Golf by the hour anyone?

The Lodge of Four Seasons, a resort in Missouri, is launching an innovative pricing model in 2017 in the hope of offering golfers better value in 2017.

Its new golf–by–the-hour plan allows players to pay for the amount of time spent playing the course rather than the traditional method of paying for a set number of holes.

Hourly pricing gives golfers the best value for their game, no matter how long they play is their thinking. 

"This is definitely a first for The Lodge," says Matt Tausig, director of golf. "I've worked in the golf industry for 25 years, and I've never seen another golf course offer this kind of pricing."

Although traditional pricing will still be available at both courses, the new pricing model is a direct response to analysis and feedback from guests looking for better value and more opportunities to play.

"Head Golf Professional Chris Lash and I continually discuss what we can do that no one else in the golf business is doing and how we can overcome industry challenges," Tausig says. "One of the biggest issues that golfers face today is that golf is such a time–consuming game."

A full 18-hole round of golf traditionally takes four–plus hours to play, Tausig says. But many avid golfers who play faster don't want to pay a full rate when they're on the course for a fraction of the time. Then there are also players who pay for a full round but run out of time before finishing their game.

I’m not sure if I’d like to play golf with a sense of being under the clock, but I am all for innovation. Let's give it a whirl.

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Is this the solution to slow play?