Mike Davis from USGA just said average 18-hole round cost $26

Mike Davis from the USGA was just talking in a presser for the Players, and said, that greens fees aren't the biggest threat to golf, its water. He went on to say the average 18-hole round cost $26.

Thoughts?

I can't speak for other areas, but for where I live $26 bucks seems to be about the going rate for 18 holes of golf.

The average in NorCal is def not $26. Most courses are running $75-110-ish. I think the water aspect is a big threat, but a bigger threat is the fact that kids today would rather play video games, tweet or take selfies all day then get out of the house.

Here in NC I can play lots and lots of places during the week and weekends for $30 and under

$26 will get you three or four holes of decent golf in California, unless you can get on a military course or play desert golf in the summer.

It's early in the Midwest season but it seems as though courses are cutting back on watering and that's OK.

On green fees, walking rates on average are around $35-40. So far this year the range has been $18 to $59.

$26 is probably about right...not including cart fees of course. Most around here run in the high teens to low 20s for green fees with some running a bit higher. It probably averages out to or possibly a bit lower here.

Nice thing about where I play now, course has private lake fed by natural spring...doubt we'll ever run out of water, which is good because it's the only place here that's still running bent greens which I love.

Are we in the year 2015?

$40 to play around me.

i can say that last year, at the crack of dawn, i could play a course less than 10 minutes from my house, 18 holes and a cart, for $20.

[quote name='golfcarte' timestamp='1430926977' post='11509975']
Mike Davis from the USGA was just talking in a presser for the Players, and said, that greens fees aren't the biggest threat to golf, its water. He went on to say the average 18-hole round cost $26.

Thoughts?
[/quote]

With that being said, are Cart Fees the real killer of Golf? If I had to guess the average cart fee nation wide would be $20.

Cart Fees are kinda like the Popcorn, Sodas, and Candy at the movie theaters.


(yes I know people do walk, not everyone buys the $40 worth of snacks at a movie either)

Maybe if you average in the price of 18 holes of putt-putt. That seems about half of what I would imagine the "average would be."

With all the deals floating around I haven't paid over $30 for a round in over a year. Even $70/$80 dollar rounds can be found for less than $30 at the right times. In the DFW area, 90% of the courses can be played for under $30. The course I frequent the most is about $28 everytime.

[quote name='jsams222' timestamp='1430928128' post='11510127']
[quote name='golfcarte' timestamp='1430926977' post='11509975']
Mike Davis from the USGA was just talking in a presser for the Players, and said, that greens fees aren't the biggest threat to golf, its water. He went on to say the average 18-hole round cost $26.

Thoughts?
[/quote]

With that being said, are Cart Fees the real killer of Golf? If I had to guess the average cart fee nation wide would be $20.

Cart Fees are kinda like the Popcorn, Sodas, and Candy at the movie theaters.


(yes I know people do walk, not everyone buys the $40 worth of snacks at a movie either)
[/quote]

Exactly! Saying the average green fee is $26 is a bit disingenuous. Especially given the number of courses that are not walkable. When you factor in cart fees, that puts the average round at $40, which is probably more accurate.

I assume that is walking. I think most mid-west courses are probably around there. I played at my home course where I grew up in Ohio last summer for $20 w/ cart & a hot dog & bottled soda on a weekday. Problem is many courses sit empty on weekdays and are jam packed on weekends.

California forget it. Even the crappiest muni's here want $40 for 18holes walking, another probably $15 for a cart, that is weekdays. Weekends you're probably sniffing north of $60 unless it is county/city run.

I read it as the OP saying that it costs the course $26 per round in WATER.

I imagine it does in some areas

I always say to my wife and kids ... how much water to we waste rinsing out these containers for the recycling bin. At some point that will stop as water become scarcer

[quote name='bazinky' timestamp='1430928485' post='11510171']
[quote name='jsams222' timestamp='1430928128' post='11510127']
[quote name='golfcarte' timestamp='1430926977' post='11509975']
Mike Davis from the USGA was just talking in a presser for the Players, and said, that greens fees aren't the biggest threat to golf, its water. He went on to say the average 18-hole round cost $26.

Thoughts?
[/quote]

With that being said, are Cart Fees the real killer of Golf? If I had to guess the average cart fee nation wide would be $20.

Cart Fees are kinda like the Popcorn, Sodas, and Candy at the movie theaters.


