Things that have been bugging me lately

[bulldog8b]

2 things have been bugging on the course lately. First is guys playing music. When did that become a thing? And why do the rest of us have to be subjected to it?

 

And 2 is hard bonkers with a lack of sand. Why is it so many courses have bunkers with very little sand? That seems like the easiest part of keeping a course. Just dump some sand in every once in awhile.

 

Anyhoo, that's all. Feel free to comment or call me a grumpy old man, especially since I just turned 36

[ebrasmus21]

I don't get the music thing either. If there's no one else on the course then who cares but its become pretty common at my CC during peak times.

 

Sand, bunkers.... I feel your pain. My guess is that its an easy way to save on labor time/cost.

 

My biggest grip is guys that don't rake the bunker after playing out. It doesn't take much effort and its greatly appreciated by the games playing after.

 

Lastly, fix your damn ball marks on the green.

[tenny352]

I don't always listen to music when I'm playing but when I do I try to be as respectful as I possibly can. I only need it loud enough so only I can hear it and turn it all the way down whenever I get close to other people on the course. I don't think everyone within earshot needs to be subjected to the musical stylings of Steve Winwood when I'm on an 80's kick.

[bulldog8b]

I don't get the music thing either. If there's no one else on the course then who cares but its become pretty common at my CC during peak times.

 

Sand, bunkers.... I feel your pain. My guess is that its an easy way to save on labor time/cost.

 

My biggest grip is guys that don't rake the bunker after playing out. It doesn't take much effort and its greatly appreciated by the games playing after.

 

Lastly, fix your damn ball marks on the green.

 

That's another thing, it seems like nobody fixes ball marks. I don't know if it has always been this bad or if I've just been noticing it more

 

About the sand, how much could it cost? Especially in labor. Take a couple wheel barrows and a shovel and your be done in 5 minutes a bunker. With all the time and expense that goes into all that grass it seems like sand in bunkers would be pretty easy

[ebrasmus21]

I don't get the music thing either. If there's no one else on the course then who cares but its become pretty common at my CC during peak times.

 

Sand, bunkers.... I feel your pain. My guess is that its an easy way to save on labor time/cost.

 

My biggest grip is guys that don't rake the bunker after playing out. It doesn't take much effort and its greatly appreciated by the games playing after.

 

Lastly, fix your damn ball marks on the green.

 

That's another thing, it seems like nobody fixes ball marks. I don't know if it has always been this bad or if I've just been noticing it more

 

About the sand, how much could it cost? Especially in labor. Take a couple wheel barrows and a shovel and your be done in 5 minutes a bunker. With all the time and expense that goes into all that grass it seems like sand in bunkers would be pretty easy

 

The not-fixing-ball-marks thing is bizarre. Can't explain it.

 

As for the sand I was just thinking that courses let the guys skimp on grooming the bunkers daily - thereby decreasing labor costs. That's a wild-a** guess by me and I have zero facts to support it.

[randy4]

Bunkers at my course have gotten better, they used to be awful. No one does the music. Ball marks are all over the greens though it's really annoying.

[1ironcharlie]

Here in colorado I know bunkers cost a fortune, while not as dry as say arizona, the dryness combined with the high altitude, which draws trapped air out of the sand, means that a couple of Wheelbarrows full of sand turn into concrete the next day. One course, a Gary player design, for Pete's sake, has switched to perlite in the bunkers.

[SASpeeder]

Ball marks on green, unraked bunkers and unfilled divots in the fairways can get me grumpy quickly! And they are quick and easy fixes! Other than that being out on a course is the best place in the world.

[elwhippy]

The simple things....badly raked bunkers, pitch marks, not letting a group through despite two out of four players ratching for an old Srixon, a lack of decent barmaids, no cheese crisps....in truth all first world issues.

[SixtySomePing]

People who text or have to check their cell phones while playing. It's not using GPS or keeping score or using a golf app. It's texting or checking something non-golf as if not being able to let go of the outside world long enough to enjoy golf for a few hours. Usually in your group, or nearby, you can see it - thumbs rattling off at jackhammer speed without the noise, the phone has become the newest body organ, the six^th sense so to speak...

[CELTIC]

People who text or have to check their cell phones while playing...

