Cart Fees

[J-Rod11]

What's the deal?

Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but . . .

Here is the scenario. You head out to the course to play a round as a twosome or foursome. So if you're riding, you either have one cart, or two. But you're paying twice, or four times respectively.

It's $12 for ONE cart, or $24 for ONE cart.

Do courses charge this simply because they can? I would think it makes sense to charge per cart, or give a half-off for the second person in a cart, because if nothing else, it can keep play moving.

With most people (myself included) hacking their way around the course nowhere near par, carts make it quicker to get from shot to shot, and you're not schlepping it on foot holding others behind you up.


Would it be in bad taste to demand two carts?

[Guia]

They aren't keen of giving out 2 carts for 2 players because of the wear-and-tear on the equipment.

[JessN16]

I actually did that once at a course that charged by the head, not by the cart. Long story short, we had already been pretty well crapped on by the course (bumped tee time, bait-and-switch price for the greens fees) that I was a little p.o.'ed and told the guy at the cash register that if he was going to charge us each the same amount for a single cart, we both wanted our own cart. He actually went and asked someone if we could do that. But in the end, we had to share.

Yeah, it's kind of annoying.

Jess

[1969EType]

Carts do NOT affect pace of play.

[hokey]

[quote name='1969EType' timestamp='1311298935' post='3412846']
Carts do NOT affect pace of play.
[/quote]

Yes and no. If both players in the same cart hit to roughly the same place on most holes, carts will speed up pace of play because it simply is faster to drive to your ball than walk.

If both players are mismatched or are at opposite sides of the fairway for most of the round, then you are better off walking directly to your own ball.

That being said, the biggest single factor in pace of play is whether players take a reasonable amount of time in between shots and play ready golf.

As for the OP, even if they said you couldn't have individual carts, what's to stop you from taking 1 cart and the other guy walking, then "hitching a ride" for 17 holes?

[hef63303]

As always, if you do not like the fees, you have the ability to play somewhere else. However, I have never seen a course that charged for cart fees in any other way. I fear the courses answer would be to charge $24 per cart, no matter if there were one or two players.

[oneunderbogey]

They charge it because they can and they are in the business of making money until people refuse to pay it they will charge it.

[half lung]

Not taking one side or the other but just what I have to offer.

I work at a course where the scenario of the OP is exactly the same. $12 per head or $24 for the whole cart. Essentially, I have learned that charging per person for the cart is easier because a group of 4 do not always check in at the same time. I have people tell me all the time the cart is paid for already by their partner, and I explain that the charge is per rider, not per cart.

If there is a three some, the individual with the cart by them self is not charged $24 for the cart, he or she is only charged 1/2 cart which is the $12 dollar fee. So I try to explain that each person is paying for half the cart and the third who gets their own is getting a break because we won't charge them the whole cart fee rate. Sometimes I get confused myself because I havent been to many courses that charge for the cart and not per rider. Normally the price is the same for every person.

Please tell me of courses where out of a twosome, one person pays more for the cart, and the other person only pays for a greens fee and not a cart. All the courses in the area I am at charge the same rate per person and that includes the cart. There is no rate change between people in the same group. I have not been to a course where one person is charged for the whole cart and the other person only pays for the greens fee.

From my experience, as members of a group normally check in at different times, it is easier from the golf course's perspective to charge per head and not charge one person for the whole cart.
Hope all of this made sense.

[half lung]

[quote name='J-Rod11' timestamp='1311298254' post='3412812']
Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but . . .

Here is the scenario. You head out to the course to play a round as a twosome or foursome. So if you're riding, you either have one cart, or two. But you're paying twice, or four times respectively.

It's $12 for ONE cart, or $24 for ONE cart.

Do courses charge this simply because they can? I would think it makes sense to charge per cart, or give a half-off for the second person in a cart, because if nothing else, it can keep play moving.

With most people (myself included) hacking their way around the course nowhere near par, carts make it quicker to get from shot to shot, and you're not schlepping it on foot holding others behind you up.


Would it be in bad taste to demand two carts?
[/quote]
OP, Where I work, if you are riding by yourself in a threesome, you will be charged $12 for riding, not $24. However, if you are in a foursome and want your own cart, you will be charged the $24 because you are requiring the use of an extra cart. Carts can be expensive to maintain and break down rather fast when accidents happen.

Like I said earlier, not taking either side, but I hope this clears things up a bit.

[J-Rod11]

These replies were all what was bouncing around in my head, but I wasn't sure if there was actually a specific reason for it or not.

Oh wellz, I guess that's the price you pay to ride!

[stiffdogg06]

Golf courses price gouge more than gas stations.

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='J-Rod11' timestamp='1311298254' post='3412812']
Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but . . .

Here is the scenario. You head out to the course to play a round as a twosome or foursome. So if you're riding, you either have one cart, or two. But you're paying twice, or four times respectively.

It's $12 for ONE cart, or $24 for ONE cart.

[/quote]

Maybe it it makes more sense if you look at it as a fee "per player."

[Olson12]

[quote name='tjy355' timestamp='1311356043' post='3414524']
[quote name='J-Rod11' timestamp='1311298254' post='3412812']
Forgive me if this has been discussed before, but . . .

Here is the scenario. You head out to the course to play a round as a twosome or foursome. So if you're riding, you either have one cart, or two. But you're paying twice, or four times respectively.

It's $12 for ONE cart, or $24 for ONE cart.

[/quote]

Maybe it it makes more sense if you look at it as a fee "per player."
[/quote]

When I took a trip up to Sedona with a buddy from work we had the wives come along. I called ahead and asked what was the fee for the extra cart and the lady told me $25 per cart fee for the wifes to tag along. Well when we got to the course the guys tried charging $25 per extra rider so a $50 cart fee. I'm not one to bend over and take it so I eventually got the price to the original $25 cart fee. Cart fees SUCK