How to Roll Out Dynamic Pricing at Your Course (Without Confusing or Frustrating Golfers)

If you’re considering implementing dynamic pricing at your golf course, you’re not alone. With seasonal demand swings, unpredictable weather, and increasingly savvy customers, many course operators are leaning into pricing models that reward early bookings and help optimize tee sheet revenue.

But here’s the truth: even the best pricing strategy falls flat without a thoughtful rollout. So, how do you introduce dynamic pricing to your team and your golfers in a way that builds trust, not tension?

Let’s walk through a few practical best practices for implementation, drawing from insights in our eBook on introducing dynamic pricing and what we’ve seen work best across successful operators.

Step 1: Prep Your People First

Before you tweak a single tee time rate, make sure your staff understands what’s happening, and why. They are the first line of communication, especially in the pro shop and on the phones.

Host a Team Meeting with Key Talking Points

Bring your team together (or include it in your next team meeting) and walk through the “why” behind dynamic pricing:

It’s not about raising prices across the board. It’s about matching price to demand, so we’re not leaving revenue on the table during peak times and can offer better deals during slower periods.
Customers benefit too. Early bookers get better prices. Flexible golfers can find deals during off-peak times.
It’s normal. Weekday rates, twilight specials, etc. are all examples of dynamic pricing in action.

Pro Shop/Phone Script Example

Arm your staff with a simple script to explain dynamic pricing clearly and consistently:

“We’ve recently introduced demand-based pricing for our tee times. That means prices may vary depending on play demand, time of day, weather conditions, and how far in advance you book.”

Encourage staff to:

Emphasize early booking as a benefit
Reassure customers that pricing is still fair and transparent
Avoid terms like “surge pricing,” which can feel negative

Step 2: Be Transparent on the Tee Sheet

When golfers go to book online, the dynamic pricing model shouldn’t be a mystery. A simple, short explanation on your tee sheet or booking engine can go a long way in building trust.

Sample Blurb to Add to Your Online Tee Sheet:

We use dynamic, demand-based pricing to offer the best value to our golfers. Tee time rates may vary based on time of day, weather, seasonality, and how far in advance you book. Booking early? You’ll often lock in a lower rate! Playing during off-peak times? Great deals await.

Just like many industries that are dependent on weather, season, and occupancy, this pricing strategy helps us keep rates fair and aligned to value.

This message can be added:

As a banner or text section on your booking page
As a pop-up explanation when hovering over or clicking the price
In an FAQ section near the tee time selection

Step 3: Train Staff to Handle Feedback

Some customers might still be surprised, especially your long-time regulars. That’s okay. Equip your staff to handle these moments with empathy and consistency.

Coaching Tips:

Don’t apologize for pricing changes. Instead, explain the benefits.
Reinforce that prices still reflect value for time and demand.
Use examples: “If you book your Friday morning round two weeks in advance, it’ll likely cost less than booking it last-minute.”

Final Thoughts

Rolling out dynamic pricing is as much about communication as it is about technology. Your team needs to be aligned. Your golfers need to feel informed. And your systems need to be seamless.

When done right, dynamic pricing doesn’t just boost revenue, but makes the booking experience smarter, fairer, and more flexible for everyone.

Bonus Tip: Let Technology Do the Heavy Lifting

Dynamic pricing doesn’t mean more work for your team, especially if you’re using the right platform.

Tools like Priswing integrate with your tee sheet and can automatically adjust prices based on your rules. You just define your objectives, and the system handles the rest with no spreadsheets or guesswork required.

Want to keep pricing power and customer trust? Set guardrails on minimum and maximum rates, and make sure there’s always a visible deal for those who value savings.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Holidays and Tee Time Pricing: Turning Unique Demand Patterns into Opportunity

