Pardon the time-worn expression, but “hold the presses!”

In the past two days, I have enjoyed two rounds of wonderful golf and got a free lunch to boot for the low, low price of $43. Yes, I said 43 bones.

Playing during the week has never been cheaper in the St. Louis area. I started my bargains on Monday afternoon at Fairfield Golf Club in Columbia, Ill. The course is a pretty decent one with some very tricky holes on the back nine. Tee boxes, fairways and greens are in great condition. The staff is polite. We teed off at about 4:15 p.m. and it was pretty open. Me and one of my buddies got in 18 well before the sun went down. The price: $23 for 18 and a cart after 1 p.m. on weekdays.

Bargain No. 2 came Tuesday morning at 9:56 at the Golf Club of Florissant in north St. Louis County. If you go to their website and click “play” and then “specials” they’ve got quite a deal for the month of July on the weekdays. Tee off after 10 a.m. (they let me and my buddy slide eventhough our tee time was before 10), and for 20 bucks you get 18 with a cart and lunch. And trust me, the burgers are awesome there.

According to one of the guys in the pro shop, there’s a good possibility they will be extending the offer past July. As for the course, it was in pretty good shape but a little damp in a few areas (apparently they have gotten a ton of rain out there lately). A couple tee boxes were a bit gnawed up, but other than that the tee boxes, fairways and greens were in pretty good condition. It’s also a nice track with some challenging blind tee shots. And the staff is very helpful and pleasant.

I’d say you give these bargains a shot before they expire. Let me know what you think.