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Is USGA Membership Worth It?

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Is this all your USGA membership gets you? (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

So I got my annual letter from the United States Golf Association in the mail the other day, begging me to renew my membership. Funny thing is, I’ve never had a USGA membership – in fact, I’m quite positive I’ve never paid them a dime. Nevertheless, I received the renewal letter, along with my complimentary 15-page (I counted them) notepad and my sweet USGA bumper sticker.

You know, I see those bumper stickers on many cars around town, but I wonder how many of those people have actually paid for a membership? I’m not innocent either – while I have a thing against putting bumper stickers on cars, I use the notepad every year. I’m not sure how they got my name, but it’s probably from a magazine subscription list (seeing as I subscribe to a few golf-related publications).

This year though, I’m actually thinking about forking over the $10 to become a member. So I decided to read the “annual member benefits” listed on my “renewal” form to see what my membership would include:

1) Advance priority to apply for U.S. Open 7-day ticket packages. Let’s see, I live in New England and the tournament is in California. That sounded like a good deal until I realized it would cost me well-over a grand to just get there and have a place to stay. Oh, and I don’t get a discount on tickets, I just get the chance to buy them before other people do.

2) 2010-2011 edition of The Rules of Golf. Not bad, except I already downloaded the app for $3.99 so I no longer had to carry the hardcopy around in my golf bag.

3) Official copy of the U.S. Open Program publication. This would be a nice keepsake…if I actually was going to be attending the U.S. Open (see #1 above).

4) Special USGA Member only discount on the 2010 TROON Golf Card. Not bad if you live in Arizona, California and Florida (the states with more than three Troon courses featured). The closest course for me would be Lake of Isles and even with the discount, I’d have to pay over $100 per round!

5) Special Member discounts on USGA catalog merchandise and USGA Photo Store. Which really amounts to U.S. Open and USGA gear. But I really can’t see myself forgoing a $9.99 Champion polo at Target for a $39.99 Cutter & Buck polo on there.

2009USOPENhat7) Personalized bag tag Just in case I forget which bag in the foursome is mine.

8) The USGA Insider monthly e-newsletter. Why don’t they just say “more inbox clutter” instead?

and finally…

9) 2010 U.S. Open Hat. See photo of 2009’s version. Enough said.

OK, so now that I came up will all these reasons not to spend $10 to become a USGA member, I’m going to reverse course on you. You see, I’m really missing the point in all this. The membership is not about the member benefits at all, it’s about the benefits to golf itself. If you notice, I skipped number 6. Number 6 was the opportunity to participate in USGA Member Education Series events.

This is what the USGA does best – beside managing the rules, maintaining the handicap system and funding research for environmentally-friendly turf – the USGA “assists organizations that introduce the game to people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to play.” Over the last 12 years, the USGA has dedicated more than $63 million to golf-related charities – mostly through its “For the Good of the Game” grants initiative. And getting more people to play golf will only help golf in the long run. So this year, rather than placing my “renewal” letter in the circular file, I think I’ll pay my $10 membership fee and start earning those 15-page notepads.

3 Reasons Public Golf Courses Get A Bad Rap

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Do all public/muni golf courses look like this?
Do all public/muni golf courses look like this? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

In 1895, two great things happened to the game of golf: The pool cue was officially banned for use as a putter by the USGA; and the biggest city in the country established the first public course in America: Van Cortlandt Golf Course in the Bronx, NY.

Soon after opening, the course was suffering from all the stereotypical things we hear about public tracks today: “Poor playing conditions, unmanageable crowds, and a general lack of golf etiquette.” But within three years, the grounds were cleaned-up, playing rules were established, and the number of holes increased from 9 to 18. As a symbol of its longevity, the course is still open today – accepting tee-times from Wall Street bankers and sanitation engineers alike.

Unfortunately for golf though, the stereotypes of public courses still exist. The notion that if you play a daily fee or (God forbid) a municipal course, you’re in for bad grooming, waits on every tee, and worst of all: you’ve got to deal with the average slob who doesn’t know how to conduct himself like a gentleman.

