| Do you really get a good deal with golf discount | | | | exercise. |
| cards or are you just buying a useless piece of | | | | 4. Get discounts for the ENTIRE golf season. |
| plastic for your year's membership? If you love | | | | Know how long the season is for the golf |
| to play golf often, you know how expensive it | | | | discounts. Is is a short window from June to |
| can get. Add up $50 for greens fees + $20 for a | | | | August? Do you have to play before May or |
| cart, twice a week for over 20 weeks and you | | | | after September? The best discount green fees |
| spend will nearly $3,000 a year to tee it up on | | | | cards will allow you to get savings all year round |
| golf courses. Your golf game will probably | | | | for as long as the golf course is open. Don't buy a |
| improve, but your wallet says, "Ouch!" | | | | golf card when you have all types of seasonal |
| So, is the promise to "Play more golf and pay | | | | playing restrictions. |
| less" really valid or just a getting an "unplayable | | | | 5. Know how easy it is to find a course. |
| lie?" There are lots of golf discount programs out | | | | I have purchased a number of state golf discount |
| there. Some are coupon books. Some are online | | | | coupon books and looked through the index to |
| programs. Some work very well, some are real | | | | find where the golf courses were listed. This is |
| duds. So as a savvy buyer, how do you pick the | | | | fine for a paper coupon book. Before you buy |
| one golf discount card that gets you the most for | | | | these in a golf store, you can look through the |
| your money? Here is a 7 point checklist to use | | | | book to see if your favorite courses are listed. If |
| when you evaluate buying an on-line membership | | | | you subscribe to an online discount golf card |
| golf card to get the savings your membership | | | | program, make sure you can search the golf |
| pays for. | | | | course directory. It helps to search by zip code, |
| 1. How big is the size of the golf course network? | | | | state, city, distance to the golf course and even |
| How many courses are in the network? Is it 10? | | | | golf course name. If the search function is missing |
| 50? 150? 3,000? The more courses the better, | | | | or limited, don't buy that membership. |
| because if 10,000 people buy the membership and | | | | 6. Learn the pluses and minuses of the golf |
| there are only a few dozen courses - guess what. | | | | courses in the network - before you buy! |
| You won't get a good selection of tee times | | | | If the online golf card membership program allows |
| because you are competing with all other | | | | you to search, it should also give you the details |
| members. | | | | of what you get. Different golf courses offer |
| 2. Don't travel to Idaho to play golf, unless you | | | | different discounts. Take tee times for instance. |
| live there. | | | | Is the discount network allow you to play only on |
| Is is local for just one state, like Wisconsin or | | | | weekdays? Does the discount apply to |
| New Mexico? Is the network nationwide? Do you | | | | weekends? Is your play restricted to a certain |
| have to drive to the middle of Idaho to find a | | | | time of day, like before 7:00 a.m. or after 5:00 |
| course? With the cost of gasoline and driving | | | | p.m.? When many golf courses belong to the |
| these days, are there enough golf course within a | | | | network, there will be many different variations. |
| 50 mile radius? If you are planning on vacationing | | | | Just make sure that there is enough variety to fit |
| in a certain area, do the golf courses belong to | | | | your best times to tee it up. |
| the network? | | | | 7. Get the facts about the vendor's performance |
| 3. Unless you like cow pastures, avoid "Turtle | | | | and longevity. |
| Greens" golf networks. | | | | Is this program new? How long has it been |
| When I was just learning to play golf as a | | | | around? How many members has it served? How |
| teenager in Wisconsin, my dad took us to Turtle | | | | many belong now? Does it offer a money-back |
| Greens, which a farmer built on a hill in the | | | | guarantee? These are important questions to ask, |
| outskirts of his farm. The clubhouse was a barn; | | | | especially with on-line services. Anyone can put up |
| the fairways were like cow pastures; the greens | | | | a website. Take care to do due diligence and |
| were shabby like a mowed back yard. Of course, | | | | check out the vendor before you spend your |
| we were real hackers and kids at the time. Make | | | | hard earned money. And make sure that they |
| sure that the golf courses in your membership | | | | have a money-back guarantee if you are |
| directory are a mixture of very good courses, | | | | unsatisfied for any reason. |
| medium courses and "practice" courses. That way | | | | Now that you have this checklist for discount |
| you can select the ones you want for a particular | | | | green fees, all you need to do is find a golf card |
| round. Some days, you may want to play a | | | | program that helps you save money and get out |
| challenging links course. Other times, you just | | | | on the links for less. |
| want to play a simple course to get some | | | | |