What Is A Semi-Private Golf Course?
Have you ever tried to visit your local golf course, only for them to turn you down and say that you cannot play? You might be dealing with a private golf course that is often owned by one person or a consortium. In some countries, many villas or estates might have a private golf course that only allows members to play.
Once you visit these golf courses, you will be asked to obtain a membership before you can access the course and this means paying for an entire year to have the opportunity to play and book a few rounds. The semi-private golf courses might be what you are looking for and these courses will allow non-members to book tee times.
Generally, you will also find a public golf course and these open golf courses will allow anyone to join or book times. You will find that they are much cheaper and you could simply rock up for the day and start playing. This article aims to help you understand the difference between all of these different golf courses.
Table of Contents
What Is A Semi-Private Golf Course
A semi-private golf course is a term that is mostly used in the United States. However, some of the famous courses in Great Britain can also qualify to be semi-private. Understanding how these golf courses work will help you to get on the course and play. You can also decide to become a member if you play often.
Access
With a semi-professional golf course, anyone will have access to book times. However, you cannot simply rock up to the course and start playing. Since members will have the first choice, you might need to call or even visit the club to ensure that there are times available for you to play. Booking is an important part of these courses.
Additionally, you won’t have access to the course when there are tournaments scheduled. While this goes for all golf courses, the tournament will have the advantage and you will need to book for a different time. Again, we recommend booking or calling to find out what the schedule looks like and how it works.
Fees
One of the issues with playing on semi-professional golf courses can be the fees you have to pay. It can be very expensive to play a few rounds at these courses and the reason for this is the cheaper memberships. You will be saving more money by becoming a member than having to pay green fees each time you want to visit the course.
Restrictions
Finally, these golf courses try to make it as lucrative as possible for people to become members. Even if you pay the higher green fees, you will still be subject to some restrictions. You might find that certain parts of the course could be off-limits and only reserved for members. These include things like the tennis court and the swimming pool.
Who Owns Semi-Private Golf Courses?
Public golf courses are often run and managed by the local government and they will be responsible for keeping everything in order and making sure that everything flows as it should. Wealthy individuals or private companies might be at the helm of the semi-private golf course and will focus on increasing revenue and members.
Wrap-Up
While a semi-private golf course will certainly be an attractive place for you to visit, you will need to weigh up whether the costs will justify the visit to the golf course. It can be very expensive and you are often limited when it comes to access. However, it can be fun to play some of these well-known courses and test your skills.
