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