GolfStinks

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Do You Take Advantage Of The "Fall Golf Special?"

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It’s a sad time of year when the golf season winds down. The clubs get put away, courses begin to close up shop and the weather just doesn’t seem to cooperate anymore. You know you’re at that point when it seems there’s nothing else to look forward to for the rest of the year. Maybe, just maybe, you might get one more nice weekend…but it’s not all that likely.

But let’s say that one nice weekend does come along in mid- to late November. Where are you going to play? Do you take your chances with one of the few remaining open courses? How about those courses running their “Fall Specials?” You know, a course that normally runs about $45 to walk 18 is now charging $30 with a cart. It sound like a great deal…but is it really?

Knowing that the season is winding down, and all of these courses are now in the process of their seasonal layoffs, it goes without saying that the maintenance and upkeep of the course is now on the back-burner. Yeah, they lowered the price, but they’ve also lowered the quality of the course. It’s pretty simple really. The fewer people working at the course, the less work is getting done.

You certainly can’t blame the course. Obviously, at this time of year fewer golfers are hitting the links. So it only makes good business sense to cut costs. But in an attempt to still make some late season money, they run some specials. Sounds like a plan. So why not take advantage? Well, because of what I said earlier…the course is no longer being fully maintained. So the question is, do you take advantage of the lower costs even though the conditions are deteriorating?

Many won’t take advantage…but I’m not one of them. Discount golf you say? I’ll take it! I’ve said it before, I don’t care where I’m golfing…as long as I’m golfing. Now there are exceptions. There are some courses that I won’t play for free. But for the most part, you can count me in. For instance, I have a course roughly 15 minutes from my house that’s running one of these specials. It’s a nice course. Not a great course, but it’s no mortar range either. Normally, the greens fees run $42 for 18 holes (tack on $16 more to ride). But during the fall special? $35 with a cart! Well worth it for a course of its caliber!

So I ask…do you take advantage of these specials? Are you the type who will play anywhere if the price is right? Or do you feel the price is not worth it if the upkeep is lacking? I know how I feel. I’m gonna play anyway. So if I can play cheaper? It’s a no-brainer.

Swing ’til you’re happy…especially when it costs less to do so!

Play Golf, Save Money!

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Golf is expensive. I could say nothing more and there would be no argument. The cost of the sport is what keeps many from getting into golf to begin with. For starters, you need the equipment to play. Clubs, a bag, shoes, balls, tees, etc…not too mention the certain type of clothing you may be required to purchase if you don’t already have it. And that’s before you even get out there! You didn’t even pay your greens fees yet! Hell, I’ve been playing golf for years and the cost is what keeps me from playing more than anything else.

For years, many of us have waited for “twilight” times to get a break on greens fees. Some of us have a buddy working at a course who will get us a discount when the boss is gone. I know I’ve skipped out on a day of work a few times to play a course for a lower rate. But what if there was a better way to cut into the cost? Maybe you can make this game a little easier on your wallet. Well, for a mere $67 you can discount your rounds of golf for an entire year! How is that you say? Well, with the Player’s Pass of course!

The Players Pass allows members to play courses for a fraction of their regular prices. And for only $67, the membership practically pays for itself after only two or three rounds at any of the participating courses. I know what you’re thinking…”Sure, but you have to play on a Tuesday afternoon, tee off at 3:30 and it’s only valid from December through February.” Well, you’d be wrong. The beauty of the Player’s Pass is that it’s valid for an entire year. And at the 2,000+ participating courses throughout the country, weekends are included! With that many courses included in the Players Pass network, you’re bound to find a participating course near you.

So what are these discounts you ask? Well, how about a 2-for-1 greens fee? How about discounts between $20-$50? How about discounts of up to 70%?!

Maybe you ask “Yeah, but what are the courses? Are they the crappy tracks that no one wants to play anyway?” I can only base my findings on my own experiences here in Connecticut but, of the eleven courses listed, the grouping is pretty impressive. I’ll admit, I was a bit surprised to find a discount at Fox Hopyard Golf Club included in the group. “The Fox” is a superb all around course and is easily one of the top three in the state! Several other courses included are also among the better tracks CT has to offer. So I would suggest logging onto the site and taking a look at your states listing. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

So this sounds like a pretty good package, right? Sure it does. But you know what could make it better? If it was free! Our friends over at Players Pass have agreed to give away one free membership to a golfstinks reader. And as usual, it’s quite simple to enter your name for a chance to win. Simply head over to the golfstinks facebook page and hit “like.” What could be easier than that?! We’ll choose one random winner and you could be on your way to playing cheaper golf without rushing to beat the sunset!

