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Bad experience at a local muni.......

JWLI said:
I realize that this is something of a delicate topic and it's not my intention to turn it into an argument or to offend you or anyone else, but there is another side to this that I feel needs to be addressed.

I think that saying you were "being up front about it" implies that you're giving someone a choice, but you're really not. I mean, if they had said something like, "I'd rather not play with a 4-year-old", would you be any less upset?. Most people in that situation will be polite and grudgingly accept it so as not to start any arguments or hurt any feelings, but deep down they're not happy about it and that showed itself later in the round and I can't honestly say that I blame them. Maybe that one guy could have handled it more politely but I understand his frustration.

I think that 4-years old is a bit young to be out on a golf course especially when a driving range and practice green would equal the same thing to someone that young. If after a couple of seasons learning to hit the ball and move it forward in a predictable way, you feel he's competent enough to keep things moving out on a golf course, then by all means take him out. But I really can't see too many people getting excited about being paired up with someone with a 4-year-old in tow.
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Do you have kids?
It's an honest question and no, I'm not trying to start an argument either.
I have 2. One 15 and one 4. The 15 yo didn't take to golf. No big deal. My 4 year old loves it. Watches it on TV with me. Has been going to the Range since March with me. When I leave to go play with my buddies, he pulls out the 4 year old "I'll be a good boy, please let me come with you" and "I want to go to the big boy golf course with you Daddy".
I would not be offended in the least if someone said I don't want to play with a 4 year old. That's why I tell the course ahead of time so they don't pair me up with someone who may not want to. That's why I offered on the 1st tee to let them/him go. And again on the 2nd green.
It's not really your place to say a 4 year old doesn't belong on a golf course. Sorry for you not being able to comprehend exactly what it is I do with him out there.
He hits one of the tee. I tee off. We pick up his ball. I play out the hole and tee him up in the fairway about 20 yds from the green and he plays in. In 4 or 5 rounds you wanna know how many balls he's lost - NONE. There's no time spent searching the woods for errant tee shots, etc. No re-tees and mulligans. I bet he's quicker than your Sunday foursome (he's quicker than at least 2 of my buddies) and he doesn't get pissed off. I hit a hossel rocket - he says great shot Daddy. I duff a chip, he says awesome one Dad.
Do you honestly think I let him play from tee to green? I said that to the dude tongue in cheek and in my OP I did a (not that I would since I don't want to be there for 5 hours) thingy which pretty much implied that I wasn't going to let him to that.

Look man, you don't agree with me bringing my kid to the golf course, that's cool.
My opinion, this is a great game that I want him to be around now and in the future.
It builds great character traits that no many other games can.
For you to blindly say that 4 year olds shouldn't be there until he has lessons, I think you may need to get over it.
 
lemmiwinks said:
...Look man, you don't agree with me bringing my kid to the golf course, that's cool.
My opinion, this is a great game that I want him to be around now and in the future.
It builds great character traits that no many other games can.....
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Hear hear! Well said!
 
Yep, the guy was a jackass. Sounds like you're teaching your boy the right way. That guy was out of line to not say anything to you when he went ahead.
 
SirSliceALot116 said:
Really sucks that this is how you (and your son) were treated on this muni but you truly acted the gentleman and I'm sure your son will soon follow in your footsteps.

My son just turned 12 and is just now starting to fall in love with the game. He comes out to the range with me most times when I go and has been out with me recently for a couple of rounds. When the course is slow, there's no one behind us and there's no water to hit over, I've let him tee it up and play a couple of holes with me so he can get a feel for being out on the course since we all know that the range and the course are totally different. This week, he played a full 18 with me and two buddies teeing up from the 150-yard marker (more or less depending on par for each hole).

I continue to look for places to bring him so that he can learn and develop while not getting frustrated so the last thing I want is a place where they won't even accomodate him. Regardless, I commend you for getting him out there and continuing to be a role model for him.

Definitely wouldn't go back to that muni!
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It's just awesome. Each time I take him out it's better than the last.
Like I quoted earlier, he drained a 15' putt and jumped up and yelled "Alright, Hole in One!!!".

