it would be interesting to see the numbers for a new course. I would say they have to pay out a fair bit to get the top course. I would suggest it all comes down to their advertising team and how well they are at selling the idea of having a clubs course on here.
Some will want money for using their course like the big ones etc, some will need licences etc if on other games but some would be happy to have them come round and do it for free just for some free publicity. Of course they would charge a day rate or somthing to cover cost's of losses green fee's but that be about it.
I would even go as far to say that some courses out there would even help fund the work. With the numbers the game claims to have, a decent course in a big town/city would benefit from players playing on it on here then going to it in real life. Not saying they would get millions of people turning up but if they get a few green fee's each month it would all add up. Plus once word spreads then more people talk about it and go there and the club becomes a bigger know course and gets better.
Some posh clubs would just have their course on here just to make it sound even more fancy.
The biggest trick they are missing is that they haven't got any sponsors helping them. They could go to someone like BMW or HSBC who hole a reasonable size tournament on the circuits and get them to fund the course so for example in the uk the bmw is at wentworth. If they was clever they would get them to do that then have a BMW Open on here on that course. So therefor BMW gets even more sponsorship and can put their name on other little things in the game. Replace that silly lexus stuff we get for starters.
If it wants to be the best and biggest golf game out there it needs to start getting other big sponsores involved and what better way than to have a virtual thing of what they already do in real life.
Another easy option would be to go to countries that wont cost as much like Japan/China/Eastern Europe. Yes abit of hassle getting there but the amount saved once there would probably work out in their favour. More courses from different countries is needed, just to increase the games profile if anything. Plus the variety would be good for the game.
But hey this is a site that allows its video adverts to show another golf game........ says it all really.