Aside from the golf course, what do you love about your club?

[Mike Bodo]

After the course, the 19th Hole is definitely my favorite part of our club. I love the membership and hanging out with the guys regardless of the occasion. Our pros and managerial staff are first-rate and we have a very active social calendar for adults and kids. Not too many places I'd rather be most days, which is a common trait of most good clubs.

[Carson Pilcher]

For me, its the guys at the club that are fellow members.  At our club, our "jerk ratio" is very low.  99% of the guys are nice, down to earth and humble.  You can walk to the tee and play with any member and know you are going to have a good time and enjoy their company.

[Jeff Shelman]

I'm in a spot right now where I'm not really in love with my club at all. Lots of debt. Lots of drama. Lots of debate on whether to sell or not sell the club. And, frankly, too many jerks.

The lesson for me is that while the quality of the golf course is important, the quality of the people (fellow members and staff) might be even more important.

Culture doesn't make up for a bad course, but it can make a club a better experience than another club with a slightly better course.

[Adam Warren]

As people discuss their club, I would love to hear what state or Metro area their course is located just to get an understanding of what is important or what type of services are available in different areas.  I am sure that what is available here in the Louisville Metro area is quite different to what is available/important to those in the Northeast/West Coast/UK, etc.

The pace of play at my club is great.  This time of year when its cool in Kentucky my group can get around in less than 3 hours depending on the game we are playing. In the summer 4 hours 15 minutes is kind of a long round.

The food and drinks are good and fairly priced.  We don't have minimums and it's nice that we don't charge 10 bucks for a burger (no burger is worth 10 bucks in any part of the country).

We have the right leadership in place to have a clearer path forward.  Several years ago the place almost closed.  The board and staff we have right now are great and willing to make sacrifices for the good of the club. 

There is a group of guys that are of similar playing abilities with the same passion and ability to get out regularly.  It makes for a great time and some great matches.

[Tom Birkert]

Regarding no tee times, I should state that is for member only days (Fridays - Sundays) and members only times of the other days. Of course we have tee time allocation for visitors (though that system is an utter shambles and needs an overhaul).

[Rick Lane]

We are a very busy club in New England, with over 20,000 rounds this year.   We use a system called Foretees, which is an online tee time system.   Its great, does lead to a rush to sign up on weekends, but that's better IMHO than getting up at 5 am to go get in line.   The rest of the time, the system is great for looking online to see where there are gaps in play, to just go up and play some holes....you can see how busy it is....or not....or see a twosome and jump in with them , etc....

[PCCraig]

With regards to the no tee times discussion, it all depends on the situation but generally speaking I am very much in favor.


At my previous club, the course had tee times. The course didn't get a ton of play (~19-20thd rounds/year) and you generally didn't need tee times, except on busy times like Wednesday afternoons (Men's League), Friday afternoon, and Saturday mornings.


Where the tee times became a real pain was on Saturday mornings where there was a 'group' of older guys, run by one guy in particular, who got the first five or six tee times reserved by the pro shop. Then the one person would e-mail his group asking who wanted to play earlier in the week and then would send out pairings on Friday. The group itself was very cliquey and if you were a newer member it was nearly impossible to be added to the e-mail list, and if the main guy didn't like you, you either were removed from the list or given a "bad" tee time (later, with slower/older players).


That was a real pain in the ass.


So after a couple of years we asked "why do they get the first tee times every Saturday?" (I was removed from the e-mail list for even asking the question in a golf committee meeting) and the only answer we could get was "that's how it's always been done." So, I started signing onto the online tee time system after midnight, two weeks in advance, the first two tee times for myself and buddies.


That really pissed the old guys off.


My response at the time was, "well, why doesn't the pro shop run an open game every Saturday morning and dictate groups...so that every member is welcome to play?" The pro shop staff was, and still is, too lazy to make that effort so for a few years there were competing "groups" jockeying for the first tee times every Saturday morning, which really sucks when that is the only time of the week you have time to play 18 holes.


I joined a new club this past summer which has a no tee time policy. It's a smaller membership but a active pro shop makes the entire system hum. If you don't have a prearranged game you just show up and the staff will pair you up, or if you have a group already, you just call on your way to the course so bags can be set up with caddies/carts/whatever. The most I've ever waited to tee off is two groups, which when everyone plays in 3.5-4 hours it's not a big deal.


Plus, it creates a much more social atmosphere at a club when you are always being paired with new people on a spur of the moment basis which I think is great.


So, if you have a very busy course, tee times are needed to keep order. But at a private club with a smaller membership, no tee times is a much better way to do to keep the entire process more social and democratic.

[Mike Bodo]

As people discuss their club, I would love to hear what state or Metro area their course is located just to get an understanding of what is important or what type of services are available in different areas.  I am sure that what is available here in the Louisville Metro area is quite different to what is available/important to those in the Northeast/West Coast/UK, etc.

The club I belong to is located in the Metro Detroit area. On Saturday and Sunday mornings we have two different money games available for members to play in. One is called the Black Tee Guys, which usually consists of single handicappers in a best ball format. The other is called the Sunshine Boys in which a variety of double-digit handicappers are paired up randomly in teams of four in a net two person better ball format. The great thing about both games is that you get to play with members you may not be familiar with or wouldn't necessarily think of asking to play in a Saturday or Sunday morning foursome. Also, for new members it is a great way of meeting and playing with different fellow members.


Food and beverage prices are very reasonable at our club and if you are a Class A member you are only required to spend $1,200.00 min. annually for dining, which is real easy to hit. We have very good swim and tennis programs at our club and if your 40 and under you pay a Gen-X rate, which is slightly lower than what non Gen-X members pay in annual fees and dues. This program has been extremely successful in attracting young couples with growing families to the club and ingratiating them into the country club lifestyle.


Western has nearly 400 golfing and non-golfing members combined and this year will see 18,000 rounds of golf played for the first time in a very long time. We are slowly but surely growing our numbers and because we don't have the glitz, pomp and circumstance of say a Meadowbrook, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Oakland Hills and Orchard Lake, we have a very laid-back, non-pretentious membership that welcomes all types of characters - including yours truly. 

[Ira Fishman]

This post reflects more about my shortcomings than anything else, except the best thing about our club which is in the Metro DC area.


The course is nothing special. I did not want to join a club so my wife made the decision based on convenience—it is five minutes or less from our house.


The members I have met for more than 20 minutes of interaction are very nice, but I think that numbers less than 25 or so people. My wife knows dozens upon dozens.


The food is very good but not great. We eat there several times a week (see convenience point above) in the bar which is quite relaxed. That is where I have met the members I know.


Ah, but the golf staff is terrific. Our head pro sets a tone of balance between Member Service but Respect for her staff. She is engaging and patient. Her staff is all of that plus irreverent when appropriate. I have spent countless hours hanging out in the pro shop laughing, debating, and giving each other grief.


Ira

[Jordan Caron]

We have a really good group of players ranging from +3 to 14 and the ages of 21 to 65. We play high low with a couple of modifiers. if a team makes two gross birdies, they get an extra point on the hole. If a team makes two gross double bogeys or worse, they lose an extra point on a hole. So there could be 4 points up from grabs.


We have a year long points race which keeps everyone playing. At the end of the year the top 3 are in the final playoff. The next 3 and a wildcard playoff for the last spot in the final. Outside of that we have a few road trips during the year as well. One event we had 20 players travel a few hours away for an amateur event.

I use to work at my club as well. Started when I was 19 (now 35) and have a built up a nice social circle from others at the club.