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Are You A Course Snob?

Nope not a course snob . I like the course KellBo and are members of and we will spend the majority of our time playing there. When we go elsewhere we look for good deals on golfnow. Back when I was a member of a little county course back home , I had the best times playing there. It don't take much to please me.


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I try to play the best places my money can buy and that is ually in the 30-50 dollar range. That lets me maximize the amount of golf I play and ensure I play on decent tracks. With the amouth of golf in Ocala,Orlando area I am rarely diapointed with how much value I get with my money and I am more often amazed that is so cheap to play such a nice course.

* I guess in way I sorta am becasue I wont play a 15$ course in terrible conidtion just to play golf.
 
Ole Gray said:
Nope not a course snob . I like the course KellBo and are members of and we will spend the majority of our time playing there.
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But that sure ain't no goat track!!!
 
I would chose to play the better/higher end course. My experiance tells me that they pay attention to the little things like manicured tee boxes, fairways & greens. No matter where I play I want a well manicured and maintained course. My biggest pet peeves on a course are tee boxes that look like they have been neglected, fairways with divots that have not been addressed & greens. If any course I play regardless of price is in bad shape I cross them off the list. There is nothing more aggravating than paying $70-$90 for a round of golf and have the place look terrible.

In terms of course architects I'm aware, but not the most knowledgeable. I do find myself paying attention to the nuances of each design and trying to understand what they had in mind when designing the course. I'm a sucker for old school courses with parallel fairways. They just set up well for me & always place a premium on accuracy over distance. I especially like a course that makes me think my way around and just doesn't lay it all out in front of me.
 
JB said:
Let me clarify this a bit and first say that I don't mean someone that will not play on lesser courses, but someone that digs in a bit more. Pays attention to the architects design, knows who designed it before teeing it up, searches for the right course, and does not want to settle for a lesser course given the option.

Do you consider yourself "course knowledgeable"? Would you rather pay more once per month to play a great course than twice per month to play an average course?

All of these things should be considered. What do you think?
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Nope. It's the game that I love. The course is not that important as long as it's reasonably playable. My game has never been such that the course was that important to me. The only qualifier is that I don't like courses which don't let you play golf - those which are so tight, with OB and water so much in play that any miss costs balls and penalty strokes.

I've played on tracks from 9 hole rural courses carved out of rocky pasture to Palm Springs, from basic munis to pretty nice resort courses, and I can enjoy myself on any of them (with the above stipulation), because I'm there for the game and for the social interaction with other golfers. The course is just where it happens.

I'm an imperfect golfer, and as such, I can deal with an imperfect golf course. It's just part of the game.
 
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T0AD said:
But that sure ain't no goat track!!!
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Haha nope it's pretty sweet but at the same time not very expensive to play.


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I wouldn't call myself a snob I would say more spoiled. When I lived in NY the closest course to me was Bethpage and with 5 courses to choose from there you never really got to bored but golf up there was REALLY pricey. Now living in Central Florida (Windermere) I have a HUUUUGE selection of quality courses I get to play and if your good at shopping around you get to play these courses at great prices. Because of that I try to play quality courses and its not so much because of being a snob its really because I simply can. Over the summer we constantly get deals at courses like Orange County National for $19 before 8am all the resort courses like Disney for less than $30. Because of that I tend to stay away from courses that aren't in the best shape just cause they are cheap since I personally feel I'm paying cheap prices compared to were I came from.
 
What does your skill level have to do with appreciating a great golf course?
 
I can't say I'm one who looks into who designed or built the course. I will look at the course layout, some pictures, and a score card before I pay though. As long as a course isn't horrible I would much rather play more times than play a nice course once. It's great to get out a few time a year and spend some money on a playing a PGA level course but I wouldn't and can't do it weekly.
 
I find myself falling into the course snob category a bit. I want to play tracks that people have heard of and that have a bit of a reputation as being some of the best in the area. When searching for courses to play in new areas I try to ask around to see who has played and get their recommendations.
 
I'm not course knowledgeable nor am I a course snob.

I can see and acknowledge a nice course when I see it but I don't get into the history of it nor spend too much time reading up on history/design, etc.

I like to show up, play, and leave it at that.
 
DevRickus said:
I play anywhere that I can get a tee time at a reasonable rate. Playing the cheaper, maybe not as nice courses, makes me appreciate playing nicer courses alot more as well.
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Pretty much was going to be my exact response. My home country club isn't the nicest around, but certainly is not the worst either not by a long shot. So when I do venture out and play nicer courses like you said Ricky just makes me appreciate it that much more.
 
Nope, I'm strickly all bout that action boss.
 
Being in Az, rates skyrocket in winter so I play a lot of munis and save my summer for higher quality tracks.
 
I wouldn't say I'm a course snob in that I only play courses done by specific designers. However, I would say I'm knowledgeable enough to know if I'm traveling what courses are designed by what designers, however it doesn't factor into my decision to play them, usually it's all based on reviews of the whole experience. If you're playing a phenomenal course but the marshall is riding you the entire round you're not going to enjoy it or there aren't any beverage carts when it's 100 degrees etc etc.
 
I will only read up on the course if I know it's a really nice course. I just prefer to play a course that is kept in good condition and has reasonable greens fees
 
I would much rather play a cheap course. I'm not what you call "country club material" and while it may be all in my head, I just don't feel welcome at nicer courses.
 
Good topic.

For me the most important thing in deciding to play a course is condition.

I absolutely hate poorly conditioned courses. I will pay more to play courses that are well maintained.

That said we have a couple "munis" in our area that are generally are in great condition. I don't play them regularly because they are kind of "bland" in design. But I would pay $50 there versus $90 for one of its highly rated neighbors which always seems to be in poor condition. They have a "name" in the area and spend a ton on advertising. But my understanding is they don't get a lot of repeat business.

As for architects I really do seem to love Arthur Hill courses and my home course is one of his.
 
I don't think I would consider myself a snob. I'll tee it up anywhere I can anytime I can. When it comes to learning about a course before hand, I will generally do that if it is for a golf trip or a vacation. This is where I would pay more for a certain experience or something and go for quality rather than quantity. Especially if I know I might not be back that way for a while. Definitely appreciate the finer points, but I don't have to have them.

JM
 
T0AD said:
Side question, if I may. What are the 'premium' prices in Scotland? What are the everyday, average guy prices?
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Top end (tour venues, trump etc) - £150 to £200

Average/everyday - £20-£50

Any more than 50 would be considered premium.

Always deals to be had though (eg, we're looking at Gleneagles twighlight 4ball for £260).
 
I wouldn’t call myself a “course snob”, because in a given year, I'll play all types of courses. But over the years I have studied up on course architects and have my favorites. That’s how courses like Alister MaKenzie’s Crystal Downs in Frankfort, Mi., and Pasatiempo in California got on my Bucket List, even though most may never have heard of them, along with some of his more famous ones like Augusta and Royal Troon. But, that was earlier in my life. Now, I try to pick a couple of venues to visit each year as “special” events to give myself something to look forward to. Since finding THP, I haven’t had to worry about that. I’m willing to pay more for really good courses, but play everything from munis and the odd local goat track to courses like Pinehurst and Sea Island (last year), and PGA National (this year, hopefully).

Heck, maybe I am a course snob, with all the name dropping I just did.
 
Not a snob but, I do like to research reviews and get a bit of background info on a course I've never played because to me that's like a kid on Christmas morning. I also don't mind playing average courses at a good rate. It makes the better courses I get to play that much greater. I feel that it's good to support the "average" courses as we need them.
I hear a lot about courses that are struggling in my area. Some do it to their selves thou.
 
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