Golf Courses; Customer Service and setting themselves apart.
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I've played both Ballyowen and Wild Turkey. They have bag people to get your clubs out of your car and put them on a cart. You still drive to the bag drop area. After the round, you drive the cart to your car, unload and then drive the cart back. They DO have range balls included in the price. But they don't have much else. The courses themselves are in great shape (for the money they ought to be!), But the customer service and the little things, tees, water, pencils etc, and the rest of the bullet points are NOT there. I've only seen ONE marshall for the entire course at each place. They DO have range balls included in the price. But the resort like customer service is not the same at all.
The bagpipes at sundown are a nice touch at Ballyowen, though.
DevRickus
The Dirty Jerz
Yeah I know man. I said some of the bullet points. You wont find all of those anywhere around here man. The bagpipes at sundown are pretty awesome.
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I really did enjoy the great course conditions!! My wife gave me rounds at each for my birthday in different years. I think that Ballyowen was the better course for the money.
Dev, we never did get out this summer. We've got to correct that!!!
Spicy Faiz
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@topic starter: this is not a golf course, IT'S HEAVEN you are talking about. 
Damaikis
Fairway Finder
They do it at dawn too. I love that about Bally. It's a good tradition.
dhill
New member
The courses near me that have perks like those are out of my regular playing price range right now, and I can only think of a few courses that have that.
Greensboro National, while still feeling their way into the new management / ownership have done some nice things including new carts with a "ipad" like system in them for the gps and scoring, ordering lunch, etc. They also have monitors in them that will shut your cart off and tell you to please put it in reverse if you drive past the "no carts" sign, or over an OB line into someones yard. I thought that was a pretty awesome idea, and I'm sure the homeowners love it.
Greensboro National, while still feeling their way into the new management / ownership have done some nice things including new carts with a "ipad" like system in them for the gps and scoring, ordering lunch, etc. They also have monitors in them that will shut your cart off and tell you to please put it in reverse if you drive past the "no carts" sign, or over an OB line into someones yard. I thought that was a pretty awesome idea, and I'm sure the homeowners love it.
hokiegolfer
@danielvt11
Only a few of the public/semi-private courses around here do any of those things. The cart and bag services maybe, but none of the leaving tees at tee boxes, etc. One of my biggest pet peeves is that the courses skimp on the water coolers just like you said. Maybe 3 on a course, which definitely isn't enough.
DevRickus
The Dirty Jerz
Yeah this year was not good for me from a golf perspective. With the new baby and the wife being out of work I hardly played at all. We will have to get a round in with a few of the NJ golfers around here.
DCSerafin
Active member
Couple courses I frequent offer much of what you stated, but what brings me back is their outstanding and friendly staffs that treat you like they truly want your business and for you to have a good time. Some may say this is easy to do. But I have seen courses move your tee-time, treat you like they are bothering them when you go to check in, or think they are better than you in general.
Couple items to note about two courses I frequent (both are public courses, but both do offer memberships)
One has 11 different membership types so if you can't find one to fit your needs here, not sure any will....
They have only grass tees and every member (and public player for that one round) is allowed to hit as many balls as they'd like.
Each cart has a GPS with yardages to that day's pin placement.
The other course: I took my 13yo to play with me, they only chaged him the cart fee (Sunday Morning 8:00 AM) - This is $75 savings and something I would never expect.
Couple items to note about two courses I frequent (both are public courses, but both do offer memberships)
One has 11 different membership types so if you can't find one to fit your needs here, not sure any will....
They have only grass tees and every member (and public player for that one round) is allowed to hit as many balls as they'd like.
Each cart has a GPS with yardages to that day's pin placement.
The other course: I took my 13yo to play with me, they only chaged him the cart fee (Sunday Morning 8:00 AM) - This is $75 savings and something I would never expect.
golfinFF
Active member
War those are some awesome perks, your right its the little things that make it.
I was fortunate enough to play one of our high end country clubs for free and i was blown away by the little things. Was met at the truck to take our clubs, basket of indestructible tees(played 3 rounds with it and lost it at the end of the third round plus three days of driving range), tees and towels in the carts water stations and nice rest rooms on the course. I could never afford to join but see why those who can do.
I was fortunate enough to play one of our high end country clubs for free and i was blown away by the little things. Was met at the truck to take our clubs, basket of indestructible tees(played 3 rounds with it and lost it at the end of the third round plus three days of driving range), tees and towels in the carts water stations and nice rest rooms on the course. I could never afford to join but see why those who can do.
Oregon Golfer
#XBomb
That's some pretty exceptional examples of perks/customer service. You won't find anything like that around here at a public or semi private, not even at Pumpkin Ridge. The closest to that I have ever experienced was at Wolf Creek in Mesquite, NV.
To help put it in perspective, how much are the green fees for a non member and how does that compare with other courses in the area?
To help put it in perspective, how much are the green fees for a non member and how does that compare with other courses in the area?
GaBubba
Member
Funny you should use that example. Our town is too small to have either of those, and my wife has often said that she'd gladly pay a cover charge at the door if we could get a Publix here.
Some of the places you guys are golfing must be on a different planet. All the public courses in my area will charge as much as possible, cram the tee times as close together as possible, and do as little as possible. Free tees or balls? Unthinkable. Yes, im a little bitter lol. I've actually been crossing the border to play in the States lately because its half the price and double the service.
While Im on the topic, a local course pro was recently complaining to me about how the course wasnt making enough money to maintain it at a decent level and too many locals were supporting courses across the line. Meanwhile 4 or 5 staff were in the clubhouse glued to a TV watching a PGA event. Hmm what a mystery. Seems wierd to me as well because the course is always packed.
Philly Golf Guy
#PGG
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A high level of service and those extra perks certainly go a long way and it's nice to have some courses nearby where I can get that every now and then. More importantly for me at any course I play that they have a certain level of forthrightness along with being friendly. If it's CPO, crowded, aerating, etc., let me know when I call. And have reduced green fees for aerated greens. TPC Louisiana charged 50% of the normal fees when they were aerating and it makes sense; you're not getting 100% value of the course.
Last season, I was playing Deerfield in Newark, DE. It was a crowded Saturday, which we expected. Yet the club pro came out to our foursome after the Ninth and asked if we wanted a free round of beers because the Tenth was so packed. We were fine with that. He then found us and asked if we wanted to play extra holes, there was a gap at the Sixth, so we could go back and play those holes and the rest of the round should fly by. We just wanted to play as much golf as possible and were happy to oblige. I've never seen that kind of accomodation at a public course before or after that. That course definitely set itself apart that day and I tell anyone that will listen to give the course a try, as it's a great play in terrific condition as well.
Last season, I was playing Deerfield in Newark, DE. It was a crowded Saturday, which we expected. Yet the club pro came out to our foursome after the Ninth and asked if we wanted a free round of beers because the Tenth was so packed. We were fine with that. He then found us and asked if we wanted to play extra holes, there was a gap at the Sixth, so we could go back and play those holes and the rest of the round should fly by. We just wanted to play as much golf as possible and were happy to oblige. I've never seen that kind of accomodation at a public course before or after that. That course definitely set itself apart that day and I tell anyone that will listen to give the course a try, as it's a great play in terrific condition as well.