Does having access to too much money make golf worse?

[Ira Fishman]

Peter,  In reading your paean to old money, I am reminded of the famous exchange between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemmingway;


Fitzgerald,  "you know the rich are different than we are"


Hemmingway, "yes Scott, they have more money".


Generalizations about "good taste" are only that, mere generalizations.  Perhaps my bankruptcy practice and relatively humble beginnings have rendered me cynical, but I have seen plenty of good and bad examples at all levels of wealth regardless of when the wealth was obtained or lost.  I suspect much of the good taste found in older clubs relates to the nature of the facility as much as to when it was built.  Moreover, we have all commented on any number of golden age courses that were butchered by later generations, even those that remained dominated by "old" money.

This reminds me of a great lesson I received from one of my bosses/mentors 25 years ago. We had dinner with a legit billionaire who did not seem all that impressive. My boss told me that the only thing you can know about someone who is rich until you get to know him is that he is rich.


Ira

[Adam Clayman]

J.B.- The observant Octogenarians, and short hitters I've played with, appreciate it when the course has a day or two to dry out from the over watering required to acheive what the lowest common denominator considers pristine. Lush and green.


My comments were really about thoughts I've had about the vagary of lies on NORMAL everyday run of the mill courses, from one spot on a fairway (or off) to another.


Rather than rise to the challenge of creating a magical shot off a less than perfect lie, the pampered will opine the course is improperly maintained, and bump their ball. Further perpetuating the downward spiral of what makes golf worse. More Money and less Sportsmen. (Or Woman)

[Tom_Doak]

One of the things which impressed me about Yeamans Hall was the hit and miss rough.

The old superintendent, Jim Yonce, called it "smut grass".  I have no idea if that is an actual species or just his own made-up term.  It was far from perfect "turf" but it served the purpose quite well:  you could find the ball and advance it, without them spending much money on maintaining it.

[Thomas Dai]

Would folks still want to play TOC if its conditioning was like this? Does the conditioning really need to be better than seen in these these now coloured old b&w views?
atb

[Tom_Doak]

Would folks still want to play TOC if its conditioning was like this? Does the conditioning really need to be better than seen in these these now coloured old b&w views?
atb

Thomas:


No, conditioning does not need to be better than that.  If it did, nobody would have played the game in 1970, when I took it up.

[Thomas Dai]

No, conditioning does not need to be better than that.  If it did, nobody would have played the game in 1970, when I took it up.

atb

[Ira Fishman]

Our course in Maryland could be a fun course because it has a fair amount of quirk (especially blind shots) and well contoured greens. It has too many weak holes to ever be great or even very good, but if the Membership did not insist on it being Green and they let it get faster and firmer, it would be a more challenging and enjoyable play.  Although the club is not super-wealthy, it is wealthy enough to keep it green and therefore soft.  But hope is eternal: we are getting a new Superintendent.


Ira

[Steve_Lovett]

I think it can.


I visited the Stadium course at Sawgrass last week for lunch. Everything was perfect. Freshly overseeded ryegrass as manicured and striped as the finest outfield. It was all too perfect. Too opulent. Saw a threesome hit 10 balls in the water on the 17th, then walk past the walkway to the 18th tee. They paid around $400/each for the experience. It didn't feel the way I've believed golf was intended. Burgers were $16+ and a domestic beer was $7.


The day prior I played Hyde Park in Jacksonville - a 1926 daily fee course designed by Donald Ross (or Stanley Thompson, or both). I paid $29 and walked. The greens weren't perfect but the design was very much intact. It's a diamond in the rough. My hotdog was $3.50 and the beer was also $3.50. The people were happy. They loved the game. One of the regulars bought me a beer in the bar afterwards. We talked about the course - the holes we loved, how we played, and the weather. It was genuine.


I'd get more enjoyment and value from 16 rounds of golf at place like Hyde Park as compared with a single round of golf at the Stadium Course. Hands down.

[Thomas Dai]

Is golf more enjoyable, more fun because you have 14 nice new expensive clubs in your bag and do you really need 14 clubs in your bag to shoot your usual score or better?
Atb

[Ted Sturges]

Q:  Does having access to too much money make golf worse?


A:  Yes


http://golfclubatlas.com/147-custodians-of-the-game-year1/




TS

[Tim Martin]

Is golf more enjoyable, more fun because you have 14 nice new expensive clubs in your bag and do you really need 14 clubs in your bag to shoot your usual score or better?
Atb

Thomas-Seems a little critical to take a shot at those they choose to play a new full set of clubs. Finally it would never occur to the majority of golfers at least in the U.S. to play a short set.

[Thomas Dai]

Is golf more enjoyable, more fun because you have 14 nice new expensive clubs in your bag and do you really need 14 clubs in your bag to shoot your usual score or better?
Atb

Thomas-Seems a little critical to take a shot at those they choose to play a new full set of clubs. Finally it would never occur to the majority of golfers at least in the U.S. to play a short set.

It's a question not a shot, that why there's a "?" at the end.
atb

[Carl Rogers]

See Torey Pines 14 mill Reno thread.