New to Ottawa, should I get the Ottawa Golf Trail pass?

[Maximus67]

As the title suggests, I came across this pass while doing my research on golf in the area and this seems like a great deal. Just wondering if it almost seems too good, since I can't find much of a mention of it anywhere else and there's almost no chatter about it on here.

With a price of $129 and the discounts it gets, has anyone done the math on how many rounds you would have to play in order to get the bang for your buck? My back-of-a-napkin math tells me about a dozen rounds of golf (using an average pre-discount fee of $42 per round). Given that most of the courses are within 45 minutes of where I'll be living, I think the pass seems like a good deal to get some discounts on courses that I'd otherwise pay a full fee for.

Either way, I'm excited to explore what Eastern Ontario has to offer!

[Gobble_It]

Any discount would be better than full price.

Depending where you live, most of the courses on OGT are a bit further out for me but I like the straight discount rate and no limitation on spots or booking time/days like other discount membership availablein Ottawa-Gatineau (clubeg, golf select, golf now etc..). Beside Greensmere and perhaps Mississippi, they don't have many other high end courses (stonebridge, marshes, equinelle, carleton yatch etc..)which some would like to play

I did some calculation in previous years and comparing with other competitors, you are paying on average about 5$ dollar more /round with OGT. This is a trade off for the convenience and no booking restrictions.

If your tee time can be more flexible (ie: afternoon weekends) then other discount membership might be better.

Let's say this year with 10prepaid rounds offered at clubEG (329+tax), you are paying about 38$/round for the middle end courses ..With OGT using 10rounds calculation, with ~33average per round for comparison (30+tax for most courses on OGT list), you are paying about 33$+15=48$/round.

Of course the more you play, the more saving you will get .

Have fun and enjoy your golf season. You will find plenty of courses in Ottawa-Gatineau at very reasonable prices.

[Maximus67]

Interesting, I hadn't even heard of clubEG. I just checked it out and it looks like they offer deals for a lot of the same courses that I've identified. Just based off my internet searching and reading reviews, some of the courses that are near the top of my list are Greensmere, Irish Hills, Glen Mar, Canadian, Manderley.

What are some of the other clubs/groups that offer these packages, so I can shop around? The ones I'm familiar with now are GolfSelect, Ottawa Golf Trail, and now clubEG.

[big mac]

IMHO Executive Golf is the one to go with--been with them for 12 years---reasonably priced--great selection of courses and if purchased at the right time (Late fall) you basically get the membership for half price. There is also the Last Minute Club which also gives a further discount to fill t-sheets. They are more than a 3rd party reseller as they have numerous links to other features. If you plan to play more than 30 games (using a variety of courses) it is well worth it---this can be said for any of the resellers. You have to use it to make it pay. For most of us buying these memberships I am positive that we would NOT be playing as much as we do. With over 140 courses within 2 hours of Ottawa I think we have it made. I DO NOT work for EG---just another addicted Scottish golfer that refuses to pay full price.

[Maximus67]

For most of us buying these memberships I am positive that we would NOT be playing as much as we do.

This is my biggest motivation to get one of these memberships! I know I'll go into this summer planning on playing 15-20 rounds, but in reality only get out 5-10. Getting one of these memberships will definitely be the trigger I need to get me out more often.

The only trick for me right now is choosing the right membership with the courses that I'll enjoy, which is tricky since I've never golfed in Ottawa! Also, trying to choose which package is the best cost-wise. I'm leaning towards the $329 for 10 pre-paid rounds - which include 2 free, so basically 12 rounds for $370 after tax. If I start with that, it'll give me a dozen rounds at the courses within the clubEG group, plus I can try out some others on my own time (and my own dollar) that aren't included.

[justsomeguy]

Any discount would be better than full price.

Depending where you live, most of the courses on OGT are a bit further out for me but I like the straight discount rate and no limitation on spots or booking time/days like other discount membership availablein Ottawa-Gatineau (clubeg, golf select, golf now etc..). Beside Greensmere and perhaps Mississippi, they don't have many other high end courses (stonebridge, marshes, equinelle, carleton yatch etc..)which some would like to play

Everyone has their own favourites and I do like Greensmere myself, but the nicest course on the OGT list is Smiths Falls by a long shot. They have some of the best greens in Eastern Ontario, but even though it is Brooke Henderson's home course it seems that nobody in Ottawa has ever played there.

[nezzie]

Agreed, depending on your location of where you live. I live west of the city, and have been an OGT member for 4 years now. The "valley courses" are very nice, I never would have played some of these gems before, and have found that there conditions are always fantastic. Smiths G&CC, Whitetail, Metcalfe to name a few. All of these course are always in tip top shape along with the Miss and Greensmere. The difference I find with the Valley courses, you are never going to run into a 4.5 hour round at any of those. Quite often you are clearing those rounds in under 4 hours. I cannot say that I have had that much luck with the busier city courses, maybe its my timing

Good luck!

[Marcos]

I have nothing but praise for EG. They have always treated us like kings.

[Maximus67]

Which courses are the "valley courses"?

[nezzie]

The ones I referred to Greensmere, Mississippi, Whitetail, Smiths Falls and Pakenham too. Actually in all reality you could consider most of the courses on that trail the Valley Just because they are mostly outside of the city.

I do have a friend that I golf with that is on one of the other programs. When he saw me pay for my round at the proshop, he asked why I had to pay and did I not pay when I prebooked the round. With OGT you pay for your round when you get to the Proshop, not when you prebook 5 or 7 days in advance. With not prepaying for the round when you book its very easy to cancel your round last minute with no money lost. My buddy said to me that he liked that idea because he found that when he had to cancel last minute on the other programs to get money or credit back it had to be a weather related cancellation. Maybe things have changed, I am not sure....I can only provide my experiences with OGT, and not being a member of the others is only speculation on my part.

At the end of the day I think there is lots of choice of memberships and its all personal preference. The good thing is I do not think you can go wrong in your choice

[Gobble_It]

This is my biggest motivation to get one of these memberships! I know I'll go into this summer planning on playing 15-20 rounds, but in reality only get out 5-10. Getting one of these memberships will definitely be the trigger I need to get me out more often.

The only trick for me right now is choosing the right membership with the courses that I'll enjoy, which is tricky since I've never golfed in Ottawa! Also, trying to choose which package is the best cost-wise. I'm leaning towards the $329 for 10 pre-paid rounds - which include 2 free, so basically 12 rounds for $370 after tax. If I start with that, it'll give me a dozen rounds at the courses within the clubEG group, plus I can try out some others on my own time (and my own dollar) that aren't included.

If you can get 2 bonus rounds for the 10prepaid with clubEG, then it's awesome. I didn't think they would do that.
If you live in the West End and in the Ottawa Valley, OGT is good choice.