GolfClubsAway.com might make sense for your next Florida golf vacation.
You’re probably already aware that FedEx, UPS, DHL, and a variety of luggage-only shipping services make it easier to get your golf clubs to your golf vacation destination rather than lugging them yourself.
But when it comes to short trips, or business trips, is it really worth paying upwards of $100 to ship them when you might only play a round or two?
A new firm, citing the high cost and low quality of golf course rental clubs, thinks its golf club delivery service provides a good solution for those on brief Florida golf vacations or business trips.
Called GolfClubsAway.com, the company will deliver a full set of late-model Nike or Callaway clubs (including a putter) to your hotel or the golf course by 7 am and pick them up from the same location around 8 pm. The per-day cost, which includes the use of the clubs and a sleeve of Nike balls, is $35 for Nike and $45 for Callaway.
For now, the company offers its service only in southeast Florida’s tri-county area (think Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach) but it has plans to expand into Orlando in early 2008.
While the idea itself seems sound, I really think this is a case of a solution looking for a problem.
First, the company claims its rental prices represent, “a fraction of the cost of golf course rentals.” This may be true with respect to the top-tier Florida golf resorts (keep in mind that even a small savings can technically be called “a fraction”), but most public Florida golf courses in the area, even the upscale, daily-fee variety, charge between $45-$65 for comparable clubs (I called around and checked).
And second, if you’re having the clubs delivered to your hotel, this doesn’t completely eliminate the “lugging” from the equation as you still have to get the clubs to the golf course and back. I don’t know about you, but I’d gladly pay an extra $10 or $20 for a golf course rental set to avoid this and the stress of having to coordinate a drop-off and pick-up with a third party.
Again, if you’re staying at one of the top resorts on your Florida golf vacation, this service might make sense. Then again, if you’re willing to pay those prices for room and board, you probably wouldn’t balk at their inflated golf club rental fees, either.
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