eQuinelle 2017 Rate Increases are HUGE

[rusticmartin]

2017 membership rates are up on the eQuinelle website now and (and as "The Donald" would say) the increases are HUGE!!. Everything is going way up next year.

New for this year… if you don’t pay for the FULL cost of your 2017 membership in the next month or two, they add an additional $200 to $400 to the annual cost. That’s on top of the already 5% increased dues for 2017. Depending on your type of membership, the increased cost for 2017 is now 12 to 18% higher that it was in 2016. Flex memberships are increasing from $199 to$299 for residents (50% increase) and $299 to $399 for non-residents (33% increase). I don’t know about you, but I’ll be lucky if my take home goes up at all next year, let alone in the double digits. The club house is nice, the golf course is great…. but there are a lot of other courses that all of a sudden are far better value. eQuinelle is my course, but what is TMSI thinking??

[jeffc]

I guess they are thinking they can make more $ if they raise prices. The tee sheets are always full and the course is in great condition. Yes they may lose a few customers but they'll probably make more $. Nobody loves a price increase but time will tell I guess if they made the right call.

[rajah]

Another symbolic nail in the coffin for golf! 33% increase I guess the 1% must doing really well. Wow! My pension went up 1% last year!

[jeffc]

Another symbolic nail in the coffin for golf! 33% increase I guess the 1% must doing really well. Wow! My pension went up 1% last year!

Their tee sheet is always full. Prices are going up based on demand. How is that a nail in the coffin. Please explain?

[jvincent]

Another symbolic nail in the coffin for golf! 33% increase I guess the 1% must doing really well. Wow! My pension went up 1% last year!

Why so bitter? eQuinelle is a business not a charity. If they feel they can raise their prices that's their perogative. There are plenty of less expensive options available.

[rajah]

Self explanatory! Make the game more exclusive and forget the 99%. Gotta love the lunacy in golf!

[Kilroy]

I had to remove a bunch of posts athis was getting into personal attacks and we don't allow that here so... I don't want to close a thread but if the tone of this does not settle down I will have to. Please read the Forum Rules for clarification as to what is and is not acceptable here prior to posting in this thread again. I will assume that everyone is familiar wit the rules from this point forward. Thank you.

[Gobble_It]

Self explanatory! Make the game more exclusive and forget the 99%. Gotta love the lunacy in golf!

Do you play golf because you want to be inclusive ? If you want to play those fancy, private or clublink type courses, it's up to you to decide and can't blame the courses for their pricing strategy.

There are many other courses that will suit everyone on price ranges.

It's supply and demand, it's part of business.

[jeffc]

Do you play golf because you want to be inclusive ? If you want to play those fancy, private or clublink type courses, it's up to you to decide and can't blame the courses for their pricing strategy.

There are many other courses that will suit everyone on price ranges.

It's supply and demand, it's part of business.

we'd all like to drive Porsche's and live in Rockcliffe and play at private clubs but for a lot of us that isn't going to happen. eQuinelle is consistently voted as one of the top public courses in the region. Conditioning is always excellent, the greens are some of the best in the city and their new clubhouse is beautiful. All of that costs $. As mentioned, there are a ton of options at all ends of the pricing spectrum. I played last sunday and the tee sheet was booked solid, much as it is every time I play there.

[big mac]

Well I won't be buying a membership but I do enjoy playing the course AND at todays prices it is worth the $$$$ I play with EG plus cart is 65.00 and that is my limit. If the green fees go up substantially I will not play.

There was a report that Canada's inflation rate this year was 1.1%-can't figure out why the huge increase except that it is a business.

TMSI is only managing---they don't set the rates as far as I know--they are only following directives from the ownership.

Only time will tell.

And yes there are lots of alternatives.

[golfisforfun]

Good for them if they can get it... If they go to high, they will find out quickly.
I am no math genius, but if you raise prices by 30% and maybe only lose 15% of your business, you are probably doing ok...

@ rajah... How does one course increasing prices make the game more exclusive?

Does Ferrari make car ownership more exclusive when they bring out a more expensive model?

Maybe they want to make money, is that against the law?

