18rounds

Nope. Save your time. I played Big Fish this summer and it was in really bad shape. Like low end muni bad shape. It's a pity because the design (Pete Dye) is very nice. If you are in Hayward the Hayward Golf Club right in town is your best bet. We ended up playing it twice when we where there. Great condition.

Interesting business idea. May need to do the first few for free or in exchange for golf to get some results and case studies. Your package for the course could include collecting data on what is slowing the course down, making recommendations for correcting the problem and training staff and marshals. You could also consult with the course to help implement new technology such as gps carts or video surveillance. Interesting concept.

Again, how would I know who is being slow? You seem very sure a marshal is not wrong. What training do marshals have that gives you this confidence?

Why isn't golf growing? Why don't we have more young people in the game? Where else in society would you tell someone not to complain just let them yell at you for something you have no control over? I have no idea who the actually slow group is. I am not the one driving from hole to hole to see where the problem is. How would I know who is the bottleneck? All I can tell is I am waiting to tee off for 5+ minutes on each hole. It seems the marshals attitude is that I am guilty by virtue of the fact I paid his employer to allow me on the course.

Nah, that wouldn't work. The ejected player could play on without the cart. How about not ejecting the player and the cart drives itself into a pond. :)

Same here. I am guessing the high handicapper and weekend hackers would be just fine with a par 3 to open. I don't know if it holds up to math but I feel like par 3's are my best chance to make par because there are fewer chances (less swings) for an erratic shot. Starting with a 3 would give me a little more time to loosen up before I get my nemesis, the driver, out of the bag.

I don't know about tricky but I hang out at http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/ They take their bbq at least as serious as we take our golf.

Let me start by saying I play quickly even though it takes me 100+ to get through 18. I walk 9 in 1.5. For me I have been more frustrated by pace of play zealots than slow play. We had a round this summer where a ranger told us to "speed up the pace" 3 times. Even though we waited to tee off on holes 2-18. We had a threesome with 2 carts and we're playing ready golf all the way to the hole. We do not look for lost balls anywhere close to 5 minutes and we don't take mulligans. After the 3rd time of him yelling at us my buddy said "hey, we are waiting on every hole" the ranger barked back that he could throw anybody off the course so we better not give him lip. Between that experience and groups behind hitting into (near) us when we are waiting on every hole I would say slow play is not my biggest frustration.

So what I am hearing is that it is against the rules but there is no penalty? Seems odd. Don't get me wrong, the breakfast ball when with the guys and not removing the flag when I am playing by myself are bigger issues than the order of play. All will need adjusted if I decide to keep a official handicap.

This made me laugh. I am picturing carrying a man hole cover as a ball marker. Sorry, carry on.

Tell that to the guy in the video.

Let me start by saying I do not keep a handicap but I am considering doing so next year. My friends and I play ready golf. By ready golf I mean whoever is ready to hit their ball first does so with no regard to who is farthest from the hole or who has honors. Am I right that this is against the rules and I will need to change if I am keeping an official handicap?

How about a cup that closes a certain number of minutes after the pin is replaced? Obviously this would only be on days that the course is full.

I know I've said it before but every time I wander back into this thread I am amazed at how strong people feel about Dan. It would never occur to me to resent someone for having a donation button on their website. I don't resent the tip jar at the local ice cream shop. I may not donate but I certainly do not resent that it is there. I have a friend who plays golf 4-5 times a week because his wife has such a high paying job that he does not need to work. Basically he does a bit of freelance work that pays for his golf but she supports the household financially. I never thought to resent him. If Dan figured out a between advertisers, speaking and donations to play golf full time good for him. I am not giving him a pass if he is not being honest with his scores. I know his tournament scores don't match his handicap. He seems like a nervous and not very secure guy. Is it possible he blows up under pressure. I have a regular golfing buddy that goes to pieces with even the smallest bet on the line. I am not trying to say we should hold him up as a roll model.

Let me just respectfuly say that if that hurt your feelings this may not be the place for you.

what if the stick would have led lights on it red yellow and green. When the stick was just replaced the green light is on then after x amount if minutes the yellow and finally the red. Sometimes there is jyst one person in the foursome that is holding things up and this would allow the other golfers in the group to point to concrete evidence that they are running slow. No one thing is going to fix the problem of slow play but every little bit helps.

I am not sure where the dollar figure is but at a certain point I would wear whatever is most comfortable and not care what people think. Need to wear a suit for this event? Forget it. Usually people dress up to go there? Not me. That's out if style? Who cares. Like I say not sure how much money but certainly less than Tiger has.

I have played with several guys that throwing a ball into the wood or water after a bad hole was a superstition thing. Like the offending ball needed to be sacrificed to the golfing gods.

If I were Golftec* I would talk to him. Here is the plan... Quietly start working with him in a very intensive way. Classes twice or three times a week with supervised practices every day. In the beginning no announcement gets made. Wait to see if he can turn the corner. If he get better have Dan announce who he has been working with and become their spokesman. It would advertise well: "Even after 5000+ hours of practice my game was not progressing. Golftec changed that" If I were Golftec I would structure the deal so that Dan gets paid by the hour based on hours of lessons and supervised practices with substantial bonuses for reaching certain handicap levels. Could be a win/win because Dan's story is interesting but only if he gets very very good at golf. *I am using Golftec as an example only because that is the only huge corporate nationwide golf school I know of.

Pace of play.

I know for a fact I get in my own head when it comes to how a ball plays. If I get a rare birdie with a ProV1 it is easy to remember that the next time I am buying balls. Logically I know the ball makes very lite difference to a guy who is not breaking 100.

I took two lessons at Golftec. I think franchise or not it comes down to the instructor.

Cheap instruction can be extremely expensive. *not saying this instructor is wrong but the fact you are asking the question shows you don't trust him so you are wasting your time with him. A big part of learning is trusting the teacher.

OP, this was my first year playing golf on a regular basis. I started the year in the 140-150s. At that point I had almost no good shots. Here are the things that kept me going. 1. I took 2 lessons. Not much but gave me the basics of how to set up and what I should be working on. I took the lessons at a place that records he lesson and gives me access to the video on a app on my iPhone so I. Old go back and see what I was doing wrong. 2. I took the pressure off to lower my score. A few rounds when I was at my worst I would purposely pick up my ball on the first hole. That way I knew I could not figure an accurate score so it took pressure off. 3. Someone here on TST ( I forget who said it and I do not think they were addressing me) "You are not good enough to get mad" It's true if I have never scored lower than 120 I should expect bad shots. 4. Keep track of my best shot of the day. First shot is the best until I hit a shot that better. After each shot I decide if that's my best of the round so far. These things kept it fun. I think I played around 25 or 30 rounds this summer and am down to scoreing 102-110 most rounds. Even had a 46 on my front 9. Long way to go but it's the journey.

I am looking forward to reading the book. I ordered Friday night and Saturday morning I had a tracking number in my inbox. Prompt shipping! Thanks,