ruascott

Our club had no choice but to suspend them. It was either that or death.

Prices obviously vary greatly depending upon regions, and even within a region. There are clubs here with $40 to $50k initiations, but my club was waiving up until this year, and it's only $275/mo as an under forty member. The kicker is our course is a better track than the others, but not in the area of town that can command that kind of coin.

Yep. Most clubs around here don't even take tee times, even on weekend mornings. You just show up, and find a game and go. Compared to the typical Saturday morning at a public course where the tee sheet is jammed up with groups every 7 minutes.

That's pretty cheap actually, unless the course is really not very nice at all. Don't rely on pictures on a website though.

The enjoyment level at private clubs exceeds anything at even the nicest of public courses. You know everyone, they know you, the greens aren't a plinko board, which is common on even high end publics. People really care about the course and it's condition. There aren't corporate outings filling up half the week. There are constant leagues, tourneys, etc. There is actually grass on all the tee boxes in August, rather than a mine field of divots. There are no idiot hackers taking 6 hours to play a round....common on even $100 public courses. You have immaculate conditions, surrounded by respectful people, who love the game as much as you do.

Faster than bentgrass??? Please inform me, becuase I was under the impression that bentgrass is pretty much the only thing you can use for greens in northern climates. Plus bentgrass greens are the fastest you can probably get. There is a reason that Augusta tried putting in bent greens, even though they it's way too hot down there for that.

Oh and as for the mower...i think there are "cheap" for home putting green mowers that you can buy for about $1,500. A real one that a course would use would be in the $6-$10k range. The best option if you actually go through with this is to contact golf courses and try to buy one of theirs used.

I looked into this at one point, but found out that it is a giant PITA. The amount of upkeep that they require to have anything decent is quite extensive and all consuming. Everyone I talked to that had done it told me to not do it, and get one of the artificial ones instead. As far the type of grass....a decent bentrass is what you have to go with.

Yeah, it's a pretty good deal...they just took their annual membership and divided it up by 12....as a lot of people I guess said they could swing it easier that way. They did ask for a 6 month commitment, and if you quit over the winter and joined back up in the spring, you have to pay for all the off months. I'm going to likely be moving by this fall anyway, so that won't matter to me. As I said, it's a nice public course....but also pretty busy. Yes, I can always find a tee time, but the course is still pretty full when out there, and makes it tough if you just want to go out alone for a quick round. The best of both worlds of course is joining a private club and still getting to play elsewhere. You may want to ask around about reciprocity at other private clubs in the area....I've talked with a few clubs that offered access to over 20 area private clubs that members could play for a nominal guest fee (like $20)....some even waive the fee entirely.

I play by myself frequently very early on weekends...there are a couple other guys that do the same....usually around 6:30am. There is one guy I always let go first becuase he FLYS.....like 1:30 for 18 holes. I usually play in about 2 hours...sometimes 2.5 if I slow down and play extra balls. I like to play quick, but not so fast where it's just run up and hit it and repeat....don't get good results if I don't at least take a few seconds to size up a shot. That said, it's good practice and good to play fast and relax...but I almost always play better when playing with others. By myself, I tend to lose focus too easily and mess up basic easy shots, and my putting is not as good because I don't take the time to read the putts very well. When playing with others you have time to read greens, etc...

Most...not all. I'm joining a club next year. In the past I have been a member of a private club, and then have gone for 10+ years playing strictly public courses. Yeah, its a bit more expensive, but these days it seems much more reasonable than it once was. Initiation fees are either gone, or WAAY down from 10+ years ago. Waiting lists are things of the past almost everywhere here. There are a lot of great public courses in the area for reasonable prices, and I actually have a membership this year at one for $140/mo...inlcuding cart...can't get much cheaper than that for a pretty good quality course. So why go private? For me, it's 2 things....the crowds...I love just being able to show up and never worry about tee times. 4 hrs is the absolute max. Walking is encouraged. The 2nd thing is the relationships....you get to know everyone much better/easier than at a public course. The club starts to feel like an extended family. The tourneys and leagues are all well run, and there is always something fun to sign up for. The pristine course conditions don't hurt either....

