Good evening, everybody!
Something I've wondered about over the last few months ...
How have the economic conditions altered any of your golf travel plans for this year?
There are usually a lot of those mancations, locally and regionally and I'm wondering how those are doing this year?

Hi Mike,

It hasn't. I still operate under the premise that nothing is as good, or as bad, as it appears.

Mike, I'm looking at your avatar and it beg's a question.

Are you a broadcastor or telecastor in Pittsburgh?

I noticed from your first post, you seem to like the game of golf and it looks like you might go on golf outings from time to time. Do you play often?

Anyway, welcome to this forum. Looking forward to you joining in.

Hasn't really stopped mine either..the weather has gotten in the way, but I still plan to travel and golf this year numerous times.

Bill,

You are indeed a keen investigator.
Actually, I am something of a broadcaster in Pittsburgh.
I host a weekly radio show during golf season.
Certainly no Bob Costas, but we have a lot of fun. And I have fun doing it.
I do enjoy golf quite a bit and have, through the years, going on golf outings from time to time. I don't play as often as I'd like, but hope to correct that this year!

Mike,
We have an outing each year called the GGR, where a few (hopefully a growing few) of the members, on this forum, get together, play some golf and get to know each other. Hope you can make it this year.

Speaking for myself...with taking a salary reduction and my husband on unemployment...I couldn't take a vacation in good conscience. We are still playing at our local courses as much as we can (at least once a week) once it warms up, that's a relative bargain that we won't give up.

Not sure if any golf related travel will be on the calendar this year or not. Will mostly be playing the city owned courses near me as the price is right. Not likely to be buying any new clubs either, and certainly not a new driver or box of $45 golf balls any time soon.

Mike, cool! Can we listen to your show via internet?

I don't have plans to do anything differently, but I don't travel much. I spend my golf monies on lessons, range balls, and playing my favorite muni.

I plan on sticking with my par 3 for practice and some of the local muni course/clubs when I can. I am planning at least one or more trip to Baltimore to play with my son sometime this spring and summer and we will play the week of the US Open here in CT, have not picked the course yet. No new clubs planned, just working out keeping either the 3I hybird or 7W, until I decide which I just keep the 60 deg in the car. Got a couple of NIKE and Ashworth shirts during the off season so at least I will be my usual well-dressed self.

Well, I've found the answers that I've gotten to my questions very interesting. I've done some research on the subject, up and down the East Coast basically, and have found a divergence of opinions. And that's pretty much what has been reflected in what you folks have typed. I think we're in for a very unpredictable golf season this year. I've talked to some courses here and their plans for the summer are just as varied. One place is cutting its green fees almost in half. Others have increased their prices $5 or so.

Laney, yes you can and I'll get the address for you as we get closer to the start of the show. Thanks

Mike, you may want to ask the station if we can link to it from here, or perhaps you could include a signature line in your forums profile with a link for those who are interested. Just a thought!

I don't know what the courses I play are planning, but I have notices it's a little easier to get a tee time the past few weeks. Weather has been good, so that's not a factor I wouldn't think. That pretty much leaves money being an issue.

This may be a good year for me based on that. I love going out on a course that's not too busy, especially on like.. a Sunday afternoon.. and walking 9 or 18 by myself... it's like therapy..

Try it on a week day, it's even more open usually.

This is one area that makes my country club membership a bargain. We have full access to the pools, the gym, the tennis and squash courts and the golf course as part of our annual fee. It is particularly a good deal for me this year as the membership was my father's gift to our family for Christmas.

Actually the economy has made our county courses much more crowded. Much harder to get tee times now, all the "country clubbers" who dropped out, the guys who usually play pricier semi-private courses have decided to "slum it".
Plus side, I'm getting emails with discount promo's pretty much every day from the semi-private courses!

The semi-private course near me that I like is in bankruptcy. I guess we'll see what happens but all those big fancy houses around it will go down in price quickly if they shutdown.

Things here in Kentucky are not to bad prices vary from couse to course but being a mostly rural area and having about 14 courses within an hour drive plan to play most all of them sometime this year. Prices also pretty reasonable in this area range from about$15 per person with cart for 18 holes to about $42 dolars a person for 18 holes per person

Hi Tom! Some things are very nice about small towns, and prices are one of them. I'm a small town person transplanted to the city for adulthood. Do you have a garden? Do you play much golf?

I have also noticed a big drop at some of the upscale cources that is when I drive by. A lot of the cources around me have either reduced the price or are offering specials. Personally I had to opt out of a yearly trip. It has not stopped me from playing just made me more sellective.

I have noticed in our area (Memphis TN) that a lot of the charity/fundraiser tournaments have moved to some of the bigger & better courses in the area. Most of us figure it is that those courses have come down significantly on their prices/demands which makes it easier for the chairities to move their tournaments there w/o compromising their fundraising efforts.

A lot of the "bigger" courses in our area have also started offering discounts or freezing membership rates rather than increasing, or in some cases doing away with initiation costs, etc.

Just got an email from a guy I subscribe to and he was saying that there is a way to get on at Bethpage Black with a deal he has for 65.00 and that there was an article in one of the big golf magazines that said the price was 850.00 what a big difference. I have not seen the article but I cant imagine a state park costing that much. I don't know any course worth that. It got me to thinking this would be a great venue for people to share information about discounts ways to get a good deal. I am going on a trip to the DC area next month it would be nice to have info for courses in theat area. Is there a forum for that yet?

Lost, sometimes the golf magazines give travel package ideas and maybe thats what he saw...that for $850, a trip to that area, here are the courses you should play...and it wasn't just one round at Bethpage, but several rounds and accommodations, etc. Maybe?

There's no way BP is $850.

Lost, I read that article last night. The $850 deal is a company that takes you in a luxury van from the city to the course and gets the tee time. It costs around $100 to play Bethpage on the weekend if you are not a resident.

I read that article too, in the comments there was also a guy who called at the right time, got his tee and paid the normal fee without any hassle.