Golf in Australia v US (and elsewhere)

[Lefty731PM]

I'm interested in the differences between our countries when it comes to amateur golf.
Just to keep it brief - Typically, in Australia, there is a Saturday and midweek competition for members. We have official (and exact) handicaps which are maintained by the Australian Golf Union. Golf club membership is not expensive at all clubs - typically 4-700 dollars per year in regional areas and suburban courses and upwards of 1 - 3000 (much more in many cases) at the more prestigious clubs. Competitions are usually stableford with a stroke "monthly medal" or "monthly mug" event - usually on the first Saturday of that month. There are also "social golf clubs" who play at different courses, usually on Sunday mornings - - and possibly on a less formal level.(800,000 social players - 60% of all Aussie golfers). It is not a rich man's sport here.

My impression is that golf is extremely expensive in the US, so most players are what we would call "social golfers". I read people here writing about "tourneys" and wonder if by that you mean an everyday Saturday comp. or is it where people who are not "members" as such are able to compete?

If a person in a Saturday competition at the suburban course took a preferred lie or dropped a ball when he's lost one without telling his partners he'd be suspended from the club immediately. Gimmes are in match play only. In 30 years of competition golf, I've never heard of a "gimme" in medal play. The reputation you'd get for ANY breach would be intolerable. Here, the only time when you pick your ball up on a green, is when what you're doing is called "practice" - you aren't counting your score. I wonder about some of the posts I read where people claim to have shot x - but obviously choose to ignore such trivial inconveniences as missed 3 foot putts and drives into hazards. (wink)

I am guessing that a lot of US players can not afford the membership fees at courses which, I understand are often very elitist and exclusive, so the average player doesn't have the opportunity for regular competition play, so just have a hit with their friends, hence those who "estimate" their handicap and do as they please with the rules - which obviously would not be acceptable in proper competition - this may explain some of the threads I have been reading. I see social golfers having a hit and I would not expect them to know all the rules - but by the same token, I would not expect them to claim to hit 3 irons 230 yards consistently, or that they usually shoot in the low 80s (but don't know that you can't ground a club in a bunker)

Am I totally wrong? Is membership of average clubs affordable? Are most of you guys members of clubs who play in a Saturday morning "comp"? Please enlighten me!

[Mr Eagle]

From the elsewhere section (England) were the same as Australia with regard monthly medals and the like.Club membership is (South East) £1200-£2000+ but is cheaper up north. Im a nomad golfer ,my handicap being worked out on the congu system by the society I play with so its pretty spot on.I suppose you could take a few shots off if I played the same course every week???

Typically I pay £20-£30 pounds midweek and £25-£40 at weekends for a round. Special occasions at somewhere like Royal St Georges will set me back about £120

NO GIMMES or MULLIGANS ,PLAY THE BALL AS IT LIES, cheats are marched off the course , tarred and feathered and put in the stocks for 3 days.

[Jack_2251]

I'm interested in the differences between our countries when it comes to amateur golf.

I had the exact same question as you...

Where do you play? I play t tuggerah Lakes and Everglades on the central coast of NSW.

[michaeljames92]

lake karrinyup here. male meberships are about $3000 per year and a $7000 nomination fee if you are joining. we have a midweek comp on wednesday and comp on saturday. associates play tuesday/thursday mornings

[iacas]

lake karrinyup here. male meberships are about $3000 per year and a $7000 nomination fee if you are joining. we have a midweek comp on wednesday and comp on saturday. associates play tuesday/thursday mornings

Those are Australian dollars or U.S. dollars?

[g-funk13]

There is a golf course here in Houston that is advertising family memberships for $375 per month. I don't know what their tournament situation is, but the course, Augusta Pines, has a very good reputation for quality.

Having played a lot in Australia back when I was dating a Perth girl, I found golf cost to be very similar to the cost of mid priced US public courses. What I loved was the expectation that you would walk and not ride (in Australian: a buggy--ha ha).

Obviously, you don't see kangaroos on the course like you do in WA. I loved that. One time I had a 3w shot glance off 2 kangaroos!! Also, you can't get a cold VB after a round in the states-one of the best mass produced beers EVER.

[michaeljames92]

There is a golf course here in Houston that is advertising family memberships for $375 per month. I don't know what their tournament situation is, but the course, Augusta Pines, has a very good reputation for quality.

ok cool. what courses did you play in perth?

Edit: many kangaroos live at my course. often you may find an unpleasant kangaroo business on a fairway

[michaeljames92]

Those are Australian dollars or U.S. dollars?

sorry that is in Aussie dollars. i think a full adult male membership is $3200 AUD a year or (converting from xe.com) about 2950. sorry about that.

[Mats++]

One more from the "elsewhere" section Sweden.

Handicap is official and mandatory, it's maintained by the Swedish Golf Federation (SGF). You must be a member in a club that is sanctioned by SGF in order to play other courses. The average yearly fee is about $850 and often you have to pay a nomination fee ranging from (about) $800 - $25000 (often but not always you get the nomination fee back when you leave the club). In my case I pay $600/year and the nominaton fee was $2500. Most clubs have a gents committee and a ladies committee, the committies main task is to look out for their interest in the course and the club (we also have committies for our junior- and senior-members). They also arrange weekly tourneys (gents - on wedensdays, lades -thursdays). Every other week or so the club arranges tourneys with local sponsors. The tourneys are most often open to all golfers and not just the local club. One week every summer most clubs has a vacation-golf-week which translates into a week of tourneys, a different tourney every day. This is highly appriciated by players and many people actually plan their vacation to include this week. Regarding cheating, the SGF has a monthly magazine and for about a year ago they had an entire issue dedicated to this subject. So cheating definitely happens here. Cheaters being caught are always punished in one way or another, often that is suspension (and of course DQ).

What I loved was the expectation that you would walk and not ride (in Australian: a buggy--ha ha).

Same thing here, unless you have a medical reason (and a medical certificate to back it up) you walk!

[Ruari]

From the elsewhere section - SW England, in this case.

Membership of my club ( www.rushmoregolfclub.co.uk ) is £400 joining and £650/year - so c $800 admission and $1300 a year.

We have the Medal on first Saturday every month; a mid-month strokeplay roll-up and roll-up Stablefords the other Saturdays. Seniors (55+) have Monday mornings; Wednesday morning has stableford roll-ups except for the 2nd Wednesday, when it's a white-tee competition. Ladies' day is Thursday; alternative Ladies medal is on a nearby Sunday.

Women and juniors play in the roll-ups: they're all-member.

Handicaps are maintained and monitored according to English Golf Union rules and requirements. As a club we requrie that any member who wishes to play in the knockout competitions must ahve returned three 'qualifying' cards - qualifiers are medals and the mid-month white-tee Stablefords. As there has been a change in the EGU rules, we're about to change that minimum requirement, too - it will go up, not down!

A lot of societies come and play (I think they're called 'outings' in the US) and we have several societies loosely based at Rushmore that play elsewhere.

We also play a lot of inter-club matches, both friendlies and competitive. Actually, they're all competitive, but you know what I mean - leagues and knock-outs.

The Ladies' section tends to arrange the friendlies. We have the 'main committee' and the Ladies Section.

Cheating - yes, we all know theere are guys who protect their handicaps. They're blindingly obvious and I don't know who they think they're fooling - they play rubbish in the Medals and then win the money in the 'friendly' games. We have our eyes on them and thus the intention to raise the minimum-card requirement.

Societies can have their own handicaps but certain clubs require handicap certificates, and society handicaps don't count. All league, knockout and national competitions require pukka club/EGU handicaps.

Anything I've missed out?