Your Home Course

I play my home course because it's 5 minutes from my house. It used to be a pretty ugly course, but they're actually starting to turn it around.

The course that is 10 minutes from my house and 5 minutes from my work is like that. Decent enough to play after work with a few buddies, but not nice enough to want to plan a whole day of golf there.

OP i play a course that has by far the worst greens in the area
they have become very patchy (yorkshire fog i think the patches are)
the holotining was very poorly executed, it was done in september, not enough top dressing was used, and in 2 or 3 of the greens there are still a few holes visible
they probably run on about 5 on the stimpmeter

the layout is great but our greenkeeper is hopeless
i play a good 2 or 3 shots better on harder courses just because their greens have a true and consistent roll

I also play a course that is 5 minutes from my house. But is also border line dump. The guy who owns it is an OLD codger, he has been there since my dad and i went to this course some 25 years ago. he refuses to put ANY Money into it. The carts look more like bumper cars. the "cart paths" are more like a roller coaster concept with the proposed title of "The Nut Crusher". The fairways are ok, not a whole lot of weeds, the greens are actually pretty good but somewhat inconsistent speed wise. the employees are litterally the cheapest people you can possibly hire to maintain a golf course. Most of the people in charge of general up keep of the course itself are either 17 or 71. There are 1 or 2 guys who are in their 50's who run the mowers that are at least as old as they are. But i honestly think they are unfortunately semi-functioning alcoholics and cant find other work. Not kidding. The proshop lady has been there as long as the owner and she is about as mean a front of a store employee you can possibly imagine. She treats me like i drugged her cat and waxed my car with it and i have known her for 27 years. Since all the way back when she had hair and i could barely see over the counter. Sometimes you walk in and are certain you are going to be told to leave for no reason. Its a very uncomfortable place sometimes.

The good news is that once on the course, you can do whatever the F^*& you want. I know guys who pay for 9 holes at 10am, and leave,14 beers deep at 430. They just keep playing and playing and playing. But there are no rangers or even a starter house. And if there were it would be a weed covered shack that would make Stephen king uneasy. The kind of place where you'd store a body in a pinch. There is a bunker on the 13 hole that. and I am not kidding you my friends, cant measure any more that 2.5 feet by 1 foot. There is even a rake there for it. if ever anyone somehow manages to find this bunker I tell them its ground under repair since 1986. It was once a standard size bunker, but the drunk greens keepers must have thought there own personal ash tray would make the course more playable for all.

Monday thru thursday you can get a cart, a dog and a beer and 18 holes for 24 bucks which, up until i just proof read this thing i thought was a good deal. It turns out i am just feeding that sick infected animal. maybe it will flood out or I'll win mega millions, buy it and make it my own. If that happens, you're all invited. Just watch yourself on those cart paths.

Home is where the hardpan is...

Just give me enough room for air control and I'm generally pretty happy. The game to me is about dealing with conditions, getting your ball around in as few as possible, and enjoying the challenge. Hell, half the time I practice out in a pasture - literally.

I play everywhere, from the very best places to the very raw. Enjoy it all, man, it's a great game. Wherever you play is probably viewed as a gift to somebody, so enjoy it! Remember where it came from!


Check this out!

[url="http://www.pasturegolf.com/"]http://www.pasturegolf.com/[/url]

My home course at one time was a private course and was very, very nice. The course got sold a couple of times and the last time to an outfit who wanted the property for redevelopment. How they thought they could redevelop a course that ran thru a housing community is beyond me. There just wasn't enough land to handle the infrastructure necessary to develop the land. Anyway, they ran the place into the ground. The irrigation system was old, started failing and the course pretty much was burning up in the summer. Traps were horrible...yep you could call it a dump. They closed down one of the 2 18 hole courses and let it grow up in weeds. In fairness, the place was in such bad shape, they couldn't keep both courses going...just not enough players.

They were threatening to shut down the other 18 when the city stepped in and took the property citing "emminent domain". The property values for all the houses around the course had beel falling like a rock. It was costing the city tax revenue dollars.

