T shirts? You slobs
(Kidding of course)
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I used to live in Ft Worth Texas and would play every Thursday morning at a city course called Pecan Valley, a 36 hole facility. They have an online booking system and my buddy would always book us the first tee time off. He hated being paired with other people so he would book all four time slots and we would play as a twosome every Thursday. He would tell them that the other two bailed last minute every time. It took the course a full year but they eventually blocked his email from booking tee times on their site. I never liked that he would do this but I just brought this up as an example of how a lot of the problems with tee times has to do with the online booking systems. Seems to be a common theme in this thread.
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So so so sick.
Accessory to a felony?
Statue of limitations
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Other photos from breakfast ball
Wish I had them from the morning we played during wild fire week with that huge storm. One of the coolest sunrises I’ve ever seen.
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This is my situation as well. My brother who is a club pro never understood why I have such a warped sense of the cost of golf until he came and visited me here in Central MO. We played arguably the best public course in the area for $40 combined. Granted it was a Tuesday morning, but the regular price of this course is still under $50 for a weekend time. It’s also not all that difficult to get a time. He said if it was anywhere near a major metro it would be $85+. The most expensive course within an hour or so drive of me is about $60.
My biggest issue with the city courses is that they will have an outing taking up at least 1 course for a huge chunk of the day on a Saturday or Sunday, if not both days. Looked up the calendar and for a 2 month stretch there was something listed on either a Saturday or Sunday every week for 2 months straight.
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Love this idea
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This is how we are here in southern Indiana. We have an early Tom Doak design that is less than $50 on weekends and I booked an 8am tee time on a Saturday on the Wednesday. It’s 20-30 minutes from downtown of our major metro in the area. We did get hurt when one of our two non-city owned public course got bought out by the local school district to build a middle school though. The now only open public in town (the Doak course is next town over and is rebounding from Warrior Golf trying to destroy it) is run by an asshole. In the Golf Now prime, their pro wouldn’t cancel tee times when they booked outings and was known to say “gotta make money somehow” when people got pissed at him.
Our city owned courses are assholes to singles. You can’t book as a single and when I showed up at one on around 1 PM on a Friday was chastised for not having a tee time. When I told the starter that I tried, but they don’t take singles he said “there’s a reason for that”. Luckily another starter was there to play and told the guy to shut the hell up and put me with he and his buddy.
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My biggest pet peeve. They’ll let me if I call but I can’t online. Just let me fucking book it
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At least they let you call. When I’ve called they just say show up and we will try to get you out there. Usually it would be less than 30 minutes, one time I left after almost an hour on the putting green waiting (great practice at least).
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wanted to piggy back on what you said as well.
We have roughly 25 courses in our area (Quad-Cities), 5 are private, 3 of which are pretty affordable if you go that route. Some are 9 Holes but mostly 18 hole courses. Some aren’t my favorite, some are really good. Only 2 are on the expensive end, Fyre Lake at $75 (still worth it) and Deere Run ($120-$175, jacked the rates this year). The other one’s are under $50 with a cart. Usually have to book the weekend before to get good morning times. Being centrally located also makes the “fancier” courses easier to get to. Only 2.5-3 Hours away from Chicago and Des Moines. Peoria is a straight shot 90 minutes away. This feels like I’m rubbing it in, it might be because I am.
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On a positive note about getting on as a single: Earlier this year I was driving from Texas to North Carolina and stayed in Birmingham, AL. Arrived at the Air BNB 2.5 hours before sunset and noticed we were within walking distance to Highland Park golf course. Called them up to see if I could get out for 9. They said to come on out. When I walked to the clubhouse noticed there were 7 carts lined up at the first tee, crap I’ll never be able to finish 9 holes. Go to check in and the guy in the shop looks out the back window and says that there is a group coming up 9 and to slot in behind them and play the back. Made my way over and even that group who was a threesome told me to go ahead of them. Finished in an hour and a half well before sunset. Was blown away at the effort the course took to get a single out as that is exceedingly rare these days. On a bonus note the course was SICK!
