I'm a nomad

[Mandofred]

It would appear that you make little use of the Yorkshire Union events costing just £20. For me, Union, EG events & a couple of visits to Seaton are a large part of my golfing year. Would be bored silly if I was only playing my home Club course

I am a boring person. I had to go back to the US last December to help my brother out with another brothers death.....at that time we had been back in Harrogate for almost 9 years. During that time the furthest I had been from Harrogate was Redcar/Skelton. I've hopped into a few senior comps at other courses.....Saltburn, Forest of Galtres, but I don't enjoy them much. Usually slow play and then having to wait around for a meal afterwards. My way of thinking is that I'm already paying £xxxxxx for membership, odds and ends on top of that, spending another £xxxxx to play other courses just isn't going to happen. I can afford it.....I'm just boring. Maybe if they weren't team events I would be more willing.....

Right now I haven't played in at least 10 days.....I might try to play in the morning with the small rollup group. IFFFFF I'm still playing this spring I could see staying at Ripon and adding Oakdale or Knaresborough back as another club as I have in the past. I really need a place to practice on a field.....Ripon doesn't have that. I've never been a golfer that had to "check off" a list of other golf courses.

 

[RichA]

I have never been a member of any golf club. I enjoy playing different courses and have no interest in the social side or comps. I repair my (and others) pitch marks and divots, I rake bunkers and play at a good pace. I get the impression that some people are sniffy about nomads because they think only people who are club members are 'proper' golfers and have any idea about etiquette and caring for the course. This is clearly not the case given how many unrepaired pitch marks I see at every course I play. Members must be responsible for some of them at least.

You never see more pitchmarks at our place than at the weekend in the morning, when it's members only.

 

[Mandofred]

You never see more pitchmarks at our place than at the weekend in the morning, when it's members only.

This is what I've been saying for years....golfers are just normal people. The same amount of lazy/don't care people playing golf as doing anything else. The only way to reduce things like this is to put somebody out on the course to keep an eye on people and then zap them somehow (name and shame?).....and I don't think that is going to happen.

 

[Backache]

We don't attract large numbers of visitors and we don't get many pitchmarks. Unfortunately currently Fusarium is a problem.

 

[2blue]

We don't attract large numbers of visitors and we don't get many pitchmarks. Unfortunately currently Fusarium is a problem.

Oh dear that is a real problem..... at least you can repair pitch marks

 

[2blue]

I am a boring person. I had to go back to the US last December to help my brother out with another brothers death.....at that time we had been back in Harrogate for almost 9 years. During that time the furthest I had been from Harrogate was Redcar/Skelton. I've hopped into a few senior comps at other courses.....Saltburn, Forest of Galtres, but I don't enjoy them much. Usually slow play and then having to wait around for a meal afterwards. My way of thinking is that I'm already paying £xxxxxx for membership, odds and ends on top of that, spending another £xxxxx to play other courses just isn't going to happen. I can afford it.....I'm just boring. Maybe if they weren't team events I would be more willing.....

Right now I haven't played in at least 10 days.....I might try to play in the morning with the small rollup group. IFFFFF I'm still playing this spring I could see staying at Ripon and adding Oakdale or Knaresborough back as another club as I have in the past. I really need a place to practice on a field.....Ripon doesn't have that. I've never been a golfer that had to "check off" a list of other golf courses.

Sorry to hear you've had to deal with something like that. I guess you're very settled in the UK now...... Harrogate is a popular area but does have it's limitations.
I was keen at one time but now it's far too expensive so am now well past checking off other Golf Courses (400+ completed) however I still do enjoy a competition somewhere new, though nowadays generally has to be within 2hrs. In the past rock climbing & mountaineering took me far & wide for days on end so a 'bit of a trip ' for golf is nothing special & with care can be kept to a reasonable cost. The UK is small so the variety within 2hrs or so is enormous... I'm interested to know what aspects of UK golf you enjoy or just can't get on with? An honest question, matey, as we are a very mixed bunch & I'm not sure if you did experience US golf at first.

 

[Mandofred]

I'm interested to know what aspects of UK golf you enjoy or just can't get on with? An honest question, matey, as we are a very mixed bunch & I'm not sure if you did experience US golf at first.

That takes a long answer. I've been in the UK for quite a while....1980-85 in High Wycombe, 85-87 in Newbury, short stint at Croughton near Banbury, 2004-2011 in Harrogate (and got married), back to Harrogate in 2015 after my wife and I went back to the US for 4 years. She didn't want to get old there...and I don't care where I live so......I wanted to move to the coast....she pointed out the error of my ways, so I'm in Harrogate. The club system in the UK is pretty nice. I knew from my running days that not only with running, but tennis, badminton etc etc you can usually find easy access to something and be welcomed. Not like that where I'm from...you have to work harder to work your way into things/groups. That is one of the main reasons I keep supporting rollups, they make it soooo easy to get in with a group of people and then you can branch out from there to smaller groups if you want. At the moment I'm trying to decide what to do when the next season rolls around at the end of March. Ripon is the best winter course around Harrogate I think. I was hoping they might reopen Flaxby....but I don't think that is ever going to happen now. Knaresborough and Oakdale both have pro's and con's just like every course....but I'm likely to add one of them again next year.....Knaresborough has a nice practice field so........

