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"Golf's biggest threat" -- interesting read

I've booked through GolfNow once or twice, but usually just call the course up. Maybe I'm more cognizant of what it takes to maintain a course so I'm willing to pay reasonable fees to do my part. In my neck of the woods you typically only save $4 to $5. I guess it adds up, but to take advantage you usually have to play at an odd time. I'll pay the little extra for my own convenience.
 
Thanks for sharing. It was a good read as I book 100% of the golf I play on GolfNow..
 
I very rarely book on GolfNow, but this definitely makes me less inclined to do so, especially since we're only talking about a few bucks here and there anyways.
 
I use golfnow when I can save money. Since I'm typically a twilight golfer the rates aren't usually cheaper. Plus, I just want to walk on at that time of day.
 
At my local 9 hole course, Golf Now posts 2 tee times nearly everyday (9:03 am and 9:10) somewhere between $15-20 with a cart whereas the regular rate is usually $45+. If golf courses are not making money with these online services, they should use different software. Tee time registration can't be too difficult.
 
Golf has a bunch of threats that are much bigger than courses allowing people to make tee times online, even if they lose a bit of money using a 3rd party system. It's not 1972, people don't want to call the course all the time to make a tee time, and courses shouldn't be in the position of losing money on tee times that are made online.
 
I love golfnow. It has allowed me to find/try many different courses in my area I otherwise wouldn't have gone to. And yes I Book the deals. I've saved as much as $40-50 a round. That's right a round. Now I don't know all the ins and outs of the golf course management business but we do have a family friend that owns a golf course and he or his course definitely are not hurting for money(they use golfnow). I also can't speak for every area but in my area I feel that the golf courses over price themselves. It makes it hard to get multiple rounds in when courses want to charge $40-50 a round in the middle of the week. Personally I feel that is golfs biggest issue. I make what I think is good money and still I'm like dang I spend a lot of money of golf, I can see why some people don't play anymore.
 
I love Golfnow and jump on the hot deals a lot in fact I just booked Orange lake reserve for $11 tomorrow morning.
 
Isn't golf's biggest threat the lack of participation or pace of play? Is it possible that having discounted rates and ease of booking incline some people to try the game? Sure, courses aren't getting their normal rates, but it is better than nothing, right? I have only used these types of things a couple times and typically play golf free at the course I work at, so I can't really say much else.

I'm having a hard time buying into this knowing how my course works with third party booking sites.
 
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Wow, I just don't buy into the 3rd party destroying golf and profitability theory. Courses, head pro's, the PGA, and a myriad of other things contribute to the decline of a facility, it can be over staffed with horrible employees, it can be understaffed with great employees, it can be filled with the typical PGA snobbery that I see often out there that shun us mere mortals, and let's not forget the $3 and $4.00 dollar bottles of water that don't get sold, perhaps it's the overpriced greens fees, maybe the crappy range or practice facilities, or it might be the old ass antiquated way a lot of these guys do business. A facility dies because someone is sucking the $ life out of it!
 
Not sure how much I agree with this article, though I don't know what goes on behind the scenes at courses.

I do know, there are several courses in my area that are struggling to get ANYBODY out there. I can't imagine GolfNow etc. does anything but help courses that are struggling. Same goes for the high end courses. The target demographic in San Antonio for high end courses isn't as comparable to DFW and Hou. I would think the discounted tee times at least attracts someone out there to play...

Better to have someone out there then no one at all right?
 
My course and a few other courses around my area used GolfNow for about a year. Big Mistake! For many of the rounds that they were selling the cost of running the carts was not even covered. I think that we actually received only half of what GolfNow actually took in. Needless to say but their system was removed from our clubhouse very fast.
 
Yeah it was tough for me to buy into the premise of the article.
 
In my experience the regular golf rates are always the same the course charges yet you have to pay a tax so it costs more. The hot deals are the only discount I've ever seen. I could be way off but I'm assuming those slots are paid by golfnow (at whatever rate) and golfnow eats it if nobody reserves those slots. No way do I see these as an issue for golf.
 
tgtt said:
In my experience the regular golf rates are always the same the course charges yet you have to pay a tax so it costs more. The hot deals are the only discount I've ever seen. I could be way off but I'm assuming those slots are paid by golfnow (at whatever rate) and golfnow eats it if nobody reserves those slots. No way do I see these as an issue for golf.
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I've book plenty of non hot deals at less than rack rate.

