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ForTheLovOfGolf

ForTheLovOfGolf

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http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QFEYC4Z44v0&sns=fb

What are your thoughts? Good, bad, indifferent?

The thing they didn't address is if they want more people to pick up the game what about the cost of equipment? I know you can find cheaper golf clubs but the average person who walks into a sporting good store looks at a driver or set of irons by name cause that's all they see on TV, pick it up and it's $400 for a club!!! They put it back and forget the idea of starting. I think, IMO only, that's the reason people aren't picking the game up.

I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of the state of the game we all love.
 
The biggest change I would like to see made is speed - I would even pay a premium for it. When I'm playing by myself or another person and we each have a cart and no one is in front of us, rounds take 2 to 2.5 hours. Between work and home life, there is little time for golf. If I knew I could get done in 2.5 hours every time, I would play two to three times as many rounds as I do now. In fact, I left the game for about 4 years due to lack of time.

Also, I suggest that courses are reconfigured so that holes 9, 12, 15 and 18 all end close to the clubhouse. For me 9 is never enough but 18 takes too much time to play.

I get so frustrated as my local courses that give the 1st tee time to Edmund and Gladdis who are good golfers but due to lack of distance and age take every bit of 4 hours to get their round in, thus slowing up the course for the entire morning. I also cannot stand when courses put 9-hole golfers off on the back 9 first thing in the morning and then I get tied up waiting on them since I played the 1st 9 in 1 hr or so.
 
I agree the pace of play is an issue as well as cost. The technology and resources involved in the club making process is part of the reason for the cost plus all the middle men that have to get their cut. One of the problems with pace of play is that so many people try to imitate the professionals and since they take forever to play a round the avg golfer slows down pace of play as well trying to imitate the actions of golfers on tv. I don't see how the first twosome out on Saturday and Sunday in a pro event can't finish in less than 4 hours. With the equipment cost many new golfers want to have what the professionals have but when they realize how much it costs i agree that scares them away, instead of looking for a set of used clubs from the same manufacturer they just choose not to play or they fall victim to the counterfeit club because they see the same name brand and the great deal and then when that doesn't work out they end up frustrated and the industry gets a bad rap as a result.
 
Why aren't 9 hole rounds more popular
 
emart2173 said:
I agree the pace of play is an issue as well as cost. The technology and resources involved in the club making process is part of the reason for the cost plus all the middle men that have to get their cut. One of the problems with pace of play is that so many people try to imitate the professionals and since they take forever to play a round the avg golfer slows down pace of play as well trying to imitate the actions of golfers on tv. I don't see how the first twosome out on Saturday and Sunday in a pro event can't finish in less than 4 hours. With the equipment cost many new golfers want to have what the professionals have but when they realize how much it costs i agree that scares them away, instead of looking for a set of used clubs from the same manufacturer they just choose not to play or they fall victim to the counterfeit club because they see the same name brand and the great deal and then when that doesn't work out they end up frustrated and the industry gets a bad rap as a result.
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Another thing that really slows the game down is the Four-some of hackers that if they measured handicap would probably be 35+, but insist on playing from the Tips or Blues because "we are real men" and don't want to play from the whites. You know who I'm talking about - 20 to 30 years old, drinking beer, one or two smoking a cheap cigar and take 2 shots from the tee box because they always slice the ball into the woods when trying to hit it 300 yards.
 
blugold said:
Why aren't 9 hole rounds more popular
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For me, it's usually too much of an effort just to play 9 holes. All the courses I play are at least 20 minutes from my house and I just leave unsatisfied if I only play 9. Now if I belonged to one of the two country clubs within minutes from me, 9 holes would be a different story.
 
wubears71 said:
For me, it's usually too much of an effort just to play 9 holes. All the courses I play are at least 20 minutes from my house and I just leave unsatisfied if I only play 9. Now if I belonged to one of the two country clubs within minutes from me, 9 holes would be a different story.
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Wouldn't a partially satisfying 9 hole round be better than a long slow and frustrating 18 hole round?
 
I don't see a lot of courses in my area trying to sell folks on 9 hole rounds. On the other hand, in the city itself, there is only one option for 18 holes, the rest of our courses are 9 holes, which is fantastic for an evening round.
 
Call me a non-purist, but I can see this concept taking hold and bringing in some new players. To offset the "ease" of making a putt into a 15" hole, trick up the greens with slopes and hills....not exactly Putt-Putt with the clown's mouths and stuff like that, just big hills and slopes so that making a putt isn't a given.

