Now I mentioned previously how my wife had referred to me as ‘The Golf Snob‘, for mainly playing at Top 100 golf courses, which is what this quest is all about. Well this was a repercussion of this. Like I said, I would try and get out and play at all clubs, not just Top 100 courses.
Having recently moved, I decided to try my new local, Yarra Bend Golf Course. This is a public course (during winter very wet underfoot I learnt) down by the Yarra River. When we showed up for our morning tee time, looking around it didn’t really seem to be very different to most other clubs I have played at. People carrying or pushing their own golf equipment, dressed in what you would call typical golf attire, acceptable at even the most private of clubs.
This got me thinking about the debate of what golfers should be allowed to wear on the course. How dress regulations were part of the reason, people where being driven away from golf. Looking around there was no evidence of that, especially with a pretty full time sheet. It was after the round when the real difference became apparent. I was sitting there having a soft drink (currently remaining dry for August) when I spotted a man walk into the pro shop for a drink. Dressed in running gear, I didn’t thing anything of it, the course is on public land with lots of walking tracks around. Even spotted someone running with their dog along one of the holes. It was only when he went back to his large group did I realise that he was actually playing. He was the most colourful of the group, but that was when it really sank in.
Donald Trump – One of the true ‘Golf Snobs’
If I had been playing at one of the typical Top 100 courses, this is something I would not have seen. This is what all the debate is about and I guess why there is such a strong push for Social Golf clubs. Imagine this guy even contemplating playing at clubs such as Royal Melbourne or one of Donald Trumps courses, the man who thinks golf should only be for the elite. Forget it, won’t happen. So here are these guys, just out for a bit of a laugh and good time catching up. If they were excluded from the club, there would have been a bit of revenue lost, as there was eight of them.
Now I don’t want to insist that this is how things have to go. Any club which has enough revenue coming in and can sustain itself, has the right to do almost anything it or the members wish. But what about the hundreds of clubs not in that position? And more importantly the issue of growing the game. This would definitely contribute to an increase in more players taking up golf, or would it? Does the slow play debate start now?
