Golf Now/Course Rant

[mecoleman]

Had previously booked a tee time through GN at a great price at a local course. Soon after, an emailed was received that the time had been canceled.

Called the course and they said it wasn't on their end. GN denied it, too.

Come to find out, the course HAD canceled our time and moved our tee time 2 hours earlier. The time that we'd previously booked was increased by a fair amount.

The only reason that I can figure is that the course didn't want to honor the previously booked time and realized that they could make money by cancelling and jacking the price back up. 

Really soured me on that course.

Has anyone else had that experience?

[iacas]

I don't buy rounds on GolfNow or anything, but it sounds like something that might be against the GolfNow policies.

[Pretzel]

I would contact Golf Now about your experience, showing them your confirmation emails saying you booked that specific tee time and also the email saying your booking had been cancelled while the tee time was still available for sale.

[dkolo]

I ran into a problem with GolfNow this summer when I booked a Hot Deal tee time at a dream course for a few days ahead of time. I was very happy with the deal and I planned a couple of other rounds around that tee time (had a few days off and was planning on playing with friends who were also taking time off that week). I got an email from Golf Now a day before the round that the tee time had been canceled. I called customer service and she said that the course had an outing and were canceling my tee time. No apologies, no courtesy rebooking. By then, other good deals I would have jumped on that day were sold out. The lady even went so far as to say that I was "lucky" I was canceled on ahead of time because, in her words, people usually find out when they get to the golf course. I told her I didn't feel lucky and that that was a crappy way to treat customers, especially when it sounds like it happens routinely. I get that mistakes happen and wires get crossed, but if I had found out I had a meeting that day and couldn't make it, I wasn't going to get a refund. Arrogant lack of accountability like that rubs me the wrong way.

[RFKFREAK]

5 hours ago, dkolo said:

I ran into a problem with GolfNow this summer when I booked a Hot Deal tee time at a dream course for a few days ahead of time. I was very happy with the deal and I planned a couple of other rounds around that tee time (had a few days off and was planning on playing with friends who were also taking time off that week). I got an email from Golf Now a day before the round that the tee time had been canceled. I called customer service and she said that the course had an outing and were canceling my tee time. No apologies, no courtesy rebooking. By then, other good deals I would have jumped on that day were sold out. The lady even went so far as to say that I was "lucky" I was canceled on ahead of time because, in her words, people usually find out when they get to the golf course. I told her I didn't feel lucky and that that was a crappy way to treat customers, especially when it sounds like it happens routinely. I get that mistakes happen and wires get crossed, but if I had found out I had a meeting that day and couldn't make it, I wasn't going to get a refund. Arrogant lack of accountability like that rubs me the wrong way.

I'm curious, @David in FL, did you ever have something like this happen when you were using GN regularly? 

[gregsandiego]

On 12/6/2015 at 4:58 PM, mecoleman said:

Had previously booked a tee time through GN at a great price at a local course. Soon after, an emailed was received that the time had been canceled.

Called the course and they said it wasn't on their end. GN denied it, too.

Come to find out, the course HAD canceled our time and moved our tee time 2 hours earlier. The time that we'd previously booked was increased by a fair amount.

The only reason that I can figure is that the course didn't want to honor the previously booked time and realized that they could make money by cancelling and jacking the price back up. 

Really soured me on that course.

Has anyone else had that experience?

I book almost all my rounds with Golf Now or sometimes Golf Zing (which has less choices). I've never had a cancel and to the contrary, the courses here are pretty lenient letting me move things around, show up with 3 instead of 4, even push out a week once time when we made a mistake.

What was the name of the course that did that to you?

[David in FL]

On December 8, 2015 at 9:48 PM, RFKFREAK said:

I'm curious, @David in FL, did you ever have something like this happen when you were using GN regularly? 

Nope.  Never.

[imsys0042]

I'm sure some small percentage of courses will do shady things like that.  I maybe booked 15 rounds with golf now and never had any issues.  

There is a course right down the road from me that is very unfriendly to deal with.   Not the people but their policies are insanely bad.  So a lot of people avoid it.  The sneaky moves by courses in this thread for a quick cash grab will keep people away. 

[Patch]

I have never used the services of GN, or others like it. I always just call the course when I need a tee time for a group. Probably cost more, but less problems in the long run I think. 

