[Rory Connaughton]

Mike:

   "Soft and True"?

From a green chair? That's cold.
Reminds me of the time that one of our members was complaining that he couldn't get enough roll on his tee shots (12 tee shots play uphill) and then in the next sentence asked if we would allow the fairways to be maintained at a higher cut so he could sweep his fairway woods.  Sigh . . .

[Carl Rogers]

In my case, it is not a function of resigning, it is a function of not renewing...
I have got some life style issues with where I play most of my rounds now (public access but you pay up for yearlies):
1. The Golf Association has to go out first at 7 am meaning I have to get up at 5 am.  The course is never really in shape to play and often times the new holes are cut during the first few holes of play.  I do not want to get up this early, my game suffers badly from it.
2. A significant indifference by course management to the older golfer in course competitions.  I am one of these shorter hitter but lower handicap golfers.  It is preposterous for me to play against guys half to a third my age, off the back tees who have the same handicap but out drive me by 70 yards.  
3. So many of the weekday afternoons in the summer, when I would like to walk & play 9 after work, the course is "closed" for large events.  (I do consider myself a very low maintenance individual, but I do not like being thrown off the golf course).
4. Non-responsive slow play policy.
5. Long green to tee walks, making it difficult and long to walk, when one is allowed to walk.
6. Bunker maintenance has become an oxymoron ... generally not an issue, except that the bunkering is severe on this course.  It has become a slow play issue for the less skilled golfer.

Oddly enough, if the course went Semi-private (yes paying up for it) and give the course back to real golfers I would not be responding to thread.  The reality is that my age group has a measure of disposable cash.

[Eric Strulowitz]

Was a member of a "upscale" club a few years back, threw in the towel for several reasons:

1.  Either you were "in" or "out".  We all pay dues, yet many members had tee times "locked" in at choice times for the weekends.  Very frustrating when you can hardly ever get out early on a weekend.   That is not fair, some older long term members felt an incredible sense of entitlement and an amazing "good ol boy" network.

2.  Fivesomes and sixsomes.   Could not believe what I was seeing!

3.  Poor rangering.   Players pondering every shot and studying every break on the greens, leading to many a five hour round.  Mentality that "I am paying a lot of money here, so I will not rush for anyone".

4.  Pet projects by board members that bear no reality to the needs of members or economic issues.

5.  Crude, rude behavior.  People think you have money, that means you have "class".  Really, got tired of drunken and  crude behavior at the golf range, on the course, and in the mens lounge.

6.  Bang for buck.  No longer there.  Joined a club where I play for nearly half the price, great people, great conditions, and professional, polished management .  Paying a high price does not guarantee superlative conditions or  quality  people, have I ever learned that.

[Garland Bayley]

Sorry David, but do you think the women just made up the concept of slow play? Here's a news flash. They learned it from the MEN!

As for caddies lining them up, the USGA says I can't lay a club on the ground to line myself up. It seems to me their oversight in rules making that is the root of that problem. I say the women are just improving on practices they see the men use like having Phil having Bones point to the line of putt on the green. Or, like Furyk backing off his putt and lining it up over and over again.

Since they are professionals, they are out to maximize their take from the competitions. If they were amateurs, they would have no excuse.

As far as blaming outside factors for their failures, I would think you would know that is incredibly common among the males professionals also.

EDIT: As far as face paint goes, how about all those male foolball players that painted black streaks under their eyes.

[Sean_A]

When you come off the course due to lightning, only to find a group of your fellow members sitting around, entranced by the Solheim Cup. I’ll go ahead and say it: the Solheim Cup represents almost everything that is wrong with our beloved game.

For the love of God, cart paths in Ireland?
Perhaps the slowest rounds of 18 holes, or less, I’ve ever witnessed.
Morgan Pressel takes, on average, between 6-9 practice swings per shot. She also thought 5 ½ hours to play 18 holes of four ball “is quick.”
After 4 minutes, I wanted to throw my coffee at the image at Christina Kim, who looked as though she was auditioning for an extra in a B-Movie, and taking to heart the 3rd Assistant Director’s advice to “Show some energy!” Egads.
I think, but cannot speak definitively, that every US player had their caddy line up their full shots.
Paula Creamer’s declarations to her balls: “Blow wind”, “That yardage was wrong”, “Come on pebble on the green” and “I can’t believe she made me putt that…it was only a foot.” In fact Paula, it was about 2 ½ feet, you were staring at going 5 down if you missed it. I have never heard anyone whine as much as her about everything. If the ball didn't go in, she immediately had a scowl and an attitude of immediate rightous indignation.

Face paint. My God, face paint. You are P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N-A-L-S.

Exactly half the team never attended a day of college, so perhaps this is their misguided attempt at "Rah, Rah" team spirit. But it is painful to witness. Please make them stop.

Sounds like you stomached more Sol than I could.

Ciao

[Adrian_Stiff]

David - I think you might need to quit the game because it is heading in a direction you clearly hate. It was a very dramatic SC perhaps the best, I must admit I enjoyed it despite the delays and the woefull female commentary where Laura Diaz commented that the flooded greens would need syringing soon, I also liked the comment about the American girls all giving themselves a fist pump.

Seriously though Slow Play is no fun, but 5.5 hours by pros highlights to me that the main reason for slow play is that some good players just play very very slow because of set up and their care process. 4 golfers shooting 120 would do a 4 ball quicker.

I dont like the warpaint either but im 51 and hate tattoos. What an Old Codger I am.

[John Kavanaugh]

Sorry David, but do you think the women just made up the concept of slow play? Here's a news flash. They learned it from the MEN!

