Are Golfers Being Priced Out of Some Golf Courses

Are golfers being priced out of some golf courses? It's a question that many of us are asking in this age of rampant green fee inflation, when once-accessible layouts are charging eye-watering sums and those most prized venues are residing on another planet entirely.

Earlier this year, we ran a social media poll to discover how much golfers would be realistically willing to pay for a round of golf. 64.6% wouldn't spend more than £100, with only 23% of you willing to stretch beyond £150.

Therefore, based on this single poll, a massive 77% of the golfing population has been priced out of playing the finest layouts in the UK.

Are Golfers Being Priced Out?

Earlier this year, popular and informative golf travel expert and blogger, UK Golf Guy, published his own research on this subject, and he found that the average summer green fees at a top 100 golf course in the UK stood at £220 - an increase of 9.6% on 2023 - with the average green fee at a top 25 course being £321 - a jump of 12% on the previous season.

From his attached list, only 25 of the top 100 were charging at most £150, while just one of them, the nine-hole Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club, could be played for under £100, meaning that the overwhelming majority are beyond the reach of most golfers in this country who are unable or unwilling to part with such a green fee.

And it's not just the most prestigious or acclaimed courses that are continually increasing their prices. Jack Lumb in Golf Today recently noted that lesser-ranked venues in his local area have hiked prices up during the past decade from between 30-50%.

Looking at figures shared in 2017, the Ailsa Course at Turnberry charged £350 for a standard round in summer, but that cost is now £545. Likewise, the stunning Kingsbarns in Fife has lept up from £240 to £448, far exceeding inflation, which is a commonly cited factor for why prices have risen so sharply.

There is no doubt that inflation has a role and that all goods have risen in cost, especially since the height of the pandemic, while demand for tee times and the return of international travel has made courses busier than they had been previously, and many venues have taken the opportunity cash in on those visitors.

Green Fees Have Risen Faster Than Inflation

(The Old Course at St Andrews)

Looking at where I live, St Andrews, I have compared the green fees from 2014 to 2024 across the courses managed by the Links Trust.

A decade ago, the Old Course cost £165 in the peak season to play. This year, the fee stood at £320, an increase of 94%. Had it risen in line with inflation, the current fee would be around £220. But what appears even more stark is that the fee was just £195 in 2021.

The Castle Course charged £120 in 2014 - and it now costs £170 - an increase of 41.66%. 

Both the New and Jubilee courses had a high season fee of £75 a decade ago, but today that charge is £140, a rise of 86.66%. 

And even the less prestigious St Andrews courses have risen significantly. 

The Eden Course was £45 in 2014 - it is now £70 (55.55% increase) and the Strathtyrum was £30 and is now £50 (66.66% increase).

Had these 2014 green fees risen in line with inflation, the Old Course would now charge £221.64, the New and Jubilee £100.73, the Castle £161.17, the Eden £60.44, and the Strathtyrum £40.29.

What Risen Green Fees Mean For Golfers

You would be right to say that not all places are St Andrews - but it is representative of a wider industry shift. And it's not just at these most famous courses either.

If you have been paying green fees in recent years, think of where you played and how that cost compared to previous visits to that particular venue or others like it.

Club memberships rose nationwide during the lockdown era - and they have largely stood robust since then - and the value offered generally remains excellent if you play regularly, but if you are a nomadic player without a membership, it has become increasingly difficult to find reasonable prices at a desirable time.

If you're someone who wants to play a bucket list course - it will probably cost a fair amount. But those experiences are less obtainable than they were just a few years ago, and that feels like a crying shame and a poor reflection on the direction taken by this segment of the golf industry.

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