Golf!!!2!

[dirk diggler]

Clubs have now been banished to the basement. Next time they come out will be for Golf Town regripping in the new year. A good year, lots of rounds but because of Covid, some very slow rounds too.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Clubs have now been banished to the basement. Next time they come out will be for Golf Town regripping in the new year. A good year, lots of rounds but because of Covid, some very slow rounds too.

When does golf town usually do their regripping event, again? January?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Would be interested to see how (overall) golf courses faired this season compared to a typical season. Tee sheets seemed to be packed solid so revenue was up (minus tournaments). But how much extra did the Covid protocols cost (sanitization etc.) and I saw a lot of courses not running a beverage cart too. I wonder how it all worked out in the end.

Two other thoughts I have had:

1. how did you feel about many of the Covid adjustments? no raking bunkers, flag sticks stay in hole etc. The flag stick thing was pretty much a non event for me, I didn't really miss not being able to remove it when putting. Does that speed up pace of play?

2. given all the trepidation when courses opened, were there any documented Covid cases traced back to golf courses? I don't recall hearing of any. Good news if that is truly the case. The year end email summary from one of the courses I have played in BC mentioned they had exactly zero reported/observed issues of people not following protocols. Overall I think people were pretty good about playing by the rules this year (not golf rules!)

I love the Covid rules. I think for the average guy, playing a normal round they were great. Not having to rake traps is a bonus, and really doesn’t affect people (with the free lift). I like the flag staying in. I think the best rounds this year were when we were spaced 10 minutes apart, and things were a lot faster.

And I can’t say for sure, but I would be stunned if there were any cases as a result of golf. Truthfully, the odds that someone rakes a bunker with Covid and half an hour later I touch the rake and get infected has to be incredibly small. But who cares; I prefer not to rake, and I’m just glad “they” came to their senses and allowed courses to open.

[jayswin]

^^^^^
Keeping in mind the 10 minutes tee times were not standard after the first few weeks at most courses. I think most just over did it to make sure everyone was okay with everything, so they didn't get shut down.

Once they were comfortable they'd stay open, they packed them tight again. And as much as I despise how close the tee times are around here, I agree from a business standpoint. Having an extra two minutes wasn't going to change anything. Groups were not coming within 20 feet of each other anyways, even when stacked up on holes.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by jayswin

^^^^^
Keeping in mind the 10 minutes tee times were not standard after the first few weeks at most courses. I think most just over did it to make sure everyone was okay with everything, so they didn't get shut down.

Once they were comfortable they'd stay open, they packed them tight again. And as much as I despise how close the tee times are around here, I agree from a business standpoint. Having an extra two minutes wasn't going to change anything. Groups were not coming within 20 feet of each other anyways, even when stacked up on holes.

No, I get it. It’s better for the course to book more rounds, for sure. But the actual golf experience was better with the ten minute spread because it didn’t get backed up.

[dirk diggler]

Originally Posted by jayswin

When does golf town usually do their regripping event, again? January?

i believe so, will be keeping an eye out for the exact date

[Dion]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

i believe so, will be keeping an eye out for the exact date

I think it's in February.

[bomber317]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

1. how did you feel about many of the Covid adjustments? no raking bunkers, flag sticks stay in hole etc. The flag stick thing was pretty much a non event for me, I didn't really miss not being able to remove it when putting. Does that speed up pace of play?

The only thing I would change would be to have a different type of flag with the base being a little deeper in the hole and a lever for you to pull up with your club.

Kananaskis had these type of flags, and there was never a question of whether the ball went in or not.

City of Calgary courses were using the ones where they were only slightly deeper than the green. Sometimes there were questions on whether or not the ball would have went in or not. We usually played it in if you heard it hit the base, but I had some shots where I thought the ball was going too fast and it wouldn't have dropped normally.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by bomber317

The only thing I would change would be to have a different type of flag with the base being a little deeper in the hole and a lever for you to pull up with your club.

Kananaskis had these type of flags, and there was never a question of whether the ball went in or not.

City of Calgary courses were using the ones where they were only slightly deeper than the green. Sometimes there were questions on whether or not the ball would have went in or not. We usually played it in if you heard it hit the base, but I had some shots where I thought the ball was going too fast and it wouldn't have dropped normally.

Lots of courses had designs where the ball went in like normal, and you didn't have to pick the ball up. The pool noodle or whatever that some places used was the worst IMO.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Would be interested to see how (overall) golf courses faired this season compared to a typical season. Tee sheets seemed to be packed solid so revenue was up (minus tournaments). But how much extra did the Covid protocols cost (sanitization etc.) and I saw a lot of courses not running a beverage cart too. I wonder how it all worked out in the end.

Two other thoughts I have had:

1. how did you feel about many of the Covid adjustments? no raking bunkers, flag sticks stay in hole etc. The flag stick thing was pretty much a non event for me, I didn't really miss not being able to remove it when putting. Does that speed up pace of play?

