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Is WGT Ball Pricing fair? An objective viewpoint please

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 2:42 AM

  I have hardly played this game over the last month for a number of reasons, and until now I never thought pricing was one of them.

  But this weekend I bought 2 boxes of Titleist ProV golf balls (4 dozen) of about US $72 on sale. And this made me think, are the players at WGT really getting a reasonable price for the equipment we use?

  These balls cost about $4.50 a sleeve which in fairness is about the orice I pay for a sleeve on here - seems fair?

  In real golf I use a new ball every round (thats just me, then the ball is used for practice rounds/practice so it costs me about $1.50 a round and usually I do not lose a ball. But on WGT that same ball will last me  about three rounds, so suddenly WGT prices seem really good......or are they

  Well a round in real golf takes about 4 hours - 4 hours playing this game I can use a entire sleeve - this is where it can become expensive and just looking at no WGT expenditure on my CC Bill is proof lol

  So we can buy clubs pretty cheaply (although we never own anything) but the main revenue stream from players are balls. All well and good if we see constant improvements, such as courses (and I mean real new HD courses) but all we get is one per year these days and rehashes of current courses and new equipment to tempt our spending habits.

  We cannot shop around for deals on balls as there is no competition, and anyone who has lived where there is a monopoly on anything will know they will get poor service and overinflated pricing.

  I have always said, this game is not cheap to play at a resonable level, but can still be pretty good value entertainment compared to other types of entertainment but is it?

• courteneyfish 15,796 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 3:06 AM

  I can still earn enough free credits to pay for balls so I'm quite happy as they are.

• Jimbog1964 8,378 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 3:26 AM

  Your posts are reasonable and you ask a fair question the way you put it IMO!

  If I go to the RL golf course the round costs money, travel to and from and the bite to eat out also costs.  I don't think this game should really be compared to the real thing, so it's just a question of this game being good value or not.  

  The problem with determining whether this is good value or not is that we are pi$$in in the wind trying to do it.  We have no clue what the initial outlay or bottom line what the NET profit is after all costs.  

  Any one comes in with concrete working capital figs I am all ears.  So far though not one has so, and so they are guessing saying it's over priced!

  It is a monopoly.  For me I have saved money every time I stay in to play this rather than go for a quick beer, and so as a relaxation for me it's cheap looking at it like that.  

  New courses / real development will needed soon or the game will run it's course.  WGT know really the par 3 Brandon Sands Bore don't really count...............

  I wonder about the cost same as you sometimes.  I still play...................

• alosso 21,072 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 4:39 AM

  I don't like the comparison of WGT balls to real balls, neither in physics nor in costs. Real balls are not the significant costs of playing golf, at least to me. Apart from my membership fee (1100 $, inevitable in Germany), I pay for using my car (8 $ per game to my own course), green fee from 40 $ up (for some variety), food&drink at hole 19, not counting the clubs and other gear.

  I tell you, I saved a fair bit of money when I had to step back from all that for a year!

  Second, the two games are not at all comparable, a real outdoor experience and a video game.

  I suppose that any reasonable person would allow our host some revenue. In that context, I like the concept of payment options available here. The free game is reality, users either using the free gear or putting their time into the "earn credits" section. Others have a good choice to decide about their expenses, choosing their equipment and their balls. Higher performance demands produce higher costs - that's market economy, isn't it? It's not WGT's fault that their marketing of the black R1 was so successful!

  And, as Jim just stated, it's still a budget leisure activity compared to going out to town.

• Romax 1,876 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 5:59 AM

  My wife and son and myself played a beautiful 18 hole course @ Clear Lake  Mb. last summer. It cost us $250 for the round including two carts.Lunch was likely around $40, beer was likely $50, and a new shirt and hat were $140. The game lasted 5 hours aprox.

  The course is 250 miles from home( $100 gas), so renting a Chalet and staying for 3 days only seemed logical. ($345/night). 6-8 meals dining out  ($400).

  The way I calculate all that is that I could play WGT every day for several months on that amount of $. I guess it's just my way of justifying spending money on fake golf balls. :)). The cost of the balls is ok to me, but losing them at the hands of WGT is entirely another story. It is my choice to buy them though and nobody is forcing me to do it. I just don't enjoy the game as much with range balls that hit like rocks.

  With all that said,and the $$ aside, it's still a great place to come and hang out with friends and have some fun.  Fun is rarely free from my experience !!  Cheers.

• gedi83 277 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 8:28 AM

  The situation here is quite silly. Basically, if you are net earner in tourneys, it makes sense to buy the best possible ball. If you are not a net earner and spend actual money, it's of course way too expensive to spend so much for balls, but by not spending you put yourself at a big disadvantage. IMO, it's a very bad business model, many paying people must be quite discouraged for this reason... (or are they addicted/crazy enough to pay these outrageous ball prices?)

• srellim234 2,077 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 11:53 AM

  The ball pricing is what it is. Whether the player is at a disadvantage or not without the expensive golf balls is directly related to your entertainment goals here. 

  I play only with personal friends and within my country club, I don't play for credits. I have supported my entertainment here through videos and surveys for 6 1/4 years. I've gifted away more than I've kept for myself. I don't feel cheated in the least; the entertainment value of certain other elements of the game have made it worthwhile for my friends and me.