Ah but the reality is much of this is exaggerated. Let’s examine each of these stereotypes in more depth…

Public Courses have Bad Grooming: I’ve played 18-hole, daily fee courses (both expensive and inexpensive alike) all over this country and have not found many in complete shambles. Sure, a few need some help, but these are by far in the minority. These days, increased knowledge in course architecture, seeding and sprinkler systems, and better grooming equipment have made it hard for public courses to fall into utter disarray. While it still happens on occasion – especially in tough economic times – the majority of public courses are lush and playable (especially the tee-boxes, fairways and greens). Don’t get me wrong, not many can compare to Augusta, but then not many private courses can either.

Public Courses have Long Waits on Every Tee: I’m not going to lie to you, there may be times when you will wait on every tee. While this is annoying, it is also rare and usually avoidable. The reality is there are some courses that will squeeze in too many groups in an effort to capitalize on profits. There are also some courses that fail to employ enough rangers to manage the slow pokes. But in either case, these courses are most likely repeat offenders and golfers usually know what to expect before even pulling into the parking lot. But the majority of public courses get it. They understand how to space foursomes out so backups don’t occur. They also understand how to manage a slow group holding others up. And most courses usually have a strict tee-time policy, which is a good thing – it ensures there’s not a backup on the first tee. While there still can be an occasional backup on one or two tees, backups on every hole are very infrequent.

Perhaps the real concern is how long it takes to play an 18-hole round on a public track? Well, let me ask you this: How long do you expect 18-holes to take? It seems to me my private club friends are always bragging about how quickly they can finish a round. “Oh, I finished 18 in 2.5 hours yesterday!” WTF? That’s not golf, that’s insanity. Where the hell is the joy in that? Look, four hours is normal. But on a public course, expect it to take five hours. You have to realize that people play golf for enjoyment – thus they are going to chat, have a dog and a beer at the turn, and lose a few balls here and there – and usually, these people are keeping up with the group in front of them! These days with how popular the sport has gotten, you can’t sweat-it if it takes five hours to finish a round on a public course – in fact, you should plan on it.

Public Courses Attract Golfers who Don’t Know Etiquette: It stinks that a small few can give public courses a bad rap. Truth is, all it takes is one golfer who is ignorant (or indifferent) to the etiquette-side of the game, and the hold-up begins. But again, this is usually the exception during a round, not the norm. Occasionally, (usually while on the same courses that allow on too many foursomes, I may add) you may get stuck behind a newbie who doesn’t know when to pick-up and move-on. You can decrease your chances of this happening by playing a course that has a strict tee-time policy (since many newbies and hacks are walk-ons who’ve decided last minute to dust-off the old clubs and play). And making an early tee-time is even better – when there are more serious players out on the course. But again, it’s extremely rare I get paired-up with someone who is clueless about etiquette – most public golfers know these unwritten rules quite well and play rather efficiently.

So it seems public golf courses have been given a bad rap. But the reality is the game of golf has changed. Regular Joe players are starting to see golf as relaxation rather than a competitive activity. Sure competitiveness is fun, but it’s more about spending time with their friends, away from their everyday lives. Five-hour rounds (e.g. a day at the course) are becoming the norm and veteran golfers are beginning to adjust to this.

Meanwhile, public courses already outnumber private clubs two-to-one and that ratio is growing due to this down economy – which means the bulk of golfers play on public tracks…which also means if so many of us are going to be playing this game, we need to take public golf courses for what they are for: Leisure, fun and enjoyment.

Are There Too Many Golf Courses?

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Can there ever be too many golf courses? (photo by Saskia2586 / CC BY 3.0)
Can there ever be too many golf courses? (photo by Saskia2586 / CC BY 3.0)

Now that The Masters is over I have to tell you, I am all golfed out. Honestly, I may have watched about a half-hour, in total, of the tournament. But between all of the coverage on ESPN and various other sports networks and news shows, specifically the Tiger coverage, I feel like I was in the galleries all four days! I don’t think I can watch another five minutes of a tournament for the rest of the year!

However, that does not curb my desire to get back out onto the many courses which my home state of Connecticut has to offer. But a couple of stories in my local news lately have me wondering…are there too many golf courses?

The obvious answer for one who loves to golf, especially those of us who enjoy playing different courses all the time, is “not a chance.” How can you have too many golf courses? After all, the old saying “variety is the spice of life” indeed equates to your golf life also. Maybe the more appropriate question wouldn’t be to ask if there are too many golf courses, but instead to ask, is a new golf course really necessary? Or, is there a better use for that land?

