Golf takes too long...amiright??

[wattage]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses and for taking time on the poll (the 2nd question isn't worded well; should say MORE rounds).

I went through all the comments and don't have the time to respond individually so I'll post some follow up here:

I live in SF East Bay area and do have access to Tilden Park which offers early bird 9 hole rates for the back nine which is awesome--$13 and usually home by 8-8:30. Locally (~25miles) there are about 4 courses offering 9 hole booking, mind you these are not the quality of golf most of us want to make your regular outing, and some only offer early bird 9s.

 

We have a 5 yr and 1 yr old, I'm an RN working til almost midnight in the hospital so early bird 9s isn't feasible most days. I do preschool drop-off by 9:30 and usually pick up by 5-5:30 on my off days (which are my golf days). My golf needs to happen b/w 10:30-4:00 which sounds doable but its the BAY AREA. The pandemic is a golf boon as we know, but (as mentioned in SoCal comment) tee times are hard to get and courses are packed leaving the PoP 4:40 minimum plus travel time/traffic.

**For those with children, remember the stress of getting home and scrambling to get a meal made while the kids are grabbing your legs or crying or in need of your undivided attention**

That is why I can't do twilight golf, or push it late leaving my wife to deal alone. But I LOVE golf, I've played since a very early age b/c Dad plays and brother plays, and Mom even played. I'm still holding 1.9 hcp only playing 2 full rounds a month. I've severely curtailed my golf and my expectations to get out more; I understand these early years with our kids are the most precious & special time and I'm not putting golf before family. But I still want golf in my life and see some opportunity here.

 

I think there is something that can be done to offer more opportunities for Golf Days for people with limited time. I understand 9 holes 'isn't golf' to some and that many have no interest in just playing 9...I totally get it. This thread isn't meant to push anyone to only play 9 or challenge those preferences.

I joined a club for 2 yrs that was quite affordable for bay area pricing, and I loved jumping out for 6 or 9 or 12 hole loops etc.--I  know that life. It's too much $$ now with 2 kids and childcare costs now. The golf industry has resurged since the dark days of 2008, remember the push to get out and play and introduce others to golf. Well, I feel its popularity might squeeze some of us out with its long time commitment. 

 

If others in the Bay Area want to connect please DM me. I have some ideas.

BW

[MK7Golf21]

I play a lot of 9 hole, in high school our matches were 9 holes after school. If I play after work during the week it’s always 9 holes 

[BIG STU]

On 3/2/2021 at 7:57 AM, phizzy30 said:

Not a fan of 9 hole golf.  I'd rather use that time to work on my game at the range.  I'm all for inclusive golf, but since the pandemic, it's next to impossible to get decent tee times here in SoCal unless you book a week ahead.  You have to stay up until 12 am the night before the week though.  There have been reports of scammers buying up all the good tee times and reselling them for profit here as well, go figure.  Cops are investigating and I hope they resolve this issue. 

Now me I would rather play 9 than pound balls on the range but that is just me. Man hate to hear the sad situation on tee times in SoCal

[Roody]

IMO, 9 holes is not enough. As @Pepperturbosaid earlier, I like the ability to try and recover from a couple early bogeys. 

Even on my 9 hole league days, I try to work in at least 9 holes before we even tee off for the league 9. 

[Pepperturbo]

On 3/2/2021 at 4:57 AM, phizzy30 said:

Not a fan of 9 hole golf.  I'd rather use that time to work on my game at the range.  I'm all for inclusive golf, but since the pandemic, it's next to impossible to get decent tee times here in SoCal unless you book a week ahead.  You have to stay up until 12 am the night before the week though.  There have been reports of scammers buying up all the good tee times and reselling them for profit here as well, go figure.  Cops are investigating and I hope they resolve this issue. 

Agree - its annoying.  Lots of lazy azzz people have nothing better to do than wake up at all hours to go online and lock tee times. 

 

PS If this remains, it's going to accelerate my plans for joining a private club.  When that happens, public courses will lose over $1500 a month in revenue, as I often pay for two to three people.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[MtlJeff]

12 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

Agree - its annoying.  Lots of lazy azzz people have nothing better to do than wake up at all hours to go online and lock tee times. 

 

PS If this remains, it's going to accelerate my plans for joining a private club.  When that happens, public courses will lose over $1500 a month in revenue, as I often pay for two to three people.

 

I'm surprised you're not at a private club. Is it more the guys you play with don't want to join?

 

I couldn't deal with public courses. At least around here, they are so poorly run and unless you play at 6AM it's a 5 hour round. Not to mention no one replaces divots or repairs green marks. 

