New England Members

I really hope I get to join a club someday.

I recommend finding a way to make it happen. I joined a club when I was 26 and was there for just short of 20 years. I gave it up (and serious golf) for almost 10 years then last year joined a new club. I love being a member at a club. It brings a network of people to play with I struggled to find plus access to club tournaments which I like a lot. It is definitely a luxury item but I play way more golf when a member somewhere than when I was not.
 
I recommend finding a way to make it happen. I joined a club when I was 26 and was there for just short of 20 years. I gave it up (and serious golf) for almost 10 years then last year joined a new club. I love being a member at a club. It brings a network of people to play with I struggled to find plus access to club tournaments which I like a lot. It is definitely a luxury item but I play way more golf when a member somewhere than when I was not.
A 16 month old and another on the way is the realistic impediment. My goal is vesper, I’m 36 and if I get in before 40 it’s still a little steep but not too bad. Convincing my wife that golf is worth 8-10k a year is HARD.
 
A 16 month old and another on the way is the realistic impediment. My goal is vesper, I’m 36 and if I get in before 40 it’s still a little steep but not too bad. Convincing my wife that golf is worth 8-10k a year is HARD.

I joined a club the first summer I met my wife well before we were married so as long as she knew me I was a member somewhere. I did give it up for a while when my kids were very active in sports. The issue was the club I was a member at didn’t have a good kids program. I would say try to find a club with an excellent kids program and a nice pool. That makes it a good family place.

I traded a dog for a club membership this time around. My kids are older and the dog makes my wife happy.
 
it was too nice to work today so we skipped out and played 18 at Stone E Lee in Attleboro. The course was in great shape. Can’t beat the price either. My buddy and I got paired up with another 2 some that was also walking. Really good pace. Never waited and no one had to wait on us. Very easy to score well when the greens are in the condition they were today. Very few 3 putts ( and that includes the fringe putting nonsense that I always seem to get myself into ). At least on holes 2-19 lol. Still took lots of shots otherwise
 
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36 holes at the Captains Course down the Cape. I loved the par threes, the rest of the course was kind of “just a golf course”, nothing really to remember. The fairways were firm as hell. Normally my steep attack takes beaver pelts but I could barely crack the grass. Greens were medium speed but rolled true.

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Played Maplegate this weekend and for reasons that I cannot figure out, they decided to have their maintenance guys out working on a Saturday morning. So we had one dude out watering the greens and he was waiting for us on probably 15 holes. Just stayed on the fringe, waving at us to hit while he then ignored the shots and went about his business. And left the pump motor running the whole time. Wouldn't have minded it if it was just a couple of holes, but like I said, he was pretty much staying with my group the whole day. I kind of blew up at him on 18 as he was parked right in front of the bunker I was in and blithely asked, "Am I in your way?" YES, GET THE ^*$*^%$ OUT OF MY WAY!

Who does maintenance in prime time on a weekend morning? Do it at 6 am or late afternoon. And it had rained overnight so I don't think the greens were in danger of catching fire. One of our guys did mention it to the pro and he admitted the guy should have started on 18 and worked his way backwards.

When you're charging nearly $100 for a fairly average course with a trailer for a clubhouse, may want to improve the customer experience?

End of rant....
 
Played what I would call a hidden gem in a bit of the middle of nowhere on Sunday. It's called White River Golf Club and is located in Rochester, VT. $39 for 18 with a cart (playing same 9-holes twice but still). Course was in excellent shape and is a challenging track (for me anyway :LOL:) despite it's lack of length. If you ever find yourself in middle of nowhere central Vermont this course is definitely a great course to visit.
 
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Played Maplegate this weekend and for reasons that I cannot figure out, they decided to have their maintenance guys out working on a Saturday morning. So we had one dude out watering the greens and he was waiting for us on probably 15 holes. Just stayed on the fringe, waving at us to hit while he then ignored the shots and went about his business. And left the pump motor running the whole time. Wouldn't have minded it if it was just a couple of holes, but like I said, he was pretty much staying with my group the whole day. I kind of blew up at him on 18 as he was parked right in front of the bunker I was in and blithely asked, "Am I in your way?" YES, GET THE ^*$*^%$ OUT OF MY WAY!

Who does maintenance in prime time on a weekend morning? Do it at 6 am or late afternoon. And it had rained overnight so I don't think the greens were in danger of catching fire. One of our guys did mention it to the pro and he admitted the guy should have started on 18 and worked his way backwards.

When you're charging nearly $100 for a fairly average course with a trailer for a clubhouse, may want to improve the customer experience?

End of rant....
Honestly man, I wish that experience was rare. But at least for me, it isn’t. Prime time weekend golf I’ll experience the exact same thing on so many of the courses local to me. I played Cyprian two weeks ago, and one 7 holes I had a guy on a mower mowing while I was teeing off in the fairway. He literally stopped the mower in the middle of the FW, facing the tee box, and waived at me to hit over him. They also like to weed whack random ass spots. I think to some degree they’re working to stay busy because the areas they’re working don’t realistically need work.
 
