We have more courses in Michigan than any state other than California and Florida. Too many really. I think they've reached a saturation point. Many of the courses around here are having financial difficulties. Many have closed and many more are considering it. It makes for low prices and mostly uncrowded courses ... good for us golfers , but bad for those who make their livings there.
Western New York was behind on courses a few years ago but a few more have been popping up. The real boom is going on in Niagara Falls, Ontario area. They have opened up some beautiful courses the last few years. A course is being built not too far from my house now, opening in 2007. I have 4 courses close to me but only one is public.
Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had only 7 public courses in the actual city (population was about 500,000), but they were only really bad on weekends (aren't they all everywhere?). The region has more courses and we are grateful now, because only 2 of those 7 have reopened (one only Wed. - Sun.). We could use a few more courses here. There are quite a few decent courses around, but unfortunately 1 to 1 1/2 hours away.
A year ago, I read in our Nashville paper that we had 42 courses in the area accessible to the public. One executive has closed...another club is having financial problems (location). It has gotten fairly competitive here. Many of us use something called LastChanceTeeTimes to save a few bucks.
You can spend $80 here if you are so inclined, but there's also a lot of very nice tracks for $27 to $35.
Come on out here. Our courses are rarely booked 100% and they're great.
That is unless you don't want to live in one of the most economically depressed areas in the US, have some of the most frequent cloud cover around, and only play from April through November. Other than that, it's great here.
I read about Nicholas and how he would hit golf balls during the winter, out into the snow until there were no more balls. He would have to wait till the snow melted before he could retrieve his balls............No thanks
Out here we have a couple days of rain and we all get iritated and start complaing about the soft/wet fairways with no roll. Golf is year round, no start of the season get your game back in shape around here.
Come on out here. Our courses are rarely booked 100% and they're great.
That is unless you don't want to live in one of the most economically depressed areas in the US, have some of the most frequent cloud cover around, and only play from April through November. Other than that, it's great here.
That sounds familiar........oh, hey neighbor, thought I recognized you. The good thing is that, as I recall from looking at a map of it last year, we live in one of the areas with the least uv exposure in the entire North American continent.
I live between Baltimore and Washington. Just like everywhere else it's hard to get on the $35-$50 courses, but a little easier to get on the $75+. I think the biggest problem is that all new courses near us are high end public. I've heard that this is the quickest way to get a return on the initial investment. It's too bad cheaper courses are being built up like they used to...
I believe there may be a shortage of low greens fee courses. The municipal courses near here are always crowded (and dangerous). Most of the others are part of developments, mostly upscale and the cost to play can be daunting.
We have more courses in Michigan than any state other than California and Florida. Too many really. I think they've reached a saturation point. Many of the courses around here are having financial difficulties. Many have closed and many more are considering it. It makes for low prices and mostly uncrowded courses ... good for us golfers , but bad for those who make their livings there.
Give it just a couple of years and that'll change - as more courses close, courses will be very anxious to increase their fees. Not only raise them to the point where they can make $ now, but also raise them enough to compensate for the years that they lost money.
Everybody enjoy the lower greens fees while they last because in 2-3 years, it's going to go the other direction. My course probably will have close to 30%-40% increase in green fees in the next 2-3 years - I'm sure other courses in the area are foaming at the mouth to do the same, so don't expect a price war to keep fees down.
there are quite a few courses around here, in my part of Staffordshire, but I could quite easily cope with there being another 3 or 4 locally to choose from.
Am considering membership of one a little further out than currently, but the convinience & the facilitied of the one less than 2 miles away is just so good. Think I may be using the championship course more this next year instead & pay the additional rate on top of current membership to do that.
March 8th, 2006, 09:11 AM
....oh, hey neighbor, thought I recognized you. 
The good thing is that, as I recall from looking at a map of it last year, we live in one of the areas with the least uv exposure in the entire North American continent. 
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