 

I play 70 rounds in a normal year and i'd say <5 of them are at public courses. There's maybe 2 around here that i usually do as part of charity vegases or work outtings

[Quasimoto]

We have the ideal solution at my home course - 27 holes.

Everyday 18 are designated from the 3 nines for 18 hole play. The third nine is for 9 hole bookings, and used for people who want to play 27.

They are rotated everyday, so we always play different combos.

[Pepperturbo]

1 minute ago, MtlJeff said:

 

I'm surprised you're not at a private club. Is it more the guys you play with don't want to join?

 

I couldn't deal with public courses. At least around here, they are so poorly run and unless you play at 6AM it's a 5 hour round. Not to mention no one replaces divots or repairs green marks. 

 

I play 70 rounds in a normal year and i'd say <5 of them are at public courses. There's maybe 2 around here that i usually do as part of charity vegases or work outtings

No.  For me its always family first. That eventually necessitated moving closer to immediate family members getting up in years and the kids.  At my last club I typically played outside the club at least once a month with friends that were not private club members.  They know how it works. 

 

Other than the initiation fee, it's less costly for me to be a private club member, plus we love the private club socializing aspect and both of us are interclub team players.  I have four memberships at local semi-upscale courses, but don't participate in any tournaments.  People come and go in those clubs like they change their shoes. 

 

I agree with your public course observation; it's the same in CA.

[phizzy30]

3 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

Agree - its annoying.  Lots of lazy azzz people have nothing better to do than wake up at all hours to go online and lock tee times. 

 

PS If this remains, it's going to accelerate my plans for joining a private club.  When that happens, public courses will lose over $1500 a month in revenue, as I often pay for two to three people.

My father who's a member at El Caballero cc pays 2k a month for dues and that's the minimum.  Not a fan of the cc culture, but it sure is nice to be able to get tee times pretty much whenever you want and play 18 in 4 1/2 hours or less. 

[Pepperturbo]

11 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

My father who's a member at El Caballero cc pays 2k a month for dues and that's the minimum.  Not a fan of the cc culture, but it sure is nice to be able to get tee times pretty much whenever you want and play 18 in 4 1/2 hours or less. 

I agree.  Last I knew that facility was a really nice equity CC.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[lefthack]

While my club is far from private, it was $700 for a year of golf and I've never waited for anything. 

 

I pulled in at 9:15 today and was the only one there until I was coming up 6. There is a group that plays around 10 just about every day and they were just about to tee off.

 

<edit> it was built by the timber company almost 100 years ago and is in the sticks. Not high traffic

Edited March 4, 2021 by lefthack

[vbb]

I prefer to play a full 18, but I also am generally crunched for time with 3 kids and a spouse that also works.  The best times for golf for me are those Spring/Summer/Fall afternoons when I can leave the office a little early and play, and still be home at the "normal" time, or the weekend early morning dew sweeper rounds where I can play and be home long before lunchtime.  It's the least disruptive to family life.  The best is when I can play 18 at my own pace with a buddy or two... we'll be done in 3hrs.  But those times are rare, and sometimes the rounds can stretch 4-4.5hrs, and 5hrs on a busy weekend which I don't have the time or patience for most days.  It's on those days that I'll play 9 and call it a day.

[bigred90gt]

On 3/2/2021 at 1:38 PM, Pepperturbo said:

If recollection serves me, I only played 9 holes once in the last 20yrs.  I have ZERO interest in playing 9 holes as golf is not a time filler for me.  If I want to spend less time on the golf course, I play an 18 hole Executive course; which I do once to twice a month, but for iron practice.

 

Playing 9 holes would be a waste for me.  By the time my joints warm up, I'd have 3 to 5 bogies and only a few holes left to recover.  That means I'd be posted lousy almost sandbagging scores all the time, that don't reflect my actual game ability.  Least over 18 if I take a few early bogies, I still have time to make birdies and recover, so my score reflects my true skill.

 

Though PoP is important, if the game takes up to 4 hrs +, I usually have 3 cigars and all the time in the world to enjoy life.

 

PS - If my son was still a baby and my CEO role, highly demanding, golf would not be a viable option for me then.  In other words, I do not support changing how the game is presented to accommodate my life's limitations.

I agree 100% with this. I have zero desire to drive to a golf course and only intentionally play 9 holes. It's not worth the gas to get there. If I want to play golf, I will make time to play 18 holes, or wait until I can. The only way I'm playing less than 18 is if it gets dark on us before we finish, or weather shuts us down.

Edited March 4, 2021 by bigred90gt

[RmoorePE]

If you have a job with a rigid schedule and young kids, it is really not feasible to get to play a lot of golf. I have 3 kids and they were young once, and I realized early that unless I had control of my schedule from a work perspective, fun (dad fun) was out the window. Once they get to High School then you will find your discretionary time increases.

