Thanks for all of the very good responses! I am glad you all enjoy the Exec courses. I looked more closely at the Pelican course, and I agree that it does seem to have some very challenging shots, as well as a lot of natural beauty.

Fred53, do you think riding a cart is bad for your back? Until this year, I almost never rode a cart, but now I am doing more riding and I find that as a passenger my back sometimes gets sore, probably because the driver goes too fast and it jars my back when they hit a bump. When I drive, I drive very slow.

Which Championship courses do you all like to play?

Thanks for all of your comments. I am glad to hear you all really enjoy playing the Exec courses.

Which Championship courses do you enjoy playing the most?

Fred53, do you think your sore back may be caused by riding in a cart too much? Until this year, I almost never rode a cart and, when I did, I drove very slow so I would not jar my back. This year, I rode a couple times with someone who drove too fast and then hit a bump, and my back did not like it.

As to OP's original question, my guess would be most people hate the execs. That's why they've only recorded a million rounds so far this year ( 1.8 million rounds on all courses together).

Ditto. Been playing for 45 years, did not play an "executive" course since I was 12 years old, my home course as a teenager was Bethpage Black and was lucky enough to get to play many of the great courses in the country. Unfortunately, I am still slowly recovering from a severely herniated and fragmented L4-5 disk 4 years ago that has left me with some permanent L leg nerve damage even though I'm only 56. I can't even THINK about walking a full course, sometimes it is hard to get thru a round.
Bought a house in TV early last year, have only occupied it for 6 weeks or so on and off, and just retired 5 weeks ago. My neighbor has a heart condition and plays execs for the walking, so I have played 2 or 3 times with him. I found the exec courses to be wonderful---surprisingly good conditions, good greens for the most part, and I was shocked to be able to walk the whole distance. Challenging?---can be---I looked at the course and thought this should be an easy 2 under---WRONG! as I limped (literally) in with a 6 over.
Am I a "good" golfer?--not anymore, was a +1 at one point, 21 after my injury, and have just worked it back to a 10. My wife has joint and muscle issues, she is a 2x club champion and now can't get thru 18, so we are glad there are so many execs, and this has changed my opinion of these courses in general. No, I still would prefer Bethpage, Winged Foot and Pinehurst #2 and hope to be able to handle them once again. Will still play mostly champ courses in TV, but it's great to have options, especially on bad back days.

And how the OP's question could be considered "elitist" is beyond me, unless he is a +2 asking a rhetorical question, which I doubt.

Challenger: Perhaps bunkers are a problem but not the main issue (s) for slow play. In fact i noticed some golfers because of maladies won't bother to hit out of a bunker. slow play is because people's heads aren't in the game they are in synch with other players. The guys I hook up play truly ready golf and there is not a lot of fiddling over the ball. I have played with some guys and they take forever at address so that your thoughts are "while I'm young" I have seen some folks socializing while their group has tees off then they go get their driver and have some sort of voodoo ritual then hit. Some never position their carts properly.

I often walk and carry and I never hold anyone up. If I am having a bad round then its in the pocket. I do follow all the rules of golf to my knowledge

Dear OP: In retrospect I regret my comments. Its not me because we were reared to understand the importance of humility and so one never flashes their wealth or their handicaps or their.......... Rereading your comments that was not your intent. I moved too quickly. My apology

Personal Best Regards:

2 years ago I was a 24 handicap, now I am a 13. 2 years of great practice on executive courses. I play them all for 6 months a year. One of the great things is there is no handicap to post, so each shot I am just taking dead aim, no fear about scoring. Also great for walking. We are very lucky to have all these courses available to us!

Agree with you. Also not playing ready golf. For some reason many players just won't.

Wow...........we having a bad day?? Feels like you are talking to me directly and I'm not sure we have a written contract (your rule, not mine). Hope your day improves. Good news, it's FRIDAY!!

I like that description...............I am just taking dead aim, no fear about scoring. That can work for a lot of things in life. I think I need to have this quote posted in my house.

:ho:

In 45 years of playing this game, I think I've seen it all---from a "golfer" taking 3 minutes to line up and practice swing his 11th shot to driving over to an adjacent hole to start a 5 minute conversation with a friend.
Perhaps too many are taking cues from the pros---they think a pro is good because he takes extra time, when in reality he takes extra time because he is good. He also has to make a living at this game, and he conversation with his caddy is not about last night's performance at the Sharon.
I live on EP, and have watched golfers come to the tee with the hole open, stand on the tee have some kind of 5 min discussion, then walk back to their carts to get their drivers. They then hit 2 mulligans each, with 3 practice swings before each one, then repeat the process from the fairway. I could play that course from the black tees with a 7 iron and an umbrella and lap them, and most likely beat them as well. My only 2 questions for a group like that are 1) what game are you playing? and 2) do you play for money? I have also been tempted to hand out free copies of the rule book

Next time you see this group, wave at the group behind them..........I"M IN IT!!!!

:icon_wink:

And I'm 2 holes back with 4 foursomes on par 4. I can't see why people get angry with an ambassador, unless they are that first group :ohdear:

On occasion I've seen a few good golfers on the executive courses who seem to breeze right through the course at lightning speed. I was always under the impression championship courses are for the most experienced golfers due to distance and difficulty and executive courses are designed at different levels to build players ability.

I don't think so. Champs are just as easy if you play from the "Friendly Tees" and depending on the hole maybe even easier.

Last year I went to a family reunion where the guys golf everyday. Well most of the guys don't golf very much at all back home. So the first time we got to the course I told everyone that where I live now the closest tees are not ladies only, in fact the closest tees are called "Friendly Tees" and since we are all friendly, on this vacation we will play from the closest tes. It was so much more fun for everyone that way.