When do you think you will next play golf?

[huds1475]

I was kidding...... coming from the US, nobody I knew played for money, they just played golf for the heck of it. Over here it seems crazy important to some people.

Agreed. Has always baffled me

 

[Mandofred]

pay each other via paypal

Again.....I was really just kidding. Although.....I can't see a bunch of mostly old guys signing up to something like Paypal. It will likely be a few months before our usual groups get back to normal-ish if things improve.

 

[Shooter McPowick]

https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-new...Z-uLBaq4NwtfK8rw8Ht1uHuBJemCsyAMQtwhwnjjtL4ag

 

[IanM]

Is that really the biggest issue? Just don't play for money maybe? Or one person keeps a running total of who owes what at the end and you can bank transfer it if you must.

Agreed, surely just meeting up with your mates and hitting a ball around will be a good start!

 

[Yorkshire Hacker]

How many of you listened to Lord Sumption on Radio 2's Emma Barnet Show just now? My goodness he speaks some sound sense. Now not everybody will agree with him, but he makes the point that the Government have scared us witless to the point that everyone will be too scared to go back to work, never mind play golf. I shall now sit back and wait for the abuse!!

 

[pendodave]

Agreed. Has always baffled me

Me too. I'm not sure it's quite as prevalent in the UK as our US friend might think.
Funnily enough, whenever I read or listen to stuff about US golf I get the (probably false) impression that everyone is playing nassaus or wolf. Who'd have thought that the www would offer such a distorted view of reality...

 

[BubbaP]

How many of you listened to Lord Sumption on Radio 2's Emma Barnet Show just now? My goodness he speaks some sound sense. Now not everybody will agree with him, but he makes the point that the Government have scared us witless to the point that everyone will be too scared to go back to work, never mind play golf. I shall now sit back and wait for the abuse!!

I'll bite. For me, what went on in places like Lombardy and New York did the "scaring", nothing to do with the UK government. I thought they'd often been criticised for not being as "tough" as those in other countries.

 

[Imurg]

How many of you listened to Lord Sumption on Radio 2's Emma Barnet Show just now? My goodness he speaks some sound sense. Now not everybody will agree with him, but he makes the point that the Government have scared us witless to the point that everyone will be too scared to go back to work, never mind play golf. I shall now sit back and wait for the abuse!!

Not just in this case but regularly people use the word everybody or all......and it's just nonsense.
There will be people who are now afraid to leave their homes and go back to work.
But "everybody"..?
I think not.

 

[IanM]

How many of you listened to Lord Sumption on Radio 2's Emma Barnet Show just now? My goodness he speaks some sound sense. Now not everybody will agree with him, but he makes the point that the Government have scared us witless to the point that everyone will be too scared to go back to work, never mind play golf. I shall now sit back and wait for the abuse!!

Well, this old Communications Manager well tell you a message needs to ask for 120% compliance in order to get 80%.

News Agenda is a mystery to me currently, slagging the Govt for being both too lax and too draconian.

Actually, it isn't a mystery at all

 

[rosecott]

https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-new...Z-uLBaq4NwtfK8rw8Ht1uHuBJemCsyAMQtwhwnjjtL4ag

More of the usual unfounded speculation exaggerated for a headline.

 

[howbow88]

Yeah a foot is definitely a gimme in a non-comp! I wouldn't have thought you even need to mandate that, but you never know with some people. In the last round before courses closes (where people were already social distancing, hole cup were in upside down etc) we had already agreed to be more generous with the gimmes, it was pretty much anything within 4 feet for us.

Agree, but the idea of an enforced gimme circle is a good one I think.

Not the same as it was in a matchplay knock-out competition, but I had a guy make me mark and putt out my ball from an inch once. I just laughed.

 

[pendodave]

Not just in this case but regularly people use the word everybody or all......and it's just nonsense.
There will be people who are now afraid to leave their homes and go back to work.
But "everybody"..?
I think not.

It's an odd feeling though. I would count myself in the same camp as YH in thinking that the cure is worse than the disease as currently administered. I'm also young (just) and fit (defo) enough to be pretty confident that I would survive....
But on the train this morning, with more people about, I felt slightly uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it was fear for my health, or more likely the fact that the social mores that allow us all to co-exist in close proximity have been thrown up in the air and not come down yet. As social animals, I think that's quite an issue to get out heads around.

