Like many of my friends, I have a budget for the non-essentials in life. Although golf related activity is hard to be called "non-essential" , it is what it is.
So by raising the green fees to triple or all the way to 10 times more to the National inflation index will only do one thing. Reduce the rounds played from this golfer. Soon I'll be drifting away from the golfing activity because I don't do it frequent enough.
If the average golfer whether working or retired, could not keep up with the increasing of the green fees, it'll only do one thing. Killing the goose which lay the golden egg.
When I was a single, besides working, paying for shelter and food, I spend almost all my energy and resources playing golf. That got me hooked. Back then it's simple, eat better or save more to buy a new set of iron by eating sandwiches for weeks and months. Lose a job, no big deal, anyone could find a job withing a month or two if one was really looking. In fact, I had taken a couple of weeks off between jobs just to play golf everyday.
Played so much golf until I got sick of it ( not for long , just enough time to go back to job hunting ).
The Friday's weekend rate will be another excuse for those golfers on the line to quit the game for good. Personally, I know a few golfers had abandoned the game. They told me it's not that difficult when they face to sacrifice their quality of life ( economically ) vs. keep the passion of playing this game.
Time was different in the 80's and the 90's when there were not enough golf courses for all the new golfers rushed in to the game ( call it Tiger Mania or not ). The jacked up green fee and the new ways to charge more green fees ( new tax, Friday rate ..... )
We'll see how long before this reverse itself.