Played Quail Ridge in Acton yesterday with a buddy. I hadn't been there in close to 10 years. They have since redesigned the course from 18 to 9 holes. The remaining layout is pretty solid, with some tough doglegs, elevation changes and carries. The greens were in good shape and rolling pretty quick. I never settled in to good read on them and carded more three jacks than I have in quite a while.
 
Played Quail Ridge in Acton yesterday with a buddy. I hadn't been there in close to 10 years. They have since redesigned the course from 18 to 9 holes. The remaining layout is pretty solid, with some tough doglegs, elevation changes and carries. The greens were in good shape and rolling pretty quick. I never settled in to good read on them and carded more three jacks than I have in quite a while.

The conditions there are always pretty good, but it is a bit of a goofy layout. Next time you're up in the area, let me know - I'm right down the street from there.
 
Someone forward me an email from Red Tail, apparently a big renovation project kicking off tomorrow. Expanding the driving range, re-doing the club house and improving course conditions, notably the tee boxes.

Announcement From Red Tail Golf Club
To Our Valued Patrons of Red Tail Golf Club,

We are extremely excited to announce that we will be breaking ground on a major capital improvement plan to Red Tail Golf Club beginning Wednesday, June 23, 2021. This plan will focus on four key areas of improvement:
  • Complete Renovation of the Driving Range
  • Clubhouse Modernization
  • Improving Course Conditions
  • Improving the Food & Beverage Operation at the Club
Our first key area of focus will be a complete renovation of the Driving Range. This renovation will include doubling the grass tee area, a reconfiguration of the layout with the additions of practice target greens, new irrigation, range mats and fixtures. This project is extremely intensive and will require us to bring in approximately 2,500 truckloads of topsoil to complete. Our goal is to create a practice facility that matches the quality of the golf course.

The Range project will be completed in two phases:
  1. Phase 1 will begin Wednesday, June 23, 2021 and will continue until August 19, 2021. During that time the Driving Range will be closed and all play will begin on Hole #10 for those eight weeks. In this phase, we will be bringing approximately 20,000 yards of soil to the back half of the driving range. The Driving Range will tentatively reopen on Friday, August 20, 2021.
  2. Phase 2 will begin on Monday, October 18 and will continue until our planned reopening of the Range in mid–May 2022. This phase will include final grading, the addition of drainage and irrigation, hydroseeding of the site, and installation of the new fixtures.
To help offset some of the inconvenience to customers during the 2021 Golf Season, we will be adding two TrackMan Virtual Golf Simulators that may be used before the round to the clubhouse. The TrackMan installation is underway and should be ready for use by July 1.

The second key area of focus will be modernizing the clubhouse during the off-season, scheduled to begin mid-November. This project will include a complete renovation of the lower level including updated restrooms, new carpet, fixtures, paint, and an overall refreshed feel when you walk into Red Tail. This work will also heavily focus on renovation of the kitchen with new equipment to accommodate the Food & Beverage operation outlined as follows.

Our third key area of focus will be improving the overall course conditions at the club. To start, we have begun resodding multiple tee boxes and will continue to focus on maintaining fantastic tees, especially on the Par 3’s. We have invested over $500,000 in new maintenance equipment orders for the course that will be arriving over the next three months. Included in the new equipment package is a machine that we will use to overseed the fairways. This will aid in rejuvenation of the fairways that are still showing extreme signs of play from the heightened demand last season.

Lastly, we will be tackling the major issue of the Food & Beverage operation at Red Tail. We are excited to finally announce that we have hired an Executive Chef who will be joining us in early July. We plan to offer a more normalized Food & Beverage experience by mid-July to offer traditional pub style food for the remainder of the 2021 Season. A complete kitchen overhaul to include new equipment and flow will also be completed during the off-season to allow more efficiency and different seasonal menus beginning in 2022!

We greatly appreciate your business and look forward to continuing the amazing legacy of Red Tail Golf Club as we make it the signature course of our portfolio.

Sincerely,
Alliance Management
 
The conditions there are always pretty good, but it is a bit of a goofy layout. Next time you're up in the area, let me know - I'm right down the street from there.

Awesome will do. Yeah there were a couple holes where we had no idea where to go next. One hole I had a great drive, only to find out there’s a pond in the middle of the fairway 🤦🏼‍♂️
 
Someone forward me an email from Red Tail, apparently a big renovation project kicking off tomorrow. Expanding the driving range, re-doing the club house and improving course conditions, notably the tee boxes.

Announcement From Red Tail Golf Club
To Our Valued Patrons of Red Tail Golf Club,

We are extremely excited to announce that we will be breaking ground on a major capital improvement plan to Red Tail Golf Club beginning Wednesday, June 23, 2021. This plan will focus on four key areas of improvement:
  • Complete Renovation of the Driving Range
  • Clubhouse Modernization
  • Improving Course Conditions
  • Improving the Food & Beverage Operation at the Club
Our first key area of focus will be a complete renovation of the Driving Range. This renovation will include doubling the grass tee area, a reconfiguration of the layout with the additions of practice target greens, new irrigation, range mats and fixtures. This project is extremely intensive and will require us to bring in approximately 2,500 truckloads of topsoil to complete. Our goal is to create a practice facility that matches the quality of the golf course.

