Shorter Rounds?

[TheDarkMoonLord]

I love golf but I don't have the time to play 18 holes over 3 or 4 hours and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

Many golf clubs here will not charge a reduced rate for 9 or 12 holes. You pay for 18 and that's that. 

Isn't it about time golf clubs got with the modern fast paced world and started catering for 9-12 holes I'm sure it would appeal to a much bigger audience and bring new revenue into the dying clubs. 

Thoughts people? 

Edited December 15, 2018 by TheDarkMoonLord

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, TheDarkMoonLord said:

I love golf but I don't have the time to play 18 holes over 3 or 4 hours and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

Many golf clubs here will not charge a reduced rate for 9 or 12 holes. You pay for 18 and that's that. 

Isn't it about time golf clubs got with the modern fast paced world and started catering for 9-12 holes I'm sure it would appeal to a much bigger audience and bring new revenue into the dying clubs. 

Thoughts people? 

That is unusual for this area. Almost all 18 hole course will have a 9 hole rate.

[Hacker James]

some courses I play also do not have a nine hole rate, but most offer twilight or super twilight rates. If you take advantage of the super, you can get in nine holes before dusk. Others have an early bird rate.

[TheDarkMoonLord]

9 minutes ago, Hacker James said:

some courses I play also do not have a nine hole rate, but most offer twilight or super twilight rates. If you take advantage of the super, you can get in nine holes before dusk. Others have an early bird rate.

Yeah but then you're restricted to those times so clubs need to offer all day 9 hole rates. Golf is stuck in the early 1900s it desperately needs to move on to survive. 

[Patch]

Some courses I frequent do indeed have a 9 hole rate. Mostly for walkers. Cart fees are what they are, regardless of the number of holes played. 

My home course charges a flat fee for 9, or 18. Walkers pay $12. Riders pay $25. (non locals may pay more) Those fees are even lower in the hot, summer months, during their "early bird" and/or "twilight hours" promos. 

Another course, just a block away, charges $10 more across the board than those I listed above. 9, or 18, it does not matter. 

I know some guys who take inappropriate advantage of theses rates and play all day long. Maybe 54 holes, or more. 

[Club Rat]

Find a course which offers unlimited play for a season. 
Many courses offer memberships for one year.
Then play as many as you wish.

[NM Golf]

I work at a golf course for this reason. Sometimes I only have an hour or two and I can go out and find an open hole and play a little bit. That being said my course and most courses around here have a 9 hole rate. Heck my course has a regulation nine hole course separate from our 18 hole championship course. 

[TheDarkMoonLord]

I think this may be an issue in the UK then as US seems to have it right. I don't really want a membership with one course as I play in a society and we play many different courses. 

Just feel many golfers would like 9 holes only and be nice if the clubs provided that. 

[HJJ003]

I understand that in some areas 9 hole rates are hard to find. Houston has some but strangely it’s pretty rare. Guess cause we have Golf year round. 

I understand why some courses don’t do it though. More 9 hole courses would be good as well. Less land, less budget, cheaper golf, etc...

[Don Golfo]

5 hours ago, TheDarkMoonLord said:

I love golf but I don't have the time to play 18 holes over 3 or 4 hours and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

Many golf clubs here will not charge a reduced rate for 9 or 12 holes. You pay for 18 and that's that. 

Isn't it about time golf clubs got with the modern fast paced world and started catering for 9-12 holes I'm sure it would appeal to a much bigger audience and bring new revenue into the dying clubs. 

Thoughts people? 

I remember watching a TV show with Arnold Palmer who suggested that recreational golf clubs should reduce to 12 holes to make a round less demanding on time.  If golf doesn’t change it will eventually die out. Clubs all over the U.K. are struggling with reducing membership numbers and demographics that suggest that 100s of them will be forced to close during the next few years.  People in the 25-45 age demographic barely inhabit lots of clubs these days as they spend their weekends ferrying little Derek to football or little Madison to dancing classes.

