In This Read…
THIS WEEK’S BIG STORY
The Golf Industry Has a Pricing Problem. Here's Why NCC Golfers Are Better Protected Than Most.
Running your hometown NCC golf course in 2026 is not cheap.
A sobering reality I’ve learned first hand from speaking directly with owners and course operators the past 11 weeks.
On the flip side, being a golfer in 2026 is not the cheapest hobby either…
I read an article last week by golf industry veteran Jo Maes that stopped me in my tracks.
Maes has spent 3 decades watching golf markets boom and bust.
And right now, he is watching the warning signs of the next correction form in real time. Rising energy costs, persistent inflation, geopolitical instability.
All of it squeezing the tight budgets of the middle-class golfer who is, as he puts it, the backbone of the game.
His argument is straightforward and hard to dismiss:
The golf industry spent the post-pandemic boom years raising green fees, driving range prices, and membership costs at rates that had nothing to do with actual operational costs. The assumption was that demand was permanent. It never is.
His most sobering line:
"The golfer does not complain loudly. They simply stop coming."
But here is where I want to offer some local perspective, because NCC golfers are actually in a better position than most would like to admit.
What NCC Rates Actually Look Like Since 2019
We pulled in-season weekday rate records from 3 NCC courses: Rock Manor, Frog Hollow, and Back Creek from the summer of 2019 and compared them to what those same courses are charging today. Here is what we found.
Rock Manor
Morning rate: $54 → $83 (up 54%)
After 3 PM: $40 → $53 (up 31%)
Twilight: $31 → $45 (up 43%)
Frog Hollow
Morning rate: $39 → $51 (up 32%)
Afternoon 3–5 PM: $25 → $49 (up 96%)
Twilight: $22 → $40 (up 82%)
Back Creek
Morning rate: $48 → $69 (up 44%)
Afternoon 2–5 PM: $29 → $59 (up 103%)
Twilight: $19 → $39 (up 105%)
*Rates may be off by a few dollars due to factors such as dynamic pricing, hot deals, and other price fluctuations on tee sheets.
For context, US inflation from 2019 to 2026 is roughly 30 to 35 percent.
Morning rates at NCC courses are broadly in line with that. Modestly above in some cases but not dramatically so.
The twilight and afternoon rates tell a different story entirely.
These are the rates that working people, millennials & gen-zers, and budget-conscious players depend on the most. And they have been hit the hardest.
Why Twilight Matters More Than the Morning Rate
The morning tee time is a vanity number.
Most recreational golfers, the ones who work full time, have families, and squeeze golf in where they can are not booking 8 AM tee times on weekdays.
They are booking afternoon. After 5 PM. The twilight window. That is where NCC's middle class golfer actually lives on the tee sheet.
And that is exactly where the increases have been steepest.
Maes writes about this dynamic at a global level in his article linked below.
The Other Side of This Story
To be fair, running a golf course in 2026 is not the same as running one in 2019.
Labor costs have increased significantly. Turf equipment, fertilizer, fuel, and maintenance costs have all gone up. For example:
The Back Creek crew is replacing a 30-year-old irrigation system decoder by decoder, and investing heavily into their practice facilities this year.
Rock Manor is maintaining USGA spec greens on a public golf budget.
Ed Oliver is upgrading essentially all of their bunkers and tee boxes.
Delcastle has 2 seperate properties to maintain and facilitate.
St. Annes just purchased 2 very expensive pieces of equipment.
These are real costs and they have to land somewhere. Let’s be real.
And according to the National Golf Foundation, green fees at public courses nationally have increased by about 30 percent since 2019, roughly in line with overall inflation.
The increases NCC golfers have absorbed are in many cases steeper than that national average, particularly in the afternoon and twilight windows, but are still affordable compared to national green-fee averages.
Also in their defense, pretty much every course is actively trying to improve their product, and lately it seems like more than ever before.
No Owner/GM in NCC is letting their course get rundown while just raking in the profits.
There are some very passionate golf operators in this county that truly care about the value of your dollar spent at their business. Lets not take that for granted.
One Final Note
NCC public golf is better positioned than most to avoid the outcome Maes predicts in his article.
These courses here were built for the working golfer.
The pricing, even with these increases, is still competitive against the broader market.
But the data is the data. And you deserve to see it.
Do you feel NCC public golf is fairly priced right now?
*NCC Golf Report is committed to fair and accurate local golf coverage. Our mission is to share the facts, speculate within reason, and create discussion.
Have insider news? Know something we don’t? If you hear something, send it our way! Reply directly to this email. I read every message.
Coming Soon!
⛳ Riverwalk Mini Golf - Opening Weekend
Wilmington's favorite waterfront mini golf course opens this weekend!
Opening Weekend: May 16th & 17th, 12-7 PM ($12 per person. Kids under 3 free)
After opening weekend the season schedule runs Fridays 4-9 PM and weekends 12-7 PM through early June, then expands to Wednesday through Sunday starting June 10th.
The golf shack also serves 9 flavors of soft serve ice cream, milkshakes, and water ice.
📍 550 Justison Street, Wilmington
THIS WEEK’S COURSE INTEL
Course Updates
Image of White Clay Creek CC’s new outdoor mini-bar.
This week’s NCC Golf Trivia Question:
What was Ed Oliver Golf Club originally called before it was renamed in 1983 by John Riley?
It’s a quieter week across NCC but plenty of small moves worth knowing before you book. Here’s whats happening:
🪨 Rock Manor
Summer rates go into effect June 1st 👀
🧠 Cheapest rates are through the Rock Manor app, Rock Cards still available.
🧑🍳 Ask about Chef Bailey's homemade soup du jour after your round!
🌾 Back Creek
🛠️ New wire path going in on Hole 5 fairway as irrigation repairs continue.
🤩 Big range upgrades: new targets, mat dividers, and fresh balls.
🐷 Ed Oliver
🏖️ Several bunkers are being converted to grass mounds on holes #7, 11, and between 4 and 6.
🏌️ Par 3 tee boxes are being aerated this week.
🦌 Deerfield
❤️ 5th Annual Friends of the Fusion Foundation Golf Outing on May 14
Foursomes and sponsorship opportunities still available. Link
🏇 White Clay Creek
🍹 One week in and White Clay just added a brand new outdoor bar mini-bar
👏 Shoutout to the team! The staff did an amazing job getting ready for opening weekend, and had a great turnout. Course reviews have been strong so far.
Community Spotlight
🐔 UD Long Drive Competition
The UD Men's and Women's Golf programs are hosting a long drive competition on the simulators at Little Bob.
🗓️ Thursday, May 14th and Friday May 15th, 10 AM to 7 PM.
$10 for one drive, $20 for three. Winner takes home UD Golf swag. Walk-ins welcome and drivers are provided. All proceeds support Blue Hens Golf.
Sign up here - https://bluehens.evenue.net/events/GOLF
Editor’s Notes
Hello, fellow New Castle County golf lovers.
Short one this week.
The lead story took a lot of real estate and rightfully so.
Original data, local context, and information that actually helps you make better decisions before you book a tee time.
Two things to look forward to in the coming weeks.
I am sitting down with John Riley, the man who named Ed Oliver Golf Club, for coffee at the course itself.
And the Ryan Kidwell interview at White Clay Creek is coming. Send me your questions!
Thanks for being here. 650 members and counting.
I ❤️ New Castle County Golf!
Until next week,
The NCC Golf Report