Since I go out as a single most of time, I just show up and ask if the counter guy can get me out with someone. Can't remember the last time that did not work. I have even been allowed to play on some private courses doing this. 

There was a new course several years ago that would quote a decent price and take your info for tee time. Then when you got there to pay, the price magically doubled, and there was no guy working there with the name given during the original phone call. That was the Boulder Creek GC just out side Boulder City Nevada. Never went back to it again when they did it to our group. 

 

 

[Marty2019]

I made a tee time using Golfnow, received a confirmation email, and got another email an hour later saying it had been cancelled.   I made an irate phone call to the course and they said they didn't know anything about it.   I looked at the original email confirmation I had received, and guess what?   I had mistakenly made the tee time for that same day when I had been intending to make it for the next day.   When I failed to show up, the whole thing had been cancelled and I was not charged.   I don't know who did that but, thanks. 

The thing I like about Golfnow is that on the courses I play, which are normally pretty cheap, during weekdays, there is always one time slot that is dirt cheap.   Normal price can be $30, but if you reserve, say 11:40, it's $18.   The other day, one time slot was $14.  

I'm looking right now, and at Hyde Park in Jacksonville, this coming Tuesday, December 29, for 11:40, $30, and for 12:02, $16.  

 

 

Edited December 27, 2015 by Marty2019

[dave s]

No problems with Golfnow here, either.  I'll even do things like book the 1:20 pm hot deal on a Sunday afternoon and show up earlier.  No course has ever denied me and the wife an early start if #1 tee was open.

What I HAVE experienced is courses advising me to use their website and looking for tee times and rates that are actually BETTER than what golfnow offers.

And since they've cut back on deals/rewards/perks at golfnow, I usually book at the course website or pick up the phone and call.  Since we usually have 4 or more on Saturdays we'll play whenever to get the best rate.

dave

[bm85]

Have had similar experiences. Great advertisement for courses, and great deals for us. Still, it's a PITA sometimes. Some people are hopeless at running a business, let alone a golf course.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 2/15/2016 at 4:25 PM, dave s said:

No problems with Golfnow here, either.  I'll even do things like book the 1:20 pm hot deal on a Sunday afternoon and show up earlier.  No course has ever denied me and the wife an early start if #1 tee was open.

What I HAVE experienced is courses advising me to use their website and looking for tee times and rates that are actually BETTER than what golfnow offers.

And since they've cut back on deals/rewards/perks at golfnow, I usually book at the course website or pick up the phone and call.  Since we usually have 4 or more on Saturdays we'll play whenever to get the best rate.

dave

I'm amazed at the number of people who have experienced problems with GolfNow. I've only had one bad experience, and it wasn't the fault of GN. We booked the Hot Deal at a course we'd never played, went to the course and presented the paperwork. Immediately, the a**hole behind the register started calling us the "GolfNow Boys!" The, he made us wait and wait until we could tee off, claiming that some "members" had priority. 

Finally, we played the course, and it was far short of what their website claimed. For all intents and purposes it was a goat ranch! But they sure were proud of it! Then, when we got back in the clubhouse to have a few libations, the a**hole behind the register started berating us as the "GolfNow Boys" yet again. I'd finally had enough and yelled, and I can yell, "Hey! If you don't want people booking on GolfNow, why are you on their service?!" Everybody in the place heard me and froze. The doofus at the register shut his yap and just stared at me, because I'm sure the look on my face told him I'd bury a wedge in his skull if he gave me any more lip!

The other extreme came when I, by mistake, booked a time for for the wrong date. Totally my fault, yet GN and the course went the extra mile to ascertain that we had NOT played on the day in question. It was a "Hot Deal" which demands prepayment. My account was credited in full, and we were able to book another time on a day when we could be there. Needless to say we've gone back to that course again and again. And I continue to use GolfNow.

[GolfingInHawaiiSpoiledMe]

Just like hotels. I book direct. A small savings of $20 is not worth the headaches I keep hearing about. 

[Coronagolfman]

I play a lot as a single in Hawaii since my wife is not a golfer - usually calling the courses makes more sense as the local nearby hotels to the big resort courses (Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani, Hapuna) get lower rates than you might find on Golfnow (especially later in the day).

I play a lot of rounds in Inland Empire and never had a problem with GN except for one time they overlooked my time and I ended up playing in fivesome with some Korean ladies (but they were fast and pretty good players to boot).