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My wife and I play golf practically every weekend in the summer. We like to play new courses and see different course designs. Three times this summer we have run into bachelor parties on the course that have slowed down play to a five hours plus round. So here's a little note to all the course owners out there - this practice of letting bachelor parties on your course will make you money in the short run, but lose you business in the long run.
I know what you are thinking - why would I be losing money on this no-brainer? A bachelor comes out with twenty of his friends and gets five tee times. They come in buy balls, tees, rental clubs and drink tons - what's wrong with that? The problem is this - you'll never see them again and you have lost me as a return customer. Furthermore, the damage these guys are doing to your carts, fairways, and greens has to tear into that profit margin something awful. So, let's do the math. Option A: You get a group of twenty there for one afternoon. Each person spends approximately $100 on clubs, balls, food, drink, etc.. Your total for the day from this group is: $2,000. Minus the extra work you'll have to put into the course after this group tears it up from their celebrating. Option B: Mr. and Mrs Jones come to your course a few times a year. While they are there they drop approximately $200 a visit on golf, rental cart, range balls, drinks and food. Athough they only come a few times a year, each visit is the same. Question - which one is your customer and which one do you cater too? Answer - Option B. Why? Because Mr. and Mrs. Jones are going to stop coming to your course if they find out that you are catering to a bachelor party crowd. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are long-term return customers. Your bachelor party groups are one-time customers. 75% of them bachelor party types don't play golf and will never visit your course again. For the 25% who do play golf, they are probably from out-of-town and won't be playing your course anytime soon and neither will Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Make the right business decision - stick with your return customers. Avoid the flash-in-the-pan party trends. The party trends will chase away your return customers and then your course will really be empty. |
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| # 1 9/4/2012 6:57:32 PM |
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I understand your frustration but you are wrong. The real problem is in what you just said, people like yourself who jump around and play a bunch of different courses. you aren't even a regular customer yourself, so why should they cater to you? you are a serious golfer who is probably only paying a greens fee, heck you may not even be taking a cart. you aren't buying balls cuz you have your own and you probably brought your own bottle of water or maybe even your own 6 pack of beer. you and your wife are spending $100 and going there a couple of times a year, these guys dropped 2k in one sitting.
Now I personally agree with you, I got into golf via a bachelor party, I was that drunk guy taking massive divots, getting hammered, and doing stupid shit with the cart, but when I was getting beat by friends who had played before I got hooked, I had to get my own clubs and get into it. now I"m a full fledged addict with a 5.3 index! The real problem is that if a course knows it's got a bachelor party type of group out there, they really have to do a better job having the rangers police them and keep it moving. it doesnt have to be done in an asshole way but just a quick "hey guys, I understand your a bachelor party. No offense to you but we've had these groups before. I know your out for a good time but please, I just need you to be respectful of a few things. Drink your beers, have fun, do your best to not destroy the property and most importantly, keep your pace of play up please!" most guys would be cool with that. |
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| # 2 9/4/2012 7:11:04 PM |
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Money hungry...more like money starving. The course I live on books 3-4 huge outings a week. Without those outings the course probably goes broke. While its sometimes frustrating to get a tee time how can I argue with good business sense.
Forgive the wording but if i owned a course I would whore it out to make some money. Most parties respect the game and every once in a while some group will make a bad name for their party. But every bushel has at least one bad apple. |
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| # 3 9/4/2012 11:12:35 PM |
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I think CP is right, you can't turn either scenario away from a business standpoint but if the course properly managed the bachelor party (or any other large outing for that matter) plus the normal weekend golf croud it could have been enjoyable for everyone...... And if not enjoyable then at least tolerable for all partys involved
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| # 4 9/5/2012 4:27:27 AM |
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Most courses cannot afford to be selective with their clientele with the economy and the decline of players. They just need to educate their rangers on how to deal with the different types of people on the course.
