What was your public golf experience 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago?

[Jeff_Brauer]

What was your public golf experience 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago?

On the “Arnie” thread a few folks referenced how “public golf was” back in Arnie’s day.  I was an Arnold Palmer fan and his exploits certainly added to my desire to golf.  I got to thinking my own wasn’t all that bad at the height to end of the Arnie era, but I grew up in Chicago where I had lots of options.

A stroll down memory lane:

For the last ten years, I have played mostly my own public courses, mostly for free from mid price to ultra expensive and everywhere in between.  Even many of my golf trips centered around getting back to my own courses like Colbert Hills or Giant’s Ridge/Fortune Bay.  When I go elsewhere, it is usually part of ASGCA or work, and its to hit courses that are well regarded, like Bandon, Chambers Bay, Whistling Straits and Erin Hills, etc.  Certainly no shortage of good to excellent public golf, with a few historic privates mixed in.

20-30 years ago (1980-1990) I moved from Chicago to Dallas.  The first half was in Chicago, and our office was on Kemper Lakes, which made up the bulk of my play, but we also got out and around the Chicago clubs we worked at and trekked to Lake Geneva, Pete Dye’s course at Plum Creek in Crystal Lake, and all the new courses around Chicago.

Upon coming to DFW I played rather pedestrian muni’s for a while, mixed in with some clubs around town.

30-40 years ago (1967 when I started to 1980) is the public golf era I recall fondly from around Chicago.  After playing my first rounds at Medinah (all courses) I was soon relegated to the nine hole course at Rob Roy for most rounds, but did play the 18 hole course there, which was decent, but flat, and more often Old Orchard across the street, which until carved up for condos was a REAL SOLID course.

I wanted to try all the public offerings in Chicago and recall loving McHenry CC a lot.  I also tried former clubs like Mt. Prospect and Chevy Chase (with their Mafia connections) Hilldale (my first housing and RTJ course, which was disappointing on both counts) and a few others.

Overall, while I knew the difference between Medinah and Mt. Prospect, I never really thought the privately owned publics of the day were much further below the privates than they are now.  The municipal courses did seem to be a bit below that, with the exception of Mt. Prospect.  I even worked two years at Glencoe GC and played a lot there.  At one time, it was said to be the best and best maintained public course.  It may have been the best maintained, but it was just above average in design.

Short version – were the public courses back then that you played really inferior?
How many options did you have?
Did you feel slighted?  I guess not if you are still playing, eh?

[Tim Leahy]

In Cali in the late 70's and 80's the afternoon's were wide open, even on the weekends. Now the pubs are packed sun up to sun down and there are hardly any breaks for weekend twilight rates.

[JMEvensky]

Short version – were the public courses back then that you played really inferior?
How many options did you have?
Did you feel slighted?  I guess not if you are still playing, eh?

Really good idea for a thread.

Growing up in Memphis over 40 years ago,if the munis were inferior,we didn't know it.Condition-wise,everything was wall to wall common Bermuda and I just don't remember any club NOT being baked out,rock hard in the summer.

Maybe the greens were a little smoother at the privates and the bunkers were better maintained.Other than that,the biggest difference would have been the crowds at the munis relative to the privates.

As to options,architecturally speaking,not much.Everything was pretty bare bones.But,the privates in town aren't really special.

I certainly didn't feel slighted at the time--maybe I didn't know any better.

Memphis was and is a great golf town.But not because of the architecture.There have been very good players,teachers,and club repair/manufacturers here forever.Mostly it was about WHO was playing as opposed to WHERE.The "where" never really mattered.

Nowadays,the munis in town have been devastated by mismanagement and budget cuts.Also,there are a lot more private clubs available at price points all along the continuum.The future of muni golf in Memphis is bleak,IMO.

In the day,the better golfers in town would have been pretty equally split between public and private.Now,it's overwhelmingly the privates.

[Bill_McBride]

Jeff, I lived in Dallas from 1978-1981 and agree, the public options were not too hot.  I played quite a bit at Sherill Park because it was close and frankly would have a hard time describing many holes today.  I played some at Tenison, not any better.

Before that I lived in San Francisco on the Peninsula and the public courses were over-crowded.  Once in a while I would go up to Sonoma or down to Pasatiempo or Pebble.  Those were GREAT public courses in the 60's and 70's.

[Cliff Hamm]

Only 40 years?  I go back a bit farther than that....learned golf as a caddy ( $5 a bag when I started and went up to $6) at Baltusrol in New Jersey.  Caddied from about 1965-1968.  So Mondays played the Upper and loved it.  Probably still the reason why I love fast greens, undulating greens.  Gave me the love and respect for the game of golf and...

Then it was back to reality.  Played much golf at Galloping Hill, a county run course, with mats as tees. One advantage being you could follow the lines of the mats to bring your club back straight!  Mushy fairways with gopher holes all over the place.  The "Hill" was unique with a rope ski tow on the third.  Perhaps, better as a sledding hill than a golf course. Quality of course and conditioning  were not quite the same as Baltusrol. The experience and ambiance couldn't have been more different.  Altho looking back on it I might prefer the real people at the muni..You'll never convince me that there is not a place for government run golf courses...

There were no country clubs for a day than. Played Ash Brook, another Union county course.  Went on excursions to Atlantis in southern Jersey.  Bowling Green in northern Jersey.  Old Orchard in middle of Jersey.  

It was a simpler time.  Expectations were not as great and that is a good thing. Golf was golf.  It was with high school friends and we had a blast.  The quality of the course was largely irrelevant.  It was about having a good time with friends with no pretenses...So no didn't feel slighted in the least.  Baltusrol was just a different world..

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeff,

I'm going to go back a little further than 40 years, to 55 years.

I can remember playing a terrific public course, Essex County West, a Steamshovel Banks course with work by AWT and Duane.

Life was simple then.

You played fast or the guys behind you would hit into you, especially if you were chronically slow.
If that didn't speed you up, the guys behind you played through, whether you wanted them to or not (14 at the time)
And, if you gave them some lip, yours might have been fattened by the time they finished going through.(;

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Pat,

You must have either been a slow player in those days or perhaps you were the faster group playing through and administering the fat lip!

Is the golf course still there and still public?

Steamshovel Banks certainly made himself busy around NJ. A new thread???