 

[Mandofred]

Me too. I'm not sure it's quite as prevalent in the UK as our US friend might think.
Funnily enough, whenever I read or listen to stuff about US golf I get the (probably false) impression that everyone is playing nassaus or wolf. Who'd have thought that the www would offer such a distorted view of reality...

I'm sure it happens....I've just never been part of it. When you watch some of the interviews online with some pro's.....they often seem to have a game with other pro's and play for mega-money....just for the fun?? of it. I don't get it myself, but I don't like to gamble in the first place. Problem is, if I want to play in any of the groups at our club I will HAVE to play for money. Another group I played with for a while plays for less (which I like). There are plenty of people who just go out with a couple of buddies...some bet, others don't. I've wondered at why.....if I were in the US (my area Washington state) if I wanted to gamble I'd just go to a local casino and proceed to give them my money. East coast of the US....totally different world....no idea what the golf course culture is there. Different way of gambling here in the UK though. More of a "bookie" way of gambling. But...golf course culture is much different here than where I'm from. As I stated somewhere earlier, where I was living public golf courses are many times more common than private/membership courses. There are advantages to each https://www.stgeorgesgolf.com/Blog/...Private_Golf_Courses_What_Are_The_Advant.aspx You can "join/yearly membership" at a public course where I lived....but it's not anything like a membership here in the UK...all it usually gets you is you can play as much as you want for that yearly price. The "club" mentality here (to me that's a good thing) tends to give people more of a "it's YOUR club and family" feeling which I like better.

 

[fundy]

Firstly, if the guidelines published are going to happen, clubs won't be allowed visitors for a while.
One reason for this could be that, as a member, the club has some leverage should you flaunt the rules in place...first breach of SD = a warning, 2nd breach = a week's suspension etc..
A visitor would not face any sanction should they be seen to not be SDing apart from, maybe, being escorted off the course.

Secondly, I'm not convinced that clubs need the money..Now...
Its early May
Most clubs year's run either Jan-Dec, Apr-Mar, etc..
Most will have had a lot of subs paid - obviously some, if not most, will have had less than normal
But they'll still be sitting on a decent amount in the bank as of now. Just as an example, my club has taken in somewhere in the region of 750k in the last 2 months. Obviously some will be less but were still taken a few hundred thousand quid
Although there is no profit from bar/catering coming in, there's little being spent on it either.
Members will have a month or so to themselves, then the visitors will be allowed and, in time, the bar reopens and the revenue flows.
Not saying that clubs won't struggle but, for now, they should have money in the bank.

They may not need the money now, but they may find they are not the destination of choice when they finally decide to allow the rif raff non members in as and when they choose and realise they do need the money. Think clubs need to be very very careful how they treat BOTH members and non-members if they intend to rely on both for revenue further down the line

Plenty of threads on this forum and elsewhere about what golf needs to do to "grow" or "stop the decline" yet at the same time plenty of stuff going about that will only be perceived as elitism and making golf members only when it returns "because you cant sanction a non member for breaking SD as well as a member" going to be close to the top of the tree for me

As someone who has been a member most of my life and will be one again soon at some point how clubs behave (like many other businesses in other areas) will determine where and when Im prepared to spend my money and I wont be alone in that

 

[Crow]

Agree, but the idea of an enforced gimme circle is a good one I think.

Not the same as it was in a matchplay knock-out competition, but I had a guy make me mark and putt out my ball from an inch once. I just laughed.

You should have gone through the full tour-pro routine, checking from all sides, doing a bit of aimpoint, remarking, pacing the length off, etc.

 

[rulefan]

I was kidding...... coming from the US, nobody I knew played for money, they just played golf for the heck of it.

Very surprising if you look at other web forums. My impression is skins is played most of the time over there.

 

[Mandofred]

Very surprising if you look at other web forums. My impression is skins is played most of the time over there.

I wouldn't be surprised at all....if you are playing with other people who want to gamble. By the average golfer? nope.

 

[GB72]

Guessing no golf in Scotland for a little while if their lockdown is continuing for another 3 weeks.

 

[Siolag]

Guessing no golf in Scotland for a little while if their lockdown is continuing for another 3 weeks.

Looks like it.

 

[GB72]

Yes, I was just about to say that reading between the lines it wouldn't surprise me if golf starts up again in Englandshire while we're still banned. Oh well.

Not so sure, couple of rumours now that England will not get the golf courses open until June. All rumour of course