I play after 3:00 quite a bit in the summer. The problem with it is that a lot of non-golfers who decide that they want to "try golf" come out at that time as well as a lot of beginners. If you aren't first to tee off at 3:00 you're likely to get behind people that take way too long to play and it's likely that you won't get 18 holes in. You're often paying the 18 hole rate to play 15-16 holes.

From what I've observed in the summer time, if I were running these courses, I'd have that after 3:00 rate all day long June through September. It's better to have 150 players pay a lower rate and keep your golf course full than to have an almost empty golf course from 7:00am until 3:00pm.

Championship courses
 

Golf course operations are terribly expensive. Few (if any) are self-sustained from their green fees or membership fees. Our courses are amenities. They are supposed to be subsidized, and amenity fees are increasing all the time. Far be it for the developer to explain his/her logic for this golf fee increase when there are so many other ways to tweak revenues. For example, as some OPs have suggested, stop giving guests a free ride at pools and elsewhere. Smart people supposedly run the development company. They should consider other alternatives that aren't as regressive for us FROGs whom, I believe, count for most of the priority memberships as well as the off-season play. Now that the developer has taken back administration of championship golf, I wonder which one of the Morse family members has the training and qualifications to run this complicated business.

You may be conflating the executive and championship courses. The amenities fees do not subsidize the championship courses so trying to generate additional amenities revenue by charging guests will not impact the championship courses.

So obviously some of you have recently played all of the country clubs. I have family coming soon and would like to know from those who know, Are any of the country clubs decent, good, or even exceptional right now?
Thanks in advance.

Nevertheless, the bottom line is the bottom line. Subsidized or not, if the developer needs more revenue to offset increasing expenses (and we wonder how the overall higher costs are impacted by continuing land development), then there are many places it could come from without biting the hand.

Such as?

Since I play championship golf in the mornings, I ran some numbers as follows. Priority fee for all clubs is $740.00 which includes the trail fee for executive courses for the priority holder. Wife does not play golf. There is no trail fee for just one person. Annual trail fee is $141.00. If I play one executive course per week at the $4.00 trail fee rate, I spend $208.00 per year without the annual trail fee. So Priority Fee for me at $740 priority fee less $141 for annual trail fee is $599 for championship golf. One third of the year is the 4 months of January thru April where I currently save $17 per round of championship golf as a priority member. Two thirds of the year is the months of May thru December where I save $8.00 per round as a priority player; note that I generally play in the morning. I only have to average a little more than one round per week spread evenly over the 12 months to make the priority fee pay for itself. Fifty-six rounds of golf split between 18 rounds in the winter and 38 rounds in May thru December does the trick.

If I play 18 rounds during the winter months, I save 18 rounds times $17, or $306.00 by being priority. If I play 38 rounds during the summer fall season, I save 38 rounds times $8, or $304. $306 plus $304 equals $610 which is more savings than the $599.00 portion of the Priority Membership Fee directed to championship golf. Anything more than that is a savings for me for the Priority Membership.

Plus for ease of getting requested tee times, my group requires priority membership.

Does this mean my grandson, when he visits, will have to pay to use the pool with his guest ID

Played Tierra del Sol today. Course was in great shape. Greens were very nice.
I think the rates are fair. I’ve played courses outside the bubble from time to time and I really don’t think many are much better.

Fees
 

No. But would it break you to pay a buck or two for the guest pass processing? I have no idea how many guest passes are issued in a year, but every little bit could help keep operating costs down.

That is called "nickel & diming". Would the folks that don't play golf have to pay the buck or two?
How about putting a box at each gate and you toss in a quarter every time you pass thru? Makes sense right?

had same playing experience and conclusions on Monday @TDS

:rolleyes: No! Please tell me that's not true! Do you guys have any idea how many people are going to be upset to hear this? :faint:

No, the championship courses are not amenities. They belong to the developer and are separate from the amenities we pay for with our monthly fee. The developer was subsidizing the course expense for many years, but decided they need to be self-sustaining and the fees went up. Note that they are public courses and anyone, resident or not, can sign up to play. The non-resident fee is high enough that it discourages outside play.

I believe when the developer took over administration for the courses, they simply took over GMS, so the same people who ran the courses before are still in place.

:MOJE_whot: Hey.... it sure is great when someone that knows how things work writes a post. Thank you! I would have been deleted.

Some posters don't have a clue. They need to stop typing and go to a class on how things operate where they live. What does the District charging a fee for a visitor pass have to do with a Golf Course that is a private business? Some people make me sooooo :confused:

What is that smell? Is it the color 9? :rolleyes: