Why Public Golf Courses are Better Than Private Clubs

Long live public golf courses

As the golf industry works diligently to regain solid footing both private and public golf clubs are adjusting to the new normal. Will the industry boom again like it did before 9/11? Perhaps, but over time. Meanwhile, golfers have plenty of choices when deciding how to spend their golf dollars. Private golf clubs have stepped up with incentives and either reducing or eliminating initiation fees. Daily fee courses have added to their offerings, honed in on lessons and the customer experience, and in the end, the golfer is the big winner! If you have the means and you’re considering a private golf membership versus playing daily fee courses, here are a few good reasons why public golf courses are better than private clubs.

Variety of golf courses

Plain and simple. When you are not locked in to one golf club, to which you pay a substantial amount of your earnings, you can play anywhere. Sure, if you’re like most of us “creatures of habit,” you have your favorites, but the key is that you have options and you can play an excellent course every week if you’d like. At least if you’re playing golf in Minnesota you can!

Affordability

You either value private golf clubs and the benefits of membership or you do not. You will never cost justify a private golf membership and the monthly outlay can be substantial for most people. Daily fee courses allow you to play when you want to play and best of all, pay when you play.

Championship golf

The boon of golf courses in the late 90’s and early 2000’s was huge for golfers who love championship golf. Country club caliber courses started popping up everywhere and today, there’s a surplus of courses and tee times that simply did not exist in the mid 1990’s.

Competitive golf events

A fun and exciting dimension of golf is competition. Not so long ago, if you wanted to play in a competitive, handicapped event you would have to play at a private club or a sanctioned event by the local amateur golf association (and you usually have to be pretty good as well!). That is no longer the case as more daily fee courses have created a “private club” atmosphere with club championships and various format events.

Who doesn’t like membership and inclusion? It’s always nice to go places where people know your name. Depending on the course you play, many daily fee courses have memberships available on a seasonal basis and typically, they are quite affordable. No food minimums or assessments, just member golf!

The truth is, golf is a wonderful game and whether you enjoy playing at private or public facilities we encourage you to get out and play. In Minnesota, we are proud of all our facilities and believe that you can find a course that fits your ability and style. What are your thoughts? Do you play public courses? Private golf courses? Both? We’d love to hear your thoughts.