Club Corp Course Reviews for Play Away (Formerly Travel) Members

[ChippingDisaster]

The way I understand it.

Currently we can do 2 complementary green fees per club per month.

So if you want to play at 5 different clubs that is 10 free rounds in a month.

 

It is changing to 2 complementary green fees per month. With this that is a max of 24 free rounds per year.

They are also removing the complementary dining benefit.

 

What's not clear is if you are an existing member are you grandfathered in to the old policy or it is just the new members that have these new restrictions.

 

[tjblue]

Yes...24 times.

I said 12 because my wife is on our membership.

Between the both of us we probably play 12-15x a year on average with the travel membership.

[tjl48]

If this change applies to current memberships I am out. The biggest appeal to me has been on vacation hitting 2-3 clubs with my wife. I get to use it probably once a year on work trips. Wouldn't be worth keeping it at that point.

[ChippingDisaster]

I don't really see how they can get away with changing it that drastically for current members...

[flushem]

I asked ClubCorp but they are unable to confirm it at this time. We shall see. I just hope that the benefits get grandfathered for many of us.

[theebdk]

I would probably be out as well if this is true for existing members. I get the most value when I go away and play a couple of rounds in a short period. And when I visit those clubs I often support the clubs by buying drinks and sometimes dinner. Also losing the free meal at the city clubs is a deal breaker. I use that benefit when I travel for work. Usually I bring a guest or two and they make plenty of money off me even considering the free meals. Seems like these changes if true would really break their main selling points.

[dethman]

from the current website: PLAY AWAY MEMBERSHIP OFFERS EXCITING BENEFITS AND ACCESS TO MORE THAN 200 GOLF, COUNTRY AND CITY CLUBS WHEN YOU TRAVEL 100+ MILES FROM YOUR PRIMARY RESIDENCE:Tee it up at more than 200 golf and country clubs with two complimentary* green fees per club, per monthDine at private city clubs with two complimentary* meals per club, per monthEnjoy access to complimentary* TaylorMade clubsTee times available based upon availability and after 12pm on weekend and holidays 

are your friends getting notified of different benefits AFTER they signed up?

[oneunderbogey]

We are going in circles... lets just admit none of us know, and we all hope the benefits don't get worse

[cristphoto]

I'm a member at a Club Corp country club. My benefits still allow me go visit unlimited different clubs up to twice a month per club. I don't know about the travel memberships. Club Corp has been nice during this virus issue. Since our club was shut down for several weeks and now operating at about 90% (no gym or kids pool) we have received a 50% credit on our dues to be used for anything (clubs, balls, food, clothing, etc.). Credit must be used by end of this year or is lost. Food was always 50% off menu price except for carry-out. Club Corp has since added 50% discount to carry-out orders too.

[ChippingDisaster]

Yes it looks like the website hasn't changed but when both my friends signed up they got a note back from the coordinator that the benefits are changing as of July 1st.

The wording of that note made it ambiguous if it was just for new members or existing members as well.

Again, I hope its not true but just delivering the message.

 

[North Texas]

Did they get that note back about changes prior to making any payment?

[ChippingDisaster]

Before the payment processing

[kidcloudkicker]

Just got email from Club Corp outlining their benefits changes.

 

Effective August 1:

How have golf benefits changed?

Your two complimentary green fees are available per market per month, not per club per month (Network cart fees apply)For example, you can visit Atlanta and play two rounds of golf, and then in that same month, visit Tampa and play two rounds of golf, providing hundreds of dollars of value in every market, every month.Tee time availability will be Sunday noon to Friday noon.Rental clubs are available for $25, replacing the complimentary loaner clubs (normally $50-$75 per set)How have dining benefits changed?

You will have access to participating city clubs two times per monthComplimentary meals are no longer availableWhat are the other benefits that changed?

Access to pools and tennis courts at participating clubs is no longer availableDo I have other benefits?

You can still enjoy these benefits as you always have:

21-day advance tee timesSpecial offerings at more than 1,000 hotels, resorts and restaurantsIn addition, we updated the participating club list. You can see the current roster of clubs here and review the Play Away terms and conditions here.

 

The Play Away membership continues to provide extraordinary experiences and value, and enjoying the benefits a few times a year more than makes up for the annual membership fee. We hope you continue to enjoy your Play Away membership, but if you would like to change your membership status or relocate to a club for home club full membership privileges, please complete this short form. 

 

We are here for you and it is our pleasure to serve you however we can. We hope you understand that we are navigating this situation the best way we know how. We appreciate your continued support, and look forward to seeing you at the clubs. All the best to you and your family!

 

Visit playawaymembership.com for more information.

