€30 Green Fee Value - Not Your Average Joe

Define 'value'... the dictionary defines it thus:

"the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something."

Coollattin Golf Club

When it comes to golfing green fees, that definition is tough to apply... but boy don't we love to bang on about it!

'Value' means different things to different people:

• Americans coming to play Ireland's links see a €120 green fee as good value. They regard our links as the best in the world and to play at many of their ‘big’ courses they can easily fork out $300-$500… or they simply can’t get access due to the ‘private’ nature of so many clubs (Augusta, Cypress Point, Pine Valley); here in Ireland, where these world-class courses are on our doorstep, the attitude of some Irish golfers is that we should be paying – I don’t know – 20 quid.
• Ask Irish golfers to pay €50 for a course that has hosted international events and there will be plenty who moan the price is too high.
• Get down to the €30 mark and you’ll still hear complaints.

Yes, I know that golf is seen as an expensive sport and it has a certain and mostly unwanted air of exclusivity, but how much do you think it costs to keep a golf course in good condition? It's not a tennis court. It's not a football pitch. Looking after a couple of hundred acres is a different ball game entirely.

Approach to the 10th at Farnham Estate

The Irish website, Joe.ie, asked me to produce a list of the 18 best Irish golf courses that you could play for no more than €30. It was an interesting task and reinforced that when it comes to value, you can still play great courses for minimal green fees. I thought such an article would buck the idea that green fees are expensive and silence the 'value' complaints.

If only life was so simple! There was an immediate and very obvious response from one reader: "what about courses for under €20?" That'll be my next task, so.

Here's my list: http://www.joe.ie/sports/golf/18-golf-courses-you-can-play-in-ireland-for-e30-or-less/

And check out Joe.ie while you're at it... It's Man Stuff.