With several markets falling victim to the slow recovery of the economy, the golf course industry is no exception, particularly in Orlando, Florida. Orlando is well known for its abundance of public golf courses, replete with budding greens and awe-inspiring nature features. The Orlando golfer may have once hit the greens more often, but as the numbers show a recent past of declining revenue and low occupancy, golf courses are being forced to offer low prices unprecedented just 5 years ago. years. With the discounted and discounted fees business model, golf courses are in a tough spot.
As for the golfer, well, the economy couldn’t be more generous with the time one spends on leisure. Of course, with websites like GolfNow.com offering discount prices beyond a golf course operator’s stomach tolerance, even the golf courses themselves match these discounts freely. After all, it’s not just about filling the checkout table, it’s about building and maintaining your own consumer base. Getting a golfer’s email address and golf club preference can be as valuable to a golf course as the money earned in your wallet.
Tactics used by courses to get discounts without giving away the kitchen sink can vary, including offering resident rates, exclusive promo codes earned just by signing up for check-out time alerts, and third-party affiliate sites offering rates with discount for specific demographics. Many golfers book and tee times at these rates without understanding the history of these price changes. With such an understanding, one might assume that empowerment for both the average golfer and the struggling golfer could be achieved. For example, until recent years, low prices were often found by booking early. As a matter of business sense, the sooner a field can fill its starting sheet the better, but with industry-wide pressure from third-party discount sites, we’ve seen a shift toward last-minute deals.
With new course construction suspended and a golf course closure rate far higher than such development, golfers may soon find themselves with ever-increasing rates, despite a slum economy, as the industry self-corrects naturally. And as the correction rolls around, we may see a slight change in pricing – golfers can receive a bigger discount if they book further out than if they wait until the last minute. Courses like Kissimmee Oaks Golf Club, Kings Ridge and Highlands Reserve Golf Club have all seen a drop in rates, but they may stand the test of time in this race of new course versus old course. Both have offered some of the lowest tee time fees Orlando has seen in years. At the time of writing, all of these golf courses offered rates under $80 per player.
These courses and other Orlando golf courses of similar popularity and stature have given themselves an edge with aggressive promotional efforts. Whether you run a group deal through Groupon.com, deeply discounted rates through GolfNow.com, or offer promo codes on GolfHub.com’s Orlando tee time listings, there’s no doubt that favorites Orlando venues, not excluding the Disneyland Resort grounds, will continue to be in good shape and return to their markedly higher prices in a few years given a sharp economic turnaround. Only time will tell.