The city came in and put in a new irrigation system, mowed the weeds on the course they closed down, let a contract to rebuild the closed down course, and turned the property into a public course.

It has a long way to go and the court case is still not settled over the property with the bunch who owned it when the city took over. I would not call it a dump now, but it certainly is not a first class facility as it once was. Hopefully in the next couple of years and if the lawsuit goes the way we hope it does, both courses will be back to being something to be proud of.

I pay an annual fee to play and trail fee for my golf cart. I live within 5 minutes of the clubhouse. I do play a lot of other golf courses all over town because I belong to a traveling golf league. But, being able to come home from work and go out during the week during daylight savings hours is really cool...even when the place was a dump at least it was a place to on course practice.

Yes. The home course is a dump. It used to be nice? Or so I am told. It isn't anymore. It could be nice, if it had new owners and any money behind it. Yet, it is seems to get a lot of play because of it's location? I seriously wish it didn't suck so bad because I am sort of fond of it. 49ers in Tucson could be good again someday, or at least that is what I like to tell myself.

Not really a dump. It's actually quite a pleasant layout although not really particularly challenging. 68/120 a little over 6,000. There are oppourtunities to add a fair amount of yardage when there are not other people playing and what challenges there are, are all different. The worst part is the greens are almost never the same speeds-not even close. No par 3's over 160.

I will tell you that I don't hate the place. I was able to get in 7 holes with my kids yesterday. Cost me $9. We drove to the 100 yd marker on the holes. Teed them up & had a good time. I was out driven by my son when I chunked my wedge & he let me know about it. My daughter told me I lost & she was better. She's 4. So it was a blast. The nicer, better maintained course down the road would not have appreciated this.

All in all, I do like it. I wish they'd throw more $$$ into it but then they'd up the fees & loose us bargain golfers.

My course is literally a dump or at least it was a long time ago. I hear stories from older members saying that things would pop out of the ground during the spring rounds but that hasn't happened in a long time or so they say. I never knew until they told me.

Have a laugh with this one:

[url="http://www.examiner.com/x-8452-LA-Golf-Examiner~y2009m5d7-Arnold-Palmer-and-the-rich-history-of-Rancho-Park-Golf-Course"]http://www.examiner....ark-Golf-Course[/url]

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-17/sports/sp-3803_1_rancho-park

At least it's cheap, it's usually in good shape (greens are usually quick for a Muni), and the layout is nice and it's got history.

My home course would fit perfectly in Pasture Golf. It was professionally designed, the greens were shaped by a professional, but all the rest was done by members. We have native grass fairways, buffalo, grama and bluestem, that are cut at two inches with a rotary mower. They are not watered very often, and can't be cut shorter or the grass thins out. Our greens are mostly poa, with some bent left on the 45 year old greens. If you tip it out, it will play around 6500 yds. Over the years, we have planted 300+ trees, there are nice elevation changes, and everything is as well groomed as it can be. There are only about 20 active players, so it is never crowded, there are very few rules, everyone owns a cart and shed, and you can do everything you want for less than a grand per year. By Augusta standards, it is a dump, but for the TX panhandle it is a gem. And, the prettiest place in the county.

I would consider oldelibertygolf.com my home course. I live about 20 minutes away but it is almost always dead and my son and I can hop on and play 18 in about 3:30 hours. I wouldn't call it a dump at all although it can get quite muddy when it rains. Pretty tough course.

[quote name='KYMAR' date='09 March 2010 - 08:32 PM' timestamp='1268184763' post='2305395']
I also play a course that is 5 minutes from my house. But is also border line dump. The guy who owns it is an OLD codger, he has been there since my dad and i went to this course some 25 years ago. he refuses to put ANY Money into it. The carts look more like bumper cars. the "cart paths" are more like a roller coaster concept with the proposed title of "The Nut Crusher". The fairways are ok, not a whole lot of weeds, the greens are actually pretty good but somewhat inconsistent speed wise. the employees are litterally the cheapest people you can possibly hire to maintain a golf course. Most of the people in charge of general up keep of the course itself are either 17 or 71. There are 1 or 2 guys who are in their 50's who run the mowers that are at least as old as they are. But i honestly think they are unfortunately semi-functioning alcoholics and cant find other work. Not kidding. The proshop lady has been there as long as the owner and she is about as mean a front of a store employee you can possibly imagine. She treats me like i drugged her cat and waxed my car with it and i have known her for 27 years. Since all the way back when she had hair and i could barely see over the counter. Sometimes you walk in and are certain you are going to be told to leave for no reason. Its a very uncomfortable place sometimes.

