9/04/18
I drove past this between Salida and Cotopaxi on State Highway 50 in Colorado. I had to turn around and tell whoever that I stood with them totally assuming I was correct. I was and got the biggest hug of appreciation for doing so.

From my understanding, there are close to 3000 children being held around this country after being seized from their parents at the border.

Many will never see their Mom and Dad again because Republicans are totally evil.

You bastards!

8/25/10

Golf-Mores And The Recession

With over 1500 posts here there are only a handful that relate to this game. There may be more or there might be less but there's going to be one now because as like in most media people receive there is more to the linked story that is just as important as the reasons given. I want to attempt to draw a correlation between these three things. The recession,golf and mores.

I've been at this business for damn near 25 years. I can tell you it is very expensive on the maintenance side. I have strong opinions on a number of issues and will do my best not to stray.

The picture at the top looks nice doesn't it. It just didn't get like that by accident. The way golf courses are maintained has changed in dramatic ways since I've been involved.

There is a lot of grass cut on a daily basis and I think it's around 90 acres possibly more with numerous different types of mowers.

Take a look at the top picture again and you will see three sand traps that are huge. Maybe 73 on this course but many newer courses can have hundreds. This course is 30 years old. Get this-maintaining the bunkers is the biggest number in our maintenance budget.

This is important too-what you see here and what you see on TV are two different things. No one sees what goes on behind the scenes and I've never seen it myself and never really wanted to participate at tournament level. But what you can take to the bank is that it is several levels up from what you see here accomplished by literally an army of volunteer golf course people operating dozens and dozens of the same pieces of donated equipment from one of the three major players in the equipment business swarming over every hole. That is how the conditions are achieved so the big boys can make sure they can hit a good shot out of the rough unlike some of the majors where they cry if conditions are too hard. Sorry I wasn't going to stray.

Time to get to the meat of this. The linked to article has numbers and they are real bad about the downhill slide this game has taken and  reasons why which I don't dispute but dammit you need to give the rest of the story. It's worth glancing at.

"It's definitely connected to the economic conditions and the ability of potential private club members to pay the fairly significant initiation fees and annual dues," said Jay Mottola, executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, representing 120,000 golfers and 500 golf courses in the New York region.

What was not mentioned.

1. A number of tour players decided to become architects and each one tried to out do the others in difficulty of design and locations where built. What you have is a maintenance nightmare that becomes outrageously expensive.

2. Most golfers are hacks. Only maybe 10-12% can break a hundred. I can do it if I play a bit and get my mind right but trust me I am a shitty golfer. We are not going to stray here except to say you can give the average golfer tournament conditions and it won't make shit bit of difference in how he plays. He'll still chunk the ball around for 18 holes no matter where he or she plays.

3. Because of what is seen on TV the norm has become to expect the same. In many cases it has become unrealistic to attain because of the cost factor and these are just as big of reasons as stated in the article.

A change in maintenance practices that can significantly lower the cost of operation and a lot of courses would still be viable.

And for the average hack it will not make shit bit of difference in his game or mine either.

I have never worked my ass off here for 20 years to give the most optimum conditions possible with what we have for those 90% never!! I do it for the rest who realize and appreciate what it took to give them these playing conditions on the part of not that many people who work very hard.

Get out there - be sure and look up and swing as hard as you can and take a giant chunk of turf each time and not put it back. Sorry -strayed again.

And please -give me the courtesy of not being insulting about how bad golf courses are for this or for that. Thanks in advance. Down south they sure as hell can be but not around these parts.

18 comments:

  1. As a former scratch golfer I appreciate your efforts One Fly.


    You're right about tournament conditions man. I played an Arnold Palmer course from the back tees once. Played great and shot 82.

    Played in a pro am with Fred Couples for nine holes. Thought I was something. Hit my first drive about 260 right down the middle. Fred hit his 70 yards past me. He birdied five or six of the 9 holes on a course he'd never seen.


    The course was in great shape.

    I just like telling that story.