The Range project will be completed in two phases:
  1. Phase 1 will begin Wednesday, June 23, 2021 and will continue until August 19, 2021. During that time the Driving Range will be closed and all play will begin on Hole #10 for those eight weeks. In this phase, we will be bringing approximately 20,000 yards of soil to the back half of the driving range. The Driving Range will tentatively reopen on Friday, August 20, 2021.
  2. Phase 2 will begin on Monday, October 18 and will continue until our planned reopening of the Range in mid–May 2022. This phase will include final grading, the addition of drainage and irrigation, hydroseeding of the site, and installation of the new fixtures.
To help offset some of the inconvenience to customers during the 2021 Golf Season, we will be adding two TrackMan Virtual Golf Simulators that may be used before the round to the clubhouse. The TrackMan installation is underway and should be ready for use by July 1.

The second key area of focus will be modernizing the clubhouse during the off-season, scheduled to begin mid-November. This project will include a complete renovation of the lower level including updated restrooms, new carpet, fixtures, paint, and an overall refreshed feel when you walk into Red Tail. This work will also heavily focus on renovation of the kitchen with new equipment to accommodate the Food & Beverage operation outlined as follows.

Our third key area of focus will be improving the overall course conditions at the club. To start, we have begun resodding multiple tee boxes and will continue to focus on maintaining fantastic tees, especially on the Par 3’s. We have invested over $500,000 in new maintenance equipment orders for the course that will be arriving over the next three months. Included in the new equipment package is a machine that we will use to overseed the fairways. This will aid in rejuvenation of the fairways that are still showing extreme signs of play from the heightened demand last season.

Lastly, we will be tackling the major issue of the Food & Beverage operation at Red Tail. We are excited to finally announce that we have hired an Executive Chef who will be joining us in early July. We plan to offer a more normalized Food & Beverage experience by mid-July to offer traditional pub style food for the remainder of the 2021 Season. A complete kitchen overhaul to include new equipment and flow will also be completed during the off-season to allow more efficiency and different seasonal menus beginning in 2022!

We greatly appreciate your business and look forward to continuing the amazing legacy of Red Tail Golf Club as we make it the signature course of our portfolio.

Sincerely,
Alliance Management

I was excited to see that email, but concerned at how much focused on the club house/driving range. The course was in rough shape last year, and the bunkers have never been in the kind of shape you'd expect for what they charge. At the end of the day that range is still going to be using limited flight balls.
 
Awesome will do. Yeah there were a couple holes where we had no idea where to go next. One hole I had a great drive, only to find out there’s a pond in the middle of the fairway 🤦🏼‍♂️

They still have soccer golf there as well? First time I played it, I didn't know which ******* flag to aim for (not to mention all the people kicking a ball in the middle of the fairway). Made for a stressful day.
 
Thats great they are doing all this work since they charge a Arm & Leg.
I have a hard time paying $100 a round when there are so many great options in this area.
 
They still have soccer golf there as well? First time I played it, I didn't know which ******* flag to aim for (not to mention all the people kicking a ball in the middle of the fairway). Made for a stressful day.

They do; multiple on each hole but I didn't see anyone playing while we were out there. I'm sure that would have been a different experience. What I found weirder than that though was their blue pin flags were super dark, almost black and really hard to see.
 
I heard last night that my favorite 9 hole track, Bungay Brook, is heading towards selling to a developer for condos. Really going to be sad to lose the course where I learned how to play.
 
They do; multiple on each hole but I didn't see anyone playing while we were out there. I'm sure that would have been a different experience. What I found weirder than that though was their blue pin flags were super dark, almost black and really hard to see.

I remember noticing that on 3 (one of my favorite par 4s around, that hole is brutal) and 4 when the pin was in the back.
 
Played Oceans Edge in Brewster on Sunday, really like that course. Here are some pics
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I got a gift card to Red Tail before the course was sold... I’m having a hard time getting an answer as to what the hell is going on. My brother purchased it online and it said a physical card would be mailed. That never happened. Phone calls are left with “we’ll figure this out and get back to you”.

Unless they make major changes I’m kind of over the place. Luckily I’ve made friends with a few dudes who play out of Renaissance and Vesper, the guest fee is the same as Red Tail.
 
I was excited to see that email, but concerned at how much focused on the club house/driving range. The course was in rough shape last year, and the bunkers have never been in the kind of shape you'd expect for what they charge. At the end of the day that range is still going to be using limited flight balls.

Played there a few weeks ago and thought it was in really good shape. I do think their planned work on the tee boxes is needed, but that's a pretty low priority in the grand scheme of things.
 
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