Finding good golf at great prices

  • Rich Myhre / Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, April 28, 2004 9:00pm
  • Sports

If you would like to save money on your golf game — and who among us would not? — there are some options.

One thought is simply to play less golf, though we consider this to be a poor choice. A much better idea, we think, is to keep playing the same amount of golf, but look to do it for less.

In other words, take advantage of golf discounts.

That’s right, there are good ways to slice anywhere from a few to several dollars off almost every round. All are easily available, and with planning a shrewd golfer can save hundreds of dollars, maybe more, on his or her outings over a single season.

"The key," said Mark Rhodes, head pro at Mukilteo’s Harbour Pointe Golf Course, "is if you’re willing to be flexible."

Ah, yes. Flexibility, as in being willing to play golf at times other than peak hours. Because the obvious fact is that every golf course can fill its tee sheet on weekend mornings. Needless to say, no golf course is going to chop prices for those starting times.

"We don’t need help on Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings and Friday afternoons," Rhodes explained. "But as golf courses, we would love to see you on Mondays and Tuesdays. And if you can come on those days, you’re going to play some very reasonable golf."

If you want to play at a reduced rate, "you can’t say you’re going to show up at 10:00 (in the morning) because that’s not going to happen," added Brian Kruhlak, head pro at Burlington’s Avalon Golf Club. "Those are the peak times and smart courses won’t discount those times. So as a consumer, once you say you want to get a good deal, then you have to say, ‘I’ll go when the golf course tells me to go.’"

Discount rates at courses in and around Snohomish County are as varied as the courses themselves. The most common are reduced rates for early morning start times (typically called early-bird prices), and again in the late afternoon (twilight). When those times are in effect differ from course to course, and many course adjust their times in summer as the days get longer.

At some courses, early-bird and twilight discounts are available seven days a weeks. At others, only on weekdays.

Some of the best specials, though, are those unique to each course. At Harbour Pointe, for instance, the usual weekday rate beginning May 1 is $44 (excluding tax). But with a special called "Monday and Tuesday Madness," customers can enjoy the great golfing experience at Harbour Pointe on those days for the early-bird rate of $32 until 3 p.m., and then it falls to the twilight rate of $26.

Also at Harbour Pointe, the early-bird rate normally goes off at 9 a.m., but on Wednesdays it stays in effect until 11 a.m.

Marysville’s Cedarcrest Golf Course is also looking to boost play early in the week with its "Monday Blues" and "Terrific Tuesdays" specials. With newspaper coupons, golfers can play for $22 (including tax) on Monday and $24 on Tuesday, down from the usual price of $30.

Because most courses offer discounts, said Cedarcrest general manager Rob Lindsey, "if you don’t, you’re going to get lost in the shuffle." Still, he added, "it’s definitely a win-win. It brings out more people and (golfers can receive) quite a savings."

Burlington’s Avalon, meanwhile, has some slightly different deals. The most popular, according to Kruhlak, is the "Pay for 18, Play All Day" special, which is in effect seven days a week, except for June, July and August, when Saturdays are excluded. In May, the price is $30 (excluding tax) Monday-Thursday, $35 on Friday and $40 weekends and holidays (in June, all the prices go up $5).

What makes this special so appealing, Kruhlak said, is the fact that Avalon is a 27-hole facility.

"That’s what really drives it," he said. "Twenty-seven holes is what people like to play and we have 27 different holes, so people really enjoy that. They feel like they’re playing for free. And they are, so they’re happy as can be.

Having golfers play 54 holes or twice around at Avalon "is quite common," Kruhlak said. "And every once in awhile someone will do 72 holes, which is usually right around the longest days of the year. … My guess is that probably as high as 30 percent of our play plays more than 18 holes, and in the summertime it is obviously even higher."

Other courses have their own specials to offer, and one of the best ways to get information is from newspaper ads, including those on this page. Another is to telephone the golf course and ask about discount rates and specials.

The result of all this, Kruhlak said, is that golfers can experience great products at even better prices than normal.

"The reality," he said, "is that it’s a consumer market right now. There are more golf courses right now than there really is demand, so golfers in the Northwest are getting $60-70 golf courses for $30-40. I had a man come up to me the other day who was visiting from California and he told me, ‘Man, this is a $125 course in California.’ He ended up playing 27 holes for $25 and he couldn’t believe it.

"So the quality of golf people are getting in this area is virtually unrivaled. It’s a great time to be a golf consumer."

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