To Use Golfnow.com or Not??

[War_Eagle3]

I am sorry if this topic has already been discussed but i was wondering what everyone thought about booking tee times through golfnow.com?

 

I guess the questions would be:

• Has anyone used them?
  
• is it better than calling the course direct?
  

Thanks

[SurfinTurf]

Yeah they rock. I was playing a pretty nice course around Carmel, CA for like 15 bucks for a while. Twilight but with a cart. Hell, why not?

[Troyefl]

Way better deals than direct at course here in Jax. Courses here think they are prime time!

[prestiege]

some times are great on golf now, some times you pay 2$ MORE , course regular rate plus 2$ GOLF NOW FEE. just make it a point to check the course rates before a golf now purchase and you will be fine

[duffer987]

With respect, if you were really going to be sorry, you would have used something the internet forums call [b]Search[/b] and found loads and loads of threads. Leading with an apology is akin to leading with 'with respect'.

[prorobo]

Golfnow is solid. The "hot deals" are the true discounts, the rest of the deals will be hit or miss with whether you actually save anything (depends on the course). Ezlinks is another option and their deals are excellent but go very quickly (you will rarely find a same day deal on Ezlinks, must book it day before or earlier).

[Greenie]

I use it if I can purchase the "hot deals". The other prices may or may not be cheaper than calling the course direct after you add their booking fee. After ten purchases, each player counts as a purchase, the booking fees are waived for the rest of the year. I'd rather call the course direct if I'm not getting the deep discount.

[2muchclub]

I use golfnow frequently and do recommend it, however I will usually first check the available rates on golfnow and then call the course to see if they will match it (or come close). Often they will match it obviating the need to go through golfnow and eliminating the hassle if I need to cancel.

[War_Eagle3]

thanks. i am going to look into using this when I go on vacations.

[teejaywhy]

The "Hot Deals" are solid, otherwise you can usually get the regular GolfNow price by calling the course direct. By booking with the course you have some flexibility for reschedule or cancellation, GolfNow is no cancel once you book.

[highergr0und]

Golfnow is pretty good. Here's how it works for those that don't know. As a "fee" for listing them on the site and getting them business via online reservations, courses give golfnow a daily tee time. Usually it's very early AM, during the heat of the day, or a bit later, ie nothing that valuable. Golfnow turns around and makes this their hot deal and prices it to sell since they keep 100% of the revenue. That $2 charge from regular bookings represents a bit of their income, but not a large part.

It's not a bad service. The average non hot deal fee at my local course is $5 less than normal most days, so $50 on weekends, $40 during the week. The hot deal time is 11:56 and the price is $32, so not too bad if you don't mind playing in the middle of the day under the high heat. During the week, it's $22 and when I usually play.

[1iron]

I just got back from Vacation in Sarasota. I used Golfnow 3 times in 5 days. What I like is, you can see a bunch of tee times at many golf courses at once. It is way better than calling 10 golf courses to see if the have a time near 10am, or logging into individual golf course sites to check availability. Golf Now app on Iphone is great.

[fsutanker]

Golfnow in Scottsdale in the summer is a gift from above. Played Troon, Boulders, TPC Champions, Kierland, Grayhawk, and Eagle Mountain.. None cost more than $50 via golfnow.

[Johnny Biarritz]

Golfnow can be very good. I used it just this week to play The Dunes Club in Myrtle Beach. I wouldn't try to book a vacation with it though, they don't put the tee times out too many days in advance. Also, sometimes they don't have the best rates. I also played Arcadian Shores in Myrtle Beach, Golfnow price was $41 plus fee, price from myrtlebeachgolf.com was $31 with no fee. So it's always best to do a bit of research. Overall though, I have had solid dealings with GolfNow and would recommend it.

[bobwright]

I use it on occasion, but a lot of the courses I like to play are not on GolfNow. I switched to Golf Pipeline for my 'normal' tee times because I can invite my friends to play and track my score in one place which I like. GolfNow has great deals for certain courses/times/days and I use it more for afternoon play. Sometimes I book a discount on GolfNow and then add the tee time into Golf Pipeline and invite my friends to play that "deal" of a tee time. Problem with Golf Pipeline is that they have limited courses because they are new, but they've added a ton of courses in last couple months from what I can see in my area.

