How to get a golf discount for high school golfers

Reading Time: 2 minutes

On the 2019 annual high school golf coaches survey, many coaches cited the biggest struggle for their golf team was course access at a reasonable rate and team fundraising. Since the NHSGA is owned and operated by the PGA of America, we are working with golf professionals on a daily basis to understand their needs. If you are a high school golf coach seeking advice on getting a golf discount for your team, the advice below should be helpful when working with local golf courses and PGA Professionals.

Help out at the course– Many golf courses are small businesses who rely on the help of part-time staff to be successful. PGA Professionals are always looking for reliable, part-time help to work at the golf course. If the players on your high school golf team work at the course, typically they will get to play free golf. If students are not interested in working at a course, bringing the team to the course a few times during the season to help pick the driving range, pick up trash on the course, or pick-up leaves/sticks to clean up the course will help build a relationship with the PGA Professional. If you help out at the course, your players should be able to get a better discount if not free to play and practice.
Offer to play and practice at off-peak times – Weekend mornings and twilight weekday golf are the busiest times for golf courses. If you are looking to get a reasonable discount at the course, offer to play at off-peak times. The good news is that many high schools will practice and play after school (around 2pm-3pm) when golf courses are slower. Ask your local PGA Professional when are the best times when you can play and hopefully you will find a good time when the course is slow and you are not getting in the way of full paying customers at the course.
Purchase your team gear through the course – Golf teams have many options when purchasing team gear. Sometimes the PGA Professional owns and operates the golf shop at the course which provides this individual with an income stream. Purchasing your gear at the course may be a little more expensive, but putting money in the PGA Professionals pocket may help you get a better discount for greens fees at the course.

Hope this advice is helpful for getting a golf discount for high school golf teams.