question for those who play public courses

[wils5150]

its a strange question but please answer truthfully if you can. do you really care if the clubhouse and parking lot at the public courses you play are not loaded with flowers and pretty landscaping? I am not talking about unkeept and shabby just not a ton of flowers and landscaping.

[Hardballs]

Of course! How can you expect to play golf seriously if there isn't any flowers in the parking lot!

[Golfingdad]

No.  Most of the courses that I play that have nice clubhouses and parking lots also have nice courses, and the ones that have junky parking lots and junky clubhouses tend to have junky courses.  But if I list the things about the junky course (that I'm probably playing tomorrow, lol) that bug me, I don't think, prior to this thread at least, I would even think to mention the parking lot.  I'd prefer they put all of their money into the course itself.  All of it.

[Dave2512]

I play a few courses where the lot doesn't face the course so the landscaping is limited to whatever trees and bushes they plant in the lot dividers. My home course was once private and it doesn't even have a sign in front of the course because it's inside a gated community. It does have flowers and landscaping all over where the clubhouse faces the course. But I think it's the exception. All I care about is course condition and in most instances if it looks ratty rom the lot it is. I played a rinky-dink city course in Sterling CO last summer that was a dirt lot with a bunch of really old gas carts lined up out front. It was fun but the condition of the course was pathetic. Played a course that looked bad from the lot earlier this year that actually had a dump in the middle of it. A big pile of broken concrete, cart parts, dead branches  piles of grass and dirt piles. A few of the tee boxes there were just dirt. Crazy thing was it was packed and it wasn't the most affordable in town or anything. Even weirder was they had the best pro shop I've ever seen.

[wils5150]

thanks guys like I said well kept clubhouse grounds and lot but not over the top like a private club,

[saevel25]

I can think of two courses i've played that landscape around the clubhouse, that are private. Honestly most places have your typical bushes, its not just a desolate landscape. Its just not seasonal flower type of thing. Honestly it doesn't matter much to me. I agree, put the money towards the course.

[David in FL]

My favorite course puts almost no money into the clubhouse or surrounding landscaping. They put it all into the course and the range. As a result, the course, though relatively inexpensive, is well known as one of the best conditioned tracks in Central FL.....especially the greens. No mean feat for a $30 daily fee track in the Orlando area! Save the flowers for your wife. Give me good conditions on the course!

[clearwaterms]

as long as the grounds are clean, I don't much need flowers / bushes / etc.

I would prefer not to have gravel parking lots, blacktop / concrete that is soo old it might as well be gravel.

As for the clubhouse, the biggest offense that I have with clubhouses is if it isn't clean smelling.  poor plumbing / OLD carpet / furniture / smell of smoke / etc. are all turn offs for me.

like GolfingDad said, a well maintained course will extend into the clubhouse / parking lot in the same way that somebody who takes pride in their home will extend that pride to the driveway / yard.

[Strandly]

I don't care what the parking lot and clubhouse look like as long as the course and carts are nice.

[MS256]

I don't care about those things.

I'm not even as picky about the course as most people. The people I play with is more important than anything else to me.

As far as the course goes nice greens is number one on my list. I don't like it when making putts depends on which lucky bounce it takes.

[Jimdangles]

No.  Most of the courses that I play that have nice clubhouses and parking lots also have nice courses, and the ones that have junky parking lots and junky clubhouses tend to have junky courses.  But if I list the things about the junky course (that I'm probably playing tomorrow, lol) that bug me, I don't think, prior to this thread at least, I would even think to mention the parking lot.  I'd prefer they put all of their money into the course itself.  All of it.

I agree with this. If the course is nice I don't care but the courses with ugly parking lots tend to have junky courses. I have also played courses where they were really nice out front and nothing special about the course.

[AmazingWhacker]

I never even thought about it before.  The clubhouse is just the place I walk into to pay the guy or maybe buy an emergency sleeve of balls or hat.  The parking lot?  One of my favorite courses has a parking lot with old pavement, it's divided into 2 sections by a ditch/ravine of weeds  - err. ."native plants".

[Pushy]

As others have said, there tends to be a correlation between the condition of the clubhouse and the condition of the course.  But I don't get much out of the clubhouse.  I'd be happy to play on a pristine course with a trailer and a food truck for the clubhouse.  But then, I don't usually hang around afterwards for a 19th hole drink.  If you do that, which lots (most?) people do, I can see wanting it to be nice.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Just curious - you say this is a strange question, which it is.  Why do you ask about parking lot shrubbery?

[David in FL]

Just curious - you say this is a strange question, which it is.  Why do you ask about parking lot shrubbery?

Because he's a golf course superintendent and like most of us, has a budget that he's trying to manage in order to give his customers the most perceived bang for their buck!

[JCRuzanski]

I'd rather they spend the money on the course rather than parking lot flowers.

[newtogolf]

I agree with others, money should be spent on upkeep of the course but a nice club house and parking lot don't hurt.  It doesn't have to be Homes and Garden fancy, but it should look inviting and neat.

[dsc123]

I think is more complicated than that, though, isn't it?  I'd rather a nice course than a nice clubhouse, but if improving the clubhouse leads to better revenues which lead to better course conditions....then I'm all for improving the clubhouse.