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Thoughts on Executive & Par 3 Courses

July 2, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | 2 Comments

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Do you play par 3 and executive golf courses? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

I don’t really play executive (or par 3) courses. In fact, the last time I played one, it was 2007. I’ve been pretty forthcoming in the past about these length-challenged courses (see HERE), but perhaps I’ve sold them a little short (pardon the pun).

In these tough economic times and (perhaps more importantly) with slow play alarmingly rampant, perhaps we should revisit the idea of sneaking in a few rounds per year on a par-27 (or par-32) course. After all, they are cheaper to play and your round goes much faster.

Yet when I recently learned one of the nicer courses near me was all booked for the weekend, I declined their offer to play their new executive course instead. What gives?

Well, not being able to use your driver still bothers me. And even though par 3’s play into my strengths, I feel there still needs to be a nice mix of holes (especially with some par 5’s mixed in).

But I want to know what you think – and to that end, we have two polls for you below. First, tell us how often you play executive-style courses and then, tell us if you would be interested in playing them more frequently.

Hey, maybe we can kill two birds (slow play and price) with one stone here.

How Often Do You Play Executive (Par 3) Courses?

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Would You Consider Playing Executive (Par 3) Courses More Frequently?

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Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: executive course, par 3 course, poll

Par 3’s, 4’s or 5’s?

June 11, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | 3 Comments

Do you prefer one type of par over another? (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
Do you prefer one type of par over another? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

As we all know, there are three types of pars for golf holes – Par 3’s, 4’s and 5’s. And as much as we think some par 5’s should be par 6’s, we all realize there’s no such thing!

Each of these par types force you to have drastically different strategies. On par 3’s, for example, you begin the hole as if it’s your approach shot on a par 4 – you’re targeting the green with an iron in your hand. Meanwhile on a typical par 5, it’s grip-it and rip-it a couple times before you even get to target the green!

And while we may not have thought about it much before, we do have favorites. For example, I like par 3’s (preferably 180 yards or less) – mostly because they play into my strength, which is mid-to-low iron play. And my results showed it – back when I would keep stats,  I always had a slightly better average on par 3’s than on par 4’s and 5’s.

Meanwhile, many people like par 5’s so they can “let the big dog eat” off the tee. I have to admit, there’s something very invigorating about crushing a long drive perfectly down the fairway of a 550-yard hole. And now that I’m thinking about it, I’m not sure I would like par 3 holes as much if there weren’t par 5’s mixed in to spice things up a bit. Par 4’s, on the other hand, can just go away as far as I’m concerned (just kidding about removing all the par 4’s, but that would make for an interesting course)!

But what about you? Maybe you enjoy a good par 4? Or maybe you’re like me and fancy par 3’s instead? Take the poll below and let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’d like to say I enjoy them all equally, but I just don’t.

What's your favorite? Par 3's, 4's or 5's

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Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: course layout, par, poll

Are Golf Tournaments Getting Too Pricey?

April 23, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | 6 Comments

Do you expect tons of food at a golf tournament?
Do you expect tons of food at a golf tournament?

So I’ve been wanting to play in my college alumni golf tournament for the past few years. But each spring the tournament comes and goes without my taking part.

This year I had decided I was going to play in it for sure. I put the little postcard reminder they sent me aside and planned on signing up online ASAP. Long story short, as I went to sign up yesterday I was stopped dead in my tracks…not by a scheduling conflict, but by the price: $395.

WTF are they smoking?

I had to check to make sure I wasn’t looking at the foursome price…nope, that was $1,580. Somehow, I just assumed it would be around $175 per person (I swear that’s what it was last I checked two years ago). Granted, it’s being held at a rather upscale public course where fees typically surpass $150, but $395…really? Needless to say, I won’t be playing this year either.

What the hell goes on at these tournaments, anyway? I spoke to someone recently who said a raw bar is a necessity at local tournaments nowadays. Really?

“If there’s not an oysters, clams and quahog spread behind the 18th green, then I’m out.”

A three-course meal after the round with a raw bar and free drinks? Is this a golf tournament or a wedding? Look, I’m all for supporting a good cause – be it your alma mater or a local charity, but isn’t $400 pushing it a bit too far?

But perhaps I’m crazy. Maybe I’m just out of touch with how much people typically pay to play in a local golf tournament these days. That being said, I offer the poll below – so you can tell me what you typically pay when you hit the links for a good cause.

How much do you typically spend on playing in a golf tournament?

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Filed Under: Golf Life Tagged With: golf tournament, poll, raw bar

POLL: Is The Masters Your Favorite Major?

March 26, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | Leave a Comment

The Masters (by Torrey Wiley via Flickr)
The Masters (by Torrey Wiley via Flickr)

With The Masters fast approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to see what your favorite major tournament is during the season. There’s always a lot of buzz around The Masters, but I figured that was due to it coinciding with the start of the new golf season too.

But recently via Twitter, one of our followers has called The Masters the March Madness of golf. Is this true? Sure, it attracts a lot of attention but some of that has to do with the course itself (Augusta National) and not necessarily the tournament.

It also has a great field of players – but don’t all the majors? And it’s at the start of the year…not the end – so it’s not a true reflection of which players have had the best year.

Still, The Masters has a certain appeal to it – be it that it kicks off the new golf season; or that it attracts a field of top players; or the fact that it’s played at a legendary golf course. Heck, I’ve written rather scathing remarks about Augusta in the past, but I still find myself watching The Masters on TV more than the others.

So, is The Masters your favorite of all the majors? Take the poll below and let us know.

What is your favorite major golf tournament?

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Filed Under: The Pro Tours Tagged With: augusta national, british open, golf major, PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, poll, The Masters, the open championship, u.s. open

POLL: Tell Us What You Want to Buy!

October 9, 2013 | By Golf Stinks | Leave a Comment

GolfStinks_Logo_Golf_ShirtSeveral months ago, a Twitter follower of ours contacted us asking to buy shirts with the GolfStinks logo on them. At the time, we had no such merchandise and expressed our apologies to the inquisitive follower.

Undeterred, the person recommended a company (www.showoffdesigns.net) that had done work for them in the past and suggested we give them a call. After some discussion internally and with the good folks over at Show-Off Designs, plus some time to implement a shop on golfstinks.com, we now have golf shirts for sale!

Now keep in mind, the shop is brand spanking new and the only item currently for sale is a white, 50/50 blend golf shirt with our logo embroidered on the left chest. It’s reasonably priced at $30 (USD) and we are hoping to get you even better deals with increased demand. So we invite you to support one of your favorite golf blogs by purchasing a GolfStinks Logo Golf Shirt and display proudly that you don’t take your game too seriously!

And keeping that in mind, what other (if any) merchandise would you be interested in buying from us? Take the poll below and let us know – after all, if one tweet could get us to sell golf shirts, who knows what this poll could do!

What would you like to buy from GolfStinks?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: golf, golfstinks, logo, merchandise, poll, shirt, shop

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