Where do you normally play?

[bkuehn1952]

7 hours ago, woodzie264 said:

Where do you play & why? Cost, crowds, proximity?

Public & Muni courses with a few private clubs thrown in when I get an invite or play a tournament.  The courses played need to have a reasonable cost, not be more than 30 minutes or so from home and have a decent pace of play.

I could afford a membership at any number of clubs but I like the variety of playing many places.

[No Mulligans]

1 hour ago, MrDC said:

Public, I bounce around, I don't think I'd be happy playing the same course all the time.

I'll probably play about a dozen different courses this season, all within an hour's drive.

That's a good point.  If I belonged to a club I'd play there around 99% of the time.

I've already played 11 different courses this year.  That will probably approach 20 by year end, there's probably that many public courses or more within 45 minutes of where I live

[Natural Patrick]

I just joined a private club this year. They made me a deal on a 2 year out of county membership that was just to good to turn down. The positive is, I can play 18 holes in 3hrs or under. The negative is, it's only a 9 hole course. I also have been a member at our local public course for the last 7 years. Most of the people I play with play here. The negative is, the course is always crowded and you can never play 18 holes in under 4 hours. This could be my last year for this one, even though I have said that for the last 3 years. The older I get, the more slow play just gets on my nerves. I just can't seem to break away from my circle of friends that play here and will never join a private club.

[SavvySwede]

Well I sort of have two home courses, one public and the other private. I work at a very nice private course and they let me out twice a week. I also have a membership at a very inexpensive public course where I can play the rest of the week and have unlimited range use.

[tdiii]

7 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

This is an interesting, and very fair, comment.  I've read that food service at almost all private clubs loses money, and most times it gets absorbed into the overall club budget.   The members usually want the high-quality food, but would rather not see the appropriate costs on the menu, so its better to simply hide the true costs and pay for them with dues and other revenue sources.

We're lucky, in that our F&B actually makes money most years, but the ability to do that comes through hosting of events and other events.

I play at Fountaingrove Golf and CC, a private club in Santa Rosa, CA.  I probably play 80% of my rounds there, and then play other private and public courses the remainder of the time. 

We recently dropped the food and beverage minimum -- the club's management wants to see food and bev stand on its own feet or go away.  Apparently, that is the trend these days. 

Edited July 7, 2016 by tdiii

[Papa Steve 55]

Bay Point in Onset MA, great group of guys play there. They are doing a really good job on the outside, not so much on the clubhouse.

[Valleygolfer]

I guess semi private? We are public but are member oriented. I play the here because of quality first, proximity second and price last.

This year have made a lot of changes. Cleaned house with the F&B and got into the computer world (about f'n time). Next year should be interesting with our new pro taking over for the burnt out old one.

[Osnola]

Generally play The Oaks in Pass Christian MS and Pinewood Country Club in Slidell LA.

I have played 5 other courses so far this year, but probably play the two above 70% of the time...

[Tod]

Mill Quarter Plantation, in Powhatan, Va. Semi-private; demanding, but fair course. Very affordable membership, with a variety of options. Good people, basic snack bar, and a pro that has really helped me a lot. There are few other courses I play for variety around the area.

[RH31]

I play a private course that is 20 minutes from my house. The food, beer, golf, assessments etc., are all too high for what you get. The upside is I can show up, get a game, and play in 3-3.5 hours.

Playing a public course on the weekend is almost always 5 hours or more.

[Strandly]

I play the 2 municipal courses here, $365 this year for a season pass/unlimited play any day of the week.

[Archie Bunker]

Paid $50k in 2000 for a family lifetime membership at a private, Arnold Palmer Golf Management course near where I work. No dues, no cart fees, no range or locker fees since then. No restaurant minimums or assessments. Play as much as I can, whenever I want to. Broke "even" in 2006, since they will give me 40% of my investment back if (or when) I leave. Heaven on earth. Wish I could take this deal with me when I move south in a year or so. Great course, top shape, fast play. I live close to my town's municipal course, but rarely play there because of the slow play.

[shanksalot]

Belong to a semi private course. It is a Robert Trent Jones Jr designed course and it is pretty tough unless you can play very good golf. It is a beautiful layout with trees and many, many bunkers plus water in and around the course and some creeks running through the fairways. My wife and I love the layout and enjoy playing here but the drawback is the slow play. We  have a skins group that tees off at 8AM through 9AM and they are really slow which makes play slow most of the day. We will probably play here for the rest of the year and find another course that hopefully is not as crowded and has faster players so a round does not take 4.5 hours or more during the week. 

[jsgolfer]

Springfield Golf & CC - Springfield VA

I would say for the convenience and pace of play, the conditions of the course and the people (it's like having an extended family).  I tried to just play the public courses in our area, but if you can get in in under 5 hours on the weekend, good luck with that.  And there is never a shortage of people to play with if you want.  Plus the couples events are also great.  In the three years we've been members we have some great friends that we travel and play golf with.  

@DaveP043 mentioned, the inter-club matches are a nice way to play the other private courses in the area.   However, cost was definitely not factored into the equation as it was for Dave.  As an old friend of mine said, Country Clubs are not a bargain.  When I look at my bill every month I cringe with what my wife and I spend there, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

 

[DaveP043]

39 minutes ago, jsgolfer said:

(it's like having an extended family).  

This is probably the best way of putting this.  My fellow members have become many of our best friends.  They're the people we socialize with, both at and away from the club, go downtown to the theater with, catch a baseball game with, as well as the people we vacation with.

41 minutes ago, jsgolfer said:

 However, cost was definitely not factored into the equation as it was for Dave. 

I'd still maintain that the cost for golf, with two of us playing avidly, is a real bargain.  On the other hand, we certainly spend a significant amount of additional money socializing with our friends.  Its sometimes a shock when the bill comes in, but having quality time with good friends is pretty valuable.

[jsgolfer]

52 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I'd still maintain that the cost for golf, with two of us playing avidly, is a real bargain.  On the other hand, we certainly spend a significant amount of additional money socializing with our friends.  Its sometimes a shock when the bill comes in, but having quality time with good friends is pretty valuable.

You're right, I was thinking of the overall bill, but the cost of golf for two of us, who both play over 100 rounds a year is pretty reasonable.  The socializing money is where the cost adds up, damn bar bill gets expensive.