Opens getting too expensive?

[Billysboots]

£40 for Clevedon yesterday.
£30 for Pyle and Kenfig on Thursday

Decent value these days.

As above, absolutely no chance at all of winning anything, our team are all honest players.

Sad reflection on amateur golf these days. Prizes are way too high and it encourages the wrong behaviours.

Played both Pyle and Pennard last year. Great tracks. £30 for Pyle is great value.

 

[IanM]

£30 for Pyle is reasonable, we paid £50 for the 4BB there last year and it certainly wasn’t value for money despite being a lot cheaper than the green fee.

Newport has it as a reciprocal so can play for free... and old mate from Cheltenham has never played so wanted to go. (It's a Seniors Open so a bit cheaper still)

If I paid the £100-£120 quoted on the website, I'd be a bit sick!


@Captain_Black. I agree, why are so many mixed events blooming greensomes?? No one wants to play that

 

[chellie]

Newport has it as a reciprocal so can play for free... and old mate from Cheltenham has never played so wanted to go. (It's a Seniors Open so a bit cheaper still)

If I paid the £100-£120 quoted on the website, I'd be a bit sick!


@Captain_Black. I agree, why are so many mixed events blooming greensomes?? No one wants to play that

We would play greensomes! Never an option this way.

 

[IanM]

We would play greensomes! Never an option this way.

I would not want that sort of pressure!

 

[D-S]

Newport has it as a reciprocal so can play for free... and old mate from Cheltenham has never played so wanted to go. (It's a Seniors Open so a bit cheaper still)

If I paid the £100-£120 quoted on the website, I'd be a bit sick!


@Captain_Black. I agree, why are so many mixed events blooming greensomes?? No one wants to play that

It is certainly a prime example of ridiculous green fee inflation. The fact that you can see a really good course in the distance occasionally when you are playing Pyle (as well as 7 decent holes on the back 9) can never justify a fee north of £100.

 

[IanM]

It is certainly a prime example of ridiculous green fee inflation. The fact that you can see a really good course in the distance occasionally when you are playing Pyle (as well as 7 decent holes on the back 9) can never justify a fee north of £100.

A well known Welsh golfer said "they've got a third of a decent course here!"

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

That’s quite a confusing post - what do you mean don’t regard the rulers of golf?

That was a typo!
I meant Rules of Golf.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

That was a typo!
I meant Rules of Golf.

Again what do you mean by opens not following rules of golf ?

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

Again what do you mean by opens not following rules of golf ?

OK, I see what you're asking, Artie my man.

I only participate in two organized events each summer (I envy that you guys can play all year.).
A friend from another club invites me to a member-guest, and I reciprocate inviting him to a member-guest at my club.
They're an all day affair with dinner and the like, and we enjoy them.

That's enough USGA / R&A golf for me, though.

I have to pare down to fourteen clubs.
Everything isn't a lateral hazard to save time.
I can't move great drives out of divots.
I have to treat the rules like actual rules rather than "suggestions."
TWO TIMES EACH YEAR. Yes, I can do it twice.

The rest of the time, I get to have fun playing weekday golf with other decrepit coffin-dodgers like myself.
We play as if undisciplined Americans like ourselves invented the game.
[We didn't. It's yours. I get it. But what's to be done?]
Probity, rectitude, and decorum are not proportioned to proper UK standards of gentleman golfers.
But twice a year, I play real golf and it's good for once in a while. It's a good game, but it's very hard.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

OK, I see what you're asking, Artie my man.

I only participate in two organized events each summer (I envy that you guys can play all year.).
A friend from another club invites me to a member-guest, and I reciprocate inviting him to a member-guest at my club.
They're an all day affair with dinner and the like, and we enjoy them.

That's enough USGA / R&A golf for me, though.

I have to pare down to fourteen clubs.
Everything isn't a lateral hazard to save time.
I can't move great drives out of divots.
I have to treat the rules like actual rules rather than "suggestions."
TWO TIMES EACH YEAR. Yes, I can do it twice.

The rest of the time, I get to have fun playing weekday golf with other decrepit coffin-dodgers like myself.
We play as if undisciplined Americans like ourselves invented the game.
[We didn't. It's yours. I get it. But what's to be done?]
Probity, rectitude, and decorum are not proportioned to proper UK standards of gentleman golfers.
But twice a year, I play real golf and it's good for once in a while. It's a good game, but it's very hard.

So you don’t play organised comps because you don’t want to play to the rules of the sport

 

[IanM]

So you don’t play organised comps because you don’t want to play to the rules of the sport

I think he's being honest.

