Why Golf Courses Lose Players - What's your Tale?

[Tennessee]

About April, 2013, a course 12-14 miles from me called me about one of those promotions where if you sat through a membership pitch, they gave you two free rounds of golf. I had never really played this course, since it is kind of out in the sticks, but decided to drag the wife and I out for the pitch. After what was a fairly soft pitch to join, the fellow merrily gave me two free round passes. Not a bad deal, I thought. Course looked OK, maybe a little wet.

I set my first date as a single, so I could evaluate the course. Took a weekday tee time of 8:56AM, which they assigned to me.
When I arrived at about 8:15, I went in and got the free pass accepted, got a scorecard, my electric cart, and decided to warm up for 20-25 minutes. I was maybe one minute into my warm-up when the ranger drove up to me and asked me when my tee time was.
I told him, and he said I had to tee off now, since he had a regular foursome at 9:00AM that played fast, and he didn't want me in the way. I asked him if I could at least putt a little on the practice green, and his response was that I looked warmed up to him and could I step to the tee? Huh?? He also threw in that the drainage on the course was very poor, so absolutely no carts on the fairways. (Another great endorsement)

At the tee, (where he followed me), I asked him about the Senior tees. He asked how old I was. At the time, I was 63. He told me I had to tee off the whites, that Senior tees were only for 65 and older. I was just about floored. Who cares?? I was a senior amateur on a weekday! I asked him what if I tee off a white on one and maybe two, and then switch to the Senior tees out on the course? He said I could, but if he caught me he would ask me to go back to the whites or leave.
At this point I was pretty upset, but hit my first drive straight, off the whites. He said I looked good to him, and have a nice round.
Holy moly...
Needless to say, I didn't chose to use the second round pass. And the course was plagued by horrible wet spots. We had a lot of recent rain, but man, this was silly. I lost two balls in the fairways which plugged and I never found. By the time I was on the eighteenth green, I noticed that the course was pretty packed on the front nine. Personally, I found their peanut greens, wet fairways, and poor ranger attitude was all the info I needed. I decided this course could live without my money. I have heard since they still struggle with getting a good amount of players. Maybe they should talk to the ranger...

 

[eclark53520]

The (only) course in my home town used to be private, simply because of the demand. That place was immaculate and the membership prices were decent, there was almost never a membership open unless someone died, and there was a list of people waiting to get one. This place was designed in the 30's and plays in and through some very beautiful mature hardwoods, great elevation change, and a couple really nice water features on the front. The back was designed later, sometime in the mid 80's and is basically put in an open field Much longer holes, but wide open and a completely different feel with lots of bunkers.

Now...it's public, wednesdays and thursdays are free green's fee's with purchase of a cart, and they still struggle to get people on the course.

Why? Plain and simple, course conditions. All the grass is cut exactly the same, there is no 'rough'. The fairways are terrible, lots of bare ground, lots of junk grass. Greens are 50% burnt up. The ladies tee's are absolutely tiny typically not mowed at all because they're too lazy to get off their big mowers since the tee's were designed so that they could only be push mowed.

No marshal, no starter, which aren't that big of a deal since no one plays there anymore.

They finally dropped the price, they used to want $45+cart to play 18 there. I have better grass in the empty lot next to my house, not to mention a 9 hole that's kept in fantastic condition 12 miles away that I can play for $12+cart. Not nearly as long, or as naturally beautiful, but the greens/fairways/rough are kept up wonderfully.

 

[Fairwaysplitter3320]

I don't really have a horror story but Henry Horton used to be my go to course around here but they are under new management and have let the greens go a bit, it looks like a few of them have been attacked by some kind of weed and it has killed the roll in spots and the bunkers have always been hard as rocks. With that being said I will still play it from time to time but there are better courses with better fees just a ways away.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

Tennessee, I would've given that marshal an ear full. That's bullshit. I don't think a foursome of PGA pros could faster than me. They shouldn't have set the tee times so close together. But whatever, what really irks me is not being able to play what tee that you want. If I want to play the reds then I'm playing the GD reds. If that asshat had anything smart to say back, I would've walked off the course and called the board or whoever was courting me for a membership. Give a guy a badge and it goes to his head. Douche.

