Walked off the course today

[eclark53520]

Odd, most of the time when i play later sunday, there is absolutely no one on the course.

After the church crew has cleared(11a-2PM) the courses down around me are dead.

 

[FATC1TY]

I like to chip peoples balls into the woods when they hit into me.

 

[sssmokin]

Went out Saturday, and it was the same thing. Foursomes of the slowest, worst, "players" you could imagine. Diddle-dee-dinking around on the greens...............30 practice swings before they whiffed................unreal. It took almost 3 hours on the first nine................asked if we could jump on the nine not in the 18 hole rotation, and they said yes if we didn't mind getting paired up with a twosome. Well, it was worse than before after we met these two dingleberries from Chicago (they made sure we knew they were from the big city). Two of the most obnoxious human beings on the planet and also two of the worst golfers I've ever encountered. Add to that the fact that they were so drunk they couldn't find their way to the next hole.............(we were supposed to think that was real funny and be completely entertained by their hilarious antics). We finally made some excuse and broke up as a twosome.........left them far behind to back everyone up. No rangers...........but even if there was, they cater to the Illinois people up here so bad it makes you want to throw up. In the clubhouse are hats and shirts and jackets for the Bears, Cubs, etc. Sucking up to them big time. I know alot of Illinois people, and they're great...........but this sucking up to them really bites.

 

[Highdraw34]

I call it the Americanization of golf. There is a fine line between it being a business and a game. I live in an area that has 6 very very reputable country clubs centrally located within about a 6 mile radius of each other. Aside from those untouchable (for me) courses you have 8 munis and about 7 high end daily fee courses.

At the Munis the courses are about 6200 yards max usually about a 68-72 rating. Nothing difficult. They have all gone to dollar first philosophy. There are no checks and balances as to who goes on the course, when they go on the course and how they are monitored. My home course only has marshals on the weekend and only from open -3pm. After that, good luck. No one lets anyone play through, no one fixes ball marks, no one picks up the pace. There is no inherent understanding anymore that golf is a game of ettiquette. Golf courses now are simply expensive playgrounds for people.

My home course cares only about revenue. They are fortunate to be located in an area impervious to the economic downturn, plentiful with deep pocketed schmucks who care only for themslves. It is disheartening. I hear stories of Europe where they make you prove your worthy to be on a course before you can play. I think the USGA would be well served to institute at testing and licensing policy that requires proof of compitence before people play on a course. I know that is a pipe dream and until it happens it is going to suck for people like us. As someone said to me recently, no golfer should ever take more than 5 hours to play any round of golf on any course. We saw recently that even the best players in the world get put on the clock in tournament settings, Yet Mr. and Mrs. Havercamp feel they should take 4 year old johnny and 6 year old sally out for a 6 hour round. Rant Over.

 

[Riverologist]

I may come across as an a-hole, but this is what happened last week to me.

I walked on our local municipal course last Sunday afternoon. I got paired up with a gentlemen that was in his 50's. After introductions I could tell he had one major speech impediment.

He proceeded to take a "20" on the first hole. We were over a hole and a half behind after playing the first hole. Walking to the second tee he apologized that he was recovering from a brain injury. From what I got from him he use to be a single digit player.

Needless to say, I played one more hole with him and walked to the parking lot.

I felt really bad for him but there was no way I could handle it.
What would everyone else do?

 

[N.V.M.]

I may come across as an a-hole, but this is what happened last week to me.

I walked on our local municipal course last Sunday afternoon. I got paired up with a gentlemen that was in his 50's. After introductions I could tell he had one major speech impediment.

He proceeded to take a "20" on the first hole. We were over a hole and a half behind after playing the first hole. Walking to the second tee he apologized that he was recovering from a brain injury. From what I got from him he use to be a single digit player.

Needless to say, I played one more hole with him and walked to the parking lot.

I felt really bad for him but there was no way I could handle it.
What would everyone else do?

i hope you faked a back injury or something.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

What did you shoot?

Was 2 over for the 4 holes, not exactly lighting the place up.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

He said I was delusional, and if I didn't think 7hours + was acceptable on a Sunday that I should spend 75g's on a private membership or bugger off.

Anything over 4 1/2 hrs maybe 5 tops is unacceptable. I don't mind that amount of time to play 18 on a crowded course but there is no excuse for any rd anywhere to take over 5 hrs.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I may come across as an a-hole, but this is what happened last week to me.

I walked on our local municipal course last Sunday afternoon. I got paired up with a gentlemen that was in his 50's. After introductions I could tell he had one major speech impediment.

He proceeded to take a "20" on the first hole. We were over a hole and a half behind after playing the first hole. Walking to the second tee he apologized that he was recovering from a brain injury. From what I got from him he use to be a single digit player.

Needless to say, I played one more hole with him and walked to the parking lot.

I felt really bad for him but there was no way I could handle it.
What would everyone else do?

I would have pointed him in the direction of a nice little par 3 where he could work on getting his game back.

And he actually carded a 20????

 

[295yards]

Anything over 4 1/2 hrs maybe 5 tops is unacceptable. I don't mind that amount of time to play 18 on a crowded course but there is no excuse for any rd anywhere to take over 5 hrs.

I think the solution is if you are going to play on the weekend is to do it as early as you can. Get the very first tee times available. I love golf at that hour, sipping on a hot coffee, chipping and putting until the marshalls to let you on.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I think the solution is if you are going to play on the weekend is to do it as early as you can. Get the very first tee times available. I love golf at that hour, sipping on a hot coffee, chipping and putting until the marshalls to let you on.

I typically will play 9 at my home course between 8:30-9:30 on sundays
when all the church going folks are busy. Never have an issue then. But I wanted to play someplace different & the price was right, or so I thought.

 

[FATC1TY]

I just play early.. I'm not much a morning person, so my "early" is no more than 8am.

Sounds silly.. but when I make a tee time, it's always for 4 people.. Then when I show up, it's usually just two of us.. Leaving the course to scramble to find 2 others to join with mere minutes to go, they generally just let us play as a two-some even if it's crowded. Sounds "*******-ish", but hey.. We play at a 3 hour 45 minute round.. no more than 4 hours 30 minutes.

Anything over 5, and I'm fuming.. I had a 6 hour round the other week, and I was ready to wrap my 3-iron around someones face. I went ahead and hit the green in 2 on this disgustingly nasty 580yard par 5.. I superman hit my hybrid and cleared the lake to the half island green. Needless to say, the group wasn't happy, so I obliged them, and walked past them to my ball as I yelled back up the hill to my partner that I hit the green in 2!

Suckers.

 

[FATC1TY]

By the way.. I use Golfnow.. Which is horrible now, it was better as last minute tee times. Booking a time with GN, pairs you up with some of the trashiest people sometimes.

I got a tee time at a nice course, play there often.. Price was fantastic.. Like $14 bucks, when it was normally $55.. Got paired with this hack who was dubbed "three from the tee" for a reason, and these two gay dudes from north of town who couldn't keep their hands off each others balls.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

I use Golfnow a lot also, & you are right about some of the pairings. I have zero issues though with refusing to play with someone. It's usually easy enough to skip ahead 1 hole or tell the other party to just go ahead without you.

Don't care if they think i'm an ass for doing that either.

 

[FATC1TY]

I've done that.

Played 2 holes, told them I had a prior arrangement and didn't want to have a crowd while I played. I asked if they didn't mind waiting for me to tee off and hit my approach, or if they did, I'd just skip the hole and play it when I was done with the rest.