Sounds at a Golf Course

[Jason Topp]

I just thought of another one.  I played some course on Oahu that featured screeching chickens on the back 9. 


The locals I played with claimed that they raised roosters for chicken fights there but I am a bit leery of that one.  I am thinking the course was Olamana.  Not much of a course but I the cups made a strange sound when the ball went in because of the liners they used. 

[Doug Bolls]

Every once in a while I play a course just west of Weatherford, TX called Canyon West.  It's south of I20 in a semi-rural development.  From the moment I get there I am astounded by the quietness of the place.  I stand on the first tee looking down the fairway and hear nothing - not a sound.  No traffic, no golf cart engines, no airplanes, no trains - just quiet rural golf accompanied by the sound of a club hitting the ball.  It's a classic experience that I wish everyone could enjoy.

[Pete_Pittock]

The police firing range across the lake from Harding Park is incredibly loud and sporadic, especially since a first-time visitor is not usually expecting it.

I've probably played fifty rounds there in my early life. What firing range?

Can you remember the clanging of swords?http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/Smileys/classic/grin.gif  You also have this at Carnoustie, jets at Columbia Edgewater, prisoners near Riverside,  and I can't remember the last round I played where I didn't hear a siren, excepting the middle of Nebraska.

On  the plus side I marvel at the whoosh of a tee shot, except that my playing partners must be deaf.http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/Smileys/classic/sad.gif

[Tim Leahy]

Love the sound of a driver echoing off the tall trees at Olympic Club.

[Mike_Trenham]

At St. Davids Golf Club in Wayne on the allegedly quite Mainline, our neighbors include institutions, two churches and a couple of farmettes.


One of our members coined the phrase "The Sounds of St. Davids"


Valley Forge Military Academy:
1) Church Bells at least hourly, sometimes on the quarter hour
2) Their military band
3) Their football play-by-play announcer who thinks he's the second coming of "Keith Jackson"
4) The cadets marching


Cabrini College:
1) Softball Games and other assorted events


TEPaul's (aka 'The Lurker') cousin's farm
1) His family was a key part of the club's history as they sold us much of the land the club occupies and were active members/leaders in the early days
2) This small farm has had pigs, peacocks, chickens, donkeys, goats it is rarely quiet
3) On another cousin's property they have a new hobby of motor bike racing in the woods


First Baptist
1) If you play early on Sunday and get to #18 tee in time, you can get some choir music and fire and brimstone if you time it right.


ah 'The Sounds of St Davids'

[Tim Pitner]

One memorable Friday afternoon round at Riverdale Dunes--the sound of Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" blaring from the picnic area to the left of the short par 4 14th. Two shirtless dudes with jeans were hanging out, accompanied by a full keg and their tunes, on a 90+ degree day. Were they waiting for others? Maybe, maybe not. It's an awful song, but the moment was quite funny.

[Tom_Doak]

Several people this year have commented on how quiet it is out on The Loop.  No golf carts, no roads close by, and Forest Dunes is generally surrounded by state forest land.  It will be louder this week, with 70 golfers dissecting it.


I'm always amazed at how loud it is around SFGC.  Years ago I had a camera crew out there, and between the planes taking off for Asia and the expressway at the top end, the audio guy was ready to cry.

[Jason Topp]

Last year as we played the back 9 at the Wilderness at Fortune Bay, the Marshall Tucker Band was performing a concert in the casino parking lot.


https://youtu.be/ZkOsccnyFWs

[Tim_Cronin]

Jason, the school sounds you heard was Rich Central High School – the Olympians, of course! – just to the west. The football press box provides a lovely view of the OFCC clubhouse clock tower.


If Chicago's loudest course isn't Beverly, I'd like to hear – pun intended – what is. You encounter the cars and trucks of 87th Street and Western Avenue, the boom boxes from the Dan Ryan Woods on the east side of Western, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad on the west side of the course, and assorted ambulances on their way to nearby Little Company of Mary Hospital. Above you, there is the signature sound of Beverly's official bird, the Southwest Airlines 737, on its way in or out of Midway Airport.


All this racket is in full flower on any day when the wind of right (for the plane traffic), and that was the case during the final match of the Western Amateur two years ago. The card was filled when, on the 13th hole, the jingle of an ice cream truck wafted across the course.

[Marty Bonnar]

Now that the RAF have left Leuchars, I really, REALLY miss the sounds of the jets when we're at St Andrews.
Luckily the skylarks are still there.
At Leven, we've got the amusements and skate park near the first tee. That can be testing!
The really cool one is when East Fife are playing at Home. The team comes out to Telstar by The Tornadoes being belted out on the stadium loudspeakers. It easily carries to the links. Hilarious.

F.

[Jon Wiggett]

Playing at Crossland Heath back in the 80's it was not unusual to have fireworks going off in the background as the (Standard?)firework factory in Huddersfield tested their products. I always remember the first time I experienced this as an eleven year old was during the club's Junior Open one of the lads playing in my group drained a long birdie putt on the par 3 second and no sooner had the ball dropped into the cup a whole volley of rockets went off over the back of the green. I was very impressed that they had such a celebration for a birdie 


Alas, I believe the factory is no more.
Jon

[John Crowley]

When I lived in San Diego, I played both courses at Torrey Pines frequently.  During most rounds, you'd get to hear (and see) fighter jets flying to/from Miramar.  They always kicked it into high gear right as they got over the coastline, which was fun to hear and watch.