That course is off the list for sure.
I'm taking him to a new place this Friday (for him, I've played several rounds there).
I called and talked to Pro Shop.
Told them the deal and they were genuinely excited that I was bringing him there.
He even said they promote Family Rounds and Junior Golf, including a clinic for 4-5 year olds that they are starting in the fall (which is in no way a pre-requisite to play :D).
 
lemmiwinks said:
Do you have kids?
It's an honest question and no, I'm not trying to start an argument either.
I have 2. One 15 and one 4. The 15 yo didn't take to golf. No big deal. My 4 year old loves it. Watches it on TV with me. Has been going to the Range since March with me. When I leave to go play with my buddies, he pulls out the 4 year old "I'll be a good boy, please let me come with you" and "I want to go to the big boy golf course with you Daddy".
I would not be offended in the least if someone said I don't want to play with a 4 year old. That's why I tell the course ahead of time so they don't pair me up with someone who may not want to. That's why I offered on the 1st tee to let them/him go. And again on the 2nd green.
It's not really your place to say a 4 year old doesn't belong on a golf course. Sorry for you not being able to comprehend exactly what it is I do with him out there.
He hits one of the tee. I tee off. We pick up his ball. I play out the hole and tee him up in the fairway about 20 yds from the green and he plays in. In 4 or 5 rounds you wanna know how many balls he's lost - NONE. There's no time spent searching the woods for errant tee shots, etc. No re-tees and mulligans. I bet he's quicker than your Sunday foursome (he's quicker than at least 2 of my buddies) and he doesn't get pissed off. I hit a hossel rocket - he says great shot Daddy. I duff a chip, he says awesome one Dad.
Do you honestly think I let him play from tee to green? I said that to the dude tongue in cheek and in my OP I did a (not that I would since I don't want to be there for 5 hours) thingy which pretty much implied that I wasn't going to let him to that.

Look man, you don't agree with me bringing my kid to the golf course, that's cool.
My opinion, this is a great game that I want him to be around now and in the future.
It builds great character traits that no many other games can.
For you to blindly say that 4 year olds shouldn't be there until he has lessons, I think you may need to get over it.
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Get over it? :confused2:

I don't see anything to "get over", I'm simply offering an opinion based upon the information you supplied in you previous posts.

In your last post however, you took the time to explain what it was both you and your son were actually doing on the course and that changes everything.

I was under the impression that you had him hitting shots on every hole or otherwise "playing" and that is what I was responding to. I have no issue whatsoever with wanting your child to learn this wonderful game and I have no issues with any "father-son" experience you can give him.
But I've seen situations where a father brings a very inexperienced kid to a busy golf course and has him or her out there hitting shots from all over and I've seen the people behind them ready to explode and THAT is the situation I'm referring to and THAT is something I think shouldn't be done when other people are going to have to endure it.

But now that you've clarified things, that sheds an entirely different light on this and I now understand what it was you were doing.

So please don't think I'm trying to pick a fight, I just wasn't clear on the details. :D
 
JWLI said:
Get over it? :confused2:

I don't see anything to "get over", I'm simply offering an opinion based upon the information you supplied in you previous posts.

In your last post however, you took the time to explain what it was both you and your son were actually doing on the course and that changes everything.

I was under the impression that you had him hitting shots on every hole or otherwise "playing" and that is what I was responding to. I have no issue whatsoever with wanting your child to learn this wonderful game and I have no issues with any "father-son" experience you can give him.
But I've seen situations where a father brings a very inexperienced kid to a busy golf course and has him or her out there hitting shots from all over and I've seen the people behind them ready to explode and THAT is the situation I'm referring to and THAT is something I think shouldn't be done when other people are going to have to endure it.

But now that you've clarified things, that sheds an entirely different light on this and I now understand what it was you were doing.

So please don't think I'm trying to pick a fight, I just wasn't clear on the details. :D
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It's all good. Not looking to get peeps fired up either.
I've never let people wait.
In fact the last two times I had him out with me (this experience aside) we had to play through on a couple groups.

It also kills several birds with one stone.
The Mrs. cant complain that I'm playing too much golf since I've got him, I get him (probably more importantly me) outta her hair for the day and it's 4 or 5 hours of just me and him. I'm lucky enough to only have to work 4 days a week but they're long days. If I get to hang with him for more than an hour or two on weeknights it's rarity.
 