A couple of courses close to me used to be private but have since went public because they couldn't stay afloat. The members and staff are a bunch of big feelin, 100 dollar, millionaires. The first few years they went public they treated non-members like shit. You could tell that no one there was happy about going public. Now both of the courses that I'm referring to are broke and could close their doors any day now.

I guess my point to this long winded post is that it really matters how the course owners and staff treat their customers. You would think they would realize that. I like the courses that go out of their way to make it an enjoyable experience. Those are the courses that I frequent. With today's economy, course owners should be doing whatever they can to get golfers on the course.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

We played a course and I honestly want to say it was Glen Erin and we were on the back 9 and the Ranger kept bothering our group telling us to play faster because we were supposedly holding people up. Yet there were 2 foursomes ahead of us and we were constantly on their ass yet this prick wouldn't say anything to them, just kept unrelentlessly badgering us.

 

[limpalong]

Pretty well boils down to customer service. To some extent, course condition plays a part. However, I'll play a goat track where they seem to appreciate your business rather than a better venue where they act like jerks.
Had tee times reserved at a course in Sioux City about 3 years ago. Arrived 30 minutes before our tee times. Pro shop says we won't be able to play due to a men's league. What? Why did you take our tee time? Lady was rude and said we should have known better than to make tee times on league afternoon. Huh? Two from Minnesota and two of us from Kansas meet in Iowa to play. We're supposed to know not to make the tee times the gave us over the phone?
Headed over to another course. Were treated like kings. Goat track. Been back there three years in a row to play. Course isn't in any better shape, but each time they seem glad to see us and make us feel welcome.

I enjoy playing well manicured courses and challenging venues. I've been blessed to enjoy those experiences. Today, I'm content to play for the "social" value... having fun... telling jokes... enjoying the companionship of similarly minded golfers.

 

[eclark53520]

Around here, the only time you ever talk to someone from the golf course is when you pay/check in. I've never come across a rude employee at a golf course around here. I've been hassled by a Marshal once...but we were a 4 playing behind a 1 with almost nobody on the course...and there was nobody behind us. So we just said, yeah yeah, and kept playing as we were.

The only place I've played that had a starter is Glen Erin, Pleasant view, the joint in Illinois I played with Eracer, Timaquan(in florida), and I'm pretty sure the bear trace joint had one, and they have always been friendly and accomodating.

I guess I just take employee's not being A$$holes for granted.

 

[Tennessee]

anonymous, that is exactly why I didn't go back. I really didn't need the confrontation, and in things like this, what goes around usually comes around.
At that time, my little muni was undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation and only had nine to eleven holes open at any one time. And you could bet they changed from time to time as they repaired the course. Once in a great while, you would face a fairway temporary green. But the pricing was great, and now that it has all new cart paths, new irrigation, new greens and the eighteen is now open full again, they have kept the same attitude, and it is filling back up. You can play in the winter down here most of the time, and they have a wintertime special mid-week, $17 for 18 holes with a cart. I think you can walk it for about $10 mid week. It's only about 5800 yards, but just fine for me, and it is a shot-makers course. Not much rough, but a ton of trees and they make good use of them. You never get hassled, the food is decent in the clubhouse, and they are always friendly. Oh, and they always give a free round to any veteran on Veteran's Day, and I qualify.

I remember reading a story in Golf Digest a few months back concerning the state of golf and how to turn it around, and one of the biggest problem really is customer service. They wrote about the story of a family who visited New England for the first time on a summer vacation, and their son who was a leader on his high school golf team wanted to play a certain course. The dad made the tee time before they left home and made sure there was others for the kid to make his round with. The day of the play, the dad dropped the son off and said he would be back in four hours.
The kid had to call his dad back in about 20 minutes, when the starter would not let the kid on the course since he did not have a collar on his shirt. No offer to sell him one, no exceptions, and they turned down the folks $125 rather than let a very good teen golfer on a course without a collar on his shirt. And the membership has meetings on why is attendance down? I know a lot of old time golfers who get rankled when they see a golfer on a course with blue jeans and sneakers. People still get upset at things like the stadium hole in Phoenix at the Waste Management open. Why is it that all the pros readily hit off this hole, but their caddie might yank a camera out of a fan's hands for a simple click on some other hole? Get a life already, I say. WM put over 500,000 people on that course on Saturday. That can only be GOOD for the sport. People change, and the new generation is not interested in khakis and Footjoys to shoot a round of golf at a public course. It's golf, not church.

