Lake of Isles Archives • GolfStinks

Here at Golfstinks, it’s generally assumed that any special occasion is to be celebrated, at least partially, with a round of golf. And this past weekend, the crew did it again. This occasion was a milestone birthday…my 40th. So some of the other stinky golfers pitched in and made a weekend out of it – golf at Lake of Isles, some casino time at Foxwoods, food, drinks, cigars…the whole package! It was a great weekend; we played a great course, ate some fantastic food and had an all-around good time. We discussed doing something like this more often. Not just for a special occasion, but three or four times a year – just friends getting together, hanging out, doing something we all enjoy doing. So it immediately begins to cross our minds – why don’t we?

Just my opinion, but to me, a round of golf is great bonding time between friends. But a golf trip, now that’s a different story. As we get older and our list of commitments, be it to our families or our jobs, continues to grow, the time to hit the links with our buddies becomes fewer and far between. We no longer have the time to get out on the course every weekend, or every other weekend. Heck, it’s not even once a month anymore. I’ve managed to squeeze in a couple of nine-hole rounds this year, but nothing more. So taking a weekend golf getaway can certainly be the remedy.

OK, so it’s not always convenient to get away for a weekend. Commitments with the family and the job don’t always allow for disappearing for a couple of days. And sure, it ain’t exactly as cheap as your regular eighteen hole round. But if it’s only, what, twice a year? Then how does that not make up for it? Consider if you are at the point where you’re getting together with your buddies less than once a month to play a round. Then one or two golf trips per season can possibly even end up saving money vs. what you were previously playing. Further, the weekends away obviously create better memories than just heading over to your local track. When I think back on my best golfing memories, they’ve all occurred on trips, if not specifically golf trips.

Look, if you work hard enough and dedicate as much time as you do to your job and, most importantly, to your family, then you owe it to yourself to give yourself a break. And not for nothing, but your job and your family owe you the time to yourself as well. Why not use that time to create more good memories for you and your friends while still holding onto something that you love, but don’t get to do nearly as often as you once did? Take the trip…you owe it to yourself.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Public golf course or private country club – which is better? It’s a debate that will continue on as long as the game of golf does. Unfortunately, it’s a rare occasion that your average weekend hack gets the opportunity to add a few divots to some exclusive private track. However, I was lucky enough to be given this chance and I can now offer my humble opinion. Right off the bat I can tell you, the country club life ain’t for everyone.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve played the very private TPC River Highlands (home of the Travelers Championship) right here in my home state of Connecticut, and it was downright amazing. The course itself was challenging, but not overbearing. The condition and maintenance of the course was exceptional and the staff was courteous and professional. All-in-all, this may have been the nicest course I’ve played up to this point. But, there’s more to this debate than just the course itself.

Some of the many fine points about TPC are rivaled by several public courses throughout the state at a fraction of the cost. At the time I played TPC, not only did I have to be invited by a member, but I had to shell out $180 to play. Other than Lake of Isles (ranked #85 on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 You Can Play for 2008) this would rank as the costliest course in the state. Not to mention the necessary membership fee, which at last check started at $13,500 per year and could reach as high as $36,000! Many courses throughout the state, and all of New England for that matter, feature beautiful scenery – something TPC was lacking a bit. Most courses have friendly and helpful staffs. Also, all of the upscale public courses throughout the state (99 out of 100 times) are well-maintained.

Further, there’s the stereotype of the typical private course golfer. You know the one – nose-in-the-air, can’t understand how or why you would want to play a public course…they have the “it’s private so it must be better” attitude. It is just a stereotype and I would imagine most private course members do not reflect this, but there was a guy like that in my foursome at TPC. In my experience both on-and-off the links, the private course member seems to take his game a little too serious – almost as if it’s a job. Whereas a typical public course player is more about the fun of the game and the camaraderie that goes along with it. Again, these are only stereotypes and to each his own, but I’m out there to have a good time.

In my own opinion, spending the money to play a beautiful private course is worth it…one time – if you’re invited or playing in a tournament there, go for it. But ultimately, I prefer variety. I guess I could understand if all your friends were members – but I would still want to travel around to various courses and experience the differences each has to offer. It seems to me playing a different course week-to-week adds something more to the game, rather than playing at the same place time and again. I’m not sure about you, but in today’s economy, I would feel committed to only playing on that one course if I were shelling out the monetary equivalent of a small car every year. And I’m a man…stereotypically I’m not supposed to be good with commitment.

We Need Our Golf Trips

Public Golf vs. Private Club: Familiarity or Variety?

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