by JoAnn Bishop
I agree. Make golf afforadable, keep the courses busy and maximize the use of the green & human resources.

by Casey
Not that you were particularly picking on Ohio, but on a recent visit to the Cleveland/Canton Area I was struck by the simplicity and grace of the Club Houses down there. However at no time was I awestruck by exorbitant Tee Fees. $120 for 4 rounds of golf {2 twilight} with cart for a Crazy Canuck sure seemed reasonable to me. I believe a decent Club House which caters to it's members is admirable, or you use the profits from functions to lower the prices for the members who support your club year round. In Canada the Muskoka's has become a golf mecca but only if you have lots of money or can afford property there with it's ridiculous taxes. In order to keep golf pure you have to take out the real estate angle and treat members as members, not another cash cow.
Thanks for listening

by Whit
Our ego's and the ego's of these Golf clubs are cut from the same cloth. We want it really good but do not want to pay for it. Are we ok with a snack shack? Not really! We want dujon mustard and real Ice tea at the turn. What to do and how to do it is the really big question. I'm very sure we have a lot of suggestions. But no solutions, why because, being accountable to our own devise's is not the way we(golfes) look at the size of the Club House issue.

by Charlie Meeker
I belong to a private club in New Hampshire called Sky Meadow, which is privately owned, and has a huge clubhouse, ninety percent of which is used to have outside functions, not for the members. In the twenty years I have been a member, the course has been through two real estate developers, a bank, and the FDIC. The clubhouse was merely a vehicle to sell homes, attract outings, and not for the membership.
The new courses which have been built in the last five years here are mostly up for sale due to high initiation fees for membership(50k-100k). The one exception is a course called Baker Hill which has been built for golf, not external activities. The real estate sale is the money maker for developers, who have little understanding of club operating efficiency, nor do they care.

by Robert
One of the biggest mistakes golf course owners make, from a business point of view, is when it comes to the clubhouse.
They build monuments to their egos.
Unfortunately, these monstrosities cost money to staff, heat and air condition. This boosts the cost of green fees and makes the club less competitive.
A great clubhouse is one that is (a) functional, (b) comfortable, (c) economical to operate.
While a public course could get away with a hotdog stand, private clubs and resort clubs cannot (the Bushwood / Pebble Beach effect).
The bottom line is the bottom line. If your clubhouse is not generating enough revenue to pay for itself through F&B and value-added services, then its a white elephant.

by Jeff Byler
FINALLY!! Someone has the guts to address the real reason some golfers have a tough time affording to play the game. My friends and I love this great game but we are being forced to cut back on our golf outings. We are just as adament about the game as the high rollers with more respect for the course. We are always picking up trash and fixing ball marks the fat cats leave unattended. THANK YOU for addressing this issue.

by JW Farquhar
Right on. I agree 100%. Big clubhouses are worthless to a REAL golfer.
The golf holes are the REAL assets.
Best article yet!!!!
JW Farquhar Golfholes.com, golfphotographics.com.

by FRED SELTMAN
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO WE WERE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SETTLE IN FL. GOLF,OF COURSE, WAS IMPORTANT.
EVERY PLACE WE VISITED DID NOTHING BUT TALK ABOUT THEIR MILLION DOLLAR CLUB HOUSE. FINNALLY WE TOLD THEM TO STUFF IT. SETTLED ON A NICE COURSE WHERE EACH YEAR THE OWNER PUT MONEY BACK INTO IMPROVING THE COURSE. THE CLUB HOUSE WAS --OK--THE COURSE IS GREAT.
SO GLAD SOMEONE TOLD IT LIKE IT IS.

by Lyn Fitzer
You are right! Not only is golf too expensive for several reasons, very few people on the course use any etiquette, let alone the proper etiquette. The more you pay for a round of golf the more ball marks people leave on the greens. Play is too slow, players don't play courses geared to their skill level, and course owners don't get it; they keep ramming players in to tee times and don't provide rangers or cart people to watch for slow play. Golf would be more enjoyable for everyone if you had to take a course in proper golf etiquette and have a graduation card to reserve a tee time.

by Kem Seede
Goodness....don't you ever stop saying negative things about everybody...golfers don't want to hear that nonsense...we just want to hear about good golf....get a job...(if someone will hire you)....Kem

by Brent Owens
Chris,
You are 100% on the money! Unfortunately, the new courses that come with the big new clubhouses are usually top notch. Most golfers with the true passion LOVE to go play a brand new course that is getting rave reviews. It is a shame that it costs so much but if you want to see that great new course you are going to buck up. No pay, no play. They got us by the .....

by Whit
Brent - Is that you Dog?? Whit for HB Califorina!!

by Jeff Lambing
I couldn't agree more with Chris Baldwins' comments about the 'high green fees caused by pointlessly huge clubhouses'.
I can remember a couple of years back visiting some courses in Myrtle Beach with our local golf pro. He had just finished overseeing the multimillion dollar expansion at his course and was lamenting at the expense of it all and how it was going to be paid for - by the golfers of course. The very busy golf course we were visiting had the smallest of clubhouses with minimal facilities, but was a truly magnificent course that spent it's money where it made it. He had made the comment - "this is what a golf course is supposed to be about, the golf".

by Andy de Graaff
I concur! How much time do you spend in a clubhouse. I come to the pro shop to pay, maybe buy some balls and tees. I get a hot dog and bevvie after 9, and collect my bets or pay after 18. I feel all you need is a pro shop, snack shack and change rooms. There is a course in the area of Vancouver called Swan-e-set. My gosh this clubhouse is ridiculous in stature. As these clubhouses attract real estate development. How many residents actually book a meeting room for company. KEEP the clubhouse SIMPLE! We are there to GOLF!

by Sammy Mac
Right on! It's even more disappointing when you see the pro shop and the bar for only a few minutes and then see that the course architecture obviously came second in the pecking order. I don't pay huge fees to hang around a locker room or the dining area. Grip it, sip it and rip it .. and leave.