Mark and Mark,
I was just responding in kind to Terry Lavin's tongue-in-cheek post. I greatly enjoyed my time at both Budas, the courses, the matches, the fellowship. Hopefully a third one will be in my future.
One of the things that makes golf so compelling for me is the variety of the courses geographically, and the different customs and traditions of the clubs. As a visitor, I am never more welcomed than in the UK. Doning a coat and tie is hardly an inconvenience, and I can certainly live wtih wearing long pants if the alternative is bermuda shorts with knee socks (quite a sartorial statement when combined with a blazer!).
Slow play is a real problem in the U.S., and I heard that the Liphook members were grumbling a bit over the pace of the Friday morning round. Hunting balls in the heather all day long was probably the main culprit, and I suppose that if playing in three hours is the preferred way there, maybe we should have gone out as twosomes for the individual matches.
In general, golf seems to be experienced differently in the UK than it is here. The thread seeks to identify which "country has the best", a task that's impossible. I think that as a big, relatively wealthy country, the U.S. has greater variety. Augusta National is one extreme with maybe Z-Boaz in Fort Worth being representative of the other end. In between, there are thousands of alternatives. And as both of you can attest, getting on the majority of the courses, despite the prominently displayed "Members Only" signs, is achievable.