 

Years ago i did triathlons - swim first, then bike, then run. The swim made my wife incredibly nervous; I'm not really sure why, but she was terrified I would drown. Anyway, to make her feel better I would text her after the swim, right before I got on my bike to let her know I wasn't dead. At one race, the guy next to saw me doing this and got really pissed. He started berating me about cell phones and that I shouldn't be racing and cell phones were ruining everything. I honestly didn't understand how my actions affected his race but he was definitely put off by it. My wife was happy I didn't drown and I continued with my race. Sorry buddy that I messed up your day so badly.

[BNGL]

Y'all would hate Bakers Bay lol. The merry bunch of Justin Thomas Ricky Fowler Spieth and some others hang out there. Music blaring, wicked hot girls, only swimsuits and FJ Icons. Definitely some of the most fun golf I've ever played.

[MountainGoat]

The music thing is driving me crazy. Pinehurst just opened a very wonderful par-3 course that is very challenging and a lot of fun. But, they installed a sound system on the course. All of the rocks are actually speakers. It's very distracting. Personally, I don't need to hear "Hotel California" while I'm trying to focus on a target.

[generally john]

I don't always listen to music when I'm playing but when I do I try to be as respectful as I possibly can. I only need it loud enough so only I can hear it and turn it all the way down whenever I get close to other people on the course. I don't think everyone within earshot needs to be subjected to the musical stylings of Steve Winwood when I'm on an 80's kick.

Headphones is an option that works for everyone

[Lord Helmet]

Loathe music on the course - especially courses that go back and forth so you see and hear the crap all round.

 

Sunflower seeds all over the green. WTF.

 

Leaving pitchmarks shows a lack of knowledge and respect for the game. When I play with my usual family group - when we get to the green, each of us find 5 marks and fix them. Its our thing.

[Ryan3773]

I don’t get why people listening to music don’t just wear headphones. I don’t go to work and listen to music loudly, why do it on the course?

[fairways4life]

Mine is cigarette butts on the course. Why do so many smokers feel like it's okay to just toss them on the ground? It's littering just like anything else. And right there on a beautiful fairway when every single tee box has a trash can.

[Scooterboy59]

People not raking bunkers is my pet peeve.

[Mdemuth]

Don't like the music either. I play golf to get away from it all. Someone else posted they have music on some new Pinehurst par 3? Is this what growing the game is? No thanks.... Granted I'm all music'd out.. Dj'd for 20 years, the clubs etc.... so tired of it. I'm only 38, but realize silence is golden in this day in age.

 

I've posted this before but, The worst thing about being paired up with someone who want's to play music is when they ask you "you don't mind if we play some tunes do you?" .. If you say no, then they hate you the rest of the round.... you can't win.

 

as for hard bunkers.. it's the norm until around june in the metro NY area on the muni course, at least... don't like em, but what am I gonna do?

 

I hate the gravel stones in the bunkers more than hard sand, messing up my clubs! haha

[nitram]

Bunker maintenance is one of the most expensive items for a course. This is the main reason several muni's and smaller clubs have deleted them from the course.

 

Music rarely bothers me although its abuse has grown exponentially to the point some courses are eliminating it altogether. So someone has been griping about it.

 

As far as not fixing pitch marks, that's just like not raking bunkers after you play out. It's just plain rudeness and a lack of respect. I'm not saying I haven't missed one or two because I couldn't find it, but always repair any others I find.

[DavePelz4]

One of the nicer courses in the Chicago area Prairie Landing, which is an RTJ designed course, took out 64 of 127 bunkers on the course 3 years ago. Removing those bunkers saved them over $700,000 per year in sand cost and maintenance. The cost of the sand isn't necessarily the issue, it's the cost of shipping the sand on top of the cost of the sand.

[Lord Helmet]

One of the nicer courses in the Chicago area Prairie Landing, which is an RTJ designed course, took out 64 of 127 bunkers on the course 3 years ago. Removing those bunkers saved them over $700,000 per year in sand cost and maintenance. The cost of the sand isn't necessarily the issue, it's the cost of shipping the sand on top of the cost of the sand.

 

Yup. Course closest to me did that as well. Also, the course I play when Im back in Mrs Helmets hometown did the same. Huge cost savings to the course.

