Spanish RIP-OFF Costas Del GOLF

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    • #54027
      angie
      Blocked

      😡

      Most of these golf courses charge ridiculous green fees, it’s not unusual to see ads. saying ‘2 green fees + buggy, ONLY 180 euros’, or a green fee for 60-70 euros without a buggy. Then to make matters worse, tee times are only staggered 6-8 minutes apart so you’ve always got someone pressing you and several groups waiting on the par 3’s. Some might say that the courses are busy, hence the charges, but come the evening the courses are often empty because the staff have left, an ideal time to offer 9 hole twilights say for 15 euros or so.

      Golf in the US has suffered a 25% decrease in green fees because of their economy and the expense of golf.

      Spain yet again is in danger of shooting itself in the foot, killing the goose as it did with greed over their property market, to make matters worse, Brits are now paying up to 20% more for golf just on exchange rates.

      One sure way to get these greedy golf clubs to lower prices is for everyone to boycott playing 1 or 2 days a week, it wouldn’t take long! 😡

    • #83478
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Couldn’t agree more, angie. I am playing in the Mijas area at the beginning of July, with my golf mad 14 year old son and we’re restricted to just two rounds over the three weeks we’re there. It’s becoming very expensive and with a little bit of vision and marketing nous, the situation could easily be redressed!

    • #83480
      angie
      Blocked

      It had to be said Kevyn, it’s gone on for too long. If you are able to, then please tell them in the Golf shop that this has started a topic on Mark’s web-site, maybe people power will gain in the end.

      Mark, perhaps this could be a subject for you sometime in the S. Times.

      Why doesn’t Spain get a grip on their property and tourism rip-offs? 😡

    • #83504
      katy
      Blocked

      There is a strange economic mentality with the Spanish. Less income because of a drop in clients…put up the price 🙄

      Many of the Golf courses are empty, just a few of the better known ones are doing ok. Many of the golfing parties who came to the CDS are going farther afield, it’s cheaper and the weather is better!

    • #83583
      angie
      Blocked

      😡

      Was at Alhaurin Golf last evening, at 6.30pm the only ones on the course were the 4 men who work there, they have the last round of golf, yet many golfers could have enjoyed 9 holes or so at a discounted rate in the cooler temperature but the greedy owners don’t see this, Ferrovial again, builders of jerry builds and owners of T5 Heathrow, nothing is new, I suppose Spain will never learn! 😡

    • #83585
      katy
      Blocked

      Many of the Golf Courses are now administrated by Ameritch (not sure about the spelling?) Golf Services. Alhaurín is one of them as is Cabopino and several others. La Cala’s biggest Investor was the Irish Farmers Union. Most of the newer courses were only opened as a tool to sell thousands of apartments and the Investors have little interest in Golf. I think we could see some go under over the next few years.

    • #83589
      Anonymous
      Participant

      yes! I must say I have to agree with Kathy on the mentality of the Spanish. When things are going bad they do seem to put prices sky high, instead of making them more attractive to customers they put the prices up.
      Last year ..and for the last couple of years we were staying in the same hotel in Spain, same time of year, same dates etc….this morning I just went on to check out prices and they seem to have almost doubled, I can tell you one thing….I will not be staying there this year!

    • #83592
      Anonymous
      Participant

      I think there are a couple of reasons for price increases.

      The first is obviously the approaching season and like the toll roads and property rentals the prices go up as the demand and bookings increase.

      Secondly, running costs are spiralling along with everything else. Some golf courses are paying black market prices for water at up to 3 times the cost of last years supply.

      The costs of running a course have always been subsidised by the property sales. With either no property sales being made, or on established courses non left to sell, then the true cost of maintainence and profits required by the operating companies shareholders begins to show itself.

      A friend of mine is a groundsman on a local course, he says the cheap price golf does nothing for the profits. The hackers and general wear and tear on a course prior to a tournament causes a need for more staff to get it in shape. They are looking to the corporate money all the time as they make good money from the likes of Ford and Mercedes. These people also spend their large expense accounts at the clubhouse in copious amounts.

    • #83594
      angie
      Blocked

      Peter, not having a go at you as I understand what you are saying, but does that mean ‘sod the reasonable golfers who actually are finding it hard to pay for exhorbitant rounds, and let’s close the courses in the evening’?

      Spain appears to be an exceptionally greedy country when it comes to property and tourism, we are not talking cheap golf for everyone just reasonable golf prices.

    • #83596
      Fuengi (Andrew)
      Participant

      @angie wrote:

      Peter, not having a go at you as I understand what you are saying, but does that mean ‘sod the reasonable golfers who actually are finding it hard to pay for exhorbitant rounds, and let’s close the courses in the evening’?

      Spain appears to be an exceptionally greedy country when it comes to property and tourism, we are not talking cheap golf for everyone just reasonable golf prices.

      maybe this is silly, but could it be they’ve done a cost/benefit analysis and they realise that lowering the prices would not increase they’re revenue?

      don’t know much about golf but alhaurin golf seem cheap
      http://book.golfswitch.com/discount/courseList.asp?reseller_id=ALH&COURSEID=GSP2791&language=esp
      so does santa maria
      http://www.santamariagolfclub.com/eng/homeeng.html

    • #83597
      Anonymous
      Participant
      angie wrote:
      , but does that mean ‘sod the reasonable golfers who actually are finding it hard to pay for exhorbitant rounds, and let’s close the courses in the evening’?
      quote]

      Essentially yes angie. The course managers (that I am aware of) are happier for them to be empty between tournaments. My local course is even trying to stop the junior tournaments as the staffing bill is higher than the profits, and no money spent in the clubhouse.

