a de minimus fee for the rider as a cover seems reasonable.

I would approach discussion of the fee in an open and friendly manner. When you have competition and a limited market for your product, high quality personal service keeps some people returning. Enough? Who knows?

Back to work...

Edit: Since the operator cannot charge for food, this is what one does. You charge $10 for the ride along fee and include $4 food value with a coupon. You make a deal with the food concessionaire to honor the coupon for $4 value. You pocket the $6, and haven't sold food - the food guy makes money on the $4 food.

[Fourputt]

You didn't answer my other question - Why should non golfers get a better deal than the players do?

____

Because it's a golf course, and the rider is not playing golf, and not adding to maintenance costs. My guess is  the rider only adds pennies to the cost.The enjoyment of the rider is probably minimal and the stated fee may take that enjoyment into consideration.

As a operator, I would not charge a fee and try to find revenue elsewhere, if revenue can be found in other places.

You want to disagree - great.

BUT given the facts that the course makes no $$ from food, that changes the picture. If the course keeps fees to a minimum, and that is their philosophy,  then charging a de minimus fee for the rider as a cover seems reasonable.

I would approach discussion of the fee in an open and friendly manner. When you have competition and a limited market for your product, high quality personal service keeps some people returning. Enough? Who knows?

Back to work...

Edit: Since the operator cannot charge for food, this is what one does. You charge $10 for the ride along fee and include $4 food value with a coupon. You make a deal with the food concessionaire to honor the coupon for $4 value. You pocket the $6, and haven't sold food - the food guy makes money on the $4 food.

You're taking something simple to a ridiculous extreme.  Cart fee for 9 holes is $8, charge $8 per rider, player or non player, excluding a well disciplined child small enough to sit with two adults.  $16 and $16 for 18 holes.  Post with the rest of the fees just what the costs are and nobody really quibbles.

As someone mentioned above, my wife has no interest in riding with me unless she is playing too.  I think that's true in most cases.  It's pretty rare to see a non playing individual just tagging along for the ride.  If golfers have to find a way to justify spending 4½ hours on a golf course, then it's just that much harder for a non-golfer.

[Vinsk]

Strange, I've played all over the country and I've never heard of rider fees...I think it's silly. Can't be that much revenue but certainly could discourage further interest if fees are charged. Some just want to come along like any other sport...but with golf...you can't just sit on the bleachers.

[Jeremie Boop]

A bit off topic, but I remember, not too long ago, the courses around here charged "1/2 cart" fees for golfers. Basically if you were by yourself you paid full price for the cart, but if there were 2 of you the cost was split so it was cheaper per person.

[Mr. Desmond]

You're taking something simple to a ridiculous extreme.  Cart fee for 9 holes is $8, charge $8 per rider, player or non player, excluding a well disciplined child small enough to sit with two adults.  $16 and $16 for 18 holes.  Post with the rest of the fees just what the costs are and nobody really quibbles.

As someone mentioned above, my wife has no interest in riding with me unless she is playing too.  I think that's true in most cases.  It's pretty rare to see a non playing individual just tagging along for the ride.  If golfers have to find a way to justify spending 4½ hours on a golf course, then it's just that much harder for a non-golfer.

Whatever...

I tried to cooperate and move the conversation in a positive way.

But people are feisty.

Have fun.

[jgreen85]

You're taking something simple to a ridiculous extreme.  Cart fee for 9 holes is $8, charge $8 per rider, player or non player, excluding a well disciplined child small enough to sit with two adults.  $16 and $16 for 18 holes.  Post with the rest of the fees just what the costs are and nobody really quibbles.

As someone mentioned above, my wife has no interest in riding with me unless she is playing too.  I think that's true in most cases.  It's pretty rare to see a non playing individual just tagging along for the ride.  If golfers have to find a way to justify spending 4½ hours on a golf course, then it's just that much harder for a non-golfer.

Not surprised the course you work at is struggling. $20 to ride along? Is your 2nd paragraph suggesting you think people are lying and just trying to get a free greens fee?

My takeaways from your comments in this thread: no one ever does this (just rides along), but when it does occur, it is exorbitantly expensive for the course.

[danL]

It's not nonsense - it's dollars and cents.  Buying or leasing carts cost money, and golf carts aren't cheap.  Maintenance costs money, and gas costs more every year.  Golf carts are regularly abused by stupid golfers and some the resulting repairs can be pricey,  (Repairing steering linkage from front end damage caused by trying to go over a curb cost $1500 five years ago and the cart mechanic said it happened as often as 10 times a year.  I don't even want to think about the 2 or 3 carts each year that end up in the irrigation ditch that runs through the course.)  If that ride along requires sending an additional cart out with the group, then the course would be pretty stupid not to charge for it.  The only time I can see logic in not charging is if there would already be a golfer riding solo in the group so that the additional rider doesn't require another cart.  That would be a hard policy to manage - easier to just have a standard fee. At my old home course, it was standard to charge, unless the right person is behind the counter.  In that case they might give a break for a regular customer as long as it was a weekday, he didn't advertise the fact, and it didn't require an additional cart.  Maybe not entirely fair, but most courses will give some under the counter perks to long time loyal customers.   When they do charge, which is most of the time, they just charge the normal fee for sharing a cart - certainly no green fees for a non player.  That would be over the top.

