Today’s tip falls under the category of, “Things Golf Courses Don’t Want You to Know.” It’s a little secret for how to turn your upcoming trips into discount golf vacations.
If you are a Golf Odyssey subscriber, you are already privy to many of our tricks of the trade and have access to a number of otherwise unadvertised golf vacation specials. Today’s tip about discount golf vacations is so valuable, I just couldn’t wait for the next issue of Golf Odyssey to be published to share it.
I caught wind of this little nugget from a Golf Odyssey subscriber who recently returned from a Scottsdale golf vacation with his pals.
Following the advice in the January Golf Odyssey story entitled, “How to Save Money on Your Next Golf Vacation,” (which, by the way, you can read just by taking a free trial to Golf Odyssey), the group leader, Tom, didn’t book the tee times far in advance, but instead smartly waited until three days before he wanted to play, when tee times in golf-rich areas like Scottsdale are likely to be plentiful…and discounted.
He then found out just how low golf courses are willing to go.
For his group’s final round of their golf vacation, Tom called Legend Trail Golf Club and was informed that the green fee was $165. When he inquired as to whether they could, “do a little better,” he was offered a $135 “resident rate.” Not one to beat around the bush, Tom politely informed the pro shop attendant that his group had played the past two days at Grayhawk Golf Club for only $99 green fees, and that in his opinion, Grayhawk was a better course. You can guess what happened next. To avoid losing Tom’s group of eight players, Legend Trail matched the price and waved them in at a $99 a head.
The tip here is that, in this market, anything is possible. So, ask and you may receive. Golf courses are trying desperately to fill their tee sheets and hotels are trying to put heads in beds. Call the properties directly, and if the person you speak with says they don’t have the authority to cut you a deal, ask to speak to someone who does (the head pro at a golf course or the reservations manager at a hotel) — you may end up like Tom’s group, with a discount golf vacation you hadn’t originally planned on.
All this wheeling and dealing reminds me of those old, bizarre commercials for the Crazy Eddie electronics chain (if you live in the Northeast and are older than 30, I know you remember them, too) when actor Jerry Carroll would stare into the camera and proclaim that Eddie’s prices were guaranteed to be lowest anywhere, and that they were truly, “in-saaaane!” By the way, the real Eddie (Antar) may have truly been a little insane. He ultimately spent seven years in prison for conspiracy and racketeering.
Lately, I feel like I’m starring in one of those commericals, as I keep telling everyone who asks that prices for golf vacations are bordering on insane right now, certainly by recent standards. With each passing month, I’m more amazed at the discount golf vacations at high-end destinations we’ve been able to share with our Golf Odyssey subscribers. If you take a free trial, you can learn about them, too.
Did you know? Golf Vacation Insider and Golf Odyssey are the world’s only golf publications that do not accept any advertising from golf courses, resorts, or restaurants and regularly travel anonymously in order to provide you with expert, unbiased, and trusted advice.
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This could be a great source for information on golf discounts.