 

When my kids were young I figured out that I needed to work for a non-corporate company where my performance was rated solely on my ability to earn money. I basically told the partners at the time "I will always get my work done, but I will never be here 9-5, M-F",  Then I took control of my meeting schedule and have always been able to do what I want. Of course I had to perform at work too, but most of us do that. So my golf/surf/fish time is almost always during the work-week. BUT I got all of my girls into the same sports as me so I get to do them on the weekends with the kids as well.

 

As far as playing 9 as an official golf round, that is not fun for me. Most the time I am just getting sorted by hole 6. For practice it is better than being on the range IMO. Proximity to the course has a lot to do with it, and being a member where you just wave at the club house and go out helps even more.

[Mustard_Tiger]

On 3/1/2021 at 9:45 PM, wattage said:

Hey Golf WRX community-

I'm interested how many others wish 9 hole bookings were an option. As a father of 2 young children I am super crunched to squeeze golf into a day, and have walked off the course after 14-15 holes a lot lately. I know I would get more golf days if I could play 9. 

If interested please include your location in this thread.

Thx

BW

 

I split my golf between about 5 courses. Every one of them allows 9 hole bookings and all of them have twilight rates. The majority of my golf is played 9 holes at a time (or in the case of twilight, less than 18 holes).

 

I'm in Southeast Wisconsin. Based on replies, it appears the Midwest is very friendly toward 9 hole golf.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Mustard_Tiger

[Bad9]

37 minutes ago, Mustard_Tiger said:

 

I split my golf between about 5 courses. Every one of them allows 9 hole bookings and all of them have twilight rates. The majority of my golf is played 9 holes at a time (or in the case of twilight, less than 18 holes).

 

I'm in Southeast Wisconsin. Based on replies, it appears the Midwest is very friendly toward 9 hole golf.

 

Eastern Canada is much the same.

[llewol007]

For some reason I always looked at playing 9 holes as a waste of time but I can see how it can fill a void. 

[wattage]

I agree that 'real golf' is a full round, and with that the scoring strategy and stress making up for a bad start or holding on for a career low etc. I'm with all the commenters coming from that angle. I get the private club benefit but childcare and housing in the SF area is STEEP $$$.

 

But my point here is: Some Golf>No Golf.

 

I don't expect to play 'a lot' of golf with young children and both of us working full time jobs with no family nearby, but what I want to change is the ability to get 9 in at more desirable 'normal' courses at normal mid day mid week times. Most courses here offering 9 hole bookings are pretty scruffy, or are only 9 holes to begin with. I'm sure there are more locals (maybe not a lot) who might play 9 at a desirable course at 2:30 on a Wednesday, we just need a way to make it happen.

[Roejye]

23 hours ago, Mustard_Tiger said:

 

I split my golf between about 5 courses. Every one of them allows 9 hole bookings and all of them have twilight rates. The majority of my golf is played 9 holes at a time (or in the case of twilight, less than 18 holes).

 

I'm in Southeast Wisconsin. Based on replies, it appears the Midwest is very friendly toward 9 hole golf.

Twin Cities area here and there are a lot of 9 hole courses and 18 hole courses as well. I have come across maybe one course that didn't allow 9 hole times and that was only on weekend morning. I'm a member at a 9 hole course near my house, it's semi private, and I've never had a problem getting on. They've even been super nice about fitting me in a few times where some time opened up.

 

All but 1 of my rounds last season were 9 holes. I would have had 2, but it was too slow and life got in the way. I could play at least 1 18 hole round a week, but in order to do that it would require waking up earlier than I would like on a day off (I'm a night owl), or juggling a few things and I don't feel like making that effort either.

I am planning on playing at least one 18 hole round a week this upcoming season though.

[jdl]

I run a 9 hole "after work" league on Fridays and most courses here will allow 9 hole bookings. Also there are a bunch of courses that only have 9 holes, so pretty easy to find a place to play if you only want to do 9. Personally outside of my league which is mainly a fun, only slightly competitive group, I'd much rather play 18. Sometimes you get stuck on a slow day but most of the time I'm not thinking "this is taking too long"...there's really no place else I'd rather be.

[MtlJeff]

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this but 9 hole golf just seems like such a bad value too

 

It's always like 70$ for 18, and like 54$ for 9

 

It's like, cmon man that math doesn't add up!