The bunker rule was a pain in the ass. After you hit your shot from the sand golfers were encouraged to use their feet or wedge to smooth over the area they hit from. Problem is most didn't and you had to move your ball to a smooth place to hit from.

[Weitz]

I played Tower Ranch again this year and they actually had a bunker rake on each cart which I thought was pretty cool.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Dion

The bunker rule was a pain in the ass. After you hit your shot from the sand golfers were encouraged to use their feet or wedge to smooth over the area they hit from. Problem is most didn't and you had to move your ball to a smooth place to hit from.

How much of a problem was this really? Even if they did smooth it with their foot, you're still not hitting from there. It takes literally less than two second to move the ball.

I really like the Covid rules. They've sped up the game dramatically at my course. Before this year if I played by myself I never took the flag out. There is so much wasted time to take it out, then line up your putt, miss it, then go get the flag, put it back in, and then walk off the green. With foursomes keeping the pin in, no one is having to wait around to put it back. My guess is it saves at least 10 minutes per round for the average foursome, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was more. I played a round last week at 2:00 pm and we were done in 3:45, with a full tee sheet in front of us.

Our holes are full sized and they have the gadget on them where you use your putter head to lift the contraption. It's very similar to these: https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles...se-coronavirus

The not raking bunkers saves time too. It takes 5 seconds to smooth out your spot instead of 30-60 seconds to rake. Depending on how much your group is in the bunkers, this could save 5 or so minutes each round.

I played both days this weekend. It's cool enough for pants, but I'm still in a short sleeve shirt, occasionally having a short sleeve windbreaker on. Last Sunday was pouring after nine, so every on the course left except me. I played the back nine in 70 minutes, with 10 of those looking for balls that plugged a couple feet off the fairway.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

How much of a problem was this really? Even if they did smooth it with their foot, you're still not hitting from there. It takes literally less than two second to move the ball.

That's fair response. If it's smooth i've been hitting from the ball from there. Only moved when there were divots from where a swing had taken place.

For some on my course, including me it was the principle of thing as golfers were asked to smooth out their divots.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Dion

That's fair response. If it's smooth i've been hitting from the ball from there. Only moved when there were divots from where a swing had taken place.

For some on my course, including me it was the principle of thing as golfers were asked to smooth out their divots.

Golfers are pretty bad about following etiquette. Whether it's a private or public course, there will be ball marks on the green that are not repaired, divots that are not filled, and traps not raked properly (during non-COVID times). I was in the second group of the tee today and there were some greens we found 4-5 ball marks. You'd think members want to take better care of their own course, but every course I've played at could be better.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Golfers are pretty bad about following etiquette. Whether it's a private or public course, there will be ball marks on the green that are not repaired, divots that are not filled, and traps not raked properly (during non-COVID times). I was in the second group of the tee today and there were some greens we found 4-5 ball marks. You'd think members want to take better care of their own course, but every course I've played at could be better.

My course suffers from the same problem. Ball marks are probably the worst offence. I have a rule where I fix mine and 2 others and more If there is time. It amazing how many golfers will go to where their ball ends up as opposed to where it first hits the green.

[Winsor_Pilates]

What course do you play at Squiggs?

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

What course do you play at Squiggs?

Marine Drive

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Marine Drive

I heard they're likely losing the land soon, is that true?

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I heard they're likely losing the land soon, is that true?

No. That's Shaughnessy. I believe their land lease is up in 2032 or 2033, when it reverts to the Musqueam tribe. The Musqueam has land adjacent to the course and if you walk up the ninth fairway you will see a giant recreational complex. Now and then some of them will go onto the club grounds and play golf. Shaughnessy bought Greenacres a few years ago as a possible site to move to. However, very few of the members want to travel from Vancouver to the east side of Richmond to play, when many of them live on the west side of Vancouver and/or work in downtown Vancouver. Point Grey and Marine both own their land.

There was a vote to merge Shaughnessy and Point Grey, but it was voted down by both clubs. Shaughnessy looked at acquiring Quilchena, but it didn't get past the exploration phase, as the location was a big issue, as it's also a Richmond course.

UBC's golf course will go fully to the Musqueam in 2083. UBC bought the land from the province in 2003, but it was challenged in court by the band, and the band won. In 2007/08 it was decided UBC gets to operate the course until 2083. I'm not positive on who holds the title to the UBC golf land right now. it might be the Musqueam and UBC pays a lease, or UBC might hold it now and then it reverts. There were many things in the settlement, including land for development, casino sites, and cash, but I haven't reviewed the entire settlement.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Thanks!
I've been thinking of looking into memberships, so that helps clarify things a lot.

Gonna try to get my game up first, and then maybe check out Point Grey and Marine a year or so from now. Although if there's wait times, maybe I should get on it now.