Have golfed for a long time in Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, Middle East and all over the US. Father worked for PGA after retiring from the military. He taught 4 boys to be pretty good golfers, 2 high school state champs and 3 college scholarships. Never once were we allowed to complain about the condition of a course. Grass or no grass play the ball as it lays. Maintenance on courses is a fact of life. Also read up in some of the golf magazines about the new thoughts on golf course design, over seeding and maintenance, lots more waste areas, lots of big grasses, less fairway grass and less water. Guarantee you do not hear complaints about fairway or rough conditions at St Andrews or many courses in Arizona. Have to agree that sand and punching are part of spring.

Was at The Masters last month and it was not wet it was a swamp. Guarantee you no one who has a chance walks away from playing that course no matter what shape it is in. Nature changes and it is constant fight to keep ahead for the guys trying to keep up.

As for too much growth, did the city you came from stop all development because the movie, restaurant, park, grocery store, muni or country club got too crowded for you? Did you pack up, quit your job and move, or did you stay and grow with your company and make more money? If you did then you are a person of great principal, if you did not then why do you complain now?

St. Andrews is a great example! That course can be crap! But then....that's golf. Too many golf snobs around in my book.
Great post, thanks.
Steve

Played Bonifay today. Greens in great shape but fairways are cut way too short. They should close them for at ,east a week and not cut them. After they grow a little cut them higher. They will never recover if they keep trimming them at 1-2 inch. Just an observation.

Yeah. Nobody goes there any more...it’s too crowded. :)

I agree that the fairways are cut way too close, but they are not cutting them at 1 - 2 inches. They are shaving them to about 1/3- 1/2 of an inch. I cut my lawn up north at 1 3/4 inch and that length leaves plenty of grass underneath a golf ball, in fact, it is about the length of the rough in the Villages. I simply can not understand why they cut the fairways so tight in the Villages, it must stress the turf tremendously?

Read it and weep.
http://www.usga.org/course-care/2013...474858685.html
Steve

As far a golf on the decline..... That may be true while the young folks, me included once upon a time, are raising a family, working etc, they are not interested in golf, but when they retire, they are finding the time to play. I would venture to say that 30 to 40 % of those who have moved to the villages never played golf before. (and they still can't play) Now that they are retire, they're willing to try anything, golf included. Only my opinion, not backed by facts.

If they fairways were cut at 1 to 1.5/2 inches as some are suggesting you guys would lose your ball. If you could take just one fairway in the entire villages and have ONLY a fairway mower on it for a few weeks, it would be night and day.

Yes, see my post above with a link
Steve

Rockymountain….
After living here three years I tend to agree with you, have cancelled my prime membership and now play outside the villages....less money and most are in better shape...
getting tired of the homeless picking thru the garbage....and nothing gets done about it...

So true. When I worked and raised my family there was hardly time to play tennis once a week. Now I am helping my grandchildren enjoy the game of golf.

Right on!! My thoughts exactly!!

Played Palmer this morning (& Monday morning).


I noticed six (6) blades of grass out of place.


I was so upset I almost walked off..............Actually I did, 18 times........off the green that is.




:icon_wink:

I had guest coming in from out of town wanting to play golf here I was too embarrassed to have them play here too expensive for pasture golf shame on the villages for gouging us and yes we all drink the kool aid so we went outside the villages and played a couple of real nice courses Shame on the villages as long as we pay they will continue to have the conditions

That's because the conditions...of course less than perfect...are not nearly as bad as you make them out to be on all courses.

Speak for yourself.