What does it cost to be one of the masses..and how do you accommodate them?

[John Kavanaugh]

John,

I think Thoreau wrote, " The mass of men (or in this case, golfers) live lives of quiet desperation."


Bob

Bob,

It was a quieter sport back when gentlemen played.

Kalen,

I do play a ton of great courses each year but the only reason I lace them up is because besides poker and Golfclubatlas, golf presents a captive audience of friends obligated through time and habit to not walk away when they see me coming.  

[Mark Bourgeois]

Hmmm, this talk of gentlemen, rudeness and rabble...what does everybody think of the Swedish / German model -- and I don't mean Elin / Heidi.

[Bruce Katona]

If we set up our business models under the premise that all of our members play 40 rounds a year, that would be too aggressive.   Do you have some that play far more, yes.  To play in excess of 40 rounds/year, you generally would be playing two days a week for 20 weeks (average season here in the northeast is 25 weeks), minus any vacation time, business travel, etc.  Most members here are members so they can get out to play on Saturday and Sunday mornings during peak golf season.  Play really drops off, except for the die hard golfers, once football season (college and professional) really rolls into gear.

Except for the time I was between jobs, I have never played 40 rounds in one year....15-20 is average.  I consider myself a dedicated golfer, but with work, a 10 year old who plays softball/lacrosse and a wife that I would not like to divorce, that is about the limit.

[Richard Boult]

I put off golf until I reached a point in my life when I had the time and money to really enjoy it. That took me 46 years (until I got both kids into college).  I've been playing 2 years now and play about 10 rounds per month, 12 months per year (still working full time). I easily spend $4000/yr playing public courses only (nearly all with 4*+ GD Mag ratings), working in a few pricey courses each year on vacation.

That said, I don't think how often you play has anything to do with  how serious you are about golf. There are plenty of serious golfers who may not have the time or money to even play once a week, but certainly would if they could.

For the "time starved" golfer, we have a Men's night league that plays 9 holes every Tuesday night at 4pm. For many of these "serious" golfers, that's all the golf they get in all week.

[Tim Bert]

Why can't golf courses have a "free day" where they ask for a donation but don't require it, the way museums do?

Shorty's in Bandon.  Every day that it is open.