Go to the golfstinks facebook page, click like, win a Players Pass and swing ’til you’re happy!

What’s More Frightening Than My Golf Game?

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Up until now, the scariest thing for me about this great sport of golf has been my own game. I have seen fellow golfers cringe at the site of me in a trap. Some have stared on in horror as I line up a four-footer. Others have even released blood-curdling screams at the site of my drives! Well.., on second thought, that could have been laughter. But either way…the point is my golf game is scary!

As scary as it may be though, it doesn’t quite qualify as that Halloween type scary. But what in golf does? A Mickelson meltdown? A Sergio blowup? John Daly’s pants? If those don’t do it for ya…how about a creepy, ghostly figure watching from the woods as you putt-out on 18?Sound ridiculous? Well, some golfers at the City Park golf courses in New Orleans would argue otherwise. Here, on the 18th hole of the East Course, that’s exactly what many golfers have reportedly witnessed. How’s that for a gallery?For some people however, fear lies in the unknown. So what about a supposed ghost that no one ever sees but causes mischief? A golf course poltergiest if you will. We’ll have to travel to England for this one. The Church Stretton Golf Course in Shropshire, UK reportedly has a ghost inhabiting the thirteenth hole. Locals here talk of a ghost who will steal your tee shots right from the middle of the fairway! Supposedly, you can see your drive land, but it’s a different story when you arrive at that spot as the ball is nowhere to be found. I’d like to see a ruling on that situation! Would it be considered an act of God? If it is a ghost…is it a hazard? If the ghost was murdered in its earthly life…then is it a man-made hazard and therefore you get a free drop?

Maybe watchers in the woods and ball thiefing spectres aren’t enough for you. In that case, how about the reported sightings of the ghost of a woman murdered on the course she haunts? In 1936 a woman was murdered on the seventh fairway of the beautiful Victoria Golf Club in Victoria, BC, Canada. Reportedly, her presence can be spotted on that very fairway!

OK, but these are just reports. There’s no proof or evidence of any type. Ah, but what if there was? The photograph above is one of two taken at the Aetna Springs Golf Course in Pope Valley, CA – arguably the oldest course west of the Mississippi. Supposedly, the pictures were taken on the course in 1963. Several shots were taken, but in only two, strange images showed up on film that were not visible at the time of the shots. As the story goes, the images of eight monks have been seen crossing a fairway on this course. Some witnesses have reportedly even been able to make out the agonized expressions on the monks faces! Now that’s one for the Ghost Hunters!

There you have it. I didn’t think I could do it, but in the spirit of Halloween, I found something out on the golf course scarier than my game. And I even found a picture to prove it. But not only did I find that, I have now also stumbled across a great new excuse for losing my ball – it was snatched up by a ghost! Let’s see if I can get anyone to go along with that one!

Happy Halloween!

Need Some Time Off From Work? Get A Golf Job!

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Why do people become teachers? Is it because the work is fulfilling? You know…shaping young minds, helping to strengthen the foundation of the future. Yeah, that’s the standard, almost scripted answer you’re likely to get if you ask a teacher. But they’re not fooling anyone. We all know that’s not the “real” reason. We all know the real reason is simply…the time off.

Look back. If I stopped to think about it when I was younger, I would have thought a bit differently about my future. When I was busy enjoying a few weeks off throughout the year, a bunch of half-days, countless three-day weekends and…oh yeah….TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OFF IN THE SUMMER!!…I would have become a teacher. All I ever thought about was how great my school schedule was, never stopping to think that my teachers schedule almost mirrors mine! Rather than busting my hump all week throughout the entire year with some time off here and there, I too could be sleeping late in the summer, golfing on a Wednesday morning in July and fishing on a Thursday afternoon in August. Now that’s the life.

But it seems I’ve found another line of work which allows for a fair amount of time off also – a job in the golf industry. Due to my knowledge of the golf industry being almost non-existent off the course, I never considered what, exactly, many employees in the industry do during the off-season (in the northern half of the country anyway).

Now that my wife has been working in the industry for the past several months, I’ve become somewhat clued in. When the winter begins to rear its head, golfers stop golfing. So there’s no need for so many employees. My wife found that out when the total number of employees in her office dropped to three (luckily, she is included in that group). Everyone else? Seasonal lay-off. When do they come back? April. Ladies and gentlemen….that is a five month vacation!

I know what some of you are saying, and you’re right. It’s a bit of a vacation, but what do you do for money? It can’t be that great if you’re broke for half the year! Well, like the teacher job, that’s something you have to plan for. Sure, unemployment covers 60% of your paycheck, but a 40% pay cut for five months is something to be concerned about. But if you’re prepared for it, then hey, how can you beat it?! Maybe you have a little something lined up to help supplement the loss, such as a little part time gig, under the table possibly (not that I condone that of course…). Or maybe you’ve rationed your money well enough throughout the season that you can just enjoy the time off without having to worry about searching for any temporary employment.