August 29, 2025

Holidays bring more than just fireworks, parades, and family gatherings. They bring a whole new set of challenges and opportunities for golf operators when it comes to tee time pricing. Unlike typical weekends or weekdays, holidays often shift golfer behavior in unexpected ways. Understanding these shifts is key to optimizing occupancy and maximizing revenue. How Holidays Change Demand Not all holidays affect golf demand in the same way. Some create a surge, while others cause a surprising dip. For example: Labor Day: Effectively adds an extra weekend day, creating a three-day stretch where demand typically increases. Valentine’s Day: In contrast, we have seen that demand often drops on the nearest weekend, as many golfers spend that time with loved ones instead of at the course. Every holiday has its own rhythm. Some shift demand to unusual days, some boost play, and some reduce it altogether. The key is knowing how your customers behave and adjusting accordingly. Using Priswing to Manage Holidays at Scale This is where Priswing Business Intelligence comes in. By analyzing historical and market-wide booking patterns, Priswing helps operators see how each holiday uniquely impacts demand. That insight, combined with our flexible pricing tools, makes it easy to take control. Standard holidays are already built in. Courses do not need to start from scratch because holidays are automatically included. Custom holiday rules can be created. Want to run a July 4th promotion or set premium rates for a three-day weekend? Operators can add their own pricing rules and campaigns with ease. Year-over-year refinement. Once a holiday setup is in place, operators can keep it, adjust it, or let Priswing’s algorithm recommend new opportunities. The system learns from past results, saving time while driving performance. Beyond Holidays: Treating Events Like Holidays The same setup can also be applied to recurring local events that act like holidays. For instance, the PGA Show brings a surge of golfers into Orlando, Florida every year. Savvy operators can treat that week like a holiday, creating tailored pricing strategies to capture higher demand. With Priswing, setting this up is just as easy as marking a holiday on the calendar. Turning Complexity into Confidence Holidays and events no longer need to be a guessing game. With Priswing, golf operators can approach them with confidence, knowing they have the insights, tools, and automation to align tee time pricing with real demand. That means fewer headaches, stronger revenue, and happier golfers.

Getting the Most Out of Your Tee Time Marketplace Listings

August 4, 2025

Priswing Business Intelligence is enabling golf operators to measure the performance and understand the impact of their tee time marketplace listings at scale.

Why Resorts Are Turning to Priswing Dynamic Pricing for Golf

July 21, 2025

For years, resorts have mastered the art of dynamic pricing by optimizing room rates based on seasonality, events, customer demand, and booking behavior. Airlines followed suit, fine-tuning fares with precision based on geography, timing, and traveler segments. So why shouldn’t golf, especially resort golf, do the same? That’s the exact question that inspired the team behind Priswing . At Priswing, we saw the parallels between golf and the broader travel industry: both are experience-driven, demand-sensitive, and shaped heavily by often uncontrollable factors like weather, seasonality, local events, and holidays . But we didn’t stop at basic rules or manual pricing tweaks. Priswing’s machine learning algorithm continuously ingests tee time data, booking patterns, and demand signals to automatically pinpoint the ideal price at the ideal time so you’re always maximizing yield without sacrificing the golfer experience . We built a platform that brings the intelligence and adaptability of modern travel pricing to the tee sheet without adding complexity for your staff. Built for Resorts, Modeled After Travel Golf at a resort is rarely just a tee time, it’s part of a bigger experience. Whether it’s spring break in Scottsdale or a long holiday weekend in Hilton Head, demand is fluid but can be anticipated and prepared for if you have the right tools . With Priswing, resort courses can: Automatically adjust pricing based on key demand variables like day-of-week, weather forecasts, and booking lead time. Create special rates for high-demand days like holidays, large events, or tournament weekends—just like pricing out rooms during peak occupancy. Tailor pricing to specific customer segments like hotel guests, loyalty members, or stay-and-play packages to ensure the right price for the right golfer. Take Control with Business Intelligence Dynamic pricing is only part of the equation. The other piece is knowing what’s working and why . Priswing’s built-in Business Intelligence (BI) tools give resort operators a real-time window into performance. You can: Track revenue lift from dynamic pricing changes. Identify booking trends across date ranges, rate classes, or customer types. Measure how weather or promotions are impacting conversion. Easily share performance insights across departments, from golf operations to marketing. Data-driven decisions don’t just improve pricing, they shape your whole operation. Your Course, Your Strategy We understand that every resort is unique. That’s why Priswing was built to be flexible. You define your goals, whether it’s revenue maximization, volume, or guest experience, and we provide the pricing engine and data tools to execute it. And since we’re already integrated with nearly every major tee sheet provider globally, implementation is seamless. Golf Shouldn’t Be Left Behind Hotels and airlines wouldn’t dream of static pricing. So why should resort golf? With Priswing, you’re no longer guessing at what to charge or when to charge it. You're leveraging the same proven strategies that drive profitability across the travel industry, but now tailored for the tee sheet and the unique needs of golfers. ➡️ Read the case study of Arabella Golf Mallorca here.