Off Course is back this week with a fantastic show including discussing some fun topics including how well golf is doing during this pandemic. Hosted by Dan Edwards and Rob Miller, each Friday the hosts give you a deep look into the world of golf and equipment in a way unlike any other podcast has done before.
Episode 24 is here and Dan and Rob discuss the following topics.
Golf is Up!
US Open Coverage
Payne’s Valley Coverage
And they go Off Course…
THPGolf · Off Course: Episode 24: Golf is Up!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I agree with both sides on the cost of some of these "public" courses.
what I can’t stand though is what dan alluded to and the touting of courses being public even though the vast majority of golfers won’t/can’t pay to play it haha.
oh well. If there’s demand then so be it. Just means I won’t get to partake unless special circumstances happen.
I can think of other sports are are similar. Skiing, trap shooting, racer car driving.. haha.
As for making golf more watchable, I have one word – DRONES. Or a Skycam. But really I’m not sure how watchable it is for non-golfers. I watch just about every sport out there and I can’t play them worth a damn, but I’ve heard people who don’t watch baseball because it’s too boring say golf is even worse. As for me, I want more on-course content and less stuffy old guys with outdated takes.
Agree with @HipCheck on the attention span.
my fav part of NFL is watching RedZone. No commercials, limited commentary, just play after play.
I know golf has some similarities, cutting to players around the course, but there’s a ton of play we don’t get to see in golf, unless you are the leader/preferred pairings.
As someone who just bought a drone and is enjoying playing with it, yessssssssss
it’s kind of a strange debate to have, because at its core, golf is definitely something that can be played without using money.. I’ve watched guys at three different parks over the last month hit golf balls around an empty field…. but obviously that’s not the perfect experience.
This was more or less my perspective on the pod. We need to find a way to capture the experience better. If you’re broadcasting golf but only showing one or two shots per minute, the attention span crowd departs rather quickly.
Last year. Pre covid there was an actual muni in my neighbor hood that after 4pm you could play walking for 8 dollars.. With sun set around 9 Pm during the summer. On good days you could get in 18 if you hustled. I would very regularly go out at 5:30 and play about 12 holes.. I would skip one here or there to keep moving as fast as possible. Talk about getting your moneys worth.
I liked the tee to fairway interviews they were doing early in the season, but as a player I imagine I’d hate it. Reminds me of when they interview hockey coaches between periods. I would have to think any more robust live content would come at a cost to the players, but they have it too cushy anyway. Mic them up and get me the content I need!
I have a vice bethpage golfer boy hat from the 2019 PGA and a Waste management 16 green hat. I have been to neither event. But I liked the hats.. Vice puts out some of the best special release hats.
I think most of the stuff that comes out of the WM is a ton of fun. Lots of the Puma apparel has been great.
I wear the bethpage hat way more often. It is just all black and has the bethpage logo in all black on it. That logo is pretty awesome and can be worn at any time. It might be one of my fav hats.
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What is the price point threshold where courses jump from being affordable to too expensive?
from a ‘public’ standpoint? I think those waters are pretty murky.
Does it even reach 100 dollars before it becomes out of reach for a large majority of golfers seeking out public play?
Location and season probably factors into this as well.
I’m not sure, that is why I asked.
I think with some resort courses, the package is what plays. Rather than cost per round. For instance Hammock Beach can get pretty pricey upwards of $250 a round, but with a package and nights involved, it can become virtually nothing.
So purely golf, is $100 too much to pay? How much does geography play a role here too? For instance in San Diego or Carlsbad, finding a good course for less than a couple of hundred is nearly impossible for anybody visiting.
I would bet geographical perspective plays a huge role.
Near Cincinnati;
My private course in season fees are under 100 dollars.
There’s a public track down the road worth 44 in season.
There’s a goat track about the same distance for 33 in season.
I would agree as to location and season having an effect on pricing.
I think golf in my area is relatively expensive. I mentioned a very affordable option last year. That was fun but it was barely a golf course. It feels like $65 is about average. If you go up to Tahoe it can get from $100-400 really quickly..
Gary Player… I sound so negative and harsh but out with the old and in with the new, I’m tired of reading/listening to old guys crap.
Again, resorts are a different animal in my opinion. Usually because there are packages that make it much easier to swallow/more affordable in relation to the overall cost of what you’re spending on a vacation.
but non resort/single round play courses that charge more than 75$ is a tough sell for so called “public courses” to meanyway. That’s about what all the courses charge here and it’s why I do a mini membership at one of them. I pay 55$ in peak season vs 90 to non residents and 80 for residents…..
ya Charleston resident rates suck btw. Can’t figure out how they don’t do it better like myrtle, Hilton, North Carolina places, etc.
lmao wow, RL Lorax is kinda nailing it.
Oh man. I think it’s different for everyone. The best public resort course near me is $125 on the weekends before noon, including cart. And the weekends include Friday (total BS). That’s not personally a dealbreaker as I only do it a few times a year, but for others I can understand it may be. To their credit there are "rewards" memberships you can buy to get the round costs down if you play a lot.
I don’t think I’d pay more than that, honestly. DEFINITELY not weekly.
Here in my county, you can get a (yearly) $50 county card, then play any one of 5 county courses for maybe. $50 max.
PS: I’m not sure this even answers the question.
First point: shocked. Absolutely shocked. That is borderline wrong? I don’t know.
Second: I started Minshew in fantasy. Dammit!
Third: I’m not sure that the sound of drones everywhere would "fly" *rimshot!