Personally I love playing with a dad or mom with their young kid on a Par 3 course. Absolutely love it. And if I'm not in the mood to do so and the parent is as gracious as you, I'll finish off the hole while the kid is trying to get to the green and move on. I say remember the guy who was supportive of you and your son. Expend your energy on friends and allies and if there is karma in the world, know that the bitchy d-bag dude's karma just took a hit.
 
lemmiwinks said:
I'm taking him to a new place this Friday (for him, I've played several rounds there).
I called and talked to Pro Shop.
Told them the deal and they were genuinely excited that I was bringing him there.
He even said they promote Family Rounds and Junior Golf, including a clinic for 4-5 year olds that they are starting in the fall (which is in no way a pre-requisite to play :D).
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Awesome to hear! I'm sure both of you will have a great time there.
 
lemmiwinks said:
It's just awesome. Each time I take him out it's better than the last.
Like I quoted earlier, he drained a 15' putt and jumped up and yelled "Alright, Hole in One!!!".

That course is off the list for sure.
I'm taking him to a new place this Friday (for him, I've played several rounds there).
I called and talked to Pro Shop.
Told them the deal and they were genuinely excited that I was bringing him there.
He even said they promote Family Rounds and Junior Golf, including a clinic for 4-5 year olds that they are starting in the fall (which is in no way a pre-requisite to play :D).
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I am not sure how far you are from Vernon, NJ but Minerals Golf Course, has a family price where you can play with up to 4 people (4 person cart) for a discounted price. It is an executive 9 holes.
 
Good for you OP! I'm very eagerly awaiting my Son to get into golf. He's put it off enough already and really needs to dive in head first, he's starting to fall behind all the other 10month olds that are already playing!! (He's such a slacker)

Not to derail but I took my Son to Dick's (Sporting Goods. Don't want you to get confused between the store and Rule #2) and we were in the Golf section. I showed him a set of clubs for lil kids. I grabbed the 9i and handed it to him. After he tried to eat the grip, he wouldn't let go of the club! Made me such a proud Daddy!! I had to distract him with a Deer headcover in order to pry the 9i outta his hands because I'd be damned if I was going to by a set for $175 when he's 10mo old
 
I learned the exact same way that you are teaching your son with the only exception being I didn't have any par three or executive courses available to play. I would basically just put a driver, 9I and putter in his bag and ride with he and his buddy and occasionally throw one down for 40yds out. I'd say just keep doing what you're doing. You never know, your son might really excell and provide you the luxury of retiring early and occasionally caddying for him on the Tour, of course giving the old codger the chance to see you guys on TV and go "man I wish I wasn't such a jerk to them that day"
 
I'm going to want to repost of how I picked up the game...

I was taken to a local par 3(maybe age 7?) and taught there about certain stuff and learned the rules. And then was upgraded to the big course and I wasn't out there until I was able to hit a 150 yard shot/drive so I didn't hold anyone up
 
BeanieAZ said:
Good for you OP! I'm very eagerly awaiting my Son to get into golf. He's put it off enough already and really needs to dive in head first, he's starting to fall behind all the other 10month olds that are already playing!! (He's such a slacker)

Not to derail but I took my Son to Dick's (Sporting Goods. Don't want you to get confused between the store and Rule #2) and we were in the Golf section. I showed him a set of clubs for lil kids. I grabbed the 9i and handed it to him. After he tried to eat the grip, he wouldn't let go of the club! Made me such a proud Daddy!! I had to distract him with a Deer headcover in order to pry the 9i outta his hands because I'd be damned if I was going to by a set for $175 when he's 10mo old
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That's awesome.
My boy was using my older son's clubs from when he was 10. They were big for him and one day I was Dick's getting balls.
He sees the Maxfli Jr. sets and the yellow one is for 4-6 and has a D, 9i and putter in a stand bag.
He looks at and immediately says, "Daddy, I need that new golf bag and golf clubs".
And I say, "You mean you want them."
He says, "No Daddy, I really need them."
Needless to say, we left with clubs and balls.
How do you say no?
Especially when he needs them, which is how I justified it to the wife. The other ones are too big and NEEDS these :D
 
lemmiwinks said:
That's awesome.
My boy was using my older son's clubs from when he was 10. They were big for him and one day I was Dick's getting balls.
He sees the Maxfli Jr. sets and the yellow one is for 4-6 and has a D, 9i and putter in a stand bag.
He looks at and immediately says, "Daddy, I need that new golf bag and golf clubs".
And I say, "You mean you want them."
He says, "No Daddy, I really need them."
Needless to say, we left with clubs and balls.
How do you say no?
Especially when he needs them, which is how I justified it to the wife. The other ones are too big and NEEDS these :D
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Lol, that's awesome! I remember my first set I found in my cousins room. I was 7 and he didn't use them anymore so I asked and he gave them. I played with 3 clubs in my dads bag until about 5th grade when my parents started dropping me and 3 friends off at a muni course at 7:30 and we play as many holes as we could(boy I miss that junior rate of $5 for 18!!)until 5:30 when they'd pick us up. That's where I developed my game and my love for the game.
 