Luckily, the golf world here is relaxing more and more. When I joined Knaresborough in 2015 they had just relaxed the rules on allowing running shoes etc into the clubhouse. Even then there was a bit of horror from the old guard. Quite simply.....if the clubs were still like they were 20+ years ago I'd never have played golf again. Coats+ties, smart shoes, secret handshakes......no thanks.

My golfing history- my high school had golf as a sport, that was the last year they had it in Spring of 1972. After that I might play a couple of times a year and when older and working would go out with a few of the guys from school for a few rounds a year. Once retired and back in the US I would play 20+ times over the summer from April to Oct or so.....in Eastern Washington the golf courses close up in November from cold weather. Once back in the UK I figured I would join up and start playing regularly year round. I need to get hold of a practice area though....I haven't practiced since last March or so. Driving ranges are fine if I want to work on the long stuff, but I spend most of my times working on about 120yds and closer. Ripon doesn't have that and I'm not going to pay a fortune in range balls to hit wedges. But every once in a while.....the golf world just kind of gets to me and I sure wish I could go back to running again.

 

[Golfnut1957]

I am a boring person. I had to go back to the US last December to help my brother out with another brothers death.....at that time we had been back in Harrogate for almost 9 years. During that time the furthest I had been from Harrogate was Redcar/Skelton. I've hopped into a few senior comps at other courses.....Saltburn, Forest of Galtres, but I don't enjoy them much. Usually slow play and then having to wait around for a meal afterwards. My way of thinking is that I'm already paying £xxxxxx for membership, odds and ends on top of that, spending another £xxxxx to play other courses just isn't going to happen. I can afford it.....I'm just boring. Maybe if they weren't team events I would be more willing.....

Right now I haven't played in at least 10 days.....I might try to play in the morning with the small rollup group. IFFFFF I'm still playing this spring I could see staying at Ripon and adding Oakdale or Knaresborough back as another club as I have in the past. I really need a place to practice on a field.....Ripon doesn't have that. I've never been a golfer that had to "check off" a list of other golf courses.

There is a statement I never thought I would ever read. The furthest I have been from ?????? is Skelton. Surreal.

 

[2blue]

That takes a long answer. I've been in the UK for quite a while....1980-85 in High Wycombe, 85-87 in Newbury, short stint at Croughton near Banbury, 2004-2011 in Harrogate (and got married), back to Harrogate in 2015 after my wife and I went back to the US for 4 years. She didn't want to get old there...and I don't care where I live so......I wanted to move to the coast....she pointed out the error of my ways, so I'm in Harrogate. The club system in the UK is pretty nice. I knew from my running days that not only with running, but tennis, badminton etc etc you can usually find easy access to something and be welcomed. Not like that where I'm from...you have to work harder to work your way into things/groups. That is one of the main reasons I keep supporting rollups, they make it soooo easy to get in with a group of people and then you can branch out from there to smaller groups if you want. At the moment I'm trying to decide what to do when the next season rolls around at the end of March. Ripon is the best winter course around Harrogate I think. I was hoping they might reopen Flaxby....but I don't think that is ever going to happen now. Knaresborough and Oakdale both have pro's and con's just like every course....but I'm likely to add one of them again next year.....Knaresborough has a nice practice field so........

Luckily, the golf world here is relaxing more and more. When I joined Knaresborough in 2015 they had just relaxed the rules on allowing running shoes etc into the clubhouse. Even then there was a bit of horror from the old guard. Quite simply.....if the clubs were still like they were 20+ years ago I'd never have played golf again. Coats+ties, smart shoes, secret handshakes......no thanks.

My golfing history- my high school had golf as a sport, that was the last year they had it in Spring of 1972. After that I might play a couple of times a year and when older and working would go out with a few of the guys from school for a few rounds a year. Once retired and back in the US I would play 20+ times over the summer from April to Oct or so.....in Eastern Washington the golf courses close up in November from cold weather. Once back in the UK I figured I would join up and start playing regularly year round. I need to get hold of a practice area though....I haven't practiced since last March or so. Driving ranges are fine if I want to work on the long stuff, but I spend most of my times working on about 120yds and closer. Ripon doesn't have that and I'm not going to pay a fortune in range balls to hit wedges. But every once in a while.....the golf world just kind of gets to me and I sure wish I could go back to running again.

That, matey is an interesting read & thanks for it..... had you been nearer us you'd have fitted like a glove. Since I've been a Club Captain here I've been invited to engage in a number of groups but the old 'Jacket & tie' situation just turns me off as a total unnecessary thing from the past. As a kleptomaniac, I do have both and am uncomfortable with the need to do so. I've played several Trump courses where neither is necessary though I'd not vote that way even if I could. All change takes time.... but does need to happen in a modern world...... like the recent Budget!!! Please edit if necessary... hahah!!

 

[2blue]

There is a statement I never thought I would ever read. The furthest I have been from ?????? is Skelton. Surreal.

Hahaha.... that's a bit like pre 70's "I've played golf at Crook & Consett".... eh??