How is the overall golf experience where you live?

[walk18]

Please include where you live if it isn't listed under your name. Feel free to include things like weather, quality/quantity of courses in your area, greens fee prices, types of golfers you meet, and anything else you can think of.

Me, I live just outside of Chicago and the sheer number of courses around the whole area is astonishing and so is the quality. Greens fees nearer the city can be pricey, but there's a range for everyone, and many of the courses have surprising elevation changes contrary to what one may think. I've found the golfers to be 99% great people, and most will play in any weather too. We're definitely used to wind, I can tell you that! It's also nice being close to some phenomenal courses in southern WI too.

The only downside, yeah you guessed it, winter. It's a solid 4-5 months, and the weather is really not pleasant for golf half the year. But in the summer, it's heaven.

How is it where you live?

[wmiller]

While we can play year round, it's not a good place to play. Too much sun, hot in the summer, cold winters (I actually have to wear a sweater and pants on some days), and it can sometimes take four to four and a half hours to play a round! it's terrible. So please, everyone, STOP COMING DOWN HERE! ;)

[xxsoultonesxx]

Well here in the PNW you can play year round, although if playing in the high 30's in temps while dealing with a perpetual drizzle is your idea of good golfing conditions, you'll be in heaven.

We have awesome Summers and Falls, though. I generally play public courses where greens fees are anywhere from $11 for a decent 9 to $50 for a nice course with a cart (and sometimes lunch). Lots of slow play and weirdos on the courses here LOL.

[Stewie007]

Here in Charlotte, NC there are a lot of golf courses. Standard pricing runs 60-70 for most places on Sunday on average. I like the 35 dollar twilight rates myself, and I tend to like it because there are fewer people so I can concentrate more until I get better. Things tend to flow smoothly at these hours.

There are a lot of courses to play from the cheap low quality courses to the top notch courses. A lot of bent grass greens, though, so they tend to get chewed up more quickly than the Mini Verde greens in the area. However, at this part of the season its not going to be as good as earlier in the year. I don’t really care at this point, as I’m only just getting back into the game.

I find that most golfers around here are generally polite, but nobody really strikes up a conversation. Only the old timers are open to that. I think they’re surprised that a younger guy like me isn’t hiding in his golf cart focused on his PGA Tour worthy game; okay maybe not PGA Tour worthy. I grew up where people didn’t mind waiting 2 minutes at a tee box. 36 extra minutes became 36 minutes where you could relax and just enjoy your time out on the course. Usually on a Sunday that is to be expected with a full course. Why they try to push people when its just a question of 2 minutes is beyond me. Its never packed enough late in the day to make it matter. Just as many golfers will hit the course as would otherwise. Its only when people are clearly violating etiquette that it gets annoying, but even then I just kick back and relax. Have a beer, it’ll help you remove that post….. ;)

That said, I don’t play much on Sunday just because twilight at this time of year is so empty on every other day of the week. Its much more fun with nobody to be bitching behind me. It also gives me time to hunt for balls in the woods. Usually find 10-15 per round if nobody is behind us. Playing as a single helps to set up that buffer zone as long as the groups in front are far enough ahead at the start. There are a few places that have a lot of price breaks in the summer. One such place I found is called Stonebridge in Monroe, NC. They charge 16 per round in the summer after 6 PM. it’s a freaking STEAL! Course is actually quite nice, too. I was pleasantly surprised.

Anyways, I’m rambling now. All in all, most people are polite. Its just that everybody wants to play quickly. Relax people, its just a game. Enjoy yourself. You are supposed to be unwinding from a hard week at work. Why make it stressful? You’ll live longer. ;)

[GJBenn85]

I live in a golf paradise.  Luckily, the number of golf courses we have works to the golfer's advantage because it is so competitive, and they like keeping locals on the course for when the tourists return home.  Greens fees range from $20-300 depending on the course...I tend to play in the afternoons so the most I have paid is $50.  When tourists are paying $80-90 to golf a course, I pay $40-50 just because I am a local.  The courses are generally in pretty good condition.

Not sure how friendly the other golfers are, I either golf solo or with a friend.  Have yet to strike up a conversation with a stranger; I'm not exactly one to just strike up a conversation.