[kidcloudkicker]

I’ll probably keep through the rest of this season and then cancel.

[oneunderbogey]

Thanks for the update. That sucks for playaway members but I can understand how it was to good to be true for awhile. I have the ONE membership and have received no update. Fingers crossed.

[TravelingGolfSticks]

I will be curious about how many resign. Everything makes it seem like that want you to resign making it pretty easy. Didn’t take me long to fill out the form. I guess they think people will join their clubs instead.

[theebdk]

This is a significant downgrade without a downgrade in price in several ways. First, it appears that they pulled access to the more elite owned clubs. Firestone is gone, maybe they will still run a travel deal for there. The two courses in the Boston area are gone. Aspen Glen in Colorado gone. River Creek in Washington DC, gone. Gainey Ranch removed. Perhaps the elite club members did not want to pay the big bucks and then have the travel members gaining access. So just considering the ClubCorp clubs, you are really getting access to a bunch of semi-private tracks. Not sure that is really worth it. There are a number of fine clubs that are not owned by ClubCorp that are still in the network.

Second, they pulled the Saturday access. Guess it gets too busy on Saturdays. Third, only two rounds per market stinks. I used to take golf trips with the wife or son and would play two rounds at a couple of courses. Now I will need to get creative to hit a couple of markets in an area. And no longer can I take a Saturday/Sunday trip.

But looking at my biggest spend, I used to use the free meals at City Clubs when traveling on business. I would often take a guest and we got a fair price with all considered. The pricing without the free benefit is probably a bit too much. Considering they charge a 25% service fee. Unless they change the pricing model of the the city clubs, I will probably not use that benefit.

I will probably reconsider my membership at the end of the season. Easier to just play at more expensive and probably nicer resort courses when I travel.

[jshel]

The two rounds per market per month was better than I feared.

But the courses that have been pulled out of the network is a bummer for PlayAway members. Certainly good for local members at places like Gainey Ranch and Anthem CC in PHX that just get crushed by people like me.

I will probably keep it as there are still some options near my parents in AZ and I don't have to play that many rounds to make it worth it.

[tjblue]

I suppose we can still play Firestone until August 1st? My wife and I played the West course on Sunday and had dinner afterwards. Hopefully that won’t be our last visit.

[bonanza300]

My brother has been a member of Travel/Play Away for a while now. Since I'm ONE, that let us travel together and play legit. He submitted his cancellation immediately last night when he got the email.

There is a strong possibility that I'll be relocating soon, and one of my primary goals in finding a club was to keep my ONE travel benefits. While I probably won't resign from my current club, If they drastically dismantle the ONE benefit, I sure as hell won't be worried about trying to join another Club Corp.

Sheesh...like I told him, they'd have been better served raising the price moderately.

[act0fgod]

I'll be honest and thought it was kind of crazy that clubcorp offered the play away membership at the price they did. I figure the thought was we have all these members that are paying us each month and rarely use their travel benefits, why don't we open it up to anyone. The thing is I figure most people who joined play away don't have home clubs so aren't staying at their club and playing regularly there. They joined because they knew they'd use it. Also figure a good number of people signed up with an address other than their true home address and play regularly in the market they actually live.

[flushem]

as the most will agree, this is weed-out process. I just hope that another change will soon come as business environment improves.

[flushem]

Just out of curiosity, who will stay or quit?

 

I will stay for now.

[North Texas]

Resigned earlier today. Only been in since last October so would have had to pay cancellation fees so took advantage of the offer to resign this month and avoid those.

[tjblue]

I’m staying for now.

I wonder if this change was in the works or strictly a Covid response. No matter the reasoning there current decision to change the benefits couldn’t have come at a worse time. A few months ago I was wondering what extras they would Offer to make up restricted usage.

[shadymg]

good fun kick in the pants. After so many clubs were closed to use for Playaway but we were all still paying, then they bring this out one month after things opened back up. Glad we paid for the 3+ months without using lol.

[cristphoto]

Are these temporary virus-related changes or permanent? I belong to a Club Corp course and we have temporary changes in place until safety returns.

[flushem]

hopefully they are temporary. What are the temp changes at your club?

[cristphoto]

I can't play golf at other member clubs during virus conditions. I can go eat there but no golf (seems like it should be the opposite). Once all settles down I can play other courses twice a month (or my wife and I once each). We can go to a different club every day if we travel enough. I'm in the DC area and there are seven Club Corp courses available within about a 50 mile radius. Comes in handy when we aerate.

[BirdieRoll]

I just dropped the program. The courses I would primarily use (setting Covid aside) are no longer in the network so the value is gone.

Perhaps an opportunity for Troon/OB to come out with a new product?