[harolease]

I played 9 holes more often at our club.  It’s only the men’s league I played 18. I find that about 90 mins of golf and walking is about right for me.  The longer it gets the more I don’t feel like playing  i usually have to bring food and  mentally talk about other things during the round as much as I can or use a cart to get through 18   

[Mustard_Tiger]

I don't understand the people who say that playing 9 holes is not real golf or is a waste time. Really? On a normal layout you get two par 5's, two par 3's, and five par 4's. That gives you the chance to hit a full range of shots throughout your bag unless the course has a ton of similarly distanced holes.

 

While I enjoy playing 18, I think playing 9 is a fair test of my skills and lots more fun than hitting balls on the range.

[lefthack]

18 hours ago, Mustard_Tiger said:

I don't understand the people who say that playing 9 holes is not real golf or is a waste time. Really? On a normal layout you get two par 5's, two par 3's, and five par 4's. That gives you the chance to hit a full range of shots throughout your bag unless the course has a ton of similarly distanced holes.

 

While I enjoy playing 18, I think playing 9 is a fair test of my skills and lots more fun than hitting balls on the range.

 

My club has only 1 5 and 2 3's. It's faster for me to play 9 holes with 3 balls than 18 with 1. Hell, if I can only play 6 holes, I'm still hitting about as many shots as I would playing 18.

 

But most of the time it's just me "shooting around" vs "shooting a round."

 

Me testing my new wedge on 3. 1st a little right and short, 2nd a little short, 3rd was money. This green is just a solid pitch front to back.

 

 

[8602081]

I play 9 hole after work in a league.. and 18 on weekends..

 

9 hole is good, but most people feel incomplete and too short.

 

I'm good either way, as long as I can play.

[rxk9fan]

I am not a fan of nine holes.  If it is a good nine, I think “we will never know what kind of round it could have been”.  If it is a bad nine, I am frustrated I don’t get the chance to turn it around.

I remember many years ago walking off of a local muni after about 13 holes and 4 and 1/2 hours.  I don’t have the time nor patience to do that.  I am fortunate to live where golf is pretty reasonable.  My club is $300 a month plus cart fees plus $75 food minimum.  You get a locker for$100 a year and they keep your clubs on site for $100 a year.  I can call ahead and they have my clubs on a cart waiting for me.  I can usually be first off at 7:30am and that gets me done with 18 in less than 2 hours.  My normal group plays at 10am on weekends, and we usually have 8 to 12 players.  Golf takes about 3 to 3.5 hours, then lunch, beer, and settling the bets while watching golf takes 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on how many drinks and if you join the card game 🙂

[Under2hours]

On 3/2/2021 at 7:52 AM, MtlJeff said:

I typically play 18 in 3-3:30 on weekend mornings so i don't find it takes too long. On weekdays if i'm playing alone before work usually can play in 2:45

 

My course is 25 minutes from my house so going for 9 just seems like a bad investment. 

 

I can understand though that golf can be frustrating if you are playing public courses at like 10Am on a Saturday. The types of cretins and goblins that hold up play at public courses ...But this can generally be avoided at Private clubs

Exactly the same with me.  An early riser and thus I want that first tee time and 3:00 hour round some talk on the patio/clubhouse (hopefully 2021) and then on with my day.  I do play a lot (late April-October) and a 25 minute drive each way.  Nice to have the day ahead of you when done.  

 

Twilight works too when nothing planned.

 

Really the reason I joined a private club.

[Warrior42111]

It seems the courses around here offer 9 holes only at different times of the day. They have back 9 times starting from the first tee time for about 1:30- 1:45. Then front 9 times the last 2:30 hours a day if there is no league. Makes sense as to not cause back ups at hole 10 while being able to maximize profits of 18 hole times.

 

Also there's a 27 hole course near me, they seem to rotate everything. One 9 hole course is designated a the nine for the day while those playing 18 play the other 2. 

[Bonneville85308]

Instead of playing 9 hole rounds when time is limited, I just find a course with an empty tee sheet at twilight where I can fly around and play 18 holes in 2.5 hours or less. Easy to find here when its 110 degrees out in July, not at all in peak tourist season.

 

Many courses here give a 9-hole rate if you want to tee off the back nine during the first 60-90 minutes of play of the day.

 

If I am playing a morning round, I usually insist on getting one of the first few tee times of the day. As a result, I don't think I've had a round over 4:00 as a foursome during the past 200 rounds, and most are around 3:20-3:30.

 

If there was a course that only allowed twosomes and singles out for the first hour of the day, perhaps at shorter tee time intervals but a higher rate, with a policy that you must play in under 3 hours for 18 holes, I would give that course a lot of my business.

 

 

[Stinger83]

Last two rounds I've played were nine. I never feel "satisfied" leaving early though. 

 

What they REALLY need to speed up the game is More Par 3 golf courses. Like good par 3 courses