In my current hometown, a town of about 45,000, we have two nine-hole courses. Recently, the idea to use a piece of undeveloped public land to build another nine-hole course was proposed by a local developer. The Economic Development Committee approved the proposal, but many spoke out at a recent Common Council meeting. In favor of the course were some local business owners hoping the course brings more people into the city. However, many spoke out against the course. Some concerns were tax and rent payments (or lack thereof), privatization of public land, outside investors and the plan meeting environmental standards. However, one major concern asked, what if the course fails? You are left with nothing more than carved up land, which would make later development more challenging, and the city expected to foot the bill. One can see where the concern would be.

My personal opinion? There are already two nine-hole courses in town. Additionally, there are four eighteen-hole courses within ten miles. Is another nine-holer necessary? As for bringing people into the city, how many golfers regularly travel to other towns to play nine-holes, especially when the surrounding towns have eighteen-hole courses? Add to that the fact there are already two nine-hole courses in this town, then how much more business is the course actually going to generate?

This reminds me a bit of a situation from the town in which I used to live – my hometown (population of about 60,000). It offered one eighteen and two nine-hole courses. But when the idea to build a new middle school on the grounds of one of the nine-hole courses was proposed, it was met with some hostility. The course in question was, to put it lightly, a bombed-out disaster of a mortar range which I had the displeasure of playing exactly once and swore to myself to never play again. It was in fact, with no exaggeration, that bad.

But, the course was very popular with the senior crowd. It was flat, wide open and an easy course to walk if you chose. And not too mention, cheap. Due to its low (if any) maintenance costs and the popularity with seniors and first-timers, I’m sure the course made some money for the town. But the question actually was: What’s more important, keeping this crappy course around to satisfy a few people who have other options, or building a new, better, safer school, in a better, safer neighborhood for 1,200 students year-in and year-out?

To me, the answer here seems obvious – kill the course. But I guess there are some of us who believe the future of our children isn’t as important as having to spend an extra six bucks to play a different nine-hole course.

Now don’t get me wrong, being a golfer, I always looking forward to playing a new course and feel a new course is typically a great idea. But, we also have to consider the cost. Be it a risky investment at the cost of the taxpayer, environmental issues or the future of our young students. All of these issues, and then some, have to be addressed before we can truly learn the value of a golf course.

Cigar Brand Partners with Golf Digest & Golfsmith

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Cigar3800_SidePanelDecalA while back, I posted about the relationship between golf and cigars. In the article, I attempted to reason why this love affair between bogies and stogies exists. But regardless of my insights, it seems the two are inseparable – and now that bond is about to be reinforced.

Renowned stogie manufacturer Excalibur Cigars is gearing up to launch a new website in partnership with Golf Digest and retailer Golfsmith. The site (ExcaliburGolfClub.com) is set to go live within the next week and feature special offers on new Excalibur Cigar packs – but there’s a twist: Each cigar pack includes a bonus stogie, a special golf gift from Excalibur, plus a gift card to Golfsmith!

OK, I know what you’re thinking; Why do the guys at Golfstinks care about this? Well, beside the fact that we love both golf and cigars, our content will be featured on the Excalibur website too. This is all courtesy of Golf Digest, who has agreed to provide exclusive content to the new Excalibur site and give a few popular golf bloggers (one of which is Golfstinks) a chance to interview a writer at the well-known golf publication.

That being said, keep an eye out for a post right here on this blog that will highlight our interview with Golf Digest senior writer Steve Donahue. We got a chance to ask Steve a plethora of questions regarding the current state of golf, its “rich man” undertones and why the pro tours aren’t the only things that matter.

So stay tuned for both our article (featuring insights from Golf Digest) and the forthcoming ExcaliburGolfClub.com site (featuring great deals and freebee’s for cigar-lovin’ golfers)…

6 Things Golf Courses Do to Tick Me Off

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Chain-link fence on golf course… (photo by Robert Ashworth / CC BY 2.0)

A week ago I was excited to get out on the course. The weather was great. It was the first round of the year. It couldn’t be a better day. Even though I played like crap (as usual), it couldn’t possibly ruin my excitement. As a matter of fact, the course could have been a mortar range and it wouldn’t have mattered. But that was last week.