(yes I know people do walk, not everyone buys the $40 worth of snacks at a movie either)
[/quote]

Exactly! Saying the average green fee is $26 is a bit disingenuous. Especially given the number of courses that are not walkable. When you factor in cart fees, that puts the average round at $40, which is probably more accurate.
[/quote]That's about what it is around here.

Many of the courses around the area don't allow walking so they force you to take the cart with the addition of cart fees.

I would say 50 would be the average with a cart during the week. However, on the weekend 65 plus.

Did he happen to mention the median price?

that seems to be about what i pay to play. usually through golf now or golfing twilight rates to avoid paying much higher greens fees

$30 is about right. Unfortunately many newer courses are essentially un-walkable. You're forced to pay $15-20 for the cart.

Hey, here's an idea. Let's get back to building courses you can actually walk.

If I could get out for $26, I would play A LOT more golf!

I think people are overlooking a key word.... average. I am sure if we did a study, certain states would be higer than others and certain states would be lower.

I wonder how often Mike Davis tees it up at the local muni? Kind of like Ted Cruz or Hillary Clinton pontificating on the cost of a package of hotdogs.

That being said, in many areas of the country one can probably walk and play 18 holes for under $30. The closer to a major urban area, typically the higher the cost. As others have said, take a cart or hit some balls or play prime time on a weekend and the cost quickly can exceed the $26 cited.

[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1430930290' post='11510401']
I think people are overlooking a key word.... average. I am sure if we did a study, certain states would be higer than others and certain states would be lower.
[/quote]

This is it ... in Iowa, our Munis are high teens low 20s without cart. Private courses range from mid 20s to over $100. And then you add in cart of a minimum of $15.

Stats like this are pretty easy to manipulate however you want, so this is the USGA putting their spin on the high cost of golf.

[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1430930290' post='11510401']
I think people are overlooking a key word.... average. I am sure if we did a study, certain states would be higer than others and certain states would be lower.
[/quote]
Our "average" is about $65 (and up) here in Northern VA. If you want cheaper, you head west into the country, then you'll pay $40. Sometimes...

[quote name='tbowles411' timestamp='1430930716' post='11510437']
[quote name='joey2aces' timestamp='1430930290' post='11510401']
I think people are overlooking a key word.... average. I am sure if we did a study, certain states would be higer than others and certain states would be lower.
[/quote]
Our "average" is about $65 (and up) here in Northern VA. If you want cheaper, you head west into the country, then you'll pay $40. Sometimes...
[/quote]

yeah, even here in Syracuse you can pay $25 or $250 for a round. Also, there are a few par 3 courses that are around $18. Not the best but if you ever just want to walk with a Sunday bag some holes are quite challenging.

Oh, and if you belong to a country club and don't play 50+ rounds a year, your 'average' round is a lot more.

Even if that is the average price (which in my area it isn't unless you count going out in the summer after 3:00 pm on the weekday in either the pouring rain or scorching sun), money IS the issue.

The cost per hour of entertainment has dropped so significantly a person weighing $26 over 4 hours or $6/hour of entertainment is still rather expensive.

Your average video game is somewhere in the range from 30 hours to finish up to 100s of hours (this is not even referring to MMOs, or Apps, which I will get to later). $60 for a video game and now you're looking at between $0.50- $2.00 an hour on the conservative side.

MMOs are even more inexpensive, people can log 40-80 hours a month for the cost of the game or like $15 a month. That's microscopic compared to your average golf round. To get 10 rounds in a month I'd need to pay a Kia car note. Phone Apps are even less expensive than that. Some cost $10, or even $1, or could be free with adds and they keep my niece busy for hours on end.

A game requiring patience, and money investment doesn't sit well in an era where kids are impatient and go to extreme lengths to find cheaper alternatives.

Would love to see what numbers he's using, and all that goes into them.

My area of Iowa, he's about 40% low just for weekdays, 50% + low for weekends, assuming he means walking, which few do.

That rate is comparable to some of our rural 9 hole courses, again without cart.

I would be surprised if his quote holds up to some practical scrutiny.

$26? Maybe for 9 holes in twilight for any course in New Jersey. I wish it was that cheap. lol. Going rate around here is 40-50.

Normal courses around me are $40-50 to walk Mon-Thur.

Fri-Sun add at least another $10-20 and that is if they even let you walk.

Several courses are cart only (at least in the morning).

The last time I paid less than $30 for 18 was in Erie, PA about 10 years ago