The heat is on, but it's not all bad. Summer heat means cheaper rates on golf.
So, how do you find the good deals?
Golfnow.com is a popular site that makes booking those tee times easy. All you have to do is type in where you want to go and the date, then the hottest tee times pop up. You can also search by the hottest deals.
Of course I had to do my own research to see whether the deals are really bargains.
I checked the Phoenician golf course for Saturday, June 4. The best price the site found was $60 to play at 8 a.m., and that includes the golf cart.
I tried booking the same tee time on the Phoenician’s website and the price was actually cheaper, $59.
For the majority of the specific courses I compared, golfnow.com was not cheaper. But what I like about the site is that if you're looking for a good deal, but not a specific course, then it does work for you.
The site alerts you to hot deals all over the Valley... Like one at the Foothills Golf Club.
You can play this Saturday at 7:52 a.m. for just $16, and that includes fees and a cart.
Another way to save is to play at one of the City of Phoenix golf courses.
Right now, you can play for as little as $22 during the week and $25 on the weekend.
It's a good value because these are 18 hole championship courses, including Papago and the new Maryvale golf course.
You can also save at the City of Phoenix courses by buying a Premium Card. The cost is $50 for the first year, and if you want to renew it you’ll pay a $30 annual renewal. It’s only available to Maricopa County residents. If you’re not a resident you can still get a card, but you’ll pay double the price.
Once you have the Premium Card, all you have to do is choose your location and book your discounted tee time. For example, I chose the Papago Park Golf Course for Saturday and got a $29 rate. Without the card, the rate was $36.
So, not a huge savings but if you play a lot of golf over a full year, you can really save-- especially in the winter.
And whatever golf course you choose, check the company's site for specials. Most of them actually have a tab for special deals. And of course, playing during the hottest part of the day will cost the least amount of cash.
