I am not playing golf this week, but if I were, I’d waste a lot of time trying to book a round at one of the online tee time booking sites that rank highest in Google searches.        

        For kicks, I entered the search term “tee times online” into the Google search engine to see what I would get.  Google returned, gulp, 2.1 million results.  I decided to work my way down from the very top of the Google results to find one I liked.  It took longer than I expected. GolfNow.com, an invention of the folks who run the Golf Channel, was listed at the top.  The site’s interactive map of the U.S. is attractive and, on the face of it, easy to use.  I clicked on my home state of Connecticut, and the

map zoomed in on the state and requested I click on the metro area I wanted.  Only Hartford was offered, so I clicked on it and, voila, I received a list of courses I could book –- in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with just three of Connecticut’s dozens of public courses nestled at the very bottom of the column.  I chose Wintonbury Hills near my home and, after some rather feeble instructions on how to look for a tee time, a message indicated that “no times are available.”

        Well, of course they aren’t; the course is closed for the season; if GolfNow communicated that up front, the user would not have to waste his time. Wait, it gets even better.  I checked out GolfNow’s courses in Ohio and chose Bridgeview Golf Club in Columbus.  Wow, green fees were just $7 -– but the starting time was 5:40 p.m., a full half-hour after sunset.  The highest-ranking tee time site in the Google search may be the biggest joke as well.

        Teemaster.com ranked second in the search.  I liked that its tagline is “The Future of Tee Times.”  Smug, yes, but that’s advertising.  What I didn’t like about the site is that it picked up driving ranges (at $6, it confused green

fees with the cost of a bucket of balls) and private, as well as public, courses.  I don’t think the members at the classic and private Country Club of Farmington (CT) would be happy to share their course with the public at just $40 a pop, which is about half of what members are charged for guests.  I noted also that The Hartford Golf Club and its 27 holes are available for a mere $65.  Sign me up.  I clicked through on the Hartford Golf Club link to a page that provided details on the course, including the alleged green fees, and was greeted with this message:  “The prices and specials listed here are not guaranteed and may be significantly different at the course.”  No kidding.  If this is The Future of Tee Times, I’ll use the phone, thank you.

        TheGolfCourses.net site showed up as third-ranked for tee times.  It provided a long alphabetical list by state and city within state that I found easy to maneuver through.  I clicked on Connecticut, which listed only Hartford, and it appeared that the site used the same reservation software and service as GolfNow.  It searched unsuccessfully for a course and finally suggested I search somewhere else. (I presumed that meant another state rather than another service’s web site.)  So I did; I clicked on San Francisco East Bay and, lo and behold, I received a list of starting times and green fee rates at Alpine Bay Golf Club.  Just one small problem; Alpine Bay is in Mobile, AL, about 2,400 miles from San Francisco Bay.

        LastMinuteGolfer.com, the next in line, proudly announces on its home page that members of its service “can now book their tee times at GolfNow.com.”  Been there, done that, no thank you.

Don't bother trying to set up a tee time at Wintonbury Hills in Connecticut.  The course is closed for the season, but you wouldn't know it at most online tee time booking sites.

 

        EZLinks.com may be EZer to use than the others, but I am not going to find out.  The site requires that you register, with name, address, telephone number and email address, in order to access its service.  I didn’t get far enough for them to ask me for credit card information, but their privacy statement -– which indicates they only share such information with the company that processes the tee times -– implied that would be the next step.  In essence, they force you to pony up your credit card info before you can even check if the site is worth your time, let alone your Amex card.

        At TeeItUp.com, I finally found a service that was easy to use and only asked for personal information after you selected your course and tee time.  When you first click on a state, an attractive Google map appears with flags stuck where available golf courses are located.  To the left of the map, you select from a list of courses.  Click on one of them, and an information “balloon” pops up on the map, showing the exact location of the course and inviting you to click for tee times. 

        Connecticut National Golf Club, for example, was showing 15 times available between 7:06 and 8:56 a.m. the following day (rain and snow was in the forecast).  I selected a tee time and number of players, at which point TeeItUp asked me for personal information, including a credit card number to hold the reservation.  Helpfully, they note your card is not being charged at that time, and they provide the phone number of the club if you have questions about when your credit card will be charged.  (Note:  I suggest calling the golf club before you enter your card number to inquire about their relationship with TeeItUp.)

        Ultimately, I had to go six sites deep on the Google search results to find one that was easy to use, accurate and only mildly invasive.  Thank you TeeItUp; it would have been a long night if I had to search all two million results.  

 

Editor’s Note:  The purpose of online tee time booking sites should be for convenience and lower prices than the golf courses’ walk-in rates.  If you have the time to search, you will find that prices vary from site to site for the same courses.  GolfNow, for example, lists a $25 price per player for Quail Chase in Louisville, KY.  TeeTimeSavings, which provides simple navigation tools and clear pricing per course, lists a $44 price at Quail Chase for a twosome, or a 12% discount on the GolfNow discount.  Interestingly, the Quail Chase web site takes online tee times but is powered by GolfNow and offers the GolfNow rates.  I am sure there are some tee time consolidators that might offer lower prices.  The question of whether your time is worth all the effort to squeeze out every last dollar is not within my editorial purview.  -- Larry

 

 

 

         If you couldn't afford The Cliffs Communities at $2 million and more, you may love them at $195,000.  That's what a small piece of the high-minded, high-end group of golf communities is selling for, according to a package of materials I received last week announcing the new Cliffs Residence Club at Keowee Springs.

        The accompanying form letter from Cliffs founder Jim Anthony indicates that mountain-lake ownership at Keowee Springs, which is located in rural upstate South Carolina near Lake Keowee, includes access to a Tom Fazio golf course, huge wellness center and spa, the International Institute of Golf, a beach club, hiking trails and concierge service.  Prices for the deeded fractional ownership starts at $195,000.

        This is The Cliffs first foray into fractional ownership, and it could be a viable option for those a little wary of plunking down $1 million or more for a home and $150,000 for golf club membership.  I'll have more details about The Cliffs' Residence Club, including costs to Residence Club members to play the other Cliffs courses, in the December issue of our Home On The Course newsletter, coming soon.  To ensure you receive a copy, sign-up in the box at the upper left of this page.  It's fast, it's easy and it's free.

 

Note to readers:  We are transitioning to a new content management system (that's the magic behind the scenes that powers this site).  Although we expect the changes to be seamless and without impact for you, there may be a broken link here and a missing photo there in the deep recesses of our archives.  We apologize for any inconvenience should that occur.