The good news is that once on the course, you can do whatever the F^*& you want. I know guys who pay for 9 holes at 10am, and leave,14 beers deep at 430. They just keep playing and playing and playing. But there are no rangers or even a starter house. And if there were it would be a weed covered shack that would make Stephen king uneasy. The kind of place where you'd store a body in a pinch. There is a bunker on the 13 hole that. and I am not kidding you my friends, cant measure any more that 2.5 feet by 1 foot. There is even a rake there for it. if ever anyone somehow manages to find this bunker I tell them its ground under repair since 1986. It was once a standard size bunker, but the drunk greens keepers must have thought there own personal ash tray would make the course more playable for all.

Monday thru thursday you can get a cart, a dog and a beer and 18 holes for 24 bucks which, up until i just proof read this thing i thought was a good deal. It turns out i am just feeding that sick infected animal. maybe it will flood out or I'll win mega millions, buy it and make it my own. If that happens, you're all invited. Just watch yourself on those cart paths.
[/quote]



This is BY FAR the funniest thing I have ever read in this forum. You sir are a genius!

Sorry but my so called home track is an Arnold Palmer Designed course.
I shy away from courses that want my money but offer little in return.
This course is great, and the clubhouse always gives a comp to league
players, which really makes this a bargain. Cheaper than most other
courses.

If anyone from Chicago has ever played Ken-loch, they know what a dump it is. My favorite part is that there is actually no sand in the bunkers.

The local track over here would no doubt whop most if not all of the aforementioned dumps. But being the only course in the country within about 1000km of, in part, terminally potholed roads (4x4 mandatory) its a gem.

It was an 18 hole lay-out, now its 15, three holes were lost to a mud slide and flooding in 2000.

Apparently there was fairway watering at some stage but that got "liberated", the fairways in places resemble bunkers and can be sandy enough in places that the mower tractors can get stuck and local rules allows 2 club lengths so you can try and find a patch of grass.

The greens vary tremendously, the first is a beauty because it has natural water running around and is always well grassed and receptive to approach shots. The second is reasonably grassed, but hard and dry and about 4-5 more on the stimpmeter (if one existed) faster than the first. The third is elevated, surrounded by a number of large trees, bone dry and patchy, somewhere between the previous two. The fifth has recently been rebuilt and looking good, even if the grass is different to all the previous holes, and so the story goes etc etc barely two greens alike.

The aforementioned tractors don't get stuck in the sand so much at the moment as they have been broken down, so the fairways and rough are getting a touch woolly, the difficulty of the rough is the only thing that would surpass Augusta or a US Open set-up.

It is not unheard of to see a family bathing or doing the laundry in the water-hazards, and you get to replay your stroke if you should strike a goat (and hopefully not the heard boy- thats less prevalant now as there are guards with whistles to chase people off the course). The access road can be 4x4 access during the worst of the wet season, when the 15 holes gets reduced to 9 holes as the back 6 get too waterlogged to mow.

The surrounding bairro guarantees a serenade of latino dance music on a quite Sunday morning outing- normally still going from the previous night. The clubhouse was a grand structure largely abandoned since independence in 1975 and the operating bar is a shady rondavel (recently upgraded to a tile rather than thatched roof- reportedly because a disgruntled caddy torched the latter) and courtyard which serves suitable chilled beer and not much else.

There is an incorrigible gang of rogues that serve as caddies, that are actually damn good at what they do. Even if the odd one has been witnessed being marched off the course by the local Policia.

