has anyone played it lately.. hope to play it tomorrow afternoon..
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has anyone played it lately.. hope to play it tomorrow afternoon..
Not yet but some buddies have and said it was in great condition. Green have no winter kill or brown spots whatsover. Will know first hand tomorow morning. :-)
excellent news! thanks.. I'll update with my thoughts after my round tomorrow..
Played today. Greens are good but slow. The fairways are still wet will zero roll. Over all the course was in good shape for this time of year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Duffer
the course is in great shape for this time of year.. fairways were fine.. not wet at all.. but as usual.. the placed was packed.. at least one group waiting at every tee.. still managed to get 18 in though..
Played Meadows today, (The North Course). It was in pretty good shape, but with the wind..it was wild. I managed 6 bogeys, a par and 2 doubles.. was very difficult. There is nothing like hitting the 150 yard 5 woods. I was very pleased with the course, had never been there before. I am sure it is a nice course in mid summer and I plan on returning then. Which of the four courses is best? Best as in, scenic, difficulty and overall most fun to play?
Paulio :noddin
Not wet????????? Come on now. They only let power carts on the paths, not ever 90 degrees. If you really think they are good you need to get out to some of the other courses. Try Renfrew, Mapleview, Calabogie or Emerald Links. Those courses are dry. I'm not saying the course is in bad shape just not agreeing with you on the fairways.
My personal favourites are North and East, with my favourite hole being North #6 (a par 5 that even I can reach in 2, although I haven't actually done it yet!). I think East is a little tougher, but North is more scenic. My least favourite is West - the dogleg right course (every par 4/5 is a dogleg right except one - boring!).Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulio
I played meadows yesterday and the course is not wet actually...
However, this is the second round now that a 5some was playing front of me.
I'm getting sick of second rate courses like Meadows, nation, etc.. that basically cram as many people onto the course as they can. It's frustrating to wait every shot for the group in front to finish... at some holes, there was a two group wait.
you couldn't be more correct.. I have no idea what the marshals are even doing there.. why bother.. there is nothing they can do when you send a 4some off every 6 minutes
Big Duffer:
If you are going to criticize, please do not make things up.
The Meadows is on 8 minute tee times, just like most of the courses using our booking system.
The shortest intervals used anywhere are alternating 7 and 8 minutes. No course puts groups out at 6 minute intervals. I doubt it can be done.
guyinottawa:
If you see a fivesome ahead of you, grab a cell phone and call it in to the proshop. The management does not want this any more than you do.
guyinottawa:
If you see a fivesome ahead of you, grab a cell phone and call it in to the proshop. The management does not want this any more than you do.[/QUOTE]
Ummm... how about we approach the marshel who was trolling around obviously not doing his job -- and his response? oh, well they will be done in 2 holes!
My opinion is that it is a second rate course and I have come to expect second rate service... the Meadows anyway...
Oh, I don't care what system they use to manage tee-offs, courses do and will continue to cram as many as they can onto the course. especially the ones like meadows and nation
I doubt that you will be able to find many courses in the $35 range that run at 9 minute intervals.
It is very common for courses in this price range to put the next group out as soon as the group ahead clears the landing area. That is 7 and 8 minutes alternating interval scheduling.
At Eagle Creek you cannot tee off # 1 until the pin is pulled by the group on the green. Tee times are 9 and 10 minutes alternating. They charge a lot more.
I hope what you mean by "second rate" is to say "second tier". The luxury of widely spaced tee times comes at a price.
Well if it was 2 holes left before you saw a marshal, then when did the fivesome link up?Quote:
Ummm... how about we approach the marshel who was trolling around obviously not doing his job -- and his response? oh, well they will be done in 2 holes!
Marshals are usually not so blind to let a fivesome play 16 holes unnoticed. I was at the Meadows yesterday and saw lots of marshals all over the course.
Did you mention this to anyone in the proshop?
Actually, it was only the front nine, we decided to see if we could get a raincheck because of the complete delay on each hole we played. Fortunately, they gave us a rain check... however, I would rather play the full 18 then get a rain cheque, but with the delays on each hole it was looking like well over 6 hours.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Kilbank
5somes should never be allowed, for one hole or 18. Its just a no-no in my opinion...
About your other post re: second rate vs. second tier... i guess both those mean the same to me. My point here is that maybe its time for me to consider paying a premium to play at courses like Eagle Creek, Stonebridge, etc that pay stricter attention to the pace of play.
As was mentioned, its hard to get good product without good price. I suggest you go VERY early in the mornings on the weekend, or if you can, golf on the weekday...both avoid the problems....if you can't, then shell out the cash.Quote:
Originally Posted by guyinottawa
By the way, Nation charges $45...for that price, I'd expect service.
"If you are going to criticize, please do not make things up.
The Meadows is on 8 minute tee times, just like most of the courses using our booking system. "
the intervals at meadows do not appear to be on a time interval, they are on a "its safe to hit interval.." I'll likely play there again but I think stonebridge at $38.00 cart included is likely to get the bulk of atfer work golf
Most people seem to want to hit off of the first tee as soon as the players in the fairway are out of range.
I really do not think that overbooking is all that much of an issue. All it takes is a slow group to bog down a course. Assuming a full tee sheet (Sat Sun mornings) if booking is slack, then a slow group has less impact. If all groups keep up, then 7&8 minutes (clear the landing area) is enough.
Marshalling is critical to keeping things moving. That is what they are there for. My personal experience at the Meadows is that they have lots of marshals, and they are usually pretty good. Each one is an individual and there can be good and bad ones. If you find a marshal who is having a "rough day", let them know, the proshop staff can't see everything that goes on out there.