I also agree with any idea that can shorten a round to about 2-3 hours. Unless I play in the early morning, I basically find it impossible to play in the middle of the day because of wanting/needing to be with my family on the weekend. If it only took 2 hours to play a round, it definitely becomes a possibility.

I was surprised they didn't mention anything about toning down some of the courses being created today. Seems like most new courses are virtually unplayable for a new(er) player, so they get frustrated and quit....while at the same time, when those new(er) players are on that course they slow down the pace of play which pisses off the seasoned player looking to run a loop in under 4 hours. A lose-lose scenario.
 
wubears71 said:
For me, it's usually too much of an effort just to play 9 holes. All the courses I play are at least 20 minutes from my house and I just leave unsatisfied if I only play 9. Now if I belonged to one of the two country clubs within minutes from me, 9 holes would be a different story.
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This is another issue....the cost of being a member at a country club. I have several local clubs in the area, some that offer Young Executive or Group Membership programs. But when the cost of even those options amounts to $400+ per month / $5,000+ per year (not including other fees), there is no way a new player is going to say "sure, sign me up"...and I'll pass as well so that I can play on my schedule and at whatever course I want to play -- as opposed to 1 course.

Best option in my area are the City Membership offerings where you can get a membership for $700-800 per year and can play 4-5 courses.
 
blugold said:
Wouldn't a partially satisfying 9 hole round be better than a long slow and frustrating 18 hole round?
Click to expand...
Completely! Good point.
 
I know some of the resort courses around here just won't say anything to slow golfers out of fear of complaints. They all make the excuse "hey it's a resort course 4:30 is a fast round". So tired of hearing that. Another problem some of the courses need to adjust is pin position, so may times you go out there and notice some crazy pin locations, I'm not saying put them all in the middle but stop puting them tucked in a corner or on a slope, that just slows the greens down.


To Bluegold, I don't understand it with the 9 holes. I used to play 9 a ll the time when I was just starting out but now I just don't like it. I feel like it's not a real challenge. To me I usually have one good 9 and one not so good, my goal in this game is to put 2 good ones together. It's kinda dumb on my part but hey it is what it is.
 
wubears71 said:
Completely! Good point.
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Is it? I have 1.5 hrs free and decide to go play 9 holes. Now, those 9 holes end up taking 2.25 hours. Is that partially satisfying and less frustrating than a slow 18 hole round? Idk. I think it might be even more frustrating to me.
 
I bought a starter kit golf set last year when I started. upgraded to used clubs that retailed for a total of over $1600 suggested retail new but I bought them for $400 TOTAL. If people are seriously wanting to get started in the sport or continue they just need to find the deals and realize that buying new isn't the only way. It does get expensive but it doesn't need to be to have good quality clubs.

What the story really needs to address is bowling as a sport. That will be fading faster than golfing will ever will and golf isn't going anywhere. I wasn't interested in golf up until last year and that's when it all started but soon I do believe local golf retailers will be like the CompUSA's and Circuit City's of the world. No longer. Much better deals online than from local shops. One can still find PGA trainers other ways but for now for me to learn it's called YouTube and if I need a swing analyzer eventually then so be it to help that out.
 
blugold said:
Why aren't 9 hole rounds more popular
Click to expand...

wubears71 said:
For me, it's usually too much of an effort just to play 9 holes. All the courses I play are at least 20 minutes from my house and I just leave unsatisfied if I only play 9. Now if I belonged to one of the two country clubs within minutes from me, 9 holes would be a different story.
Click to expand...

blugold said:
Wouldn't a partially satisfying 9 hole round be better than a long slow and frustrating 18 hole round?
Click to expand...

captaincaution said:
I don't see a lot of courses in my area trying to sell folks on 9 hole rounds. On the other hand, in the city itself, there is only one option for 18 holes, the rest of our courses are 9 holes, which is fantastic for an evening round.
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I'm a big proponent of 9 hole rounds. It's all I ever played when I was younger and was a really easy way to play some golf without it eating up an entire day. Where I grew up in PA, the local courses made their money on 9 hole leagues and post league walking specials geared toward the 9-to-5er. Those courses were always packed on weekday evenings. Where I live now, everything is about 18 holes and after 3pm the courses are empty. I think its a little too much uppity purism when you have entire blocks of time that are devoid of use. I believe that if courses made more of an effort to get the everyman out for 9 holes and a beer after work once a week that courses would be much more successful. That's a huge revenue stream that too many places just completely disregard. 9 hole leagues are a cash cow if the effort was put into them. We have about 20 guys in our men's league because there's few, if anyone available to play 18 after work. That's a huge mistake, imo.
 
