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  • How much is to much for a destination course?

I paid $500 USD to play Whistling...throw in the dollar exchange and it was well north of that.

I'd pay every bit of that and more for a select list of courses.

I'm all about the experience. Memories are worth whatever it takes.

Golf is expensive. If you think about any of it in dollars, it’s all too much. I really try not to think about it because there really aren’t going to be a lot of courses where you pay and say “man that course was really worth $500”

Noyes26 well I slightly think about it in dollars because I am in the business of setting the rate. But there is nothing better when you would leave a course thinking you should have paid more than what the round actually cost you.

      dbenick3 it’s tough man. You’re at a private club aren’t you? You asking about what you think your guest rates should be? Maybe I have your situation all wrong just thought that’s what it’s always sounded like.

        Cdnrockies I think a lot of courses like that charge it because they get away with it.

        I’ve played a number of top 50 private clubs in the US for sub 250. People make the experience. I don’t think the price of a course in and of itself makes the course/experience good.

          Noyes26 I am at a private club. Some days I think our price is way to high when it is said and done. I also think a lot of courses are over priced. Maybe it is just where golf is going price wise for anything with a name.

            I will also say I am on an in law vacation here. Signed up as a single, got paired with an awesome group for the situation for me. Paired with a couple 20 somethings and a dad, 20 somethings playing it back with me and were able to play it back there. So I was judging the course purely on the course and not the over experience.

              dbenick3 I completely get what you’re saying. I am at 2 places. The better course has lower guest fees than the other. The one with lower green fees is walking only with caddie and has a 2nd course where cart fee is very high, I think $35. But with that, that course is a guest course. Lots of guests, lots of lunches, dinners, drinks, there’s rooms, cottages, hugely successful pro shop etc…

              The regular local private has a higher guest fee that includes cart. But in my opinion and much of the membership the guest fee is too high. It’s also year round. So even in December when honestly it should be at least half what it is… it’s too high. They say it’s as high as it is for 2 reasons. Public courses, in terrible condition, in the area are getting $80-$100 a round and not having an issue filling the tee sheet. Also on top of that, they just don’t want a ton of guests right now. Membership exploded with Covid, there’s a waiting list now in all memberships categories so it is what it is. I will say though with that, not a ton of lunches and dinner get eaten there below the 50+ age group. Pro shop sucks, no rooms, no cottages, etc. Just a good local private club.

              Hope that makes sense. Send me your rates, I can give you an idea how it compares to some places you’ve heard of.

                  I paid half of Spyglass' rate during year one of the pandemic - felt that was worth it. Now that it's back to its full rate, I'm not so sure I'd go back again. It was obviously "nice" and "hard", and while I didn't play my best, I still had a great time. Still, the costs just seem ... not worth? Maybe I don't like it enough, I guess.

                  ForeLeft

                  Nice passive flex. 🙄

                  Most people don't have access to top 50 private clubs. Those of us that don't will have to pay what the premier public/resort clubs charge.

                    Cdnrockies

                    my point was that the best most exclusive courses in the US are under $250. Why does a public course that has a never ending revolving door of traffic need to charge $700+??

                    Im going to Sand Valley next weekend. It’s $235 for your first round, $117 for replay. And these are PEAK season rates for two top 100 courses.

                        ForeLeft Well exclusive clubs don't have as much up keep as you would a pebble. Seeing they don't have every time slot jam packed destroying the courses. The staff might also be smaller. There are plenty of economic things that could go into difference in private to destination courses.

                        I think once it hits over 500 for one round its like what else am I getting?

                            The green fees most likely serve as a gatekeeper to maximize margins while making it accessible enough for the deeper pocket visitors.

                            Last time I was at Pebble, they included your room with greens fee. I want to say it was about 550 per course, including hotel. I felt like that was fine with me, you certainty get caught up in the whole setting and property. The being said, I doubt I would pay $500 (at a minimum) for a round there.

                            The most I have spent on a top 100 was $225. Anything under $250 count me in.

                            Pasatiempo is in my area and its 325? 350? Been hard crossing that one off my list given its price ugh. Need convincing

                            If it's a top end course and I am playing with my dad or buddies, I don't really care what the price is and I'm lucky I can afford to pay. For me it's all about the memories, my dad and I just got back from a quick trip to Torrey Pines, was it overpriced, probably, but dad and I had a great time and I don't put a price on those memories. Anything over $150 is probably over priced in the grand scheme of life, compared to how most people live in the world.

                            There are clubs in the NJ/PA/DE/MD/NY area that do a Monday tour or it used to be called Turnpike tour. You have to be a member of one of the clubs in it and all bookings are for 4somes. Each person in 4some gets $25 shop credit. Caddie tip is not included. Remember these are basically unaccompanied rounds so these aren’t guest rates. Some are much higher than the normal guest rate, some just by a bit. It’s a cool thing though if you want to play some top courses that you otherwise would not have known someone to host you. Here’s some of those with pricing….