Adam,
1) If, as owners, we don't better manage "the business" of our operations, which includes efficiency and profit (or for most of us "break even"), daily fee and small, dare I say humble, private and semi-private clubs will fall by the wayside to become residential development. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not against competition or even seeing some courses close, but the competition should be based on competitive factors, service, design, client/price matching etc. The alternative is less supply, greater demand, higher price for the daily fee player and small club member. The issue for most NGCOA members is not Vijay, its the 40 year-old big stick, who can lift one out of the rough with regularity, beating the older portion, vocal base, of the membership.
2) The E factor - I agree with you. Total bunk. Everyone just ordered their fert & chem for next year and acreage = cost. The Augusta green standard is one of the toughest issues to overcome day to day.
3) Older courses that have to be maintained for all of the membership are hard to hold an open club event on. The set up for the third flight is nothing like what the ideal set up for the first flight should be and only the championship flight ends up with their name on the trophy in the clubhouse at most clubs. In addition in the past twenty years all those front green carry hazards have only made this worse.
4) You have pinpointed the greatest problem in today's social and business setting. The fact of the matter is although the individual should be responsible, the bulk of individuals spend more time and effort seeking to divert blame and excuses rather than stepping up to the plate for their actions. At the higher priced clubs, some, not even close to all, of that element is eliminated. These clubs require a very tight and active membership board made up of "stand up guys". In the middle of the golfing clientele bell curve, where most NGCOA members make a living, very few players take any responsibility for anything. I can't tell you how often I hear a group say, "You need more rangers because that group ahead won't let us play through." The first question I always ask is; "How did you approach them to let them know you'd like to go through?" Top two answers: "We hit into them on (pick a hole) to give them the message." or "We didn't, but we knew they'd be slow on the first tee." When I drive up to the group ahead and ask if the group behind could play through, top two answers: "Those guys are jerks they've been hitting into us all day, even on the greens." or "Sure, I didn't realize they wanted through." The moral of the story is that if you just ask politely to play through, you get through and any body can do it.
Liability – There was a time when if you hit your ball into the parking lot and hit a car you went and left a note under the wiper, apologized and asked the bill be forwarded to you. Today there’s a giggle followed by a remark about how the lot is to close to the hole. The car owner comes in to the shop, and doesn’t really care about who is legally responsible and will sue you if you don’t take care of it because they have a $1000 deductible. When the legal aspect comes up those insurance guys get touchy and jack your rates. Now let’s consider what happens when you have a hole along a road with moving traffic. Forget the fact that when the course was built it was a cow path or two- track – today it’s a busy road. Real world - player hits ball, ball hits car, car goes in ditch, everybody gets sued, course gets off, still has legal bill, ball net goes up, player hits ball, ball hits car, car goes in ditch or hits another car, golf course gets sued and loses this time because they put up a net to address a known problem and loses, insurance company pays for permanent post nasal drip of driver, premiums go up. The romance of the old clubs and the experience makes up for the stray lost ball plus folks are usually on their best behavior. Shouldn't they always?
And where did all those trees come from between holes on the old courses that used to open and playable? In 1965 Mrs. Havecamp, her husband was on the greens committee for years, got hit in three fairway by a tee shot off two. Solution, plant a row ugly pines between the fairways, and this is the line I hate most, for protection. Never mind that the guy on two should have been responsible and waited to hit, he’s got to play 18 in 2:45 or his day is just ruined. Ever wonder why the great proliferation of the double fairway never came to pass? Because the bulk of the players are not considerate or responsible to, quoting St. Andrews, “allow the inward group its due consideration”.
General rant-
To do the rounds needed to break even, let alone profitable, a group of players must be appeased that lack the responsibility levels so integral to the game they profess to play. The only game in the world where a player penalizes himself and must deal with the result of his actions, rather a bad lie, fried egg in bunker, whatever… Take a look at those players that play “everything lateral” and “bump ‘em in the fairway”; follow them around for a day and you’ll see the problems with golf and its future. From the one minute pre shot to the three minute four side put read to the un-repaired ball mark to the 24 beer five hour round, to green wet fairways and greens. We all hate this stuff, but it is what they, the bulk of our customers, have been taught on Saturday and Sunday for years. Golf, the greater good, must re-train the players. It “the revolution” must begin with the club operators and greens committees, goes to the shop staff, must be embraced by the PGA and USGA (require the networks to show the caddies repair ball marks, rake bunkers, and replace divots: “for the good of the game”), these parties are the parents of the game and as such we must make up for the lackluster parenting, both on the course and off, that’s been going on for years.
Cheers!
JT