Living in the developing world, its not about the course, its about the company and at least having somewhere to play the game we all love. We can drive and be on world class courses within a couple of hours across the border in South Africa or Swaziland, which we do on occasion, but most of the time we play the beat up old local track. Having sat and summarized the delights of our "lost treasure" I am itching to get out and hit a few balls............. roll on the weekend!!

My "home" course is 55 bucks on a weekday, with the resident discount.

I have to agree.

Had a chuckle as I was reading it.

Restores faith in the good old ways, where you didn't need manicured fairways, pristine greens, raked bunkers, a range finder and a cart, and that not everone says, "have a nice day" when you leave.

Sums up what makes life interesting!

I have a great home course. Not overly long but beautiful layout and nice smoothe fast greens. Its about 30 miles south of indianapolis and owned by a former tour pro from the 1960's, and former IU golf coach. He acutally coached Shaun Micheel. For only 2200 bucks you get unlimited golf and cart for a year membership! Love my course!

I play at about as nice a course you can find. Probably one of the top 10 layouts in the US. No one knows about it though really. Its a Jack Nicklaus design, kept in superb condition. Talks of hosting the ST. Jude Classic and/or a major have been common.

[quote name='KYMAR' date='09 March 2010 - 08:32 PM' timestamp='1268184763' post='2305395']
I also play a course that is 5 minutes from my house. But is also border line dump. The guy who owns it is an OLD codger, he has been there since my dad and i went to this course some 25 years ago. he refuses to put ANY Money into it. The carts look more like bumper cars. the "cart paths" are more like a roller coaster concept with the proposed title of "The Nut Crusher". The fairways are ok, not a whole lot of weeds, the greens are actually pretty good but somewhat inconsistent speed wise. the employees are litterally the cheapest people you can possibly hire to maintain a golf course. Most of the people in charge of general up keep of the course itself are either 17 or 71. There are 1 or 2 guys who are in their 50's who run the mowers that are at least as old as they are. But i honestly think they are unfortunately semi-functioning alcoholics and cant find other work. Not kidding. The proshop lady has been there as long as the owner and she is about as mean a front of a store employee you can possibly imagine. She treats me like i drugged her cat and waxed my car with it and i have known her for 27 years. Since all the way back when she had hair and i could barely see over the counter. Sometimes you walk in and are certain you are going to be told to leave for no reason. Its a very uncomfortable place sometimes.

The good news is that once on the course, you can do whatever the F^*& you want. I know guys who pay for 9 holes at 10am, and leave,14 beers deep at 430. They just keep playing and playing and playing. But there are no rangers or even a starter house. And if there were it would be a weed covered shack that would make Stephen king uneasy. The kind of place where you'd store a body in a pinch. There is a bunker on the 13 hole that. and I am not kidding you my friends, cant measure any more that 2.5 feet by 1 foot. There is even a rake there for it. if ever anyone somehow manages to find this bunker I tell them its ground under repair since 1986. It was once a standard size bunker, but the drunk greens keepers must have thought there own personal ash tray would make the course more playable for all.

Monday thru thursday you can get a cart, a dog and a beer and 18 holes for 24 bucks which, up until i just proof read this thing i thought was a good deal. It turns out i am just feeding that sick infected animal. maybe it will flood out or I'll win mega millions, buy it and make it my own. If that happens, you're all invited. Just watch yourself on those cart paths.
[/quote]

One of the best posts I have ever read !

This is truly a great thread topic. I think many of us can unfortunately relate to a lot of what goes on at this "charming" course.

This post has inspired me to start a new separate thread about something that I experienced a few years ago...I'm going to go with a new thread because its not really about my home course and its not really about a course being a dump, its more about bizarre incidents occurring on the course.

Certainly not a dump, but it is a [url="http://www.orchardsgolfclub.com/index.htm"]work in progress[/url]. It recently changed ownership, and now they're coverting the fairways to zoysia, rebuilding one of the greens, installing new drains in several locations. Reasonable priced, with a decent variety of holes, I'm happy with it.

