Golfnow.com vs Calling the course

[Greggap]

Hey All,

 

Now that Golfnow is charging $199 per year, what's your experience been just calling the courses vs using Golfnow? Do you recoup the $199 if you use Golfnow?

[Soloman1]

That's if you choose to become a "VIP member." It's an option and not required.

[8602081]

Depends on how often you're using golfnow..

If it's once a month.. no not worth it..

Every week.. probably..

 

[DiscoDiner]

I’ve got a buddy who did it for a year and said he wouldn’t do it again. I think it really only makes sense if you’re using it weekly, but I’m not 100% sure. I only use it a hand full of times a year - I just call the course. Are there benefits I’m missing by not booking through golf now?

[playar32]

I have found a couple of discrepancies between the normal rates of the course and what golfnow charges. Hotdeals are better rates, but why pay golfnow a fee. Most courses have a golfnow type technology on their website anyway.

 

I remember when it use to a scaling type price on golfnow, unbooked tee times are cheaper the closer it got to the tee time. They should bring that back.

[hgtiger24]

As someone that took tee times at a top 100 course, golf now was fine, but i'd prefer you just call the shop/book on the portal online. If theres a hot deal, call up the shop and say "hey, golf now has a hot deal, i'd book through there, but can you give me the same one?" 9/10 times i'd say absolutely. theres a few situations that it doesnt work, but those are pretty rare. I know after 2:00 it was more expensive to book on golfnow than to just call the course anyways.

[SNIPERBBB]

I'd call the course...last time I used golfnow we booked a course that unbeknownst to me was effectively closed, old silo Kentucky now perma closed. The club house had been closed since the previous fall and some maintenance guy came out and took our money, had to pay cash.

[North Butte]

On the few occasions I play somewhere other than my club, I just call the course and book directly. I frankly can't see what value GolfNow offers to an occasional public-course player like myself.

[smashdn]

I got bit the other way on vacation once. Found the golfnow price online and instead of booking it I went down to the course thinking surely I will get as good or better price by actually being there. Wrong. I got charged rack rate and guy at register wouldn't/couldn't come off price to match the golfnow price. Irritated but I still played.

 

In hindsight a phone call to the course is the way to go IMO.

[tjblue]

> @smashdn said:

> I got bit the other way on vacation once. Found the golfnow price online and instead of booking it I went down to the course thinking surely I will get as good or better price by actually being there. Wrong. I got charged rack rate and guy at register wouldn't/couldn't come off price to match the golfnow price. Irritated but I still played.

>

> In hindsight a phone call to the course is the way to go IMO.

 

Forget courses not matching golfnow rates....I've had courses refuse to charge me the same posted rate on their own site. Their response...you have to book it on our website to get the lower rate.

[Imp]

> @tjblue said:

> > @smashdn said:

> > I got bit the other way on vacation once. Found the golfnow price online and instead of booking it I went down to the course thinking surely I will get as good or better price by actually being there. Wrong. I got charged rack rate and guy at register wouldn't/couldn't come off price to match the golfnow price. Irritated but I still played.

> >

> > In hindsight a phone call to the course is the way to go IMO.

>

> Forget courses not matching golfnow rates....I've had courses refuse to charge me the same posted rate on their own site. Their response...you have to book it on our website to get the lower rate.

 

Pull out your phone and do it then. I've done that a couple times, right in front of the person at the desk.

 

--kC

[Greggap]

I called around to three courses, none of them was close to the Golfnow price for a similar prized tee time, it ranged for $10-20 difference, so if you play a lot Golfnow is probably worth it, especially if you use the Hot Deals.

[Wander Bread]

I pay the $100 for the VIP, but I play about 40-50 rounds a year (and a lot of them with my wife) so the convenience fees getting waived add up to way more than $100, plus i get the hot deals and $10 rewards on those hot deals to get some really cheap rounds if I am able to play at the times the hot deals are posted. Unless you are booking a lot of tee times I wouldn't pay the VIP fee.

[Brennanf]

Seem to do ok as a non VIP locally. Playing tomorrow for 30 from golfnow

[CougarRed]

Supreme Golf app for the win.

[TaddNOhio]

this past Monday i decided to get a "Hot Deal" through GN for a local course, when me and my wife arrived the owner of the course had to explain to me that the course receives no money from my purchase of the hot deal through GN. I looked at the guy and said "you have to be making something, why else would you be with Golfnow?" ... he went on to explain that it is to draw people to the course in hopes they will return and play and of course pay at course. He then looked at me and said "All you had to do was call here at the course and say what deal you found and we would of matched it here"

..... So, if you book and pay through Golfnow the course does not get any of the money?

