What am I missing here? I think a lot of clubs would be fundamentally against this type of guest play.
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What “type of guest play” are you referring to @Lazstradamus
The “you clearly don’t know these guys” type of guests and you’re bringing 6 guys you don’t know.
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Got it…yeah that makes sense. Maybe the clubs just don’t know about 1,000 greens yet so they wouldn’t even think to ask. Kind of like the way businesses treat groupon customers versus regular paying customers.
I played with the host at Old Memorial, and he wasn’t that bad. He loosened up a bit on the course and after, with me at least. He’s just a generic ol’ rich dude. Didn’t know about the snitching, though. That’s not cool. I would definitely have a different host style. I’d make sure to set up tee times away from other members so TG folks could do whatever they wanted.
As for the “type of guest play”, @Lazstradamus, some places are totally fine with it. It’ll bring in money for a struggling club. Some places are stuffier, obviously. Like everything, it depends. And for TG, it’s really up to the offering member to figure out if the club is okay with it before putting your offer up there.
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My club just jacked up guest fees to $160 a round, walking, in Omaha. And in addition to that, limited the number of guests we can have out per year. If i had to pay greens fees, i’d say its a $100 course, at least in Omaha.
I could be totally off base, but i’ve heard there is something to do with tax structures and how much money is brought in from non-members.
I could be in the minority, but 3 hours and 20 minutes sounds great to me.
Hey, if TG gets some members onto a fancy private course, go for it!
The RACDG will always be a place where being genuine, convivial and not stuck up about rules … umm … rules.
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Funnily enough I had this exact conversation today with a friend. We were trying to decide what is worse, waiting to take each shot for a minute or two and a resulting long round? Or being stressed while marshalls hurry you along to hit some arbitrary time, especially when you’ve paid good money to be there and want to savour it.
I find it ten times worse to be hassled by an over zealous marshall. It literally ruins rounds. I’ve never had a round ruined by slow play. Frustrated, yes. But never ruined.
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I agree, i wouldnt want to be hassled around the course. But for the group i play in, at my home course, we comfortably walk 18 in that amount of time if we have a tee time before 8am.
If the problem is truly too much money coming in from the wrong people in the eyes of the IRS then your club’s management seriously lacks creativity if it’s best response was “let’s just make it cost way more than it’s worth so they don’t come at all”.
Me too. I once played a round of golf in 1h 47m!
But it’s still worse being hassled than being slow. In fact, had I paid $260 to play somewhere and finished in 2 hours I’d feel I hadn’t had my money’s worth. It’s like going to a window in Amsterdam and negotiating for 30 mins. Even if I’ve popped twice in half that time I’m gonna want a massage or something to run down the clock. A deal is a deal.
Honestly, i dont really know if its a tax thing or not. I had just heard something from somewhere regarding outside play and tax rates.
More realistically, i think its the owners looking to boost the reputation of the place. Its private ownership and members dont have a say in anything. They just did a giant remodel of the course and the whole outside kitchen/patio area.
It also could be a way to just limit the amount of rounds being played due to all the new work on the course.
Regardless, its about twice as expensive as it should be.
I think there’s a different governing philosophy among many clubs, particularly equity & non-equity. Many equity clubs strictly adhere to a limited number of guests and said guests may not play more than once a month. Non-equity clubs are quicker to say “bring whoever” and just take the fees.
I remember talking to Manish about TG over a year ago. Super impressed by how driven and smart he is.
I agree. In @IlliniGolferHack 's case. I’d much rather have played a round in 4.5 hours.
3.5 is very comfortable at my home course, where im not concerned with figuring out where you want to be on a hole, or checking out scenery or anything else. But almost no matter what, i would hate to play a round that takes longer than 4.5 hours.
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Not when it’s a course you have never played and may never get on again. I’d like to enjoy every shot, snap some pictures, heck even hit a couple extra shots if there are interesting shots to be hit!
But if it’s your home course and you’re just playing a quick, casual round, then 3:20 is about right
Damn. That is sad. I’d be gone if my club made guest play outrageously expensive. Isn’t the pitch for an exclusive private club to bring guests and do business?
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Totally agreed. Our host at OM was a little frantic at the beginning of the day and definitely not receptive to our grouping requests, but he was a genuinely cool dude with great conversation. 100% would play with him again
Yep. My close friends play about 5 rounds a year, and at that price, we wont be playing my course. I’d rather buy their rounds at 6 other courses in town, than host at my club.
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I think it’s more about the playability and/or congestion. We have no tee times at all. So, when someone donates a 3some to charity, no one worries about how long they take. If I was at a club that had a stuffed-full tee sheet every day, I’d be pretty pissed if some schlep is taking a foursome of strangers so he can play at some other clubs in a tit-for-tat trade.
But, it will find it’s way over time, no doubt. Would rather play with 3 RACDGers than 3 strangers anyway.
BTW, where do we talk trackman numbers…I need some feedback.
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