Weiss Report Blog

Chances are, if you’re just starting out, you haven’t decided to
apply to a fancy country club yet so you can play their
outstanding course, right? That’s a very good idea, because
there are probably several public golf courses close to you that
are just as terrific and much cheaper too! Do you think Tiger
Woods and Phil Mickelson started out on private courses? I doubt
it! Even though we can’t all have the status of a Woods or
Mickelson, we can make sure that we don’t have an argument with
our wallet every time we want to hit the course for some
practice time on the driving range or to get in a leisurely
round.

Of course, the first thing you want to check at a public golf
course is the course itself. Find out how many holes it has -
some courses only have 9 and, to play a full 18 holes of golf,
you just go around twice. Walk a few holes and take a look at
the course. Check to see whether it appears well maintained. Are
the greens plush and even? Is the rough bearable? Does it look
like they regularly mend divot holes? There’s nothing more
discouraging for a novice golfer than playing a course that ends
up being too tough just because of poor maintenance. While
poorly maintained courses can provide lots of entertainment
value - you know you look funny when you’re swinging away in a
bunker - they don’t provide as much “good” experience for a
novice golfer as a well cared for course will.

That brings up another thing to check, the cost of a round.
You’ll find some big differences in cost from course to course,
and many public golf courses offer reduced rates at certain
times of the day and during the off-season. For example, public
golf courses in Phoenix, Arizona, known as the City of Golf,
sometimes discount their rates by as much as 50 percent during
the hot summer months.

Next, some extras can be really helpful to your game! Most
beginners spend far too much time on the practice putting green
and not nearly enough time on the driving range. Make sure the
course you pick has an adequate driving range. It doesn’t matter
if you can putt like a pro if it takes you six strokes to get
onto the green at a par 3 hole. Along with the driving range and
practice green, you might find a public golf course that has a
chipping green or a practice bunker. These can all be great
features to help you improve particular problem areas in your
game. And that’s what it’s all about.

Finally, check out the clubhouse. No, I don’t mean discover
whether the bartender is handsome or the waitress is cute. Learn
whether the course has a pro shop, and whether a golf pro runs
it. Ask about his or her qualifications - most of us think of
the words “golf pro” and immediately think PGA, but not all golf
pros are registered with the PGA. For that matter, not all golf
pros are particularly well qualified for teaching. Ask if
lessons are offered or if a golf school is associated with the
course. This can be a big selling point if you’re trying to
improve your golf swing and just can’t figure out what’s wrong.
And of course, find out the cost of the lessons.

The secret to finding a good public golf course is to shop
around. Check out several courses in your area and don’t worry
about whether they are listed in some Who’s Who of public
courses. Just do your homework and pick the one that best suits
your own needs. It will make for a much more enjoyable
experience and might even lower your score!

And remember - a bad choice can get you the same results as Hank
Aaron, the world-renowned baseball player who once said, “It
took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits, but I did it in one
afternoon on the golf course!”

Copyright 2005 - Donald Saunders