Yes I get that they may be abused by the minority of users, but how does that excuse the extra charge? When I rent a car on vacation, they don't charge me an extra $20 for every head I have in that car. That would be nonsense. If I rent one car, I pay for one car. That would be like some guy coming in behind me at the car rental place and the guy behind the counter saying, "oh you're both driving to Ft Lauderdale so you're actually going to have to ride in the same car but both pay the full price of a rental even though you're being forced to share one." I'd tell him to kiss it and that I'm walking away, getting charged half of the price, or getting my own. Same way I handle club house jerks that are trying to steal from me to make up for their poor business management. Unacceptable, and I'll be the first to tell them.

[jsgolfer]

We don't have ride along fees at our course, but that is probably like most Country Clubs. However, I think it is bad business at most courses unless it is a full tee time schedule. No if the person is taking up a spot I can see it but any other time, what difference does it make. The fee that gets me is cart fees are done per person. If I take a cart alone it is one price. If two people are in the cart it is double the cost. I know this is a good revenue stream for the course, but always irritates me. So there are times when they do this, I've seen each player taken their own cart rather than ride together.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

You're taking something simple to a ridiculous extreme.  Cart fee for 9 holes is $8, charge $8 per rider, player or non player, excluding a well disciplined child small enough to sit with two adults.  $16 and $16 for 18 holes.  Post with the rest of the fees just what the costs are and nobody really quibbles.

As someone mentioned above, my wife has no interest in riding with me unless she is playing too.  I think that's true in most cases.  It's pretty rare to see a non playing individual just tagging along for the ride.  If golfers have to find a way to justify spending 4½ hours on a golf course, then it's just that much harder for a non-golfer.

Not surprised the course you work at is struggling. $20 to ride along? Is your 2nd paragraph suggesting you think people are lying and just trying to get a free greens fee?

My takeaways from your comments in this thread: no one ever does this (just rides along), but when it does occur, it is exorbitantly expensive for the course.

How in the world did you get any of this from what I wrote?  Lying?  Who said that course is struggling?  It's the busiest course in the Denver area.  Try to see what's there, not what you want to see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

It's not nonsense - it's dollars and cents.  Buying or leasing carts cost money, and golf carts aren't cheap.  Maintenance costs money, and gas costs more every year.  Golf carts are regularly abused by stupid golfers and some the resulting repairs can be pricey,  (Repairing steering linkage from front end damage caused by trying to go over a curb cost $1500 five years ago and the cart mechanic said it happened as often as 10 times a year.  I don't even want to think about the 2 or 3 carts each year that end up in the irrigation ditch that runs through the course.)  If that ride along requires sending an additional cart out with the group, then the course would be pretty stupid not to charge for it.  The only time I can see logic in not charging is if there would already be a golfer riding solo in the group so that the additional rider doesn't require another cart.  That would be a hard policy to manage - easier to just have a standard fee.

At my old home course, it was standard to charge, unless the right person is behind the counter.  In that case they might give a break for a regular customer as long as it was a weekday, he didn't advertise the fact, and it didn't require an additional cart.  Maybe not entirely fair, but most courses will give some under the counter perks to long time loyal customers.

When they do charge, which is most of the time, they just charge the normal fee for sharing a cart - certainly no green fees for a non player.  That would be over the top.

Yes I get that they may be abused by the minority of users, but how does that excuse the extra charge? When I rent a car on vacation, they don't charge me an extra $20 for every head I have in that car. That would be nonsense. If I rent one car, I pay for one car.

That would be like some guy coming in behind me at the car rental place and the guy behind the counter saying, "oh you're both driving to Ft Lauderdale so you're actually going to have to ride in the same car but both pay the full price of a rental even though you're being forced to share one." I'd tell him to kiss it and that I'm walking away, getting charged half of the price, or getting my own. Same way I handle club house jerks that are trying to steal from me to make up for their poor business management. Unacceptable, and I'll be the first to tell them.

I've seen courses where the charge for a cart is is the full fee whether there is one rider or two (Ex. - They charge a single $20, or if a twosome they only charge $10 each, thereby gouging the single).  Most of the time they end up having to change that policy because it drives people away.

When you rent a car it's a different proposition.  Not in the same category, as you aren't renting a golf cart for general use - a car is usually rented for an unspecified period of time and payment is made on return - with a golf cart it's for the duration of the round, and nothing more.  Since the full 9 or 18 hole charge for a cart is halved by two players, it's only fair that that same policy is carried through for a ride along.

