Ontario GolfNorth membership?

[UberPete]

Hey folks,

I am looking into how to get the best bang for my buck next year. To be clear, I'm not in the market for a private country club. The budget won't bear that. I'm comparing buying promos or a membership at a semi private or public course. I can probably get out once a week while working but probably average a couple times a week over July and August.

In Ontario, we are probably looking at about a 6 or 7 month play season. In looking at memberships, the tipping point seems to be about 30 rounds to make it beneficial. That's a little more than once a week average.

My concern is that I like some variety and think I would get bored playing the same course that many times.

I looked at Kaneff. They are a good option with great looking courses but it is pushing my budget a bit more than I would like.

I have come across GolfNorth. Has anyone else had any experience with them? This looks.like it might be just what I'm looking for. The cost is very reasonable and based in this area of Ontario, it offers lots of choice.

Still new here so I'm not sure if there are many Ontario golfers here but I would like any feedback you have on GolfNorth or any other suggestions you think might fit what I'm looking for!

I'm not sure if it's against the rules to post outside links so I won't but if you search the name its easy to find.

Thanks!

 

[Junkyard]

I know a bunch of guys who have been Golf North members in the past. Out of eight, none of them bought the membership this year. The problem with GN is the tiered structure they have for their courses; these guys bought as members of Burford which is the not the lowest level, but close. Every time you want to go and play another course, if it's up a tier you have to pay a service charge to make up the difference. And then there's Golf North's maintenance habits.

Honestly I haven't taken a membership the last couple of years at Flamborough either; they introduced a frequent player program for $275 that gets me 2 rounds with cart and 20% off all green fees thereafter. I only play weekends and holidays, miss 4 days in the spring for a MI trip, and 4 days in fall for FL. I projected the math for this year, without any trips and I was still slightly on the negative side if I had paid the membership dues. I drive past the course every day, but after a long day at work stopping in for a few holes was never really in the cards for me. I always said the same thing as you about variety; trust me when I say that no two rounds on the same course are ever the same.

If you don't mind moving around a bit, and you're not looking for the creme de la creme Underpar is hard to beat. You can also sometimes find hot deals on GolfNow for local courses. If I think of anything else I'll post it up for you.

 

[8Eagles]

Hey UberPete...The hammer huh!! Only those in southern Ontario will know that one!! You’re lucky, most people don’t realize how many great golf courses are in your region. Honestly, at 30 rounds a year you’re better off using golfnow and Underpar. For example, you can often find ottercreek on golfnow (one of my favorites). Go to the driving range for weekly practice and you’ll be further ahead than getting a membership.
I can understand wanting variety but I think good bang for your buck is 20 Valley is you choose a single course.