I love late afternoon 9 hole rounds, but I don't think it is a valid alternative to 18 hole rounds. Like tgtt said, 2:15 for 9 holes is just as frustrating as 4:30 for 18.
 
tgtt said:
Is it? I have 1.5 hrs free and decide to go play 9 holes. Now, those 9 holes end up taking 2.25 hours. Is that partially satisfying and less frustrating than a slow 18 hole round? Idk. I think it might be even more frustrating to me.
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I was looking at it from a standpoint of playing a 1.5 satisfying 9 holes, not a 2.25 hour 9 holes. That would be extremely frustrating.
 
EaglevsFalcon said:
I'm a big proponent of 9 hole rounds. It's all I ever played when I was younger and was a really easy way to play some golf without it eating up an entire day. Where I grew up in PA, the local courses made their money on 9 hole leagues and post league walking specials geared toward the 9-to-5er. Those courses were always packed on weekday evenings. Where I live now, everything is about 18 holes and after 3pm the courses are empty. I think its a little too much uppity purism when you have entire blocks of time that are devoid of use. I believe that if courses made more of an effort to get the everyman out for 9 holes and a beer after work once a week that courses would be much more successful. That's a huge revenue stream that too many places just completely disregard. 9 hole leagues are a cash cow if the effort was put into them. We have about 20 guys in our men's league because there's few, if anyone available to play 18 after work. That's a huge mistake, imo.
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This speaks volumes to why GolfNow has become popular....discounted greens fees. If most courses standard rates were 1/2 to 3/4 of the cost they are today, those 3pm tee times might get booked.
 
I agree. I play at a 3,000 yard 9 hole course. I usually play just 9 holes because that is all my schedule allows. I do find it easier to only play 9 on a 9 hole course than if I was only going to play 9 on a 18 hole course. I know in the big picture, it is all mental, but it feels like im missing something if I only play 9 at a 18 hole course.
blugold said:
Why aren't 9 hole rounds more popular
Click to expand...
 
tgtt said:
Is it? I have 1.5 hrs free and decide to go play 9 holes. Now, those 9 holes end up taking 2.25 hours. Is that partially satisfying and less frustrating than a slow 18 hole round? Idk. I think it might be even more frustrating to me.
Click to expand...

I think if you're trying to squeeze 9 in that little time with any number of variables in play that could affect the length of your round, then you're making a mistake. Imo, always block for 2hrs and hope you can get through faster. If I only had 1.5 hrs, I'd just hit the range. But that's just me.
 
tgtt said:
Is it? I have 1.5 hrs free and decide to go play 9 holes. Now, those 9 holes end up taking 2.25 hours. Is that partially satisfying and less frustrating than a slow 18 hole round? Idk. I think it might be even more frustrating to me.
Click to expand...

If you only have 1.5 hours to golf and you don't call ahead to see if the course is busy, then that's on you.

I would rather play a 2.5 hour 9s than not golf.
 
jitzy said:
Another problem some of the courses need to adjust is pin position, so may times you go out there and notice some crazy pin locations, I'm not saying put them all in the middle but stop putting them tucked in a corner or on a slope, that just slows the greens down.
Click to expand...
That drives me insane. On one of my favorite courses, their 1 Handicap hole (a LONG par 5) had the pin right on the slope the other day. It was so bad the flag pin was nearly leaning on the side of the cup. Every single person in my foursome 3 putted despite being all of us being within 10 feet from the hole. Talk about a major slowdown.
 
EaglevsFalcon said:
I think if you're trying to squeeze 9 in that little time with any number of variables in play that could affect the length of your round, then you're making a mistake. Imo, always block for 2hrs and hope you can get through faster. If I only had 1.5 hrs, I'd just hit the range. But that's just me.
Click to expand...


Duration was just a number with my point being just because it's less time overall doesn't necessarily mean it'd be any less frustrating.
 
blugold said:
If you only have 1.5 hours to golf and you don't call ahead to see if the course is busy, then that's on you.

I would rather play a 2.5 hour 9s than not golf.
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I think the point is pace of play is the problem, not necessarily the total lapsed time. Even if I have 2.5 hours to spend, that is not a reasonable amount of time. Even to spend on 9 holes.
 
Wake said:
I think the point is pace of play is the problem, not necessarily the total lapsed time. Even if I have 2.5 hours to spend, that is not a reasonable amount of time. Even to spend on 9 holes.
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Who gets to determine an appropriate pace? Most courses by me have recommended time per hole. Extending to expected time to play 9 and 18. To push a group to play faster than that is rude IMO.
 
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