[MilkyButterCuts]

On the music topic - I enjoy listening to it occasionally especially if I’m by myself. It’s definitely a younger crowd that is doing it, however I think it helps my golf game by, a) when I get pissed it keeps me pretty grounded and b) by helping me not get so serious. Like another user said a bit higher up, if you listen to music the right way no one else should ever be able to hear it.. muted coming up to tee boxes, when groups are near, etc..

[tatertot]

Don't get the music ... It's like people are afraid to be alone with their own thoughts.

 

And it's also against the rules.

[_MS22_]

I'm guilty of streaming to my bluetooth UE speaker for the rounds that I am walking. That being said it is attached to my bag and only loud enough that being ~10ft away the noise is all but gone. And our club has only 1 section of a hole that boarders another separated by 70ft or so of trees. No parallel fairways, very quiet in the afternoon/evening in terms of play too. If I come upon someone else I'll always mute it.

 

Pitchmarks I've given up being mad at. I just fix mine, and two or three others and move on. We have an old membership and some of those guys struggle to bend down honestly. I'll absorb their pitch marks.

 

Whole cigar butts, on the green and in bunkers piss me off though. And cell phone use aside from a quick message or something they are an annoyance, Oh, and young kids using the range as a hangout.

[Dpavs]

I know we've chewed on this before but the conclusion I draw is still the same... whether it is due to not caring or being oblivious to anything else, there are a growing number of golfers who show no courtesy in respect to the game, the course or other players.

[MidwestGolfBum]

One of the nicer courses in the Chicago area Prairie Landing, which is an RTJ designed course, took out 64 of 127 bunkers on the course 3 years ago. Removing those bunkers saved them over $700,000 per year in sand cost and maintenance. The cost of the sand isn't necessarily the issue, it's the cost of shipping the sand on top of the cost of the sand.

 

Yup. Course closest to me did that as well. Also, the course I play when Im back in Mrs Helmets hometown did the same. Huge cost savings to the course.

 

My course just did an overhaul of all of the bunkers on the course, removed some, made others smaller, but redid the drainage and sand in all of them. The cost was HUGE between the raw materials needed to do it as well as the cost of labor. Bunkers are and will continue to be a very expensive item on any course, even more so as they age and no longer are as playable without being worked over regularly.

[tatertot]

One of the nicer courses in the Chicago area Prairie Landing, which is an RTJ designed course, took out 64 of 127 bunkers on the course 3 years ago. Removing those bunkers saved them over $700,000 per year in sand cost and maintenance. The cost of the sand isn't necessarily the issue, it's the cost of shipping the sand on top of the cost of the sand.

 

Yup. Course closest to me did that as well. Also, the course I play when Im back in Mrs Helmets hometown did the same. Huge cost savings to the course.

 

My course just did an overhaul of all of the bunkers on the course, removed some, made others smaller, but redid the drainage and sand in all of them. The cost was HUGE between the raw materials needed to do it as well as the cost of labor. Bunkers are and will continue to be a very expensive item on any course, even more so as they age and no longer are as playable without being worked over regularly.

 

Played a course a lot last year that had zero bunkers ... can't say I missed them.

[generally john]

I know we've chewed on this before but the conclusion I draw is still the same... whether it is due to not caring or being oblivious to anything else, there are a growing number of golfers who show no courtesy in respect to the game, the course or other players.

That's not just in golf unfortunately

[generally john]

One of the nicer courses in the Chicago area Prairie Landing, which is an RTJ designed course, took out 64 of 127 bunkers on the course 3 years ago. Removing those bunkers saved them over $700,000 per year in sand cost and maintenance. The cost of the sand isn't necessarily the issue, it's the cost of shipping the sand on top of the cost of the sand.

 

Yup. Course closest to me did that as well. Also, the course I play when Im back in Mrs Helmets hometown did the same. Huge cost savings to the course.

 

My course just did an overhaul of all of the bunkers on the course, removed some, made others smaller, but redid the drainage and sand in all of them. The cost was HUGE between the raw materials needed to do it as well as the cost of labor. Bunkers are and will continue to be a very expensive item on any course, even more so as they age and no longer are as playable without being worked over regularly.

 

Played a course a lot last year that had zero bunkers ... can't say I missed them.

Makes it quicker and easier for novice players aswell