Brian,
I remember our round at TPS a few years ago. I too enjoy the thrill of the jets punching it just as they get over the sea.
At Lossimouth however the RAF jets are much lower, guessing less than 500 feet. Not thrilling - painful.
John

[Thomas Dai]

It's not just where military jets take off but also where they drop their bombs or do their shooting practice. Ashburnham for example, will have heard more than just a few 'bangs' over the years from nearby Pembrey and then there's the likes of the admittedly further from urbanisation Cape Wrath bombing range which isn't far from Durness. And quite a few military airbases have had or have their own courses.


By the way, is there still a military firing range close by Carnoustie?



Atb

[Marty Bonnar]

By the way, is there still a military firing range close by Carnoustie?



Atb

Oh yes! And they weren't stopping for something as trivial as a Senior British Open!

 

F.

[Carl Johnson]

For urban sounds, I'd put my club, Carolina Golf Club (Charlotte) high on list.  (All of this "noise" has been nicknamed the "Carolina Symphony," and once you get used to it, it sounds mighty fine.) --


Heavily used train tracks border the north side of the course -- not quiet commuter trains, but noisy freight trains.  On top of the track noise, the trains are required to sound their horns, which they seem to do with great glee, at a grade crossing at the road bordering the east side of the course.


Not only is there a road bordering the east side of the course, there's also a road bordering part of the west side of the course.  Beyond the usual car traffic (and big boom speakers in many cars), the neighborhood seems to have more than its share of public safety vehicles blaring their sirens responding to 911 calls.  (Gunshots in the vicinity of the course are quite rare, however.)


The Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is just west of the course, but, thankfully, flight patterns are north-south so the planes, while routinely visible, are not heard (for those who don't know, this airport is the 6th busiest in the world, just after Beijing, in terms of the number of take-offs and landings -- it's an American Airlines hub, among other reasons).  However, the police department's helicopters routinely fly low directly over the course between their base at the airport and their downtown headquarters, and you do hear them quite well.


Then, just across the street east of the course is a large junk yard whose machines make mega-noise when crushing cars and such.  On the other hand, in the past few years I haven't noticed the loud parties that used to take place at the veterans' hall just down the street from the junk yard.  The junk yard just across the street west of the course is now closed, but it never was as noisy as the one one on the other side.  I should also add that the residential neighbors on the south and west side of course are very quiet (and I hope that our sometimes-events with outdoor music does not disturb them).


 

[Mark Pearce]

There's the go-kart racing track on the old airfield next door to Crail Craighead, which can be very loud on a weekend morning playing 5-8.


Some weekends there are events at Newcastle race track (vintage car rallies, for instance) many of which are accompanied by loud music over speakers.  We also, occasionally, get the sound of a race meeting whilst playing.  I haven't played there on a Saturday afternoon but at Newcastle United Golf Club (no affiliation) you must hear the roars from St James Park when the Toon score.

[Ed Brzezowski]

FDR in Philly. Stadium traffic, trains , planes and buses and the Eagles training facility.

But the great smell of Butterscotch Krimpets being baked drowns out all that noise. Much better than the local smell of Southern Chester County, Pa, courses.

[Carl Nichols]

Jackson Park:  "live" (non-range) gun shots


Pecan Valley:  screams from domestic assault and resulting group fight

[BHoover]

At Champions Golf Course in Columbus, there's a pretty decent chance you might here the sounds of yourself being mugged and/or held up at gunpoint. You also might be lucky enough to see/hear a real working meth lab depending on the day.

[JJShanley]

I haven't played Brickyard Crossing, but I have plenty people tell me about the infield holes during practice sessions.

[Matt Dawson]

I was told by an old Oxford golfer that the Cambridge players didn't know how lucky they were, to be able to play at Royal Worlington as undergrads whilst Oxford had to make do with Southfields.

To illustrate the point, he claimed that you could hear the screaming noises from the abattoir that bordered the course somewhere on the front 9 at Southfields

Full disclosure - I have never played Southfields. Maybe that's a good thing

[David McIntosh]

The Strathspey Railway echoing through the trees when playing Boat of Garten is a pretty unique sound. It's great to hear the locomotives build up speed then the shrill of the train's whistle.

Thomas mentioned sheep "baaing" in an earlier post - I played Brora last week and the sheep and cattle noises there can be a little louder than at most other courses!

[Pat Burke]

By the way, is there still a military firing range close by Carnoustie?



Atb

Oh yes! And they weren't stopping for something as trivial as a Senior British Open!

 

F.

I thought those sounds were ONLY in MY head!!  You mean everyone heard that!! 

[Marty Bonnar]

By the way, is there still a military firing range close by Carnoustie?



Atb

Oh yes! And they weren't stopping for something as trivial as a Senior British Open!

 

F.

I thought those sounds were ONLY in MY head!!  You mean everyone heard that!! 

Pat,
LOL!
Maybe you're not as crazy as you think you are!!! Unless, of course, I'm crazy too...
 
T.O.F.

[Sean_A]

I was told by an old Oxford golfer that the Cambridge players didn't know how lucky they were, to be able to play at Royal Worlington as undergrads whilst Oxford had to make do with Southfields.

To illustrate the point, he claimed that you could hear the screaming noises from the abattoir that bordered the course somewhere on the front 9 at Southfields

Full disclosure - I have never played Southfields. Maybe that's a good thing

Not a bad course at all...you should give it a go.
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,43021.msg926943.html#msg926943


Not to get all poetic or any such thing, but I like the call of the pheasants at Burnham & Berrow.


Ciao