Varies course to course though some are posted at rack rate
 
I agree with a lot of the other posters on this one - I don't see GolfNow being the destroyer the article makes it out to be. There are a number of courses around me on GolfNow, and the majority of their tee times are either standard rate, or maybe a 20% discount. I'll see a few Hot Deals that really are good deals - like paying $25 for 18 with cart at a local semi-private that's normally $65. But that's one, maybe two tee times at most, and they're at times when I'll drive by the course and see absolutely no one out there anyways.
 
I've used GolfNow a couple of times, mostly when I'm trying to book a particular course for a full group. Some of the discounts are pretty hard to beat. But given how often I walk on as a single, I usually get a discount by mentioning something like the tee time/green fee I saw on a website, and I'll get something in the middle. "Didn't I see a tee time around this time online for $X? I didn't book it then, but can I get down on a deal like that?" Usually works for getting some kind of discount.

If it drives business to your course, it's hard to see course owners getting all that mad. Then add in the bar/cart girl, etc. and the profits get higher. So yeah, if your course is a dog track with no amenities, I could see not liking taking a cut/loss to give out your tee times to those online booking third parties...but getting players on your course and potentially liking it and spending money there, you'll win out eventually.
 
Think the article may have a cause or affect logic problem. If a course is booking an adequate number of rounds at the rates they deem appropriate they may not need a third party booking system. They have to use these sites to fill slots they would otherwise not generate income, around big events and peak times. The discounted rounds are generally non-peak times, and the course can fill out a tee sheet around their known demand from reservations, tournaments, outings, etc. They may have times available during peak times, but they have little or no discount. In the hotel business it is known as demand timing. Booking sites fill rooms on nights when the room demand from reservations, conferences, etc leaves availability. A good operator knows when they can charge a premium, and when they just need whatever revenue they can generate to help cover cost.

Another thing to think about is if the course leans pretty hard on using these sites to make reservations, the decreased green fee or fee associated with the booking could be offset by not having to have another employee to field calls. So the net affect is the same to the bottom line.
 
Under utilized capacity. Why would a course even use Golf Now if they didn't experience unused tee times bringing in zero revenue?

I have a feeling that over priced rounds and courses not understanding proper pricing strategies contributes way more to clubs struggling than Golf Now ever would and I rarely use the service. Way too many courses try to get the same dollars for a 2:00 PM round on Monday as they do an 8:00 AM round on a Saturday. If it were not for twilight fees and weekday promotions I would have rarely played during the years when I couldn't afford a season pass.
 
BigTex said:
Think the article may have a cause or affect logic problem. If a course is booking an adequate number of rounds at the rates they deem appropriate they may not need a third party booking system. They have to use these sites to fill slots they would otherwise not generate income, around big events and peak times. The discounted rounds are generally non-peak times, and the course can fill out a tee sheet around their known demand from reservations, tournaments, outings, etc. They may have times available during peak times, but they have little or no discount. In the hotel business it is known as demand timing. Booking sites fill rooms on nights when the room demand from reservations, conferences, etc leaves availability. A good operator knows when they can charge a premium, and when they just need whatever revenue they can generate to help cover cost.

Another thing to think about is if the course leans pretty hard on using these sites to make reservations, the decreased green fee or fee associated with the booking could be offset by not having to have another employee to field calls. So the net affect is the same to the bottom line.
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If you only knew how many people book online, and then call the course to make sure it got booked ok.
 
Smallville said:
If you only knew how many people book online, and then call the course to make sure it got booked ok.
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Guess I never have been one of the people that even thought to do that. Probably drives the staff nuts to have to continually field those calls.
 
Not sure I agree with the article, but it does bring up an interesting conversation.

The golf operators at some of these courses are going to have a construed and bias view on these 'discount' tee times and consumer expectations. Perhaps they should consider the consumer view and perhaps, their course is in fact overpriced. If a golf course is seeing all their bookings coming via a site like golfnow, then they are definitely operating the course wrong.

Rather than spin speculation, I'd like to see some hard data and metrics to support either argument.
 
Smallville said:
If you only knew how many people book online, and then call the course to make sure it got booked ok.
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Do they not get an email confirming the booking?
 
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