As for caddies lining them up, the USGA says I can't lay a club on the ground to line myself up. It seems to me their oversight in rules making that is the root of that problem. I say the women are just improving on practices they see the men use like having Phil having Bones point to the line of putt on the green. Or, like Furyk backing off his putt and lining it up over and over again.

Since they are professionals, they are out to maximize their take from the competitions. If they were amateurs, they would have no excuse.

As far as blaming outside factors for their failures, I would think you would know that is incredibly common among the males professionals also.

EDIT: As far as face paint goes, how about all those male foolball players that painted black streaks under their eyes.

Garland,

Congrats, you just made a misogynistic little bitch sound like Rachel Maddow describing the first time her dad let her run her finger along side the rim of a can of Beluga caviar.

[Kyle Harris]

Mike:

   "Soft and True"?

From a green chair? That's cold.
Reminds me of the time that one of our members was complaining that he couldn't get enough roll on his tee shots (12 tee shots play uphill) and then in the next sentence asked if we would allow the fairways to be maintained at a higher cut so he could sweep his fairway woods.  Sigh . . .

Well, maybe if you mow that higher cut only toward the green....

[Garland Bayley]

David,

They are professionals. The better they play, the more they make. To maximize what they make, the employ tactics that may be useless, but they can't take the chance unless they are conclusively proven useless.

For amateurs, using a slow play tactic that may be useless, is a waste of tame as there is nothing material to gain by it.

The black put below ball players eyes is useless. It's just a crutch like face painting is for the gals trying to be a team winning a competition.

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,

Congrats, you just made a misogynistic little bitch sound like Rachel Maddow describing the first time her dad let her run her finger along side the rim of a can of Beluga caviar.

You mean Rachel Maddow, one of the finest minds in golf? Thanks.

[Bill Gayne]

When you move 67 miles away from the club  and the requirement for out of town membership is 75 miles.

[Tim Martin]

The black put below ball players eyes is useless. It's just a crutch like face painting is for the gals trying to be a team winning a competition.

Really?

[Kalen Braley]

The black put below ball players eyes is useless. It's just a crutch like face painting is for the gals trying to be a team winning a competition.

Really?

There actually is some evidence that the grease, not the patches, actually work.  Although it would seem the data is not completely conclusive.


While the first 50 years of usage were accepted on faith, the evolution of eye black has prompted a few studies to quantify whether the hypothetical advantage may have since increased or decreased above its preexisting unknown level. In 2003 Dr. David DeBroff, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Yale Medical School, finally decided that thousands of disciples dutifully following a ritual each Sunday afternoon was in itself not proof of anything.

The DeBroff study, which was published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, compares grease to stickers, to petroleum jelly (essentially grease with no pigment), and to the unadulterated epidermis.

"When we set out to do this we thought it was just psychological war paint," said DeBroff.

But what DeBroff found was a significant increase in contrast sensitivity for subjects wearing the archaic grease. The more modern stickers showed no ability to provide anti-glare benefits. DeBroff's study included 46 subjects placed in unobstructed sunlight. Participants were then asked to read letters off the Pelli-Robinson contrast sensitivity chart. Letters on the top of the chart are solid black while letters at the bottom, of equal size, look more like a faint spray paint. DeBroff's data showed that participants with the grease could read an entire line lower than those wearing stickers or nothing at all.

"We were surprised to find it. We thought both options would show no effect," said DeBroff. "I can't hypothesize why, but the grease seems to better prevent the reflection of light."

A second study, from an undergraduate research journal at the University of New Hampshire, only compared grease to a control, using a similar methodology to DeBroff. The results again showed a significant advantage from the grease, resulting in one level of improvement on the Pelli-Robinson scale. Interestingly, the study also suggested that blue-eyed individuals did not benefit from the grease (which is arguably somewhat intuitive).


http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-amp-gaming/article/2009-01/power-darkness

[Dan Herrmann]

To the original question - when the economy tanks and you see no light at the end of the tunnel.

[Kyle Harris]

To the original question - when the economy tanks and you see no light at the end of the tunnel.

...maybe some eye grease would help

[Tim Martin]

To the original question - when the economy tanks and you see no light at the end of the tunnel.

...maybe some eye grease would help

 

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

David I find the US Tour just as slow. I pains me to watch tour golf. I do love match play and will take the Sol any day over most tour events.

[rjsimper]

When the Korean owner (Mr. Park) decided not to put any money into maintaining the golf course at all (Crestwood) and it because an infestation of weeds.

He got his just deserts this year, though.  The EPA showed up and complained that he had to do something to clean up the ponds and creek.  He tried to tell them, "I'll get to it when I get to it."  They promptly told him, you'll get to it now, or we'll shut you down and fine you back Korea, pal.  He got to it all right.  Since he bought the course in the late '80s, he's lost nearly every member in the joint and it went from a great private club to a $20 public goat track with no one on it but beginners.  Shame...it was 7000 yards and terrific in the '80s before he bought it and ran it into the ground like the dictator he is.

He won't even sell the course.  I know several people that wanted to buy it, but he won't budge.  We're waiting for him to die so we can buy it from his poor son, who cuts the grass, runs the pro shop and takes all the heat for his father.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40394.msg849346/topicseen.html#msg849346

What does race have to do with this story?

[Lou_Duran]

.... when you start playing badly on a regular basis and your mind turns to figuring your cost per round.

[paul cowley]

When the club where you have been a 15 yr member...with 40 - 50 great friends and players who you could always play a fast game with...decides to privitize and you are picked as one of those to renovate/totally redo the course (and really make it better)...and then the club triples the dues and most all your friends migrate around the county to different courses...and your two young boys become more interested in skateboards...and the three rounds you play one year end up costing in the thousands each...need I go on? Thankfully I got out early with a full deposite refund.

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