My point is, if this is handled right, then this could be a dream job. Say you’re an employee at the golf course. Maybe you make a decent salary and you stash away a good portion of your money in order to prepare for your winter lay-off. You spend your spring, summer and half of your autumn at a golf course! You lose your job in the late fall but still make 60% of your paycheck! So what do you do with all that time off? Take golf trips! In January, go down south (because who the hell wants to travel to Florida in the summer anyway) and play some of the courses down there! Maybe in February you head to the southwest. Because once again.., who wants to go to Vegas in the middle of the summer? That phrase “but it’s a dry heat” only goes so far. Been there in July, yeah it’s cheaper that time of year, but there’s a reason for that. It’s 100 degrees in the middle of the night! But if you’re winter schedule is pretty wide open? That’s the time to go!

What I’m saying is, if I knew then what I knew now (yeah, how many times have we all said that to ourselves). I’m sure it has its downsides, but if you’re lucky enough to have a relatively well-paid position in the industry, this can’t be all that bad. I don’t know about you, but no matter what the weather is like or what time of year it is, it sure beats sitting behind my desk all day.

I mentioned once before that I would encourage my kids to take up golf for the purpose of a college education. However, I may also add to that reasoning my thoughts mentioned above. Something tells me that if I mention all of the potential time off, it will ring louder in my kids ears then if I was to take the education route. Although, encouraging them to become teachers is not a bad alternative.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Are You Jealous Of Other Golfers?

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So my wife gets a call the other day from a relative out west. The only part of the conversation in which I’m involved is when when she tells said relative “Hold on, I’ll tell him now.” She then proceeds to tell me about the 74 he shot that morning. Now, am I jealous of the score? No, of course not. Well…maybe a little. But what I am jealous of is the fact that he played at all.

See, it was 47 degrees and raining here. But I ask him…”How’s the weather?” His response? “A little cool. It was only around 65 when we teed off. But it warmed up later.” It was then that I though I just might be somewhat jealous of other golfers.

Year in and year out, once the golf season winds down, I find I’m saying to myself “I wish I played more this year.” It never fails. I could have played more than I ever have, but I’ll still find myself repeating the same thing. I know it’s not just me. All my golfing buddies feel the same way. And when I look back at why I may not have played as much as I would have liked…the reasons are usually pretty legit. Many times either me or my wife have something going on in our relatively busy lives, and occasionally it gets in the way of my golf game. If I only had more time…

But here in the northeast, normally only about seven or eight months out of the year are consistently playable. Anything more is a bonus. So naturally, I’m a bit jealous of players from other areas of the country. What if I could play year-round? What if there was no off-season? What if I never had to worry about the season winding down? What if I never had to feel like I didn’t play enough?

However, is there a flip-side to that? To me, there’s something about the feeling of the season coming to a close. The little extra push you give knowing your clubs are about to go into hibernation. But even more, there’s something about the feeling of the up-coming season about to begin. A couple of trips to the indoor facility during the winter, a few stops at the range when the temps again begin to rise…it’s the anticipation really. Something to look forward to.

It would be nice to have the ability to play year round. But if I did have that opportunity, would I take advantage? I honestly don’t know if I would. I mean, in the limited time I have now, I don’t always take advantage. So what if I never had to worry about not being able to play? Would I take advantage, or would I be even more indifferent to it?

Think about anything in life really. If you never have to worry about something going away, you tend to take it for granted, right? Would I feel the same about golf? Not sure. But what if someone else was in my shoes? What if I took a Floridian and put them here in Connecticut? Then I tell them “I know you could play golf every weekend down south…but here you’ve only got the chance to play about 60% of that.” No more taking that time for granted I’m sure. So why do I do it here?

I have no answer. But the best I can figure is that I feel the break is necessary for myself and possibly most other golfers of my skill level, which just so happens to be about 95% of you. The off-season is a time for reflection on the previous season as well as a time of preparation for the next. However, it’s also a time to simply take a break from the sport as a whole. Forget about your crappy game for a while. Forget about your scores. Forget about your frustration toward your handicap which never seems to drop. Just take the time off and relax.

Now would I feel this way had my golf life begun in a place where there is no off-season? Possibly. But it didn’t. Where I live, there’s an off-season. And for the reasons I stated above, I don’t see it being better any other way. I’m not afraid of the off-season. As a matter of fact, I’ll relish it.

Bring on the winter!

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