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A Public Game Many thanks to Peter Georgiady for focusing on U.S. public facilities (“Inside the Park,” Jan./Feb.). I’d be curious to know more about the vision of local leaders who made public golf a success. It seems to me that some municipal courses and programs today suffer due to low green fees, small maintenance budgets and a high volume of play, while others overcome such obstacles. Paul Teske
I was stunned to see a mention that Detroit is not known for public golf. James D. Standish Jr., a Detroit native on the Executive Committee, started the Amateur Public Links and its trophy is named in his honor. There are more than 125 public courses in metro Detroit. Jack Berry
You have made much of the upcoming U.S. Open being the first at a course owned by the public. Please remember that the oldest major championship, the British Open, has been played 26 times on the world’s most famous municipal course, St. Andrews. Richard A. Pierce
Perhaps Too Public? As a regular player on the Los Angeles municipal courses, I read with interest your piece (Through the Green, Jan./Feb.) on the city’s plans to spend $25 million to “improve” its layouts. The major projects, according to the article, will be renovation of the clubhouse at Rancho Park and reconstruction of cart paths at all seven 18-hole courses. I would suggest that neither will make any course one whit more playable. To the contrary, renovation of Rancho’s already adequate clubhouse will undoubtedly lure in more non-golfers and outside events, thereby adding to congestion and parking problems and making the course less available for normal play. Bart Robertson
Finding A Solution I read “What Lies Ahead” (Nov./Dec.) with great interest. After playing several rounds in the past few years in which nine holes took more than three hours, I believe there are several issues that cause slow play. First, courses want more revenue, so they’re apt to put an extra foursome out every hour to reap the financial benefits. Secondly, there are too many sets of tees at high-end courses. Too often golfers play from one or more tees higher than their abilities. Just limit the choices. Teaching pros need to set an example by taking a novice player out to a hole and explaining the do’s and don’ts. As consumers, we need to tell course management of our dissatisfaction and then vote with our pocketbooks. Mark Mulville
Finders Keepers Henry Lawrence’s article (“The Thrill of the Hunt,” Jan./Feb.) was a flashback from my working days at a club. Once each summer I would rise early and go ball hunting at a long par 4 with woods on the left. It had the best balls because low handicappers who drew the ball too much wound up in the woods. I searched every inch of the hole, often getting on my hands and knees to get balls covered by dirt and leaves. After three hours, I’d come out with about 100 balls. I usually kept 20-25 of the best balls and handed the others over to the caddies. I have not done this for the last two years, but I plan to return this season. It’s a blast for me, even though my non-golf wife thinks it’s silly. Stephen Headley
Price Not Right I give [outgoing] USGA President Trey Holland a huge vote of support in his quest for “reasonable” green fees at public courses (Reading the Line, Jan./Feb.). It is unfortunate that the USGA cannot apply its positive influence for inexpensive fees charged at Bethpage State Park to other courses available to the public. A native Scot living in Dornoch will pay yearly dues as a full member at Royal Dornoch (slightly over £200) that are less than a single daily green fee at either Pebble Beach or Pinehurst No. 2. Does that make golfing sense? It’s okay to charge $4 or $5 a shot for good single malt, but not for a single golf shot. John Waugh
Poor Flag Etiquette Placing the U.S. flag on a golf ball is simply out of bounds (Shag Bag, Jan./Feb.). Only the most presumptuous would maintain that a golf ball is intended for other than temporary use, which goes against regulations when it comes to flag use. James A. Hogshire |
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