The Lake Ozark, Mo., property will allow golfers on its The Cove and The Ridge golf courses to pay for the amount of time spent playing, rather than a set number of holes, though the traditional pricing will still be available. “Local golfers and leisure guests want to play for whatever small window of time they have,” said Director of Golf Matt Tausig.
The Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, Mo., is launching an innovative pricing model in 2017 in which golfers will pay by the hour, the Camdenton, Mo., Lake News Online reported.
According to a press release from the waterfront resort on Horseshoe Bend, its new golf-by-the-hour at The Cove and The Ridge golf courses allows players to pay for the amount of time spent playing the course rather than the traditional method of paying for a set number of holes. Hourly pricing gives golfers, particularly locals and leisure guests, the best value for their game, no matter how long they play, the press release stated.
“This is definitely a first for The Lodge,” says Director of Golf Matt Tausig. “I’ve worked in the golf industry for 25 years, and I’ve never seen another golf course offer this kind of pricing.”
Although traditional pricing will still be available at both courses, the new pricing model is a direct response to analysis and feedback from guests looking for better value and more opportunities to play, Online reported.
“Head Golf Professional Chris Lash and I continually discuss what we can do that no one else in the golf business is doing and how we can overcome industry challenges,” Tausig said. “One of the biggest issues that golfers face today is that golf is such a time-consuming game.”
A full 18-hole round of golf traditionally takes four-plus hours to play, Tausig said. But many avid golfers who play faster don’t want to pay a full rate when they’re on the course for a fraction of the time. Then there are also players who pay for a full round but run out of time before finishing their game. With the Lodge’s new pay-by-the-hour model, golfers may receive a more equitable value for their money based on how long they play, Online reported.
“Local golfers and leisure guests who want to play for whatever small window of time they have—that’s who this is geared toward,” Tausig said.
Golf by the hour also creates an exceptional value and opportunity for meeting and convention guests at the Lake of the Ozarks on business, said Frederik Houben, Director of Sales and Marketing. Even an hour between meetings is enough to play a few holes—and everyone gets what they pay for, Online reported.
“Meeting attendees can and have time constraints but would love the opportunity to play one, two or more holes of golf in one hour just to decompress,” Houben said. “This new hourly price structure fills that void during their limited downtime.”
Current rates are around $10 (plus tax) an hour per person, including golf and cart, but rates for hourly play will vary day to day, even hour to hour, depending on the season and how busy the course is, Online reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.