Good point Dan. For those of you who tend to disagree with the above statement, I'd say that you are simply trying to ruin a course's reputation (ie. "The Nation bashing thread"). The proshop staff doesn't see everything that goes on out on the course and it's up to the players who go out there and give feedback to the marshalls and/or proshop staff on what they like or dislike from their visit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Kilbank
Basically, if you have a problem with a marshall and you are too shy to say something to him/her, go let the proshop know. This is the only way that this "problem" can get resolved. Remember, the marshalls are there to help the players, not police them or bully them around. Constructive critisizm(sp?) can only do good things for any business and you'd be surprised on what the little things can accomplish.
As well, if you have a good experience with the staff you can certainly let them know about it. It's always nice to receive a compliment and you can't put a price on a smile. :)
my 0.02 :lol2
Despite my previous post about "bad marshalling" I think it's important to remember all the times there marshalls have been doing a good job of keeping up pace of play, finding balls etc. We tend to forget these good experiences & remember the few bad ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Kilbank
Sorry Shtick, I'd like to agree, but the "last straw" at Nation for me, I did complain at the clubhouse for quite a while...NOTHING. No apology, no offer of a discount, NOTHING. They said "Hmmmmm".Quote:
Originally Posted by The Shtick
I did the next best thing: I don't go to Nation (as much as I like the course layout), and I say why.
I don't care how good or bad golfers are, 7 & 8 minute times make it tough to stay on time.
Think about it...
My foursome has the first spot of the day at 7am. I take warm-up swings and hit at 7am. The next 3 guys go through their routine and hit. This takes about 3 minutes. Then we grab our bags and walk down the fairway to our own ball which takes 2-3 minutes. Then we go through the same routine of 4 players hitting. Then we walk out of hitting distance so the next group can go. We are probably at 7:10 by now and the next group is late. This hasn't even factored in searching for balls.
10 minutes times is the best way to go. It means a good pace of play, nobody gets angry and nobody gets hurt (anxious tee shots)
If more people played ready golf, then this would not be much of an issue. Take your practice swings while the next is preparing for his shot and be ready when he is completed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
I am a strong proponent of ready golf, but I also agree that 7.5 minute tee-off times is not enough on a busy course that is packed with foursomes.Quote:
Originally Posted by em69
Most course set 4.5 hours as the time allowed for 18 holes, which works out to 15 minutes per hole. Since putting takes half the time as tee/approach shots (includes walking to your ball), then you are really allotting 5 minutes for a foursome to hit their tee-to-green shots. If they play ready golf, this can certainly be accomplished under perfect conditions. But golf never has perfect conditions:
1) Par 3s - group has to wait for the green to clear, which takes more time.
2) Par 5s - person that can reach the green in 2 has to wait for the green to clear, which takes more time.
3) Course layout - blind shots and doglegs take a little more time in order to be sure that the way ahead is clear
4) Wayward shots - even if you find your ball immediately and pitch back to the fairway, group has to wait until your next shot for you to be out of range.
5) Course conditions - soggy fairways mean plugged balls which are hard to find and leaves in fall can also make finding a ball difficult
6) Lost balls - even if you hit a provisional, you are still alloted 5 minutes to look for your first ball under the Rules of Golf
7) Very high handicappers - even playing ready golf, it still takes more time to shoot 120 than it does to shoot 80
8) Weather - fog delays, frost delays, lightening can cause slow play for the entire day
With 7 and 8 minute intervals on a busy course, there is no margin for error when any of the factors above come into play. No amount of marshalling or insistance on ready golf can make up for lost time when things do not go according to plan. With 10 minute intervals, the course has a chance to catch up.
Personally I think EAGLE CREEK has it down pat.
You can tee-off at #1 when the group ahead of you replaces the pin on the first green. A perfect amount of time is placed between each group. :P
Of course at the NATION you can't see the 1st green so not good for that one!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by faldo
This is one reason why Eagle Creek is almost twice as expensive as most other courses. They get less players in a day.
Sorry, just noticed my typo.
You CAN'T tee-off until the group ahead leaves the green.
I'm amazed at the criticism of these two courses compared to my experiences. I played at Nation last year and was treated royally by staff. My entire foursome were given rainchecks because of a little sprinkle at the beginning of our rounds. We played the entire 18 and got to go back next week for free.
I know two of the Meadows marshalls from church and they are terrific guys who volunteer their time at the course in exchange for free golf. I was offered a raincheck without asking at that course when my game was slowed because of a tournament. I was lucky enough to win last week's fantasy and will be using my two free rounds at these courses( thanks Dan). I also would echo the suggestion that if you want to avoid the crowds go during the week early morning or evening. I also don't go onto the Queensway at 5 p.m expecting light traffic.
This is one of the best postings I have ever read on the subject of slow play! Well done El Tigre.
Point 2 is very rarely taken into consideration. It is a real factor, I have seen it in action - good players can slow pace of play as much as begginers.
The starter at Metcalf implied that they were going to put less golfers on the course at once this year. I hope that they follow through on it.
Rusty
Quote:
Originally Posted by el tigre
These players usually think they are better than they are. If they had a more realistic appraisal of their own abilities, they'd play up and play their 3rd onto the green (and that's even being optomistic).Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty
The main reasons play is slow are because
1) Most people do not play ready golf (and this is the number 1 reason).
2) Some people are not realistic about their own limitations and do not lay to their own abilities.
3) Some people seem to be looking for balls on every hole and some even on every shot. Quit being so damn cheap.
4) People are self-taught, botched the job and skipped the lesson on etiquette.
I've been playing the Meadows for years. I think the staff are great. The course is well maintained and they are constantly making improvements, which is more than I can say for alot of courses. The only problem with the Meadows is that they'll let anyone play. ;) As Sartre said, "Hell is other people".