LAKE OZARK, Mo.
Golfers heading to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri may find new value in 2017 through an updated pricing model at The Cove and The Ridge golf courses at the Lodge of Four Seasons waterfront resort.
The Lodge's new golf by the hour allows players to pay for the amount of time spent playing the course rather than the traditional method of paying for a set number of holes, as is the standard elsewhere.
"This is definitely a first for The Lodge," said Matt Tausig, director of golf. "I've worked in the golf industry for 25 years, and I've never seen another golf course offer this kind of pricing."
Although traditional pricing will still be available at both courses, the new pricing model is a direct response to analysis and feedback from guests looking for better value and more opportunities to play.
"Head Golf Professional Chris Lash and I continually discuss what we can do that no one else in the golf business is doing and how we can overcome industry challenges," Tausig said. "One of the biggest issues that golfers face today is that golf is such a time-consuming game."
A full 18-hole round of golf traditionally takes four or more hours to play, Tausig said. But many avid golfers who play faster don't want to pay a full rate when they're on the course for a fraction of the time. Then there are also players who pay for a full round but run out of time before finishing.
According to Lodge Director of Sales and Marketing Frederik Houben, golf by the hour also creates an opportunity for meeting and convention guests at the Lake of the Ozarks on business. Even an hour between meetings is enough to play a few holes—and everyone gets what they play for.
"Meeting attendees can and have time constraints but would love the opportunity to play one, two or more holes of golf in one hour just to decompress," he said. "This new hourly price structure fills that void."
Current rates are around $10 (plus tax) an hour per person, including golf and cart, but rates for hourly play will vary day to day, even hour to hour, depending on the season and how busy the course is.
The Lodge of Four Seasons offers more than 65,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space.
Related Content: Looking for golf tips? Check out Edward Schmidt Jr.’s feature that appeared in the Dec. 2016 issue of Meetings Today titled “Plan the Perfect Golf Event for Every Type of Attendee.”
