What do you LOVE about your golf club?

[Bill_McBride]

The fact that all but a few holes are very cool.
Awesome greensites.
Mexican Superman cooking.
They employ me and my check has never bounced.

Which holes are not cool?  I thought they were all interesting.

I'm not a huge fan of 5 or 15.

You're right, can't remember 5 or 15!  Or is 15 the second hole with the church pew bunker?

Yes, 5 is the second pew hole, long hole. The green looks flat but actually has a nice little slope but nothing in line with the rest of the course. 5 Is an okay par 3 that plays slightly uphill.

Well, that certainly weren't THAT bad!  Every course has a few holes that aren't top of the list.

[Jim Briggs]

I love that it is a club with a true family focus, enabling the following:
-its where my wife picked up the game five years ago (and has since collected more hardware than me and sports a lower index)
-its where my wife uttered the following words after our first round together 5 years ago "and ice cold beer after a round of golf is awesome...".  A high five from the bartender to me ensued...
-its where my son first got involved in junior golf and fell in love with the game
- its where the 3 of us have created many memories that deepen our love for the game

[Dave Falkner]

more things

double fairways

blind shots

false fronts

a combination of greens that allow a bump and run and those that require a pitch

[Simon Holt]

Its 367 yards from my front door to the first tee.

I can see the sea on virtually every hole

Its the most fun course I have ever played

Its cheap and the guest fees and policy make hosting guests pretty easy

When I was at high school I finished at 4pm and could play 36 (June to August) with my best friends after the 10 minutes run down the hill to the course.  People play fast!!

Medals have good turnouts and even better banter in the club afterwards

While staying respectful we can say what we like in the clubhouse

The food is very simple, very cheap but it feels like mum has cooked it

I pop in for a pint and banter even if I am not playing as I know there will always be a cool story to hear and a chance to learn off the old guys in the corner

Every member is a great guy- no one feels left out.  No matter what age or standard of golfer we can all have a pint together.

[JNC Lyon]

JNC - if you're talking Oak Hill - don't forget the bowling alley!

Of course!  That's how learned to bowl.  I was big into the support during high school, though not so much now that I'm in college.  I've had great times on those lanes.

I forgot about the no tee times thing at my two clubs in the States.  I love that--nothing like going right from the car to first tee on a late afternoon in summer.

[Dan Herrmann]

Another great thing about Oak Hill - the pro shop staff and members.

Two stories..
1.  I was visiting family and had some time so I drove up to look around.  It was April, chilly, and I got out of my car and chatted with a member on the range.  About 30 minutes later we laughed, shook hands, and wished each other well.  I didn't know the guy from Adam, but my family knew who he was (let's just say I should've known too).  This guy was as friendly as my best friend and we had a great time just talking about Oak Hill.

2.  The Christmas after the PGA Championship, Laura and I were in town visiting the same family.  I decided to run up to the Pro Shop on a whim, hoping they'd have some PGA swag on sale - which they did.  Now, we didn't plan this, so I felt like a schmuck going up there in jeans, but they couldn't have cared less.  I chatted with an assistant pro for quite a while (the place was abandoned), we talked about the Green Jacket...  The pro was even going to smuggle us over to see the bowling alley!  But never happened - Mr. Harmon dropped in, and was SOOO nice to Laura and me.

If they made me feel so good there, imagine how they treat their own members.  A first-class operation all around.

(and, yes, I have similar stores about other clubs - all good.  I' chose to forgot the very few bad experiences I've ever had!)

[Eric Smith]

#8.  I count six GCAers now at my club.  I'm including you E.T.!

[Michael Taylor]

The quality of the members.
The elasticity in the golf course.
The amount of stroke events.
The food.
The views.
The staff.
The everything.

 

[Eric Smith]

The everything.

 

Love it!  Would love to play there someday Pup.

[JNC Lyon]

Another great thing about Oak Hill - the pro shop staff and members.

Two stories..
1.  I was visiting family and had some time so I drove up to look around.  It was April, chilly, and I got out of my car and chatted with a member on the range.  About 30 minutes later we laughed, shook hands, and wished each other well.  I didn't know the guy from Adam, but my family knew who he was (let's just say I should've known too).  This guy was as friendly as my best friend and we had a great time just talking about Oak Hill.

2.  The Christmas after the PGA Championship, Laura and I were in town visiting the same family.  I decided to run up to the Pro Shop on a whim, hoping they'd have some PGA swag on sale - which they did.  Now, we didn't plan this, so I felt like a schmuck going up there in jeans, but they couldn't have cared less.  I chatted with an assistant pro for quite a while (the place was abandoned), we talked about the Green Jacket...  The pro was even going to smuggle us over to see the bowling alley!  But never happened - Mr. Harmon dropped in, and was SOOO nice to Laura and me.

If they made me feel so good there, imagine how they treat their own members.  A first-class operation all around.

(and, yes, I have similar stores about other clubs - all good.  I' chose to forgot the very few bad experiences I've ever had!)

Great stories Dan.  I would say they are pretty typical of how great the staff is at Oak Hill. You won't convince me there is a better club pro than Craig Harmon.

[Jason Topp]

I recently read the book "Golf and the American Country Club" by Richard Moss that helped me to better understand the role country clubs (and golf clubs) historically have played and how they have evolved in American society.  I found the book a bit tedious at times but the author's themes resonated with me. 

He describes a country club as serving two functions:  1) providing a place where like minded individuals act collectively to enjoy the game and 2) groups collectively creating a country estate or mansion that they could not otherwise enjoy individually.

He contrasts those functions with a course as a business, which is offering a commodity (golf) in an effort to make money.

I don't think the concept of a "club" is confined to an exclusive private course.  I consider the public course that I play to have as much as a club as my private course does.  Nonetheless, the collective effort to have fun is what I most like about my club(s).


Here is a link to the amazon listing for the book if anyone is interested -

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0252074130/ref=oss_product







http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0252074130/ref=oss_product