Assuming that the course was neither crowded nor getting crowded, in my opinion, the mistake was made by the guy behind the counter to begin with. Insisting on having someone pay full price for a four year old when the intention is to have him drop a ball from 30 in and maybe putt it makes no sense. If you have to pay full price for somebody, then that fee should allow him to play from wherever he wants to play. That is also however unrealistic. The guy behind the counter should have just allowed the kid out there without paying a greens fee or denied access under any circumstances which would have been within his right. At the point of not requiring a greens fee but allowing access, the course retains the right to decide if the kid is holding things up or amounts to some sort of bother or what have you. If I were the course I would want the right to decide if things were going badly way more than I would want the $13.00.

The second mistake might have been made by the same dunce from behind the counter. Why did the course insist on pairing up to make a foursome? Even if the they thought the course was going to start to get a bit busy in this particular instance it made no sense turning what was in effect two twosomes into a foursome.

As for the older guy, whether he liked what was happening or not does not give him the right to be impolite or a jerk about it. A simple salutation as he left was all that was needed and in fact in my view required just because it is the civil thing to do. That said, he was an effect, not a cause. The guy behind the counter and the course in general handled it badly and created the situation as much as anything. It all went badly from the minute the guy behind the counter insisted on a greens fee for the kid and it likely was not going to get better from there. I guess the OP was left with the option at that point of putting up with what was without doubt going to be a bad experience or packing it in for the day since there were storm clouds moving in. I guess that would be my only comment with regard to the OP. Thinking it was gong to "work out" was probably optimistic at best.
 
jnug said:
I guess the OP was left with the option at that point of putting up with what was without doubt going to be a bad experience or packing it in for the day since there were storm clouds moving in. I guess that would be my only comment with regard to the OP. Thinking it was gong to "work out" was probably optimistic at best.
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Wasn't so much that I hoped it would work out but more of the fact that I told my boy we were going golfing and we were at the golf course.
The next closest one I could take him too that was reasonably priced was probably 1/2 hour away.
IMO, sometimes the best offense with a toddler is a good defense.

And your point about the guy behind the counter, it's funny. He literaly came out of the pro shop (it's more of a shed but anyway) and said that because they were coming off playing the front 9 that I should let them play through or we could pair up. I was more than obliged to let them play through but the both said no, we'll just pair up.

All in all, it was learning experience in that I won't be headed back there.
 
and people wonder why golf's numbers are down.
it's because of people like this that turn kids off from golf.
guy at pro shop - dick
old guy - dick

kudos to you for keeping your cool around your boy and taking the time to get him into the game! :good:
cuz i'da told them to take their par 3 course and shove it up their ass.
 
I first learned on a par 3 course (was a par 59 actually). I started when I was 6 or 7, we would play 3 holes after the older kids had already gone out. It was an organized junior camp and would run almost 2 months. For an hour (or as long as the pro could stand it) he would give all the 6-7yr olds a lesson and it would change each week. Wk 1, Chipping. Wk 2, Pitching etc. and then after the lesson, we would go play 3 holes. It was a great camp and I remember looking forward to it each year until I was 15 and played HS golf. It was a huge step for my Junior golf and taught me the game incrementally. Also, we had a rules week...so taught us to play the game right.

I'd look up your local junior golf association and asking if they have something like this or know of a course that does it. Sounds like something you and your Son would really enjoy!
 
You are absolutely correct OP and that is my point. Left to your own devices you already knew to let the guys playing eighteen tee off ahead. End of story. But oh no, helpful henry has to come out of his little shack and get his two cents in. Granted the two guys playing eighteen agreed but I suspect that if helpful henry had just stayed in his shack, they would have agreeably teed off ahead of you two and that would have resolved anything that had anything to do with those two guys.
 
life is way too short for people to act this way, its such a shame
 
:sad: when I read story's like this. Happy you play with your kid. Dont let the few dum ones out there get to you.
 
That's too bad. I have found a local course that has a 6-hole par 3 course that is $5 for all you can play and kids under 12 are free. It's very lax and people just expect to find kids, slow play, etc.. Keep looking for another place to take him or call ahead and explain what you're expecting to the course. I would also call the course you played, talk to the general manager, and tell him about your experience. We can;t expect things to change if we don't express our displeasure.
 
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