barrybridges
Head Pro
Interesting question.
Should clubs do more to help people who are playing a new course for the first time?
Over the past couple of years I've played around 15 different courses - I'm not a member of any particularly club, but generally float around and pay-and-play with friends.
I know this might sound a bit stupid, and I don't expect any sympathy for it, but last week my mates and I played somewhere where none of us had played before.
There was no course layout guides on the back of the scorecard, no signs on tees.
On the 14th, I set up to play a lovely fade around a tight bend in the trees. I played the shot well...only to realise when I walk to my ball that actually the hole dog-legged in totally the opposite direction (this wasn't obvious from the tee box).
Equally, quite a few blind tee shots, or pins obscured on the approach.
Now, that's all part and parcel of a course testing people, but is it unreasonable to suggest that all courses should provide some kind of course layout guide so that if someone is new to the course they can at least see the layout of each hole? Is that fair?
The number of times I've ended up in bunkers that I couldn't see, or in ditches that I wasn't aware of - probably 40 - 50 times over the past year.
I don't really care, but why should I be penalised purely on the basis of not knowing the layout of a course, rather than penalised for a bad choice of shot? OR - looking at it the other way - should I be discouraged from attacking a pin because I'm not familiar with the layout?
Rant over. My point is why can't clubs print course layouts on the back of scorecards rather than flogging advertising which makes them next to nothing?
Should clubs do more to help people who are playing a new course for the first time?
Over the past couple of years I've played around 15 different courses - I'm not a member of any particularly club, but generally float around and pay-and-play with friends.
I know this might sound a bit stupid, and I don't expect any sympathy for it, but last week my mates and I played somewhere where none of us had played before.
There was no course layout guides on the back of the scorecard, no signs on tees.
On the 14th, I set up to play a lovely fade around a tight bend in the trees. I played the shot well...only to realise when I walk to my ball that actually the hole dog-legged in totally the opposite direction (this wasn't obvious from the tee box).
Equally, quite a few blind tee shots, or pins obscured on the approach.
Now, that's all part and parcel of a course testing people, but is it unreasonable to suggest that all courses should provide some kind of course layout guide so that if someone is new to the course they can at least see the layout of each hole? Is that fair?
The number of times I've ended up in bunkers that I couldn't see, or in ditches that I wasn't aware of - probably 40 - 50 times over the past year.
I don't really care, but why should I be penalised purely on the basis of not knowing the layout of a course, rather than penalised for a bad choice of shot? OR - looking at it the other way - should I be discouraged from attacking a pin because I'm not familiar with the layout?
Rant over. My point is why can't clubs print course layouts on the back of scorecards rather than flogging advertising which makes them next to nothing?