[LICC]

> @TaddNOhio said:

> this past Monday i decided to get a "Hot Deal" through GN for a local course, when me and my wife arrived the owner of the course had to explain to me that the course receives no money from my purchase of the hot deal through GN. I looked at the guy and said "you have to be making something, why else would you be with Golfnow?" ... he went on to explain that it is to draw people to the course in hopes they will return and play and of course pay at course. He then looked at me and said "All you had to do was call here at the course and say what deal you found and we would of matched it here"

> ..... So, if you book and pay through Golfnow the course does not get any of the money?

 

Only on Hot Deals. If you book a regular tee time through GolfNow, the course gets the money and GolfNow gets a small fee. In order for a course to be on GolfNow, it gives GolfNow two or three foursomes a day that GolfNow uses for Hot Deals. The bigger problem I've had is that I walk, and GolfNow only has rates including carts. If it is not a Hot Deal, GolfNow doesn't care if the course charges me a lower rate to walk. But some courses won't do it. They insist that GolfNow requires payment of the higher rate regardless of whether you use the cart. Which is just a lie.

[CStephenson17]

> @LICC said:

> > @TaddNOhio said:

> > this past Monday i decided to get a "Hot Deal" through GN for a local course, when me and my wife arrived the owner of the course had to explain to me that the course receives no money from my purchase of the hot deal through GN. I looked at the guy and said "you have to be making something, why else would you be with Golfnow?" ... he went on to explain that it is to draw people to the course in hopes they will return and play and of course pay at course. He then looked at me and said "All you had to do was call here at the course and say what deal you found and we would of matched it here"

> > ..... So, if you book and pay through Golfnow the course does not get any of the money?

>

> Only on Hot Deals. If you book a regular tee time through GolfNow, the course gets the money and GolfNow gets a small fee. In order for a course to be on GolfNow, it gives GolfNow two or three foursomes a day that GolfNow uses for Hot Deals. The bigger problem I've had is that I walk, and GolfNow only has rates including carts. If it is not a Hot Deal, GolfNow doesn't care if the course charges me a lower rate to walk. But some courses won't do it. They insist that GolfNow requires payment of the higher rate regardless of whether you use the cart. Which is just a lie.

 

It’s not a lie, it’s in the contract. In ours we are not allowed to match over the phone what is on the website so there is still incentive for people to book through them. And we aren’t allowed to alter the rate in the system to a lower rate than what it was sold to you as because it comes through as $0 on our end when ringing it up. Golfnow fully controls those prices and we essentially click a button to say you shows up. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, just the way it is.

 

Ps. I hate golfnow. We get too much play from it. Arguably we could raise prices but revenue is revenue and not my decision.

[LICC]

> @CStephenson17 said:

> > @LICC said:

> > > @TaddNOhio said:

> > > this past Monday i decided to get a "Hot Deal" through GN for a local course, when me and my wife arrived the owner of the course had to explain to me that the course receives no money from my purchase of the hot deal through GN. I looked at the guy and said "you have to be making something, why else would you be with Golfnow?" ... he went on to explain that it is to draw people to the course in hopes they will return and play and of course pay at course. He then looked at me and said "All you had to do was call here at the course and say what deal you found and we would of matched it here"

> > > ..... So, if you book and pay through Golfnow the course does not get any of the money?

> >

> > Only on Hot Deals. If you book a regular tee time through GolfNow, the course gets the money and GolfNow gets a small fee. In order for a course to be on GolfNow, it gives GolfNow two or three foursomes a day that GolfNow uses for Hot Deals. The bigger problem I've had is that I walk, and GolfNow only has rates including carts. If it is not a Hot Deal, GolfNow doesn't care if the course charges me a lower rate to walk. But some courses won't do it. They insist that GolfNow requires payment of the higher rate regardless of whether you use the cart. Which is just a lie.

>

> It’s not a lie, it’s in the contract. In ours we are not allowed to match over the phone what is on the website so there is still incentive for people to book through them. And we aren’t allowed to alter the rate in the system to a lower rate than what it was sold to you as because it comes through as $0 on our end when ringing it up. Golfnow fully controls those prices and we essentially click a button to say you shows up. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, just the way it is.

>

> Ps. I hate golfnow. We get too much play from it. Arguably we could raise prices but revenue is revenue and not my decision.

 

I received in writing from GolfNow that they don’t care if the course charges me the walking rate for non-Hot Deals. I’ve used that at courses to inform them. GolfNow doesn’t get the money.

[ryu123]

in the Pacific Northwest the Golfnow offerings are third tier courses, which I don't play anyway, at any price.

 

I have used GNow on a few Monterey CA trips.

