At 11:49 AM 8/4/2009, Bernie Baymiller wrote:
Funny, but after 2PM our courses are all but deserted. That might end next year when we're going to a debit card payment system so the cost of a round can vary based on time of day...will probably cost more before 2PM and less after 2PM in the summer.
The Monmouth County Parks System courses (e.g.- Hominy Hill, Charleston Springs, Shark River, Howell Park) have had pricing like that for years. So have many other local courses. It works for the golfer, in that you don't have to pay as much to play at a less desirable time. As for the County, it may (I don't know) generate additional revenue rounds.
The County has put in a few additional kickers this year. It has always had very discriminatory pricing for non-residents. New policy: they drop that later in the day, if you're with a resident. Also they are offering for the residents "play 15 get one free", but you can only collect the free round later in the day, and at the lower-usage courses. All of this is serving the desired purpose of spreading out the course usage over the day, and some of it is increasing revenue-generating use of the courses.
Maybe they'll ... really reduce costs on cold days to encourage more play and generate more income. Will be interesting to see how that works out.
Seen that, too! Some years back, we took a midwinter golf vacation at Fripp Island (SC coast). The rates at the resort course were $45 or the wind-chill factor, whichever was less. We played one round for $22. It wasn't all that cold, but it was the windiest round I've ever played.
Cheers! DaveT -- Shoptalk ** Sponsored by the new Aldila Voodoo. Learn more at http://aldilavoodoo.com/
