Night golf, you know about. Every week?

[BigOgolfer]

My local range started a weekly 9 hole scramble at the par 3 course. Cost 40 bucks. They meet at a local pub around 7pm, have a blind draw, then head over a 1/2 mile to the range at 8 - warm up, buy a couple glow balls, get a glow necklace, drink beer, wait for dark, walk to your tee box. 3 of 9 tees have coolers and the organizer rides around in a cart giving score updates. And it's all over by 10:30. Winning team gets cash, the two closest to hole winners also. Well, I tried it this week for the first time and I must admit - very good fun. Tell you what I learned: 1) I'm a better putter in the dark - for some reason I don't care to think about, 2) the better the buzz, the freakier glow balls look flying around through the dark everywhere, 3) I won't be playing glow balls during daylight, but they might be good in a pitching contest, 4) from the tee box and really the whole freaking way up to it, a glow ball can appear to be somewhere playable near the green when actually it's rolled down a bank and sitting in several inches of water. Anyway, the idea just hit me as a good one and after trying it, I can see it taking off. Maybe more par 3 courses should try this. Maybe many do, I don't know.

[Poser]

Thats awesome never tried it with glow balls before. There is a 27 hole pitch and putt here that is lighted. We play one friday a month and call it white trash friday golf. Only course I've played and saw jorts and cut off sleeve tee shirts.

[Sean25rp]

Sounds pretty fun!

[umassgolfer]

OP - How was it hitting the glow balls? I've heard they're bad to use with woods, did you notice much loss in distance/playability with them? Sounds like a fun event, esp. for a par 3 course.

[Willie Malay]

The last time I played glow balls, about 5 years ago, they went maybe 2/3 the distance of a normal ball. They flew fine off any club, just a lot shorter. Putting was ~similar. It is a lot of fun.

[ben w]

[quote name='Willie Malay' timestamp='1344611875' post='5444210']
The last time I played glow balls, about 5 years ago, they went maybe 2/3 the distance of a normal ball. They flew fine off any club, just a lot shorter. Putting was ~similar. It is a lot of fun.
[/quote]

same experience I had. just don't use a modern driver or fairway wood with them, it's bad news.

[lumberman2462]

We used to play night golf once a year in my Men's Golf Association. About 5 years ago there was a problem with the with scheduling the caterer that normally does our weekly dinner. Men's golf starts at 5:30 and the caterer shows up around 6:30 to serve dinner at 7. Our entire association shows up for dinner at 7 and then had to wait for it to get dark to play night golf. This must have been the longest day of the year because we didn't tee off until after 9:00 at night. The problem comes up because all of the members didn't have anything to do after dinner except wait in the bar and drink.

We had three golf cart wrecks in the dark. Someone didn't lock the brakes on a cart and it rolled down an embankment on onto a green - a lot of damage. One older member stepping in a hole and broke his foot. It was a disaster. We've had no more night golf - sure was a lot of fun though. We had one kid that hit the balls so hard that it would break the little glow vial that goes inside the ball - kinda like watching a meteor streak across the sky.

[DeNinny]

Yeah glowball night golf is a hoot. I used to play it w/some buddies at courses (not to be mentioned) on the Monteray peninsula. We'd sneak on at 10-11pm and play until 2-3am. Beer and other substances are a must. We had a flashing red flagstick that we would put in as soon as everyone was near the green. We also played lift, clean, and replace rules. The game was always skins too. Sooooo much fun. It's really cool to just stare down at the ball and nothing else is visible. Makes you focus and yeah there's a huge loss in distance so there's no shame playing forward tees.

...ah the good old days when I couldn't afford to play those courses...

[BewareTheGlowball]

notice my forum name.. yeah.. don't use anything other then an iron or clubs you don't care much about.. because if you swing as hard as most of the 300 yarders in here.. your going to have a bad time.. but I am sure that dent in the face of an R11 might improve the looks a bit :P

[PhillyMac]

BigO, what par 3 course were you guys playing at? The only 1 I know of in the Nashville area is Riverside GC and its lighted (or was lighted, I used to play out there alot a long time ago).

[BigOgolfer]

[quote name='PhillyMac' timestamp='1344692172' post='5449562']
BigO, what par 3 course were you guys playing at? The only 1 I know of in the Nashville area is Riverside GC and its lighted (or was lighted, I used to play out there alot a long time ago).
[/quote]

It's Harpeth Valley Golf Center - driving range on Old Harding Pike. The driving range is lit but the par 3 isn't. They have been taking good care of that little 9 lately. I'm playing again this Wednesday night.

[m4tTy333]

My local driving range has a par 3 under the lights. It's a lot of fun. Every hole is a replica of a hole played on the PGA. Couple are from augusta, we have #17 from TPC Sawgrass. Its a lot of fun, and for $20, you cant go wrong. Better than paying $20 for 265 range balls! Only issue, don't go in the bunkers. Nearly impossible to to get a "decent" lie in them. All and all, its a great idea. I play it about 2-3 times a month for craps and giggles.

[1fairway2another]

i wish we had something like this around here

[BigOgolfer]

[quote name='umassgolfer' timestamp='1344605610' post='5443418']
OP - How was it hitting the glow balls? I've heard they're bad to use with woods, did you notice much loss in distance/playability with them? Sounds like a fun event, esp. for a par 3 course.
[/quote]

Is was a blast, but it was hard to hit pure shots because my depth perception was so messed up. It didn't help that I was wearing a glow necklace that they handed out. Obviously, they're so you can see your teammates but the glow coming from under my chin, between the ball and my eyes, was annoying.

The balls went shorter, but not crazy short. I'd say a 1/2 club to a club. I didn't really hit enough pure full shots to say for sure. Odd thing is that I hit a lot of my full shots fat and I asked another guy, good golfer, and he was hitting them thin. You don't realize how much you need your depth perception until it's gone.

I thought pitching, chipping and putting were the most fun with the glow balls. Three people aren't supposed to miss as many greens as we did (4), but we got up and down in the dark better than I would've thought. Putting, for me, seemed easier than in the day. My long putts were really close. I guess it's because it forces you to just pick a line, and trust it, then it's all feel from there. You can't see the undulations, you can't see the ground between or anything but the ball. Then again, it's a scamble and I was going second.

[Guia]

The best night player I ever saw was Ray Charles.

[Imp]

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/user/116473-lumberman2462/"][color="#353535"]lumberman2462[/color][/url] - Sorry to hear that. Around here, they never let people take carts at night. Walking only. They've been doing it for years at a local 9 hole in the fall, and there's been no issues.

--kC

[twtolley]

[quote name='Imp' timestamp='1345056534' post='5477546']
[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/user/116473-lumberman2462/"][color="#353535"]lumberman2462[/color][/url] - Sorry to hear that. Around here, they never let people take carts at night. Walking only. They've been doing it for years at a local 9 hole in the fall, and there's been no issues.

--kC
[/quote]

Also in New England. Would love to know what course you mentioned.

I've heard Braintree is holding a few night outings as well.