Group Golfer Offers Michigan Golf Savings

Group Golfer is one of those ideas that has me slapping myself on the head and saying “Why Didn’t I Think of That!” It’s essentially a golfing version of Groupon, the deal-a-day coupon site.

It works like this: every day, Group Golfer presents a deal for a round of golf—sometimes at ridiculously low prices. If you like the deal, buy the round and you’ll get a voucher for the round, good under the conditions stated on the deal. If enough people buy into the deal, it’s on. If not, there’s no charge to you.  But it looks to me like there’s no danger of a deal being called off.

The rounds are for courses all over the state so unlike Groupon, they won’t always be something you can get to. But if you’re a travelling golf like I am, you can always buy well ahead of time and then play as the summer unfolds.

This isn’t only a good deal for golfers, it’s also great for the courses. While they don’t take in the full greens fees, the courses are able to presell what might otherwise be unused tee times. I’ve noted before that once a course has opened for a round or two, the marginal cost of additional golfers is practically zero. Whether the tee times are empty or full, the course has largely the same expenses. Selling at a discount to fill up slots therefore makes a lot of sense. In addition to some small greens fee revenues, those golfers are likely to use a highly profitable cart, and purchase similarly overpriced drinks and food. The courses also can benefit by exposure to golfers who otherwise might not play there. A discount at Group Golfer can bring new—and perhaps repeat—players to a course. And that’s really good for business.

Group Golfer focuses on Michigan—it’s a Michigan company based in Mt. Clemens—but plans to expand to Florida and California.