[Stewie007]

Originally Posted by GJBenn85

I live in a golf paradise.  Luckily, the number of golf courses we have works to the golfer's advantage because it is so competitive, and they like keeping locals on the course for when the tourists return home.  Greens fees range from $20-300 depending on the course...I tend to play in the afternoons so the most I have paid is $50.  When tourists are paying $80-90 to golf a course, I pay $40-50 just because I am a local.  The courses are generally in pretty good condition.

Not sure how friendly the other golfers are, I either golf solo or with a friend.  Have yet to strike up a conversation with a stranger; I'm not exactly one to just strike up a conversation.

Hilton Head! My wife's family has a place up there. I haven't played many of the courses though. They live in a golf community, and there are two courses. One designed by Jack Nicklaus and another by Peter Dye. Played the Dye course only twice. It was a blast, though. I only wish my game was better, as I played last year and they were the only 2 games I played all year. Ridiculously bad games. :p

[awmgolfer]

I'm in Northern Maine so our season runs from mid to late April till late October, though locals will play till late November depending on weather but you best have warm golf clothes. The course I belong to in town is just up the road from me and is one of those hidden gems, Mars Hill Country Club. Many people that have played top courses around the country and our golf pro who has also played top notch courses puts ours right up among all of those, we just don't do a lot of advertising, which has its advantages..lol. The area is all right for golf, another really nice course about 20 minutes north but the rest are not great but not terrible for the most part.

It's not a terribly long course which throws people off, thinking it will be easy as it is just over 5,700 yards, the blues play just over 6,000 yards. However, lots of slopes, elevation changes, awesome views, and some tight holes it plays harder then it looks. The owner of the course knows his stuff and does a great job at keeping the course in great shape. The greens have lots of slopes and very rarely do you have a putt with no break so it makes it fun. We are becoming quickly known as the hidden gem in Northern Maine so it's great. We have had a decent driving range for where we are but it had very little hitting ground. They have currently redone the range and once the grass grows in we will have just about 7,600 square feet of hitting ground with brand new high end mats next year which I am excited about.

The best thing about all courses up here, cheap to play. You can play our course, 18 holes with a cart for $44. Memberships are really cheap, at least at our course, $370, can't beat great golf for that price.

[clubchamp]

Golf in the Baltimore/ D.C. area is pretty good but a little pricey. There is a good number of nice courses with in short distances but some of them will run 85+ dollars. You can play all year around barring snow or really cold but most winters it stays in the 40s. I don't mind the cold so I will play as long as it's not windy and above 40 degrees.

[GaijinGolfer]

Golf here is pretty good.  Theres plenty of courses that have really affordable greens fees.  The only downer is the weather: even if you are a diehard who braves the cold in the early spring and late fall, the season can be pretty short.

Im insane and will play is any kind of weather.  I'll think nothing of getting out the beanie, fleece and the cold weather golf gloves and play when the temps are in the 30s and even then the season only lasts from April-October.  Thankfully we have a nice heated driving range here in Madison so that I can get out and work on my swing year-round.

[kevin.chan]

Here in Shenzhen , China has a lot of nice Golf Courses including the world famous Mission Hills with 12 courses designed by Duval / Els / Nicklaus / Faldo / Vijay etc .

The ONLY thing bad about this place is PRICE and Golf Etiquette !

[lumpuckeroo]

Kansas CIty is pretty decent, we have a surprising large amount of courses to chose from at pretty decent rates.  Public course green fees will run around $35, with some of the upscale semi-private courses going for $50-$80.  Summers can be a bit brutal with the heat and humidity, this year was one of them, we had over 3 weeks 100+ temps, and it plays havoc on the courses.

Spring and Fall have great weather, it is the rainy time of the year, but the temperature is really nice.  Weather is always the deciding factor in the Sping and Fall, but I have played as early as St. Patrick's day in pants and shirt sleeves and played all the way to the second weekend in November in pants and shirt sleeves.  December, January, February are usually to cold to play but you can get a 50 degree day, problem is it's usually in the middle of the week and days are pretty short,

[noefi13b]

I'm pretty sure one of the reason I love golf so much is where I live!! Melbourne, Australia

I would say conservatively there are about 100 golf course within 1 hours drive of my house.... Ranging in price from $20 - if you have to ask you can't afford it....