Now that the weather has once again returned to what is expected of a typical early spring in New England, it got me thinking about some of the things out on the course that can, and eventually will, ruin the day. Once in a while, no matter how nice the course is, how much the greens fees are, or what the course’s reputation is, there will be something to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Here are a few of my gripes…

1. The guy in the pro shop has a stick up his ass – Ever run into this one? I don’t know about you, but it takes a great course and a fantastic remainder of the day to make me forget about this guy. If my first experience at a course turns out to be with someone who treats me like my money doesn’t deserve a bit of hospitality, then my first experience also may very well be my last. Just to clarify, I have noticed this very rarely happens. Almost all of the courses I have played, the employees seem very happy that I have chosen to plunk down my hard-earned greenbacks (or plastic) at their course. But every once in a while, you come across that one jerk. He’s not even looking at you with so much as a fake smile. He takes your money, gives you your ticket and doesn’t even give you a chance to pick it up before he’s shouting “Next!” while looking annoyingly around you to get to the next guy. I’d like to replace that stick with my golf umbrella…and then open it.

2. The starter and the guy inside are sharing the same stick – I understand that your job as a starter may be boring, but try to show at least a bit of enthusiasm! Cut away from the conversation your having with your buddy for a few seconds and acknowledge me. Say good morning. Make a comment about the weather. Ask if I’ve ever played here before. Tell me something about the course. What’s the pin placement? Anything specific I should know? Got any tips? Something! Again, this is pretty rare, but it happens.

3. A lack of water on the course – Look, golf is obviously a summer sport. In the summer, it’s hot and often humid. I bring a bottle of water or a sports drink with me every round. But depending upon how hot and humid it is, that drink may be gone by the fourth or fifth hole. The least you could do is, every several holes or so, put out a big container of water. Let me refill my bottle as often as possible. Don’t force me to spend money at the turn on something you should provide for free. I mean, I’m not asking for an 800 ml bottle of VOSS here! Just fill up a container with some ice and tap water, and that’s good enough to get me through. I promise I’ll spend money on beer in the 19th hole!

4. Where the hell is the MOFOBETE?! – This one is almost as bad as the lack of water. Normally, I don’t purchase anything from her anyway, unless we’re plagued by gripe #3. But it annoys the hell out of me when the first time I see the MOFOBETE is on hole #15. I want to start screaming – “I’m almost done now! Where have you been all day?! There’s no freakin’ water out on this course! I could have used you eight holes ago!! It’s 97 degrees out here!! We started out as a foursome but two of our guys passed out on the eighth tee from heat exhaustion and dehydration! I swear I’m going to go inside and report this to the course mana…hey, are those Hondurans?…I’ll take two…and a Miller Lite.”

5. Somebody get me a ranger! – I’m not one to complain all that much about slow play…as long as it’s not TOO SLOW. I’ll never quite understand the huge rush to get your round done. I mean, golf takes some time to play, it’s not a race. Relax and enjoy the day. I don’t need to finish my round in under four hours. If I do, that’s great. But if not, it’s OK – as long as I’m not sitting and waiting on every hole. But inevitably, at some point you’re going to catch up to the group in front of you. And every once in a while, you’ll come across the group looking to get into the Guinness Book for the longest golf round ever. And, of course, a ranger is nowhere to be found. Stinky Golfer Greg often says people just taking up the game should be taught golf etiquette before they are taught the actual rules. This group is living proof of that statement. All it takes is one or two guys to keep an eye out and make sure golfers aren’t simply wasting every one else’s time. If they spend ten minutes looking for their ball in the trees, that’s eight minutes too many. Taking too much time to fish their balls out of the water? Hey, move it along pal. He doesn’t need to be R. Lee Ermey, but there needs to be a ranger or two who can, at the very least, keep the game moving.

6. What’s with the chain-link fence? – For your own purposes, the fence can be replaced with basically any eyesore. The point here is, I can be playing a great round on a beautiful track with fantastic views. But there’s going to be something that sticks out like a sore thumb that you’ll remember more than any of the good stuff. Be it a chain-link fence, some power lines running over a fairway or a giant net from the driving range running parallel to the second hole. Either way, it’ll leave you wondering where the design flaw was. Did the designer take a day off? Did he leave that part to the intern? Whatever the case may be, I’m sure it could have been a little more well though out.

Again, chances are none of these are going to ruin my day. But they will often times leave a bad taste. Especially if I’m spending well above average money. I understand that, most times, you get what you pay for. So when these occurrences happen at some of the more hi-end courses, it sure does put a damper on the round.

What about anyone else? Speak up. Let’s here some of your gripes. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way…

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