[Air Jordan]

I use GolfNow regularly in Atlanta and there are always some decent deals, obviously the hot deals being the best at 50%+ off. Luckily, my favorite course developed its own iPhone app to use for tee times. It's very convenient and doesn't actually charge your credit card until you show up to play.

[Jimmy Mac]

I've gotten several good deals from their Hot Deals section. They're not always the most convenient times, but the rates are very good.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Using golfnow less and less now. One of my favorite courses is about 10 bucks less than golfnow incl fees when I book direct via the course website. Still keep my eyes peeled on the hotdeals though

[War_Eagle3]

i am thinking about taking a quick trip to Myrtle Beach. Has anyone used golfnow.com for that area? should i waste my time shopping around?

[Johnny Biarritz]

War Eagle- Yes, I used GolfNow for Myrtle Beach a week ago. The Dunes Club was $5 cheaper than booking through MyrtleBeachGolf.com. Arcadian Shores was $10 more expensive than booking through Myrtle Beach Golf. So in general, yes, you should shop around. Myrtle Beach Golf has their prices listed on their website, those prices are flat, no fees and so forth. Check between there and GolfNow, put something together.

[T Shaf]

Golfnow is great in my area...I've used it to book over 30 rounds this year. There are a handful of courses that I use it for and save on average $20-$30 per round when using the hot time deal.

[CP Golfer]

I have used it quite a bit and have saved some $$$ on great courses in Austin and around Dallas/Fort Worth. You do have to do a little research on the tee times to ensure they are a discount, as I've encountered a few that are more expensive than calling the course itself.

One thing I wish they would bring back is the reward points. Prior to this year, you could earn points for every tee time you booked (X amount of points for every dollar spent on tee times) and then cash those points in for a free round of golf at one of the offered courses. After booking just a few foursomes, I would generally have enough points to get a free round of golf on a local course. Now you just get free "booking fees" after purchasing X amount of tee times.

[theonlybfc]

Like the others said, it's all about the "hot deals"

[sikoram]

I use Golfnow to a fault because I travel with my golfing wife. I have also used GolfHub and EzeLinks. My routine when travelling in Palm Springs or Phoenix is to get up early or stay up late evening (hey I'm on holiday) with my tablet and put all three sites up on the screen and look for the best deal. I also consider mileage and time with Googlemaps. My goal is to play different courses although I will always defer to Desert Willow or Silver Rock in a pinch. More often then not, just before I book a course through one of the three booking sites, I will check for any specials on the club website or via Greenskeeper.org (course conditions/specials etc). I found a Monday Night Football shotgun special at Desert Willow that was a lot of fun and with great meal/drink specials and on course competitions for $35.00. Bonus!

[Holy Moses]

Big fan of golfnow. I've used it about 50 times the last couple of years. On average I save 10%. After 10 rounds you get your fees waved. Somone from golfnow even called me up a few months back and offered me a free round no strings attached. I got a $100 round for free and they waved my fees for 2013 too. There are a few problems with it though. One, sometimes golfnow and the golf course double book accidentally because someone could be calling up the pro shop as you are finilizing your round online which slows up the first tee. Second, I hate it when certain golf courses don't allow sinlges to book on the website. That would be fine if golfnow didn't let you think you could book it and then wait to tell you right as you are checking out. There have been days where I've has to go through 20 different tee times to find a single. Just don't let the single come up at all if you aren't going to let me book it.

[Bubb]

Only the hot deals are significantly lower priced. Sometimes, they're even higher because of their fee. EZLinks.com always has discount prices, but they don't have as many courses.

[MileHighClub]

[quote name='Bubb' timestamp='1356064135' post='6099227']
Only the hot deals are significantly lower priced. Sometimes, they're even higher because of their fee. EZLinks.com always has discount prices, but they don't have as many courses.
[/quote]

This. Golfnow serves a purpose, but EZ Links definitely has the best rates. EZ Links is great in Arizona and Florida, but they only have two courses here in Colorado. They have been sending me a lot of 20% off ecoupons lately. Too bad there is snow on the ground.