Weather is good enough to play year round and if your slightly strange (like me) you can play in shorts pretty much every round (coldest it gets during an average winter day is 12c or so (about 50 f)

As for the people you meet on the course I can honestly say I have only wanted to punch two people I have met on the golf course and this is after playing many rounds as a single.... Almost all are at least bearable for 4 hours and most are actually are good company!

Oh and the President's Cup is in town in a couple of months too

[ghalfaire]

The Phoenix area is great for golf about 9 months of the year.  Lots of courses in all price ranges/difficulty/facilities and weather is great except for late June-late Sep.  Can get crowded with "snow birds" in high season (Jan-March).  The prices during this time frame go up significantly for golf and rooms, but our visitors don't seem to mind. I guess if you're just here a few days vacation money isn't the most important factor.

[Grumpter]

I plan to take a trip to Phoenix sometime around Nov or Dec of this year. It would be nice to play some golf while I'm there (and it's freezeing here in south east PA) but taking clubs can be somewhat of a pain in the ass. Not to mention I'm not sure if I will be renting a car. I'm not sure it would be worth it since I would probably only have one day where I could play. I do have personal/vacation days to burn though... hmmm.

[walk18]

I live in a golf paradise. Luckily, the number of golf courses we have works to the golfer's advantage because it is so competitive, and they like keeping locals on the course for when the tourists return home. Greens fees range from $20-300 depending on the course...I tend to play in the afternoons so the most I have paid is $50. When tourists are paying $80-90 to golf a course, I pay $40-50 just because I am a local. The courses are generally in pretty good condition.

Not sure how friendly the other golfers are, I either golf solo or with a friend. Have yet to strike up a conversation with a stranger; I'm not exactly one to just strike up a conversation.

Hilton Head? Been there, and yes you do live in golf paradise! So jealous.

[ggolokin]

luckily i live in australia, also luckily i live in one of the dryest states of australia, WA. Barely ever rains here, and when it does its only for a month or so maximum, 11/12 months sunny conditions with atleast 15* celcius  at midday. i live near the cbd and there is a ton of golf course i could choose to play all ranging from about $12-about $400, and you get what you pay for!

overall golf wise, i'd live here. but i did just get my working visa for canada......... but it snows :(

[The Lama]

Play at this course http://royalaberdeengolf.com/

Weather is usually crap most of the year living in Scotland but the banter and courses available in my area make up for it.

We have the new trump course available next year and its only 30 miles from where I live.

[goblue107501]

While we can play year round, it's not a good place to play. Too much sun, hot in the summer, cold winters (I actually have to wear a sweater and pants on some days), and it can sometimes take four to four and a half hours to play a round! it's terrible. So please, everyone, STOP COMING DOWN HERE! ;)

I hope this was sarcastic. I would give anything to be able to wear a sweater and pants in the winter and have a 4.5 hour round. Around here (SW Missouri) it is only okay. We have some great courses, but they are not plentiful. They are pretty cheap however, but usually take 5+ hours to play. I'd say that within 30-40 minutes of where I live, there are 3-4 public courses I would pay to play (many others, but they are crap). A couple of those are in the Branson area and are more expensive. There are a couple of private courses that I can get on about anytime, but typically they are higher priced than my local favorite, so it usually isn't worth the effort. We have one good golf store that recently added a launch monitor which we had never had in the area. It is pretty new, so I haven't bought much there other than some grip tape, but pricing seems to be competitive. Surprisingly, some of the best place to shop and buy clubs are at the 3 city owned munis. They all have an outdoor range and demos available. Plus they have it so that each course has ties to different OEMs so you can try just about anything you want. They are not afraid to make you deal to get the sale either. The weather is hit and miss. Hot and humid in the summer, bitter cold in the winter. You do get those 'nice' winter days where you can go out and play. But as soon as you do it gets cold again so it really isn't even worth it. Overall, you get about 6-7 good months and 5-6 bad months. Depending on your tolerance, that can go up or down. Overall, I'd say my area is a B- or C+.