[molecularman]

I've only used GN a few times on really good deals. Where I used to live there was a nice public course that I could get on for 15-20 bucks with a cart. Since have moved, there aren't many courses on GN around me, and they seem to be no cheaper than just booking via the course. I have about 30 bucks from a GN gift card that I haven't used it probably 2 years now.

[Ger21]

I get Hot Deals nearly every week, saving $10-$30/round. And the price does drop the closer it gets to the tee time. Twice in the last month I've booked Saturday morning for a Sunday round @ $25, and the guys I got paired with paid $15 two hours before. Even 2-3 days before, the price often drops $5/day

[sethdavidsdad]

Golfnow is always cheaper for me. Surprised that some of the courses charge more than the standard golfnow rate. I have called a pro shop on the way to the course asked the price and then end up booking thru golfnow just because they try to charge more. I get the hot deals are more but don’t understand charging more than the regular rate.

[golfandfishing]

The below is true for Hot Deals only. Courses have (or at least used to have) the option of either paying GN a fee to be on their platform or they could allow GN to sell a few times a day as Hot Deals, instead of paying a fee upfront GN keeps all of the revenue from Hot Deals.

 

The courses may not have the option of paying a fee in lieu of Hot Deals any longer, I know that in 2015 it was being discussed to do away with the platform fee and just use Hot Deals. Not sure if this became reality or not though.

 

> @TaddNOhio said:

> this past Monday i decided to get a "Hot Deal" through GN for a local course, when me and my wife arrived the owner of the course had to explain to me that the course receives no money from my purchase of the hot deal through GN. I looked at the guy and said "you have to be making something, why else would you be with Golfnow?" ... he went on to explain that it is to draw people to the course in hopes they will return and play and of course pay at course. He then looked at me and said "All you had to do was call here at the course and say what deal you found and we would of matched it here"

> ..... So, if you book and pay through Golfnow the course does not get any of the money?

 

 

[wkuo3]

many of the golf courses have their own promotional rate/plan.

If you frequent the few golf courses closer to you, then it'll be a good idea to sign up for their "email / app special " you'll get notification of the promotional rate, often times lower than what's offered on the web and no cancellation fees.

I had an assistant pro told me that their own promotional rate was lower than what online booking could offer.

Check it out with your local golf courses, most of them also offer online booking for the convenience. Most also use the app notifications for coupons instead of the printed kind.

For the annual VIP fee on certain website.

It depend on how often you will be using the service to make it worth awhile. You'll have save enough difference on the green fees to recoup the $199. Do you use the service exclusively year round ?

If you could get discounted greenfees directly from the golf courses and not wanting to be tied down to the limited selection one place could offer.... then freedom without the sunk cost and more choice to play or not to play should be considered.

I had never bought this type of "previledge", except for the Costco membership, because there is one 6 miles away, we could get ahead within a month or two with savings.

[DonatelloNobodie]

Several times I have booked with GolfNow to get a lower price, while standing in the pro shop. Even after showing the desk guy the lower price, the course stands firm on their higher price. Crazy....

[596]

I wont use golfnow. It's a third party company that stuck themselves in between the golf course and the customer. The course will lose money on most of the bookings. I know, I had to deal with many of these third party companies that took a chunk of my business. Id much rather call a business or book straight from their web site. Yes, it may be more expensive, but nothing I can't afford. Id rather fully support the business I am using and not a third party.

[Hack Daddy]

If GN is so morally abhorrent, then golf courses should just opt out of using it. Very simple; it's a partnership they agree to.

 

GN is at almost every course in my area. I've used hot deals every single weekend for the last few years. Literally. It's great. And I get to use the promo codes every so often, if I have a day off during M-Th.

 

I just don't get the hate for GN. It's not a law or being forced upon the courses. Again, if it's so "bad," dont use the service.

 

I remember in my early GN days, I would call the course(s), tell them what golf now price is, and if they would match. 100% of the time, this was the response -

 

"Then book it through GN."

[links242]

Golfnow is great. Never had an issues with it. VIP package is well worth it if you play at least once every week.

[Pearson10M]

I use GN all the time, but do not belong to their VIP program. I did the math and I would have to use it about 30X a year to get the payback and I don't. I have had some incredible deals through GN. A premier course that charges $80+ can some times be had for 50% of that price. Many courses do not subscribe to GN and sometimes those courses have their own deal structure, such as after 3PM weekend w/cart 30+% off the midmorning rate.

 

I agree, if GN is such a poor deal for course, why do they use it? If I was a course and used it, I would discount the price for the HotNow deal and make it walking and then offer the option to ride to the group at check-in. You could still price point the same, but instead of GN getting all the $ from the Hot Deal, only the greens fee goes to them and you keep the cart fee. I would guess that the net profit of the cart fee is much higher than the greens fee.