  I can see your point if you are obsessed with burning through balls getting to the top or trying to be at the top of the heap here. Comparing such a goal to real life, how many players trying to make the PGA Tour burn through fortunes on clubs, balls, green fees, entry fees into lesser events, travel expenses, etc. trying to get there? They spend way in excess of the "recreational" golfer expenses you all are describing. It's exactly the same here. Reassess the goals and decide if spending like a professional wannabe is worth it for a game you cannot make any real world money on (legally).

  My gripes with WGT have to do with their lack of honesty, integrity and customer service so I've discontinued earning credit videos and gifting to strangers. I've never had a problem with the prices they charge, though. That's the price, the same as paying for a movie, bowling, or any other form of entertainment. Take it or leave it. Consumer's choice.

  That said, it would be nice if WGT joined the real world with regards to ball marketing and started offering something like a 10% discount on balls when purchased 4 sleeves (1 dozen) at a time. They already discount the Shot Pal and Putter Pal that way.

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 2:06 PM

  courteneyfish:

  I can still earn enough free credits to pay for balls so I'm quite happy as they are.

  I agree Ms C, however what if you couldn't earn enough credits - personally I can earn 75 credits every 15 days via the carousel, and perhaps anoth 4-8 credits via supersonic ads if I am lucky - may be OK if I use the 10cr balls. But regardless WGT still get paid for players "earning free credits" via the advertisers/offer provider.

  Jimbog1964:

  The problem with determining whether this is good value or not is that we are pi$in in the wind trying to do it.  We have no clue what the initial outlay or bottom line what the NET profit is after all costs.  

  I couldn't agree more Jim, and as we will never know the OPEX for the game it is pure speculation on profitability. At best an "educated" guess could still be so far off the mark it would have no credence. However as the game has now been around for some time, I think that if it was not profitable the plug would have been pulled and we would have seen no improvements or course additions at all. That said, perhaps it is not as profitanle as many claim hence only one new course a year

  alosso:

  Second, the two games are not at all comparable, a real outdoor experience and a video game.

  And I agree, effecively there is no comparison to the real and virtual game. This encompasses everything from the swing to the scoring and everything in between - but I will harp on the claim that this is "the most realistic golf game" around. Perhaps this claim is justified by the simple fact the competition (if you can call it that) is dire.

  I agree the black R1 was marketing brilliance, and I take my hat off to that department. But a true "market economy" it is not as you need competition for this. I cannot go to Ebay and buy my black Virtual R1 nor anything else. This is deemed as the "black market" as far as this game is concerned. Yes we do sign up and accept the T&C - which clearly states we own nothing at any stage!

  srellim234:

  My gripes with WGT have to do with their lack of honesty, integrity and customer service

  Exactly and that is why I have stopped playing, it was not to do with how much it costs to play, but was an interesting upside lol.

   

  srellim234:

  That said, it would be nice if WGT joined the real world with regards to ball marketing

  And this was really the point I was trying to allude to without putting words in players mouths. Yes it has been requested umpteen times and there will be many who say that any discount will mean a price rise somewhere else. Perhaps it will but it also may encourage players to play a little more and is certainly good PR where players would feel like they are getting a good deal. The real balls I bought are the ball I use, I didn't need any but the price was good so I bought them - perhaps if WGT are having a flat sales month, this type of deal could boost cash flow.

  gedi83:

  IMO, it's a very bad business model, many paying people must be quite discouraged for this reason... (or are they addicted/crazy enough to pay these outrageous ball prices?)

  I am not sure whether it is a bad business model as it appears to work, HOWEVER introduce competition and I will agree.The model is based on a make money quick while you can IMHO. And yes, the game is addictive, perhaps thats the real reson it works, and again in fairness to WGT, it is a bloody good game.

  As virtually everyone has stated, in comparison to other forms of entertainment it is a lot cheaper. I for example pay over $3000 a year for my Golf Membership nornally (I have taken social membership out now as I am an Ex Pat as it was costing another $300 to fly there lol) then I still have comp fees (and I usually back my self to get at least a ball or two back). I don't drink but a coffee and Muffin will cost $7, movies and popcorn etc you name it cost $$$. My free entertainment is bike riding and bush walking and chilling at a beach (wrong time of year here lol) - equates to hours of free downtime.

  But as most also said, we do have a choice as we can play for free, but if you cannot afford to buy credits, cannot earn "free credits" due to geographical locations, then you will lose some of your potential market. Again going to a "market economy" you can reduce price if turnover increases. I agree the margin will be lower but based on volume the profit will be higher - food for thought?

• JaRTennBogey 74 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 2:14 PM

  srellim234:

  That said, it would be nice if WGT joined the real world with regards to ball marketing and started offering something like a 10% discount on balls when purchased 4 sleeves (1 dozen) at a time. They already discount the Shot Pal and Putter Pal that way.

  or the "bakers dozen"---as we have all seen in stores----buy 12 balls---get 3 free

• andwhy67 2,816 Posts

  Mon, Aug 26 2013 2:15 PM

  Over the last couple of months l have becoming a bit disillusioned to say the least and not played as much as l used too.

  This week l thought l'd give it a crack...with the free ball, what an eye opener, had some definate WTF moments, and some low 30 rounds but it was enjoyable to say the least, as apposed to spending 500 credits on Nikes to play "darts"

  Just my thought for the day!!