My little tirade on Las Vegas didn't go over too well, judging the number of hits it got. That's OK, it was a bit of a downer to Las Vegas and the bottom line is I still do not like Las Vegas. Have you seen the parking rates downtown? You better win big in the casinos in order to just pay your parking bill. Enough said about that.
Today's post is going to focus on one of the biggest reasons I dislike Las Vegas and that is how they do golf. I have played several golf courses in the Las Vegas area and I did love the courses. What I hate is how they soak non-residents by charging non-resident rates. On Golf Now all the course green fees are based on non-resident rates. If you don't live in Las Vegas you pay a premium. There is not even a seasonal rate, just the rate non-residents pay, and non-residents are soaked. As far as pricing is concerned, courses are entitled to charge what they want but I'm not going to buy into that. That's not very welcoming and I just will not spend my money in a place that makes visitors feel unwelcome, but tries to take advantage of them.
Let's talk briefly about this resident rate. I understand the resident rate if you play a course that is funded and owned by a particular city or county. The taxpayers of that city or county pay their taxes for services the city or county offers, which may include the operation of golf courses in that city or county. I can see a two tiered system for residents versus non-residents. San Diego County which owns and operates Torrey Pines and Balboa Park has that kind of set up. I won't play either of the Torrey Pines courses the main reason being that the non-resident green fee is too steep, and except for the views the course plays a lot like a course I play in Fresno. When we do go to San Diego we try to play Balboa Park where the non-resident rate is reasonable. I'm OK with that.
Las Vegas is a different story. Green fees are structured for residents are different than for non-resident, and in some cases there is a significant difference. It doesn't matter whether the course is a muni course or a semi-private course. There is also not a difference between a summer and winter rate. You have to know, if you are a tourist staying in Las Vegas and want to play golf you are going to pay through the nose. I truly understand that Las Vegas is a tourist town, but does it have to act like a very tight slot machine taking your money where the jackpot never comes up?
Nope, Las Vegas is not going to see me very often. I may go there to visit my daughter and play golf with her but she lives there and when I go, I get resident rates.
In my next blog, I will share with you the golf courses I have played in Las Vegas.
Simple solution, if you want a better rate move to Vegas. Sounds to me like a hater,
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