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| # 5 9/5/2012 6:50:03 AM |
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Most courses cannot afford to be selective with their clientele with the economy and the decline of players. They just need to educate their rangers on how to deal with the different types of people on the course. Exactly, and as a fellow new yorker, you are well aware that Ranger = I do this job to get free golf, don't expect me to actually do anything! |
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| # 6 9/5/2012 7:42:24 AM |
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You all make good points on this issue. But, I fall on the side of make the money while you can club. My local pro does all he can to book large groups and produce revenue for the club. I think he tries to put maybe two or three tee times between large groups and the next group of golfers.
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| # 7 9/5/2012 11:02:32 AM |
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Did the course know it was going to be a bachelor party? or was it just a large group making tee times? I would like to know before I pay for my round that these guys are out there. That would be the one thing I would be mad about, not that the course book some party, if that is what they need to do to stay open and pay the bills. Then I still win because they are open and I can play there next month.
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| # 8 9/5/2012 3:00:37 PM |
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I disagree with your opinion. On most bachelor party trips I have been on when we play golf, our group is very cordial. Most of the players are single handicaps. Yes we drink an absurd amount of beer and vodka, but that doesn't mean we "tear" up the course. The people who would tear up the course bc they don't enjoy playing golf, usually stay behind at the hotel. You must have had a bad experience somewhere, but my experience with being apart of a golf outing during a bachelor party has been fun and respectful
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| # 9 9/5/2012 3:05:18 PM |
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This is one of the many reasons why i recently joined a country club here in MD. I can play whenever I want to without the fear of these large so called rowdy groups. The pace of play is always 4-4.5 hours on the busy weekends. Call me a golf snob, but I just couldn't take driving 60 minutes to a nice course I wanted to play only to be stuck behind a slow group who didn't really care about the rules of golf. no more 5-6 hour rounds on the weekends. I can play a round in 2-3 hours by myself sometime.
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| # 10 9/5/2012 3:09:29 PM |
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I think CP is right, you can't turn either scenario away from a business standpoint but if the course properly managed the bachelor party (or any other large outing for that matter) plus the normal weekend golf croud it could have been enjoyable for everyone...... And if not enjoyable then at least tolerable for all partys involved this may be a little off topic, but i was on a bachelor party trip in SC (charleston). we were playing golf with a bunch of strippers we hired. On the holes, the strippers would be butt naked sitting down on the cup. So you had to putt the ball right at the ladies hee haw. (sorry, i think there are children on here). let's just say there were a couple "holes" in one during that round |
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| # 11 9/5/2012 3:22:09 PM |
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I think CP is right, you can't turn either scenario away from a business standpoint but if the course properly managed the bachelor party (or any other large outing for that matter) plus the normal weekend golf croud it could have been enjoyable for everyone...... And if not enjoyable then at least tolerable for all partys involved this may be a little off topic, but i was on a bachelor party trip in SC (charleston). we were playing golf with a bunch of strippers we hired. On the holes, the strippers would be butt naked sitting down on the cup. So you had to putt the ball right at the ladies hee haw. (sorry, i think there are children on here). let's just say there were a couple "holes" in one during that round completely on topic, now proceed with pictures. |
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| # 12 9/5/2012 6:09:23 PM |
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In my opinion, the only two relevant numbers in this scenario are 20 and 2. They're paying for 20 greens fees while you and your wife are paying for 2. Everything else is just speculation. Unless you and your wife are going to play there 10 more times (which you already stated that you like to play a bunch of different courses during the summer) then this course did better by booking the outing.
For what it's worth, I have asked my local course before booking a tee time if they had any outings planned for that day. I can't stand playing behind a large group, especially if it's a scramble event where everyone is trying to drive the par 4's and hit the par 5's in two. So, I definitely feel your pain. |
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| # 13 9/5/2012 7:58:03 PM |
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I disagree with your opinion. On most bachelor party trips I have been on when we play golf, our group is very cordial. Most of the players are single handicaps. Yes we drink an absurd amount of beer and vodka, but that doesn't mean we "tear" up the course. The people who would tear up the course bc they don't enjoy playing golf, usually stay behind at the hotel. You must have had a bad experience somewhere, but my experience with being apart of a golf outing during a bachelor party has been fun and respectful ...or at least that is the way you remember it, right Adam??? ;-) |