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  2. And I like hearing good stories Truth. I saw one time that you played very good golf. I'm glad you saw this and was hoping you would. If I was a rich man I would get the lefty bloggers that I know who golf which isn't that many and a few of their lefty blogger golfing friends and get everyone together and we'd go stink it up. That would be a blast.
    Thanks!

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  3. I'm always ready to play some golf man. I can still hit the ball pretty well. I just can't putt. Five or six three putts a round is normal these days.


    Goddamn game.

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  4. No shit-played nine yesterday and struck the ball so well. Birdied the hardest hole. Bink bink and a 15 footer downhill left break done deal. Go out and shoot a low 40 on the front and then don't come close to breaking 90. Refuse to take it seriously. Generally don't keep score but have a good idea where it's at if I were to. It was perfect yesterday and plan on playing tomorrow. I actually have played much. My goal is just to make good shots. It's fun when it comes together once in awhile. If you've not been here you might get a kick out of a couple of these. Not very good quality but it's been awhile ago.

    And make no mistake about it -I'm a shitty golfer but I can get it around and it don't take all fucking day to do it.

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  5. I agree wholeheartedly. When I was In Myrtle Beach I played a few Pete Dye [abused as a child} designed courses and My score was not better and no worse than playing my home course. I freind has a course and after he bought it he eliminated all the sand traps and lowered all the tees so he can mow the tees and the fairways with the same machine. Mow the fairways, trim the rough and mow the greens, he did it to make money and I have played it mant times and same thing, same score as the Dye courses only more enjoyable.

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  6. You see! Thanks for that my friend.

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  7. Although I've never played a round of golf in my life, I'm always interested in phenomena, such as the game of golf, for their own sake. Thanks, One Fly, for teaching me something I didn't know.

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  8. I've played some good courses (municipal), some lousy courses (municipal and private), and great courses in NM and Tx. Around Dallas all they have to do is fertilize and mow. In NM it takes a ton of water. The Casino's are building courses like crazy in a desert and who gives a damn about how much water they use as our population grows and it will be needed for drinking. The municipals are starting to use gray water or reclaimed sewage water. This makes much more sense here.
    It's a great game and now I've retired it's keeping me busy and fit.

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  9. You're welcome Fearguth-I'm glad this post is serving one of its purposes.

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  10. It does do that Patrick and if I stop working here at the end of next year and move to the ranch I'll go up the road a few miles and see if I can trade some of my experience for some free golf. I'm not used to paying.

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  11. One Fly
    I knew a little about turf conditions and types of grass..I never played the game but I had a lot of holes in one when I a young guy. Ahh the 9th hole at around 2:am with whats her name. You see turf conditions were important to me too.LOL

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  12. Always my favorite kernwood country club Salem, Massachusetts Gorgeous and you mat have heard of it. i grew up in a slum down the street, worked on the grounds, played on them and in the water, went to caddy school, caddied, very exclusive and expensive. Gorgeous!

    I would expect the recession has hit many clubs as the upkeep is very expensive but not the exclusive ones. You know what it takes to maintain a course but most don't have a clue. It really is an art and a profession!

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  13. I just love to watch those Toro Triplexes mow and watch the grass shoot forward like puke out of a puppy! How often do you have to sharpen the bed knives?

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  14. I bet you could tell some stories about that Jim. Caddy stories can be some of the best.

    To answer your question Russ it depends. Pretty particualar on what mows the greens and they might go 40-60 hours but I don't use that criteria. Take one off and look at it.

    T-mowers will go longer as will fairway mowers.

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  15. contrary to popular belief, fly boy works very hard and is very good at what he does. even though he is a lefty

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  16. I failed to mention as I did not want to stray that most who are in this business are right wingers.

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  17. Oh yeah! It was better than caddyshack. Hanging out and I use to dive for balls to sell back to the golfers. golf courses are gorgeous and that one is surrounded by ocean abd full of water hazards, I loved it! Wer use to hide in the woods and steal the balls that came close and sold them back later. Had a ball!

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  18. Oh yeah all the way through to the users especially of the exclusive clubs.

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