Wisconsin's Bull at Pinehurst Farms is an example of a great public course that offers discounted, reciprocal rates by playing affiliated courses in the area.
If you’re familiar with the term “reciprocal agreement,” you probably know it as the professional courtesy among private golf courses that allows members of Private Course A to play at Private Course B, and vice versa.
What you might not know is that many public golf courses have reciprocal agreements, too, and as illustrated in the September 2009 issue of Golf Odyssey, the savings they offer can help you craft high-quality, discount golf vacations at savings of up to 50 percent or more.
The following example in Golf Odyssey was part of a larger story on the best off-resort golf courses to play when you’re on an American Club/ Kohler golf vacation.
Among other courses, the editors recommended The Bog, a layout by Arnold Palmer Design located about 35 miles south of Kohler, and The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Jack Nicklaus’s first and only signature design in Wisconsin, located less than five minutes from Kohler’s Blackwolf Run courses.
What Golf Odyssey’s editors uncovered is that, “golfers who purchase a green fee at one facility may purchase a reciprocal green fee voucher for the other for $75. Since rounds are more expensive at The Bull, you’re best off making the purchase at The Bog.”
They’re right. The peak green fee at The Bull is $125. So, by purchasing the voucher for $75, you save 40 percent.
There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to finding which golf courses have reciprocal agreements, but you’re likely to find them when there are multiple courses owned or managed by a single organization (think Troon Golf or Billy Casper Golf); in golf-dense resort areas like Myrtle Beach where competition is keen; or, as in the example above, where there are independent, high-quality courses located in the shadow of a single, big-name resort.
Of course, the easiest way to find them is to read Golf Odyssey, whose editors are always on the lookout for such deals and publish them in each monthly issue. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can take a limited-time, free trial to Golf Odyssey by following this link.
Did you know? Golf Vacation Insider and Golf Odyssey are the world’s only golf publications that conduct “secret shopper” site inspections and do not accept advertising from golf courses, resorts or restaurants in order to provide you with expert, unbiased, and trusted advice.
Not already a subscriber to Golf Vacation Insider? Use this link to stay in the loop with our free tips and expert advice on which golf courses, golf resorts, discount golf vacations, and golf vacation packages are truly worth your time and money. As a bonus, we will send you a free copy of Planning the Ultimate Golf Vacation, a 40-page book filled with some of the best golf travel secrets from the editors of Golf Odyssey.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Someone really needs to teach me how to golf!! I’m dying to play but I have no clue how!
Step 1: Purchase and read Ben Hogan’s “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.” You can pick it up for less than $10.