A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!
So I was thinking, everyone complains about slow play. I think it might be the number one complaint in golf! But what about this: Would golf courses go the extreme route and replace course rangers with drill sergeants? Would play actually get faster? Can you imagine R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) rumbling down the fairway in a golf cart, screaming at you to keep up with the group ahead? I know my ass would get in gear!
Just a little food for thought golf courses…
I think I’m on to something here. First of all, how many of you are sick and tired of losing your ball but swear that you watched exactly where your ball landed? It’s ridiculous, no? It’s not like the local track is going to pay to have field marshals out there. How can I cut down on the balls I lose?
Well, there’s a term we use at Golfstinks called the Pro Advantage Factor or PAF for short. It basically means pro’s have an advantage when it comes to errant shots because the spectators or marshals usually find the ball. You see, I want to equal that playing ground and give us average hacks an opportunity to shave some strokes.
This is why I think we should have ball sniffing dogs on the course. There are so many good reasons I don’t know where to begin. Let’s see, for starters we can train rescue dogs. They deserve a good home and a chance at life. Dog wages are a lot cheaper than human wages and they rarely talk back. Canines do their job and are happy to do it. The piles of doggy poo can be used as fertilizer. Not to mention it would be pretty damn cool to have a dog sniff out your ball. I would probably golf more if that was available to me.
How realistic is this? Well, I’m really not sure. People scoffed at Edison when he presented the lightbulb. The Wright brothers took their share of disses. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not re-inventing the wheel but I’m bringing two things together that I think would compliment each other. Imagine actually finding your ball after 95% of your shots (the other 5%…well, nothing we can do about water). Just my $0.02…
Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!
What would you spend $75 on? If you answer dinner or a couple rounds, you are a normal person. If you answer a dozen balls, well I don’t know what to say but read on. Yes it’s true, Dixon Golf sells a dozen of it’s “Fire” series balls for a whopping 75 clams. They also mention that they are for pro’s and scratch golfers. I guess that means the 26 million or so hacks don’t apply.
In Dixon’s defense, they do a lot of work with charities giving a percentage of their sales to deserving recipients. In fact they have a section on their site dedicated to it. That works for me. Anybody ever use them?
Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!
So you’re probably scratching your head, wondering what the hell “S.G.O.Y.M.B.” stands for. Give up? How about: Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back.
Ever wonder if golf courses would do this? Lets say you play a course with terrible grooming (see photo). How about poor hospitality? Or a 6-hour round because of no rangers?
Would you be more tempted to play a course knowing if it did not live up to your expectations you could get a refund? Should golf courses be held to certain standards or is this just the risk you take in playing golf?
Undoubtedly, one of a golfers favorite events of his golfing career is a golf trip with his buddies. For too many of us, it’s an event that just doesn’t happen often enough, including for us here at Golfstinks. But this past weekend, we finally made it back out on the road.
OK, so we didn’t head to one of the typical golf getaways like Florida, California or Myrtle Beach. Rather, we headed to Vermont. Not exactly what most golfers would consider a “golfing mecca.” But that’s far from the point.
See, the point is the getaway itself. And between kids, wives, jobs, vacation time and previous commitments, trying to get a few guys on the same schedule is not the simplest of tasks. So when taking a long vacation is not a possibility, simpler trips become necessity.
Necessity you say? Well…yeah! To me, a golf trip with your golfing pals is an absolute necessity. The idea of traveling to a place you’ve never been to hit the links on a course you would normally never get to play is fun in itself. But when you can combine a vacation with your friends and a few days worth of golf, it’s like taking that one day of golf you would play on a Saturday or Sunday that you wish would last longer, and stretching it out over a few days. How could you go wrong?
Unfortunately, most people have the preconceived notion that a golf trip is too expensive. But a bit of research and some planning at the right times can lead to some unbeatable deals. For instance, our trip including 2 rounds of golf and two nights at a condo ran us well under $300 per person.
What I’m getting at here is that a golf trip needs to be taken by any group of golfing friends. Put just a little bit of effort in and an inexpensive golf trip could be much closer than expected. If you’ve never taken a golf trip, or if it’s been a long time since you have, you’re doing yourself a disservice. It’s time to hit the road, jump on a plane, do whatever! Just get out there an go somewhere you’ve never been.
Swing ’til you’re happy!