If he goes round a course for personal enjoyment and not negatively impacting those around him, so what?

There's another thread where someone is getting stressed and no enjoyment because of poor scoring!!

When he has a card in his pocket, he plays by the Rules. If that's 2 or 222 times a year that's his business.

There's a group of Seniors I know who play no club comps at all, because they choose not to. That's their business.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

So you don’t play organised comps because you don’t want to play to the rules of the sport

It's a different game to different people, Arthur.

I'm not competitive at my age.
I like to socialize with my friends in the fresh air during the relatively short golf season that we have.
I play the way they want to play, and they're looking for recreation and relaxation,
playing the game the way they most enjoy playing it.

We have breakfast at the club, determine the games to be played, and head off to the first tee.
Sometimes we don't compete with one another at all.
We try to meet the goal of a certain team score playing in a scramble.
I really enjoy that, but with multiple chances, we should score better than we do.
By this time of year, we're getting there.

In any case, we're on the golf course having fun.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

It's a different game to different people, Arthur.

I'm not competitive at my age.
I like to socialize with my friends in the fresh air during the relatively short golf season that we have.
I play the way they want to play, and they're looking for recreation and relaxation,
playing the game the way they most enjoy playing it.

We have breakfast at the club, determine the games to be played, and head off to the first tee.
Sometimes we don't compete with one another at all.
We try to meet the goal of a certain team score playing in a scramble.
I really enjoy that, but with multiple chances, we should score better than we do.
By this time of year, we're getting there.

In any case, we're on the golf course having fun.

So going back to your first post

Why would it be a “strange attitude for a golf open competition to play by the rules of golf”

 

[louise_a]

As the friend I play most opens with has sort of moved down to North London I have been down and played a few opens while staying at her house. I do like the fact that the opens we have played included food, which adds to the idea that opens are more expensive in the south, Newbury and Crookham, a lovely course, was £43 which included, a 2 course buffet meal afterwards.
Venturing up to the north east for the first time next year we have booked into a ladies open at Seaton Carew, it is on a Saturday (very rare) and is only £15 each

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

So going back to your first post

Why would it be a “strange attitude for a golf open competition to play by the rules of golf”

You're taking my remarks too seriously and too literally.
It's not actually strange at all.
We simply play at a more relaxed level suitable to our temperaments.

One stresses quite bit on the way to becoming a senior citizen,
and then we seniors have new challenges that go with being this age.

Our recreation shouldn't be stressful.
We do play by rules.
The USGA / R&A "suggestions" serve as the general outline for them,
but the USGA/R&A don't pay our golf expenses.

Serious competitive golf has its place and is fun for those up to it,
but we enjoy scraping the ball around while we still can.

 

[Crow]

So going back to your first post

Why would it be a “strange attitude for a golf open competition to play by the rules of golf”

Come on Arthur, let it go for once.

 

[IanM]

You're taking my remarks too seriously and too literally.

Serious competitive golf has its place and is fun for those up to it,
but we enjoy scraping the ball around while we still can.

Yes and yes.

And it's nobody else's business either

 

[2blue]

As the friend I play most opens with has sort of moved down to North London I have been down and played a few opens while staying at her house. I do like the fact that the opens we have played included food, which adds to the idea that opens are more expensive in the south, Newbury and Crookham, a lovely course, was £43 which included, a 2 course buffet meal afterwards.
Venturing up to the north east for the first time next year we have booked into a ladies open at Seaton Carew, it is on a Saturday (very rare) and is only £15 each

Wow...... I guess thats some kind of County thing as the Seaton Seniors Salver next May is costing £40.... still great value for such a quality course as would be £80 or £90 around Leeds here.

 

[Pants]

Comps have their place but Boomer is right. Have fun! And if it means slightly adapting the "suggestions" D) in friendly knocks - so what.

Golf now for me is an excuse to get out of bed in the morning at a sensible hour, (provided that I've woken up on the right side of the turf) go and have a 5 to 6 mile walk in the reasonably fresh air, have a chat with mates, a pot of tea after and put the world to rights. The score and how I played is largely irrelevant.

 

[louise_a]

Wow...... I guess thats some kind of County thing as the Seaton Seniors Salver next May is costing £40.... still great value for such a quality course as would be £80 or £90 around Leeds here.

No, not a county thing, I am guessing that the prizes in the men's events are more substantial, certainly in their main salvers, it is £50 for the men but £30 for the ladies, but the prize money is far more for the men too.