[quote name='KintamaTP' date='09 March 2010 - 08:34 PM' timestamp='1268188473' post='2305565']
Have a laugh with this one:

[url="http://www.examiner.com/x-8452-LA-Golf-Examiner~y2009m5d7-Arnold-Palmer-and-the-rich-history-of-Rancho-Park-Golf-Course"]http://www.examiner....ark-Golf-Course[/url]

[url="http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-17/sports/sp-3803_1_rancho-park"]http://articles.lati...3_1_rancho-park[/url]

At least it's cheap, it's usually in good shape (greens are usually quick for a Muni), and the layout is nice and it's got history.
[/quote]

I happened to notice the date on the second article. I was living in Costa Mesa during that timeframe. Every weekend I would venture out on Sunday and play a golf course I had not played before. If I found one I liked, I would add it to the Saturday play list and alternate thru the list in coming weeks. I played Rancho Park numerous times. It was truly crowded but fun to play. I got paired with a couple of guys there and they began playing on Saturdays with me at other venues in the Greater LA area.

[quote]My home course at one time was a private course and was very, very nice. The course got sold a couple of times and the last time to an outfit who wanted the property for redevelopment. How they thought they could redevelop a course that ran thru a housing community is beyond me. There just wasn't enough land to handle the infrastructure necessary to develop the land. Anyway, they ran the place into the ground. The irrigation system was old, started failing and the course pretty much was burning up in the summer. Traps were horrible...yep you could call it a dump. They closed down one of the 2 18 hole courses and let it grow up in weeds. In fairness, the place was in such bad shape, they couldn't keep both courses going...just not enough players.

They were threatening to shut down the other 18 when the city stepped in and took the property citing "emminent domain". The property values for all the houses around the course had beel falling like a rock. It was costing the city tax revenue dollars.

The city came in and put in a new irrigation system, mowed the weeds on the course they closed down, let a contract to rebuild the closed down course, and turned the property into a public course.

It has a long way to go and the court case is still not settled over the property with the bunch who owned it when the city took over. I would not call it a dump now, but it certainly is not a first class facility as it once was. Hopefully in the next couple of years and if the lawsuit goes the way we hope it does, both courses will be back to being something to be proud of.

I pay an annual fee to play and trail fee for my golf cart. I live within 5 minutes of the clubhouse. I do play a lot of other golf courses all over town because I belong to a traveling golf league. But, being able to come home from work and go out during the week during daylight savings hours is really cool...even when the place was a dump at least it was a place to on course practice.
[/quote]


Abosultely spot on for this piece of property mentioned....the poster also failed to mention that this course hosted 3 or 4 Houston Opens in the early 70's. At the time,it was a very desirable place to be in the city.

I'm in the Philadelphia suburbs, the northwest suburbs to be exact, and in my area we are blessed with a great variety of public courses to play.

As for me, I split my play between Jeffersonville golf club and Skippack Golf Club. Jeff is in better condition once you hit mid July, but Skippack is a fun track that has a front nine with a lot of bending fairways and then back nine with a lot of elevation change.

Jeff just plays like a good course should. They aren't finished fine tuning it, rumors are they are going to extend it to 7k yards, but it just plays very well; a great mix of length and challenge.

"But there are no rangers or even a starter house. And if there were it would be a weed covered shack that would make Stephen king uneasy."

That's hysterical!

As someone who grew up in the San Diego area I can remember playing Torrey Pines back in the late 60's, it was at that time what i would call a dump, 4 or 5 different types of grass in the fairways, greens that calling them inconsistant would be a compliment. My point is that todays dump could be tomorrows jewel or vice-versa. Tiger's idol, enjoy the fact that you have a course nearby that you can afford to take your children out to play dump or not.

."Tiger's idol, enjoy the fact that you have a course nearby that you can afford to take your children out to play dump or not."

Oldironman,
Believe me I do. I'm walking the fine line of promoting golf & not pushing it. I let them decide when they want to go & the only thing I stress when playing is the respect toward the other players. They know to be quiet when others are hitting or putting. Otherwise we are laughing most of the time & having fun. I hold the course in high regard for what it does. I'm no golf snob. I've played Tour stops & would not trade my rounds with the kids for any of them.