I find this interesting....as I actually have felt that the 4 holes inside the track are pretty fun. #7 is as you say it, it is a classic "Redan" style par 3, where you have to hit the green or you have a VERY difficult chip. But the green is huge, and if I miss the green its becuase I've hit a bad shot. Only time it plays almost unfair is if its real windy. As far as #8, yep its a tough hole, no doubt, but I've always felt the fairway is a lot wider than it appears. #9 and #10 are both short, fairly easy holes....each are close to drivable par 4s for a long hitter. 10 has a lot of trouble up near the green though. All of that said, those aren't my fav holes on the course by far. I think the finishing holes....really #13-18 are terrific. The best 6 hole stretch in town, IMO. Agree that the price is pretty steep. I typically play the $55 twilight rate a couple times a year. Played about a month ago, and it was in MUCH better condition than the Fort, which I play regularly.

I think Sunday just invalidated all the naysayers on this thread. From everything I have heard/read, the players themselves are really pretty happy with the set up. You have to perform throughout the year to even make it into the playoffs (see Tiger). Then you have to perform in the playoff events well enough to move on, for the most part. I think they do as good a job as can be expected in getting the best 30 players for that season in the final Tour Championship. I see no problem with the set up whatsoever, and it obviously worked out exactly with how the Tour wanted it....a sudden death playoff for $10M. That made for some pretty compelling TV, as long as you had a pulse. My entire household watched it, and I am typically the ONLY one that watches golf on TV.

To be honest, I was so young when I started playing that I don't even remember. My family all golfed (dad, both grandparents, aunts, uncles, even my mom played some). My grandparents were members of the local CC, and in addition they had a timeshare at a golf resort that we went to every single labor day. That's when I first "played" at around age 3 with a plastic club. I soon graduated to a mini-set of cut down clubs and was given my first official lesson by one of the assist pros at around age 5. From then on, everything in my family's rec time was absorbed in golf. I would play mostly with my dad and his friends, but every family vacation included at least some golf, and some vacations were nothing but golf for 4-5 straight days. My parents joined the same CC when I was about 11 or so, and then I really played all the time, probably 4-5 times/week. Started playing in state-wide junior tour events around age 12-13, and then of course played in high school. Maxed out my game at around age 16 or so, getting down to around a 3 hdcp. Then I discovered friends, cars, girls and eventually beer and determined there was more to life than golf :-) After realizing I wasn't going to play at a high collegiate level by my senior year in HS, golf became a lot less about competition, and a lot more about just having fun. Being a broke college kid, then a somewhat less broke college grad, I didn't play much more than about 15-20 times a year from age 19-26. Since then I've started playing in work leagues, etc...then started playing more and more on the weekends, and just now at age 30 am trying to get serious about my game again.

Been to FF Glade MANY, MANY times...really set up as a pure golf resort. They have a very polished operation, regarding tee times, starters, etc...as they need to with the volume of play they get. There are 5 courses on site, and range from good to very good. Very reasonably priced....they are all in the $40-$50 range. Bear Trace @ Cumb. Mtn is fairly close as well, and is worth the trip. This is true mountain style golf (even though technically they are on a plateau). A lot of holes with big drops from tees down to fairways/greens. All the courses are cut through the deep woods. You won't generally see another hole (or much of anything) from the hole you are playing. The hitting areas are generous on most of the holes, but if you spray it, its a lost ball in the woods. Not sure how much you are interested in playing, but let me know if you'd like any more info on course recommendations, details, lodging, etc.... It's really a great golf value. The only downside might be, depending upon your age and preferences, that there isn't much in the way of nightlife in the area. Its a retirement community, and there isn't a lot in the way of bars, etc... if you guys are into that.