How is the overall golf experience where you live?

[GoingfortheGreen]

I live in Central Pennsylvania, right outside of Harrisburg (the capital for those that failed US geography ).  In a nutshell, the golf scene is pretty decent, not great (more below).

I moved here from Northern California (Foster City) and before that Southern California (San Diego - didn't golf then).

The season here is April-October, but there is good chance you could start in March and play through November.  I've played a number of times on Black Friday.  Of course, those months are pretty chilly at that time.  The variety of courses is fairly decent.  The biggest attraction for me is the pricing.  After living in the Bay Area, and routinely paying $100-$150 to ride on the weekends during the dot-com heyday (2000-2002), the $50 average fee is much more palatable.  The most expensive public course here (Resort course, owned by Hershey now) is Hershey Links which is $90 for residents.  On average I pay about $50-55 for a round which includes cart.

Conditioning of the courses is directly proportionate to the green fees.  There are some real dog tracks out here - e.g. Silver Springs Golf Course Cow Pasture is typically $25 to play.  I played there once, and they hadn't even removed the plugs from the fairway after aerating .  When it rains hard, the course becomes a swamp.  I last played there two years and vowed never to go back.  The quantity and quality of the sand in the bunkers is also typically tied to how much the green fees are.

A lot of the average courses can be played for , plus there are a lot of coupons in the paper.  The course I play the most is Dauphin Highlands (decent track), and they charge $55 to ride on the weekends.  Surprisingly, the course is owned by the County.  Slow play is an issue for the most part - again the more you pay, the higher the chances of having one or more rangers trying to keep things moving along.

Finally, most people are pretty nice although after living here for 9+ years, I usually end up playing with regulars and rarely just show up.  It's a pretty relaxed dress code (compared to other metro areas), with jeans acceptable at almost 95% of the courses.  That said, I've seen folks in the dead of summer with wife beaters after they're a good distance away from the club house!!

I try to play on some nice courses when I'm on vacation for a change of scenery (Harbour Town, Tierra Del Sol, Aviara, Bayside, etc.).  There are some nice course in a 100 mile radius which I am dying to play someday (Bulle Rock, etc.)  Plus, I'm still holding out hope to someday play the two PA crown jewels: Oakmont & Merion

[jamo]

It's great where I live in MA, but here is DE it's downright terrible. Just about all of the courses are semi-private, and are like $60 as a daily-fee and $4000 for a yearly membership. Not a lot of them are any good either. There are also a few muni courses, but they're all in really really bad shape. There just aren't any good values.

[MS256]

The best thing about golf here in rural northeast Alabama is that a small percentage of the population plays golf. Almost no crowded courses and long rounds.

The worst thing about it is that a small percentage of the population plays golf. Nobody to play with many times and empty courses hanging on financially.

The second best thing is that it's just far enough north and just high enough elevation that it rarely gets very hot in the summer.

The second worst is that it's just far enough north and just high enough elevation that it does get cold in the winter. (Not north Missouri cold, where I used to live, but still too cold for golf).

[BuckeyeNut]

I think the thread title is a loaded question........the golf scene is good pretty much everywhere unless you live in the middle of nowhere with only a few 9hole farm courses to choose from.    If you live near any city, there are tons of choices.......

I've even played golf in the LA golf scene where I thought golf would be prohibitively expensive and hard to get on......it's not that big of a deal.  The only place I think would be terrible is if you lived on Manhattan Island....LOL....that can't be good for the golf game!!!!!!

Whether you live in Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, Denver, Orlando, or Cleveland.etc, etc, etc.......it doesn't matter.....there is good golf to be played everywhere....IMO  (seasons aside)  Yes, some places have winter....that's a given. LOL

[JonMA1]

I live in Northern Michigan so it's a short season. On the up side, when I read all the threads concerning slow play and crowded courses, I feel very fortunate that I rarely have to deal with that. I played last Sunday and there wasn't a single player on the course. All this for a $100 unlimited yearly membership (walking).

I spent the first 34 years of my life in St. Petersburg, Florida and never picked up a golf club. So when the courses finally close up here, I often ask myself "what the hell were you thinking back then?".

[BuckeyeNut]

I live in Northern Michigan so it's a short season. On the up side, when I read all the threads concerning slow play and crowded courses, I feel very fortunate that I rarely have to deal with that. I played last Sunday and there wasn't a single player on the course. All this for a $100 unlimited yearly membership (walking).

I spent the first 34 years of my life in St. Petersburg, Florida and never picked up a golf club. So when the courses finally close up here, I often ask myself "what the hell were you thinking back then?".

I have a ton of family throughout Michigan and in the UP...........

I'd love to get up there to play sometime because I know there are a ton of great places to play.......... I've never made the trip though.  I have family in the Ann Arbor/Lansing area......Grayling/Gaylord area...and in the UP, but I've never played golf in Michigan.   Go figure......

maybe I'm afraid of what I might step in because of what Woody said about that state up north...LOL

[bkuehn1952]

The only place I think would be terrible is if you lived on Manhattan Island....LOL....that can't be good for the golf game!!!!!!

http://legitimategolf.com/

Check it out.  Golf in the Big Apple is surprisingly alive and well.