[GolfLug]

Awsome. Have fun walking. Pete Dye's, VB National??

Once in a while, usually Cypress Point- closer to where I live. You local?

[Jeremie Boop]

I've seen courses where the charge for a cart is is the full fee whether there is one rider or two (Ex. - They charge a single $20, or if a twosome they only charge $10 each, thereby gouging the single).  Most of the time they end up having to change that policy because it drives people away.

Since the full 9 or 18 hole charge for a cart is halved by two players, it's only fair that that same policy is carried through for a ride along.

This appears to be where we see a difference based on the courses we play. Each person who rides pays full price for the cart here, 18 per person, so if one person is in the cart the course gets 18 if 2 people are in the cart the course gets 36. Therefore the price isn't "halved" at all. If you want to say that the 36 is the "full price" for the cart then I call bull on that because the greens fees are less than that.

[Jackal66]

My local course doesn't charge for my wife to ride along. (Non golfer). If my 11 year old son and I are playing, and she takes a separate cart, they charge $5 for 18 holes. She also takes a lot of nice pics and sends them to the course owners wife, to put on their Facebook page.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I've seen courses where the charge for a cart is is the full fee whether there is one rider or two (Ex. - They charge a single $20, or if a twosome they only charge $10 each, thereby gouging the single).  Most of the time they end up having to change that policy because it drives people away.

Since the full 9 or 18 hole charge for a cart is halved by two players, it's only fair that that same policy is carried through for a ride along.

This appears to be where we see a difference based on the courses we play. Each person who rides pays full price for the cart here, 18 per person, so if one person is in the cart the course gets 18 if 2 people are in the cart the course gets 36. Therefore the price isn't "halved" at all. If you want to say that the 36 is the "full price" for the cart then I call bull on that because the greens fees are less than that.

Well the math of that tells me that a single rider pays half the full cart fee.  2 riders each pay half to add up to the total of $36.  It's the same just about everywhere I play, except that the actual price varies.  Where I just played today it's $16 per rider per 18 holes, and it doesn't matter if they are playing or just watching, the cart fee doesn't change.  It's still $32 for a full cart.

[Jeremie Boop]

Well the math of that tells me that a single rider pays half the full cart fee.  2 riders each pay half to add up to the total of $36.  It's the same just about everywhere I play, except that the actual price varies.  Where I just played today it's $16 per rider per 18 holes, and it doesn't matter if they are playing or just watching, the cart fee doesn't change.  It's still $32 for a full cart.

There's no reason, in my opinion, that the cost of the cart should be basically the same price, or more, as the greens fees. The cost of 18 holes at one course I play is $18, the cost of the cart is $12. Going by what you are saying the cart fee is actually more than the cost of the greens fees because the actual cart fee is $24. Now, I am pretty sure that's not really how it works because I've seen 2 people in separate carts more than a few times. I'm sure that differs depending on the course and/or how busy it is.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Well the math of that tells me that a single rider pays half the full cart fee.  2 riders each pay half to add up to the total of $36.  It's the same just about everywhere I play, except that the actual price varies.  Where I just played today it's $16 per rider per 18 holes, and it doesn't matter if they are playing or just watching, the cart fee doesn't change.  It's still $32 for a full cart.

There's no reason, in my opinion, that the cost of the cart should be basically the same price, or more, as the greens fees. The cost of 18 holes at one course I play is $18, the cost of the cart is $12. Going by what you are saying the cart fee is actually more than the cost of the greens fees because the actual cart fee is $24. Now, I am pretty sure that's not really how it works because I've seen 2 people in separate carts more than a few times. I'm sure that differs depending on the course and/or how busy it is.

Just because you have seen players riding single in 2 carts doesn't mean that the course would prefer it that way.  Sometimes they simply don't know when a player checks in how many of the group will be riding, so they give the first guy a cart so he can head over to the range to warm up.  Then 15 minutes later the next guy checks in and he's given a cart to get his clubs and go to the range.  Now players with a bit of concern for the course are going to join up when they find each other and return one of the carts.  I've done this too many times to count.  Unfortunately, not every player cares that he's being a bit of a jerk.  I've also seen it happen when a single joins a threesome, but the threesome is only going 9 holes, so to let the single continue on to #10 in a timely manner, they let him take his own cart.  I would imagine on a well run course it's something that you would see only rarely.

[GaijinGolfer]

Heaven forbid that a wife and husband might actually enjoy spending time together?!?!?!

Who wants to watch their signifigant other suck at golf?  If you want to enjoy time on the golf course with your SO, thats great.  Get a set of clubs and play yourself, dont just sit there like a bored housewife who has nothing better to do.

Sorry but I think if you cant think of anything better to do together than to watch your husband play golf, perhaps you need to find something more constructive to do with your life.

Maybe Im just totally being a hater but it just seems so lame to me.