 

[limpalong]

Oh, and they always give a free round to any veteran on Veteran's Day, and I qualify.

People change, and the new generation is not interested in khakis and Footjoys to shoot a round of golf at a public course. It's golf, not church.

First of all, thank you for your service. Our son is now Ft. Campbell with the 5th Special Forces Group.

"It's golf, not church." Some look at is as a religion... others as recreation. Our regular group, at our home course, is extremely "loose". Lots of banter, joking, and laughter. We have guys who will consistently shoot in the low to mid 70's and guys who often have difficulty breaking 100. One of the things we are mindfuly of, though, is that we do not impose our type of play on others. We don't skid cart tires on the path. We don't shout obscenities that would be heard by groups on adjoining holes. I believe the game can be enjoyable... without resembling a drunkfest.
Golf on television has done a lot to promote the sport... and to hinder the sport. Much of today's slow play comes from those thinking they must emulate their favorite PGA pro, going through substantial over-preparation for each and every shot. Some believe they need to assess every angle and slope and potential path on their first putt... their second putt... their third putt... their fourth putt... Golf on tv has also given some the idea that if a squirrel farts in a tree 20 FT above them, they can't hit. Respect those making shots, but playing golf at our level is going to have some distractions. Learn to accept that, play well regardless of them, and keep the game moving.

 

[Tennessee]

I would agree with most of what you say. It should be a reasonable expectation to not have someone yell out when you are in mid-swing, or be cursing up a blue-streak one fairway over. That being said, until we realize that the sport is evolving, that we need to welcome people who may be more casual than in the past is something that still...too many golf courses are struggling with.

As far as slow play goes - I think it is worse in some places than others. Might be even somewhat course dependent. Some very fine courses that will attract a higher level of player will also suffer from slower play. Those players whom a single stroke may be the difference between a scratch round and what they consider a failure would not likely be found on the muni I play. So slow play is not something I see a lot of. Last time I played the Bear Trace, it was so slow we took almost five hours to finish the round. At least half the holes, we had to wait for either the fairway or green to clear.

On the other hand, a rank beginner who is hitting 10's and 12's on every hole can be even more frustrating. And those people I do see on my little course. Both have the right to play, of course, but both can be just as frustrating.

The last category are the people who lose a ball in the woods, and take 10-15 minutes not only finding their ball, but locating another dozen to keep them going. And those people whom I call the "edge walkers", who will hit down the middle, but walk the edge of the woods or heavy rough, kind of swishing a pitching wedge back and forth in the hopes of breaking lose a lost ball. One of my pet peeves on a golf course. When I pull up to the course to play a round and I am alone, if I see a player with one of those water ball retrievers in their bag, I think twice before hooking up with them. But that's just me.
Either way, the more people we get involved, the better off the sport will be, plain and simple.

 

[nututhugame]

We played a course and I honestly want to say it was Glen Erin and we were on the back 9 and the Ranger kept bothering our group telling us to play faster because we were supposedly holding people up. Yet there were 2 foursomes ahead of us and we were constantly on their ass yet this prick wouldn't say anything to them, just kept unrelentlessly badgering us.

I think this is true. And I believe the starter was kind of a dick that day too.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I think this is true. And I believe the starter was kind of a dick that day too.

Yep, the starter was a douche.

 

[TrickyPutt]

I want a new catagory besides points and likes and posts.

I want word count.

 

[BigJim13]

I want a new catagory besides points and likes and posts.

I want word count.

Why, Limp would win 10 times over. Although one if the new guys could give him a run for his money.

 

[TrickyPutt]

I dont care. what I just read was a lot of work and it should be recognized if for no other reason than the pixels killed in making those posts.