[bkuehn1952]

SE Michigan is golf heaven, at least 9 months of the year.  Good golf is cheap and plentiful.  I play 100+ times a year at 30-40 different courses for an average cost of about $25 a round (I walk most of the time).

[BuckeyeNut]

http://legitimategolf.com/

Check it out.  Golf in the Big Apple is surprisingly alive and well.

It is......if you live in the outer areas.   I think the logistics and cost of playing if you lived in the heart of Manhattan would be a nightmare.

[nevets88]

It is......if you live in the outer areas.   I think the logistics and cost of playing if you lived in the heart of Manhattan would be a nightmare.

Yeah, going out for a quick nine after or before work, that's not gonna happen. On weekends, you rent a car. Sounds expensive, but I don't own a car. No maintenance, no insurance, no gas. I use Zipcar, call the garage, get the car, zap my card and I'm off. Get to drive all sorts of cool cars. Practice is the worst. No short game areas close by. So basically it takes at least an hour to get to any decent course. Basically, the commuting time is the worst of it. It's nice to have the winter to decompress from all that driving. But having a car on the weekend, you can use that to visit family and friends and make food and Costco runs, which saves a boatload of money.

The thing about NYC is with all the smart people in the area, you'd figure there would be some good instructors. I went through so many. The best instructors I ever encountered were all outside NYC - FL, CA, PA, NJ. Really disappointed in the poor instruction or maybe I just didn't hook up with the right ones or they're all at private clubs or charge 2-3 times what an experienced instructor would charge.

[JonMA1]

I have a ton of family throughout Michigan and in the UP...........

I'd love to get up there to play sometime because I know there are a ton of great places to play.......... I've never made the trip though.  I have family in the Ann Arbor/Lansing area......Grayling/Gaylord area...and in the UP, but I've never played golf in Michigan.   Go figure......

maybe I'm afraid of what I might step in because of what Woody said about that state up north...LOL

I assume you're talking about Woody Hayes but am unfamiliar with what he said. Whatever it was he was probably right.

Northern Michigan is pretty if you're into the scenery. Grayling and the Upper Peninsula are particularly wild. I think its about time you drop in to visit some of your relatives - just remember to bring your clubs (and firearms if you have any).

I've only ever played golf up here and neither course would probably be considered special (not sure what makes a course special but I figure as long as it has fairways, rough, hazards and greens, it's a golf course). As I mentioned, it's affordable and not as crowded as many others describe their courses to be. My area is definitely backwoods. If you listen closely, you can sometimes hear "Dueling Banjos" playing from the woods - it's an added incentive to drive the ball straight. And I swear I've seen bumper stickers that read "nothin' says lovin' like marrying your cousin".

My family and I came close to going on a golf vacation to Lookout Mt, Tennessee this past spring but had to cancel at the last minute. I still have family in Florida so I'll probably play down there one of these days.

[BuckeyeNut]

As a kid....I've been as far north as Gaylord and Traverse City on the Lake...........Lots of good family memories, but I didn't play golf back then.  I've moved away since, so chances are slim and none that I'll play golf there.  Nothing against TTUN..........I was born a Buckeye, but my dad was from Michigan.  I have lots of childhood memories from up there.....

Michigan football can eat sh!t................for all I care, but I have fond family memories from my youth.

[JonMA1]

Michigan football can eat sh!t................for all I care

Being a Florida Gators fan, I could say the same thing about the entire Big10 conference. OSU has a really good program - especially since they now have Urban Meyer from the Gators (you're welcome). As a kid I liked Woody Hayes just because he was such a bad-ass. But I never really got the whole rivalry thing. I lived in Tallahassee for a couple of years and it can get pretty hostile between UF and FSU fans.

FSU fan: Why do the Gators play on artificial turf?

UF fan: I dunno, why?

FSU fan: So they can keep their cheerleaders from grazing.

Sorry to wander off-topic. One of these days I will play golf somewhere other than at one of my backyard courses and hopefully in another state. First things first, I have to improve my game.

[dfreuter415]

I live in suburban Pittsburgh, PA.  Here are the facts...

Number of courses : There are more than 60 courses in the immediate Pittsburgh vicinity

Top courses in the area: Oakmont Country Club, Fox Chapel Golf Club, Pittsburgh Field Club (all private)

Price: Wide range of prices from $16 (walking) to $150 (riding) - for the most part you can easily find a course to fit your budget

Golf season: Many courses close from December through February, but some will remain open all year round (weather permitting) - most courses open in the winter offer price discounts

General: Western Pennsylvania's has a rolling topography, but walking is an option at most courses. Average highs in the summer in the mid-80's and the upper 30's in the winter.

I love living in the Pittsburgh area and playing all year long. The weather breaks in March and it is smooth sailing until November when the leaves fall. (Use your old balls until all of the leaves are picked up.)  Then I have my winter gloves, woolly cap, and hot coffee from December though February.