The way ahead

For the next few weeks, resident and visiting golfers will be enjoying the pleasures of affordable golf, as green fees have been substantially reduced for the summer low season. In many cases, these green fees have included the shared use of a buggy, essential during the heat of the day.  Ironically, despite the ongoing effects of the global recession, the signs are that this summer will prove to be the busiest for most courses for the last decade.

Obviously, lower green fees are the reason for this relative success, so the obvious conclusion must be that a similar adjustment of green fees for the coming high season should encourage missing golf tourists to return to the Costa del Golf for their winter break. After all, our original advantages remain the same; easy access from the rest of Europe, the probability of great weather (what climate change?), unparalleled choice of great golf courses and now, a significant increase in the exchange rate of sterling to euros.
Recent conversations with clients who have chosen to return from flirtations with golf resorts elsewhere has revealed that the only reason for deserting the Costa del Golf during the past two or three years has been the lower cost of playing golf at other destinations. Nowhere else can match the combination of benefits which I have listed above.  At the moment, golf tourism, like most other businesses, is having to ensure survival. Already, Doña Julia, one of the more recent additions to our already burgeoning portfolio, we have heard are experiencing problems.  As our courses learn to survive while charging green fees that are acceptable to golfers who are becoming used to operating within revised budgets, the solution to current problems has already been made clear. Green fees for the coming winter season are due to be announced soon. They will make interesting reading.

Tags: Golfers, green fees