[Gobble_It]

we'd all like to drive Porsche's and live in Rockcliffe and play at private clubs but for a lot of us that isn't going to happen. eQuinelle is consistently voted as one of the top public courses in the region. Conditioning is always excellent, the greens are some of the best in the city and their new clubhouse is beautiful. All of that costs $. As mentioned, there are a ton of options at all ends of the pricing spectrum. I played last sunday and the tee sheet was booked solid, much as it is every time I play there.

Agree. I have a chance to play Carleton Yatch Club this year and the course is in immaculate condition..not a piece of grass out of place. Lots of money they charge to members must be going into maintenance , picking weeds, spreading fertilizer etc not sure how much is their member but I'm sure I can't afford it. But then I also played Oaks of Cobden, 1 hour away from Kanata and there the course is also in superb shape and yet the green free is only 25$+tax walking..very affordable if you can pay extra 10$ gas carpooling and willing to drive a bit.

I'm happy with the golf courses that we have around here and the price ranges. I think we are very lucky compared to other big cities.

[KOKO72]

I find it very hard to make an argument that golf in the Ottawa area is too expensive. If you compare green fees in other large metro areas you will find that green fees can be more than double what we pay here depending on the facility.

Also being a member of a golf discount club such as EG, Golf Select, or even finding deals on Golfnow, golf in Ottawa can be VERY affordable. Even the courses themselves offer better rates at non peak times, or daily specials with carts included, etc...

We are very lucky to have a great selection of courses within a 2 hour drive in any direction with most of them being very affordable, so please direct your argument away from cost because in my opinion this is not a valid argument as long as you do a bit of legwork to find the best deal..Thanks

[rusticmartin]

I find it very hard to make an argument that golf in the Ottawa area is too expensive. If you compare green fees in other large metro areas you will find that green fees can be more than double what we pay here depending on the facility.

Also being a member of a golf discount club such as EG, Golf Select, or even finding deals on Golfnow, golf in Ottawa can be VERY affordable. Even the courses themselves offer better rates at non peak times, or daily specials with carts included, etc...

We are very lucky to have a great selection of courses within a 2 hour drive in any direction with most of them being very affordable, so please direct your argument away from cost because in my opinion this is not a valid argument as long as you do a bit of legwork to find the best deal..Thanks

I agree completely that there is a lot of good golf available at reasonable rates. I also agree that the discount club and options like that offer great deals at low prices. What I don't understand is why eQuinelle seems to be encouraging these discount options at the expense of the members. 2017 prices are going way up, privileges and benefits to the members are being reduced and/or removed. Regional who owns the eQuinelle development are promoting all of the "lifestyle" benefits of living there but the club itself is now trying to discourage members. That I don't get. It certainly won't help them sell more homes because there is a lot of grumbling from the resident members about these coming changes. Prospective buyers will hear that. Sorry... to me it seems there should be a balance of members and green fee players, but this is not going to do that.

[Johnyc]

I don't think a $200 increase is HUGE, but I do think the memberships at eQuinelle are expensive. Looks like it would cost me approximately $3500 plus tax to join. If you are paying nearly $4000 a year to golf you better be out there 4-5 times a week otherwise it's likely cheaper to look to golf now or some other discount providers for green fees. $4000 annual dues puts the course in competition with Carleton, Rideau View and Hunt Club. I haven't played it this year so I couldn't comment on course conditions but as costs rise, so do expectations. I do like the rider they've included which allows the member to bring children/grandchildren and spouses out after 5pm free of charge. I looked into a club link membership (Kanata) and they offered the same incentive (after 4 pm). I think this is a very good way of offsetting the cost - at least that's how I would rationalize it.

[jeffc]

The cost for housing there is really expensive considering the location. Played with a guy who dropped $700k on a bungalow that wasn't that big. The residents membership is reasonable if you live there but it's expensive if you don't. The couples resident membership is also pretty reasonable.

[rajah]

For the 1% it's a drop in the bucket for the 99% it's a big deal. That is why I'm a big fan of the occupy movement! The elite just acting more elite!

[spackler]

The 1% aren't living in a bungalow in metropolitan Kemptville.

[Johnyc]

The 1% aren't living in a bungalow in metropolitan Kemptville.

At $700K it's no wonder.... They probably couldn't afford it

[golfisforfun]

What are you talking about???????
You do realize there are other courses out there, right? We are allowed to have high end and low end courses.
The world is not fair, oh well, get over it

For the 1% it's a drop in the bucket for the 99% it's a big deal. That is why I'm a big fan of the occupy movement! The elite just acting more elite!