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Miss you, General.
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Amen my friend.
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North Jersey is a true mixed bag depending on the county. I’m a resident of Essex County and we may have 2 of the better public options in the area with Francis Byrne and Hendricks Field. As a county card holder, usually can get a good run at early afternoon tee times at Byrne and if I miss that can get on Hendricks easily (I don’t care for playing early personally). Pace is always around 4 hours, tee time spacing is excellent, no complaints.
I’m also a Bergen County card holder from my girlfriend’s dad and that’s a whole other story. Weekend times go out 7 days prior and if you miss that first 15 minutes, you’re not playing. Everything hoovered up, even at the shit courses. A true disgrace and I’ve only used it once this season.
Don’t have a county card anywhere? You’re kinda shit out of luck. I figured out that I could get a mid afternoon tee time at one place if I played my cards right but for anyone looking for something in the morning, it’s pray for cancellation or go fuck yourself. Will try and stay an Essex County resident for as long as possible because it’s less bad here than other places
As a resident of Stamford, CT, getting tee times at public golf facilities that don’t require a 45+ minute drive is hard to come by.
Stamford operates 2 public golf courses, Sterling Farms and E. Gaynor Brennan. Brennan is a 100+ year old, 5800 yard course built on 88 acres of land (TIGHT). While early morning tee times on the weekdays are possible, anything before 2pm on the weekend is impossible and pace is a disaster.
Sterling is a perfectly fine golf course but a combination of ease of high numbers and elevation makes rounds drag.
Outside of Stamford you have the Westchester county courses which resemble I-95 rush hour more than a golf course. Pound Ridge, a public Pete Dye design is available if you’ve got $150 burning a hole in your pocket.
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This is iconic. Snagging a Braemar time always feels good 
I don’t have anything specific but I can share some of my thought process around tee times and how I’m feeling as a relatively new dad.
I’ve dabbled in the past with private clubs. When I moved to another side of town, I let go of my membership and joined the course we built a house on. About a year in I decided to leave the club and play public golf. This was about 2020-2021. I found that I was playing mostly public golf with friends anyways as I hadn’t found a group at the club and that I was very lucky to have great golf in the Cleveland area.
My son was born in April 2021 so I really didn’t play a ton of golf for about a year anyway. I was lucky to be able to play 18 holes about twice a month. I’d usually try and find an early Saturday or Sunday morning tee time by booking right when rounds opened up. This helped avoid long rounds. However, it he courses were still packed and I started wondering how it would ever be possible to bring a toddler out to a course. Even in the afternoons and evenings, you could find tee times but the course was packed and slow.
We joined a new club about a year and a half ago. Tuesdays are half price burger nights and my wife is in the office, so I take my son out for an evening round (which might only be 6 holes or so), a candy bar at the a-frame after the 3rd hole, and burgers and apple juice/beer on the patio. He loves it, but I’m sure I love it more.
He plays in the practice bunkers at one of the short game areas (I bring him a toy excavator) after dinner if he doesn’t want to leave quite yet.
Recently, he started wanting to go to the range after his round to “smoke some drivers”.
I wish there was public golf that allowed this type of freedom but realize that is unlikely. I wish there was public golf where kids could be kids, but that doesn’t really exist either.
The way max Homa describes his experience of learning the game on a public course, in my opinion, is unfortunately now only available to kids with access to a private course.
I’m grateful to be able to introduce my son to the game at an early age with very little worry, concern, restrictions, or barriers to having fun. I wish it was easier for more kids to experience golf the same way. I do miss a lot of the public golf courses in my area.
Edit: he’s not unhappy in the photo. In the background you can see the new 9 we are building and he’s looking at the excavators ahead with some intense interest lol
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Tucson city courses do this for walking rates. They don’t have them online and you have to call to get a reduced rate to walk. Almost all online times are prepay too and they won’t refund the difference if you ask in the shop