      Like bar owners who chose to close early on quiet nights, the courses are of the same opinion so they simply keep the prices high to make a profit, if no one turns up they simply send the staff home and save money.

      I´m affraid corporate economics apply to a leisure activity these days. Sad state of affairs I admit.

    • #83599
      angie
      Blocked

      I think it proves the point that Spain is quite prepared to continue shooting itself in the foot over so many matters, I appreciate Summer golf is just starting so prices come down a bit, but it’s so hot playing.

      As I said before Golf in the US is suffering a 25% downturn despite the economics of course management etc and prices are being reduced, let’s hope the same happens in Spain and I’m not sure why such quiet courses in France can manage to charge much less generally with such fewer golfers, it’s a conumdrum, but personally I think it’s down to greed in Spain.

    • #83607
      Anonymous
      Participant

      I agree angie. Business is about larger maket share and increased profits. I am no big fan of fellow agents as you know, but I dislike Tesco and Premiership football clubs more.

      They may steal smaller amounts than agents, but every week they take the pennies off us and our children, put smaller enterprises out of business through price fixing cartels and tell us what good boys they are knocking 2p off a lettuce when the have paid the lettuce grower 10p less.

    • #83609
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Incidently, I am no golfer by any stretch, but, a few weeks ago there was a program on REM.FM about joining a golfers club that negotiated very low rates around the CDS and CB.

      I bet katy knows more about this as she is usually very well informed.

    • #83625
      katy
      Blocked

      Is it the guy with the Irish voice advertising on REM? I think they are having tournaments throughout the summer, 65E including lunch. I am not a golf fanatic, more a social golfer. Husband plays 3 times a week though. 🙄

      What I do hear many visiting Golfers complain about is the bad attitude of staff at different courses. Also things such as charging 2E for a small water etc. Some of the courses purposely keep their prices high to remain exclusive and only have a few times for non-members.

    • #83739
      angie
      Blocked

      I hear lots of comments from people who can’t afford golf in Spain anymore partly because of current exchange rates now. In fact it would be possible to occasionally fly back to the UK, pay for a round, fly back and still get change from some of the rounds quoted in Spain, the point I’m making is that golf may have to get cheaper in Spain if recession looms in Europe.

    • #83742
      Anonymous
      Participant

      @katy wrote:

      Is it the guy with the Irish voice advertising on REM? I think they are having tournaments throughout the summer, 65E including lunch.

      Yes katy he was definatly Irish with a Boland type voice. It sounded like a good idea and the essence was to force prices down all over the Costas.

    • #83792
      Anonymous
      Participant
      bettyboo wrote:
      yes! I must say I have to agree with Kathy on the mentality of the Spanish. When things are going bad they do seem to put prices sky high, instead of making them more attractive to customers they put the prices up.
      Last year ..and for the last couple of years we were staying in the same hotel in Spain, same time of year, same dates etc….this morning I just went on to check out prices and they seem to have almost doubled, I can tell you one thing….I will not be staying there this year!

      I am not sure if the Spanish mentality is correct or not but they do seem to be inflexible when negotiating for increased business.

      A simple example. I was asked to arrange a dinner for the members of a club, went to a restaurante I knew which did a “menu del dia” for let us say 7e, wine , bread inc. Coffee extra. Told the owner we would be about 50 people , his price for what was basically the” menu del dia” was 15e, wine extra. I explained that almost 50 new people would be coming to his restaurante who had n´t eaten there before , if they enjoyed the meal they would almost certainly come back and probably with friends. I might as well as talked to one of the seagulls on the beach, I would probably have obtained more sense. I told him politely where to stick his restaurante and that I would not be returning. No reaction, no negotiation ,just a blank expression. I had asked him ,why the big difference , his answer was that he would have to emply more staff, which was a lie.

      I gave up.

      Many occasions I have known Spaniards to have a house on the market for a year or two, after that time, they put the price up 10%.

      I am afraid, they still have a lot to learn about good service, years ago when it was cheap to live or holiday in Spain,holiday makers and foreign residents were attracted by the laid back attitude now Spain is expensive, it is n´t just the low level of the pound, Germans, French all say Spain is now expensive. Its fine that Spain has caught up , but they must learn high prices means good service. Generally it is very poor,the take it or leave it attitude is still to the fore.

    • #83796
      Anonymous
      Participant
      Quote:
      I am afraid, they still have a lot to learn about good service, years ago when it was cheap to live or holiday in Spain,holiday makers and foreign residents were attracted by the laid back attitude now Spain is expensive, it is n´t just the low level of the pound, Germans, French all say Spain is now expensive. Its fine that Spain has caught up , but they must learn high prices means good service. Generally it is very poor,the take it or leave it attitude is still to the fore.[/quote]

      Very true.

    • #83997
      angie
      Blocked

      Noticed recently that some of these golf courses are extremely quiet now, just a handful on Alhaurin yesterday, whether that’s down to slow tourism, exchange rate or weather, or maybe people are just not going to pay the rip-off prices anymore.

      I know someone who looks after some rentals, normally she has 20 or more in June but this year only 6 are booked, sign of the times?

    • #84001
      katy
      Blocked

      A friend rents her apartment here, it is an older one with established rentals and many returns. She told me last week here rentals have been “dire” this year.

    • #84017
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Small shopkeepers in the province of Málaga have seen sales fall by nearly 70% in the first six months of the year, compared to last year at the same time. 66% of shopkeepers say they are earning less than a year ago and only 7% say they have seen an improvement.

      The numbers come from the local chamber of commerce Fecoma, and note particular falls in the areas of clothing and footwear.

      I know, nothing to with golf but it does show that Spain is definitely suffering a slowdown in spending generally, not just regarding golfcourses.

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