[spuds]

Another symbolic nail in the coffin for golf! 33% increase I guess the 1% must doing really well. Wow! My pension went up 1% last year!

Am with you on that one..if you are not a member and want to play EQ good luck..80$ green fees on average? Did not get there this year,plenty of good courses around without breaking the bank...oh yeah the fancy new club house has to be paid for I guess

[jeffc]

Am with you on that one..if you are not a member and want to play EQ good luck..80$ green fees on average? Did not get there this year,plenty of good courses around without breaking the bank...oh yeah the fancy new club house has to be paid for I guess

On average? That's their maximum. Lots of options to play cheaper with a flex pass, golf select membership, twilight, etc.

[KOKO72]

Am I correct to assume that everyone pays rack rate for green fees? Nobody uses Golfnow or any one of the many discount services available? I can't remember the last time I paid the going rate for a green fee at any course. $80 is the top rate at peak time. Equinelle offers many discount times on their website as do other courses in Ottawa. C'mon guys...there has to be more valid arguments than just price.

[EagleEagle]

I guess they did the math and figured the members would still renew at that increase,or even if fewer did, they figure they would still come out ahead.Looks like some course have gone the opposite way.I saw Meadows advertising for 999.00.Guess time will tell.If they can charge more and still keep the course full that's good business.

[KOKO72]

Am with you on that one..if you are not a member and want to play EQ good luck..80$ green fees on average? Did not get there this year,plenty of good courses around without breaking the bank...oh yeah the fancy new club house has to be paid for I guess

Just an update....I was curious to see what I paid this summer to play Equinelle....I was shocked to see how little I paid to play there 7 times this summer. Out of 7 rounds (4 with cart) here is what I paid per round using EG, Golfnow, or the Equinelle Website (taxes extra):

1. $37
2. $34
3. $37
4. $30.95
5. $34.
6. $15.
7. $42.

Average price per round: $32.85 + tax. Paying this price works out to being cheaper that buying a membership. I would pay this anytime to play a course that always is in immaculate shape. Just goes to show that with a little planning you don't have to pay a fortune to play a great course.

This also applies to other great courses in the area. I have saved a lot of cash ever since these discount clubs, Golfnow have been around.

Thanks

[Johnyc]

Just an update....I was curious to see what I paid this summer to play Equinelle....I was shocked to see how little I paid to play there 7 times this summer. Out of 7 rounds (4 with cart) here is what I paid per round using EG, Golfnow, or the Equinelle Website (taxes extra):

1. $37
2. $34
3. $37
4. $30.95
5. $34.
6. $15.
7. $42.

Average price per round: $32.85 + tax. Paying this price works out to being cheaper that buying a membership. I would pay this anytime to play a course that always is in immaculate shape. Just goes to show that with a little planning you don't have to pay a fortune to play a great course.

This also applies to other great courses in the area. I have saved a lot of cash ever since these discount clubs, Golfnow have been around.

Thanks

With the discounts available via third party sites, in addition to course promotions (twilight, 2 for 1, etc), I think the rate of membership attrition at most clubs will continue to grow. The numbers above shouldn't come as a surprise, but they really help to illustrate a point; unless you are playing 100+ rounds a year there isn't a real financial savings to be a member at most high end courses. And then you must ask yourself, do you want to play the same course 100+ times a year?

Just my two cents but I believe you see fewer members in the next 5 years as local golfers gravitate towards discount green fees as courses compete for the discretionary dollars.

[golfisforfun]

With the discounts available via third party sites, in addition to course promotions (twilight, 2 for 1, etc), I think the rate of membership attrition at most clubs will continue to grow. The numbers above shouldn't come as a surprise, but they really help to illustrate a point; unless you are playing 100+ rounds a year there isn't a real financial savings to be a member at most high end courses. And then you must ask yourself, do you want to play the same course 100+ times a year?

Just my two cents but I believe you see fewer members in the next 5 years as local golfers gravitate towards discount green fees as courses compete for the discretionary dollars.

Some of you ignore the fact that deals and discounts dont often apply to Prime Time rates especially when you play last minute.

I usually ended up playing at 7:30am this year and it was often fairly last minute.in cases like this memberships can still be of value.

[DMWARREN]

He was refering to golf, not that specific course I believe.