The benefits of private clubs

[hummel]

To me the biggest advantage is pace of play, around me public golf is a 5 hour round at least and at my club 4 hours is a long round and I usually finish under 4 hours. I get a good deal and the time saved is worth the slight premium per round that a pay over a public course. The other advantages are course conditions, the membership and the tournaments that you get to compete in.

[bulls9999]

After today, I know what 1 benefit is.

Now I know why I'm a member of a private club. Just played the local public course that I hadn't played in 2 years or more and really screwed my game up with the 2 yokels that were in front of us, must have waited 5 min on every shot. Don't know why they played from the 2nd of 5 tees, when after 3 strokes, they might get it past the ladies tees (on a par-3 even). I surely thought they'd run out of balls and leave soon...but they must have had dozens as they seemingly hit 2-3 each from every tee, losing the first...or 2nd shots to water or OOB. We would drive up while they were just getting off the tee and I thought they would have let us through, or we would be waiting in the fairway while they diddled around on the green, and still finish out and get to the next tee before they would be done teeing off. I mean, we always do that if someone comes up on us...would rather let them through then have the feeling of people being directly on my backside. Also, I would be standing on the tee, practicing my swing, ball on the tee, and they would be about 150 yrds out, one guy 30 yrds left of the fairway looking for his ball, the other guy 20-30 yrds in the woods on the right looking for his ball....after 5 min they'd finally come out and proceed 50 yrds further up the fairway....they could have easily waived us through and spent their time looking for their balls. Then, around each hole, there were 3-4 deep gouges, both a 90-degree imprint as if they turned their putter over and sunk it into the green and 2-3 1-inch deep from sticking the bottom of the flag well into the green. I couldn't tell if they were doing that or the other group or two in front of them....but they were fresh gouges. But I did notice they were riding their carts all over the edge of the green, between the green and the greenside bunkers, must have gotten their wheels on the aprons of half-dozen greens. As my wife and I have been contemplating leaving our club because of a recent $5k assessment, we ventured out to check out the local public course.... when we finished today, we looked at each other and said, I think we have some thinking to do, as I woudln't want to endure this type of golf on a weekly basis. As I looked around at other groups, I saw much of the same...decisions, decisions.