Ian - thanks - that's more what I've been getting at.  Sure this CAN be done, but it's just not so simple.

Lake Nona can now officially bite me, however.

 

Tom,
  Not to rain on your partypooper parade , but one of our esteemed GCA types, not necessarily known for his social graces (not me) drove into Valley Club within the last year or so and expressed interest in looking around. They gave him a cart and off he went. (BTW, just kidding about the social graces part if he is looking in
    Before GCA I would have never expected this to be possible, but when you expect the answer to be yes it often will be. I do agree that the average golfer off the street would most likely get turned down.

Adam:

You're asking what the policies are for getting on any golf course and walking around to look??

I guess you haven't been on this site that long, huh? Obviously you don't know the little diarrheic dog trick.

The best policy to walk around any course and look at it is to just walk right on generally right over the fence. If anybody catches you and asks you what you're doing you just tell them you're little diarrheic dog jumped out of your car and he's running around on their golf course and he generally takes really running shits all over putting greens and particularly in the cups. Tell the guys who caught you to run around the course one way and you'll run around the other way and by the time you meet up you should've found the little shittin' guy. When you meet up again about half way just tell them you're not sure how everyone missed him but sometimes when he hears people coming he hides in bunkers and does some really runny ones in there which generally filter way down into the sand. Tell the guys to just keep going in the same direction and you will too and when you all meet up again you'll surely have the little poop. This way you should see about the whole golf course and when you meet up with those guys again just tell them you already found the little poop n' pisser and he's back in the car with a cork up his ass. And then you just proceed off the property and back to your car having thoroughly checked out another course that's impossible to get on.

You want to walk around PVGC and look at it? You just come see Old Uncle Tom and he'll take you down there, no problem. We should have our own host but even if we do and if anyone down there wants to know why we're walking around with no clubs we'll just get them runnin' all over them woods for hours on end looking for my little diarrheic dog, just for the hell of it.

Ed:

Thanks.  Re said "GCA stalwart", I'm fallng back on the charm criteria.  

But once again, I have never said it CAN'T be done, just that it isn't so easy as Dan made it out to be.  And nothing anyone has said here makes me deviate from that take.

The rule remains that private clubs are private, and that Joe Q. Public will be denied far more often than he will be allowed entrance.

Disagree?

TH

Tom,

Here's the $64,000.00 question: Why would Joe Q. Public want to "walk" a golf course and not play it?

AHA!  Great question, and I am hoisted on my own petard.

The answer is no - and that's also why if they tried to do this, they'd get turned down, because the folks at the club would notice the clubs hidden behind their backs.  

But I still think even among GCA Aficionados, the answer is going to be no UNLESS they a) use considerable charm; and b) plan ahead and be very flexible.  I might be reading Dan wrong, but to me he seemed to say just walk up and ask nice and you're guaranteed access.  That I don't see, even for Steve J. ArchitectureNut.

 

I guess my take here is also clouded by the feeling I have that this type of thing is SO much of an imposition, one would have to be Dan King/Mother Teresa himself/herself to make this sit well in terms of etiquette.  That is, you BETTER go overboard on the charm and BETTER show proper gratitude or this is actually kinda rude.  Of course the assumption here is that all of the examples mentioned do meet this standard.  Not everyone would.  So I remain uncomfortable preaching that this is no big deal, just ask... Is that really the right message that ought to go out?

Not that anyone takes messages from here, but well...

Aw screw it, I'm just trying to get my mind off football as I am going nuts waiting for kickoff.  

I don't think I ever said it was easy. It takes some work. I'd learn plenty about the course before asking. I'd make a point of the features I wanted to see. Many times the head pros were happy to show off what made the course special.

It was also important to make it clear you were vary flexible regarding when you could go. It had to be at their convenience, not your own. Many private clubs are closed on Monday, so often  that would be the best time to not bother any of the membership.

I also made it clear I wasn't trying to angle for a chance to play the course. My intent was just to look around, not hope they would offer to let me play. I asked once at Bel Aire 10 years ago and the pro told me go ahead and bring my clubs and maybe he could find a member to play a round. I told him that wasn't necessary, I just wanted to see the course, not play it.

I've always enjoyed walking courses sans club, and perhaps the head pros could tell I wasn't angling for a chance to play.

I haven't done this in years, but I can't imagine it is all of a sudden impossible. I think it pays to be respectful and knowledgeable -- and if that doesn't work, then try the Tom Paul method.

Dan King

Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.
 --Henry David Thoreau

The U.S. courses I most want to walk are Cypress, Pebble, NGLA, Shinnicock, Pine Valley, Oakmont, ANGC, Fisher's Island and Merion. I'd love to play them, of course, but I'm trying to stay somewhat realistic.

In Canada, my list would include Scarboro, Hamilton, The National and Royal Montreal.

There are plenty in the UK and elsewhere, but I'm starting with the continent I live on...

There aren't many places that are too exclusive up here. People are generally pretty acccommodating.