After seeing Wes11point5's thread, I thought it would be good/fun to have a general golf venting thread. I propose that we use this to complain about anything golf related --- local course conditions, your inability to eliminate your chicken wing, the idiot in the clubhouse who let the five-some on the course right in front of you ... etc.

Personally, I'm fed up with my lack of time to play. I'm too busy to go play during the week during work hours, the kids have something going on almost every night of the week, and the weekends have been jammed with a mix of kid activities and yard work. June is a big golf month for me this year. I have a captain's choice tourney plus a trip to The Homestead plus our annual guy's golf weekend. Have I started preparing for all of this? Hell no! Instead, I'm driving kids to soccer and building patios!

I think i'd like to vent about courses that aren't friendly to singles and refuse to make foursomes when possible. I've been out as a single more times than not and believe it or not -- i've been told i need to have a tee time, yet when i call i get "we don't take tee times for singles" WHAT!!! I went off on the guy behind the counter last time i was out because of that. I said "you know what, i call and try to get a time to come out and you tell me you don't take single tee times, then you have the balls to tell me that i really should call to get a time when i want to come out? if you dont' want my F*(D&n money then i'll be glad to take it to a course that does!

He had nothing to say to that.

My vent is about the lack of management on the course here in the UK. I've seen staff come out on to the course in a grand total of two rounds.

Normally there's no issue but just once in a while I wish there was some cover like this.

Most recent case in point was last Friday. A group of three players made up of a teenager (still in his school uniform and who had NO clue how to play golf), his Dad (who had a clue but wasn't any good - a bit like me) and the octogenarian Grandfather (who probably used to have a clue but now could only hit the ball about 50 yards) came on to the course on the 3rd hole.

I had a problem with exactly none of this.

I briefly had a problem when they turned the buggy (aka golf cart) left through 360° to get to the next tee which was to the right, but when this turning-left-only ritual was repeated twice on the 5th I came to realise the problem was likely to be a physical one with the machine itself.

My problem came when I'd been waiting on the par 3 5th tee for over five minutes when the teenager decided to toss a ball in to the bunker so he could try some sand shots.

Dude! Seriously? Find a bunker on a hole where there's NOBODY ELSE WAITING TO PLAY ALREADY!

in England, is the steering wheel on the wrong side of the buggy, like the cars?

Duke of Hazards wrote:

in England, is the steering wheel on the wrong side of the buggy, like the cars?

No, it's on the right side of the buggy, and the right side of the cars.

I'm kind of ticked off at myself for being a sucker and wasting money buying loads of golf clubs over the years, which don't get me wrong is fun, but buying too many then some of the purchases do not lead to improved play. To top it off to try to sell used clubs is a pain and you don't get squat for them - I basically end up giving them away.

I'm also ticked that I didn't win the "Play Golf With Blair O'Neil" contest that Cobra Golf were running recently. O-well...

p.s. here in the Southern USA a "buggy" is what the old folks call a shopping cart at the grocery store...

jpjeffery wrote:

Duke of Hazards wrote: in England, is the steering wheel on the wrong side of the buggy, like the cars? No, it's on the right side of the buggy, and the right side of the cars.

Left is right... right is wrong.

jfurr wrote:

I'm also ticked that I didn't win the "Play Golf With Blair O'Neil" contest that Cobra Golf were running recently. O-well...

So they announced a winner? I entered and since no one contacted me I guess I did not win, either. Ultimately it is a good thing as I won't have to explain to my wife all the benefits of winning the contest... free equipment, free golf and ... oh yeah ... a professional golfer will be golfing with me.

A buggy is what you put a baby in.
They're sometimes known to have Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers.

I joined an uncle (69 - Al) and his nephew(?) Craig, today for 18 unforgetable holes. I liked Al. I have to admit that Craig is one of the biggest dickheads I have ever had the displeasure to play with. This guy thought he was the 2nd coming of Dustin Johnson. I knew he was a poseur from his Top Flite staff bag. Top Flite? Really? I hope it was free.

Craig was so profane he would have made Andrew Dice Clay blush. Of course the Big "C" had to play the Blue tees. He spent a lot of time in the rough behind me. Admittedly I had 10-15 yards lead playing the "White" but one would think he could occasionally out drive me. Any putt within 5 feet was a gimmee.

I was REALLY happy on the last hole when my drive ended up 10 feet behind the immoveable 150 yard marker (a 4 x 4 post with a birdhouse). Craig came over and said. "Dude, just roll it over to one side and give yourself a shot." I smiled, punched a hook to 50 yards and then stuffed a wedge to 2 inches - PAR. Thanks Craig, I don't need to roll the ball like certain buffoons I was joined up with.

Today's vent is about rough. We regularly play the University of Michigan course. Up until a year ago they kept the rough at a manageable height - high enough to cause some increased difficulty but not so high as to constantly lose balls or completely whack an amateur's game.

A year ago they embarked upon a long rough policy. No intermediate cut or gradation - just fairway or the deep stuff. A ball straying off the fairway now can rarely be seen unless one is standing over the ball. Around the greens it is "chunk & hope". Frankly, while I don't like the change I can live with it EXCEPT that now play has ground to a standstill at times. I have a pretty good eye for finding my ball but there are a lot of people out there aimlessly walking (or driving) in circles looking for balls. I am almost hoping for a drought this summer so the rough burns out.

bkuehn1952 wrote:

Today's vent is about rough. We regularly play the University of Michigan course. Up until a year ago they kept the rough at a manageable height - high enough to cause some increased difficulty but not so high as to constantly lose balls or completely whack an amateur's game. A year ago they embarked upon a long rough policy. No intermediate cut or gradation - just fairway or the deep stuff. A ball straying off the fairway now can rarely be seen unless one is standing over the ball. Around the greens it is "chunk & hope". Frankly, while I don't like the change I can live with it EXCEPT that now play has ground to a standstill at times. I have a pretty good eye for finding my ball but there are a lot of people out there aimlessly walking (or driving) in circles looking for balls. I am almost hoping for a drought this summer so the rough burns out.

One of the courses we play during our guy's golf weekend is like this. If you land in the rough, you've got about a 50% chance of finding your ball. Plus, if you do find it, when hitting the ball from the rough you lose at LEAST one club length due to the thick, high grass. I understand that there should be a penalty for not being in the fairway, but at no point during the round did I have an illusion that I was playing the U.S. Open, and the course really shouldn't act like I am.

It is all the fault of the evil course setup workers.No mowing is needed for long rough right?More time to sit around and laugh at folks looking for their golf ball.

These are the same guys that put pins on slopes.

Werepuppie wrote:

It is all the fault of the evil course setup workers.No mowing is needed for long rough right?More time to sit around and laugh at folks looking for their golf ball. These are the same guys that put pins on slopes.

It seems funny that they would leave the rough really high when the big push lately has been against slow play! I also do not understand why some courses locate the holes as if there is a US Open qualifier going on all the time.