[Lihu]

6 hours ago, TheDarkMoonLord said:

I love golf but I don't have the time to play 18 holes over 3 or 4 hours and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

Many golf clubs here will not charge a reduced rate for 9 or 12 holes. You pay for 18 and that's that. 

Isn't it about time golf clubs got with the modern fast paced world and started catering for 9-12 holes I'm sure it would appeal to a much bigger audience and bring new revenue into the dying clubs. 

Thoughts people? 

My two home courses have exactly that. 9 and 12 holes. Really cheap in the morning before the front 6 or 9 fill up.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Lihu

[Aflighter]

5 hours ago, Patch said:

know some guys who take inappropriate advantage of theses rates and play all day long. Maybe 54 holes, or more. 

This right here might have a lot to do with it.Some will pay 9 hole rate and then say well they won't mind if I play a few more.Courses probably don't wanna have to keep track of who paid for what.You think they will be watching at turn looking for the 9 hole group?Nope.

Courses also are not designed for you to play pay per hole.

[iacas]

I don't know the last public course I've been to that didn't have a nine-hole rate.

Maybe some high-end place like Kiawah Island… and they probably have a nine-hole rate, too. But maybe not.

Sounds like a deficiency in the UK, perhaps?

But I could see a lot of courses there not having a nine-hole rate because a lot of UK courses go out and back in a big loop, without returning nines. I'm not saying the majority, but a lot of the earlier courses were like that, IIRC, so maybe it's not built into the "system" there to have a nine-hole rate.

[Lihu]

On 12/15/2018 at 8:22 AM, Patch said:

I know some guys who take inappropriate advantage of theses rates and play all day long. Maybe 54 holes, or more. 

It’s allowed where I am, but there are rules you’re supposed to follow and most don’t.

Playing 54 holes is like hitting 4 buckets of balls. I can’t possible see how this helps anyone’s game?!?

 

On 12/15/2018 at 1:55 PM, Aflighter said:

This right here might have a lot to do with it.Some will pay 9 hole rate and then say well they won't mind if I play a few more.Courses probably don't wanna have to keep track of who paid for what.You think they will be watching at turn looking for the 9 hole group?Nope.

Courses also are not designed for you to play pay per hole.

My “players club” makes us pay for the cart, but the greens fees are free.

However, you’re supposed to check in with the starter for a new tee time.

No wonder why PoP is terrible sometimes?

[Lihu]

Plus, you’re supposed to pay for the cart again.

Playing 36 holes a day is overdoing it. I did it a few times, but I’m pretty sure my swing speed was slower back then. Not very a very powerful swing at all...

It’s like training for sprints by running marathons.

[ghalfaire]

I didn't read all of these so if I repeat an answer you already have, I apologize.

But most 18 hole courses in my area have a 9 hole rate.  However, 9 hole play is limited to either early, before the first tee time is making the turn or late in the afternoon when sunset will limit the number of holes you can play. I would have thought that was the standard everywhere.

[rkim291968]

On 12/15/2018 at 5:58 AM, TheDarkMoonLord said:

I love golf but I don't have the time to play 18 holes over 3 or 4 hours and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

Many golf clubs here will not charge a reduced rate for 9 or 12 holes. You pay for 18 and that's that. 

Isn't it about time golf clubs got with the modern fast paced world and started catering for 9-12 holes I'm sure it would appeal to a much bigger audience and bring new revenue into the dying clubs. 

Thoughts people? 

Most courses have twilight (significantly reduced) rate and you can play as long as the daylight allows.   I used to do this a lot before I signed up for all you can play membership at a local course.  I still play in the late afternoons, and play until I get tired or sun sets on the horizon whichever comes first.   It usually means I play anywhere between 13 to 16 holes.   That suits me just fine.   I get tired (and/or hungry) when I play all 18 holes.

[tehuti]

On 12/15/2018 at 8:38 AM, Club Rat said:

Find a course which offers unlimited play for a season. 
Many courses offer memberships for one year.
Then play as many as you wish.

Not around here.