WHAT IS A REASONABLE PRICE FOR A ROUND OF GOLF?

This is a question I have been asking our many clients for the past 7 or 8 years.  Apart from a few jokers who would like to play for nothing, the majority answered fairly, with logical explanations for their opinions. Most took into account the difference between what they pay as members of golf clubs in their home country and what would be reasonable for resort golf, showing that they understand that resort courses are run on a commercial basis, while most golf clubs, particularly British ones, are non-profit-making enterprises. Notwithstanding the current economic climate and taking account of inflation since the start of this decade, an average green fee of between 40 & 50 euros for 18 holes was considered to be a fair rate, a price which would have horrified Costa del Sol golf course administrators 12 months ago, but one which they would gladly accept right now. Those tourists who arrived at this figure based their answers on their experiences of playing at other destinations, such as Turkey, France, Greece and other parts of Spain, not to mention resorts further afield, such as the U.S.A. and the far east. The irony is that many would not have felt obliged to explore  pastures new, if green fees had not spiralled to such unacceptable levels during the past nine years.  For the record, the Bethpage courses in New York (Bethpage Black hosted the 2009 U.S.Open) charge an average of $50 for 18 holes and return a handsome profit, so it can be done.

Perhaps the current crisis will help to persuade the majority of our 50 or so golf clubs that it is time to put their heads together and present a united front, together with the Costa del Sol Tourist Board and the Junta de Andalucia, in a bid to regain our status as Europe’s no. 1 golf destination. They could start by repairing relations with golf tour operators, including those from other European countries, as well as the legitimate locally-based agencies, who have been steadily alienated by ill-considered panic reactions to the present situation, which exclude these agencies. After all, it was the tour operators who were originally responsible for the “Costa del Golf”‘s initial success back in the mid-nineties. United we stand……..

Tags: Golf Club, resort golf