Golf in Florida

[DGS49]

This is the time of year when mainly old people from all over the northern U.S., Canada, and Europe flock to Florida, in large part to play golf.

It may well be that my Florida golfing experience is hampered by the fact that I refuse to golf anywhere unless I can golf 18 holes, with a cart, for less than $50 (with my wife, $100). Often I can find places where the normal green fees are more, by golfing mid-day or filling in incomplete foursomes. Still, these are not high end golf courses.

Excellent weather notwithstanding, golfing in Florida is awful.

Florida used to be a gigantic horrible swamp, but due to lots of people spending a lot of money on improvements it has become habitable. [More than habitable, to be honest]. But there are some things you just can't get away from. Every low-lying plot of land is either a swamp or a pond. There are lots of horribly large trees. There are, in addition to a wonderful variety of water-fowl, lots of creepy, crawly things and seasonally, insects. And grass don't grow there.

Oh, they have green stuff that coats the ground and it looks like grass, but it lacks the one attribute that makes grass valuable as a surface for golf courses: It will not hold a golf ball a fraction of an inch over the dirt, as real grass will. Amateur golfers need that attribute.

When hitting an "iron" off the turf, the forward edge of the blade of the club must slice the gap between the ground and the ball. If the blade is a little low, you hit the ground before the ball ("hitting it fat"), and if the blade strikes the ball directly, the ball takes off like a shot, landing far past the target location. Good golfers strike the ball immediately before the club hits the ground, producing a marvelous shot. Very few people are good golfers.

For everyone else, every shot but the drives and putts is either a fat shot or a bladed shot, which sucks.

And because of the terrain, every shot that is not right down the center of the fairway will inevitably roll over to the side and under a tree, into the woods, or into a pool of water that is inhabited by creatures that golfers do not want to mess with.

In short, golfing in Florida is not fun. We do it because any golfing is good golfing, but it's like drinking warm beer. Good, but not good.

At least in my opinion.

 

[flacaltenn]

This is the time of year when mainly old people from all over the northern U.S., Canada, and Europe flock to Florida, in large part to play golf.

It may well be that my Florida golfing experience is hampered by the fact that I refuse to golf anywhere unless I can golf 18 holes, with a cart, for less than $50 (with my wife, $100). Often I can find places where the normal green fees are more, by golfing mid-day or filling in incomplete foursomes. Still, these are not high end golf courses.

Excellent weather notwithstanding, golfing in Florida is awful.

Florida used to be a gigantic horrible swamp, but due to lots of people spending a lot of money on improvements it has become habitable. [More than habitable, to be honest]. But there are some things you just can't get away from. Every low-lying plot of land is either a swamp or a pond. There are lots of horribly large trees. There are, in addition to a wonderful variety of water-fowl, lots of creepy, crawly things and seasonally, insects. And grass don't grow there.

Oh, they have green stuff that coats the ground and it looks like grass, but it lacks the one attribute that makes grass valuable as a surface for golf courses: It will not hold a golf ball a fraction of an inch over the dirt, as real grass will. Amateur golfers need that attribute.

When hitting an "iron" off the turf, the forward edge of the blade of the club must slice the gap between the ground and the ball. If the blade is a little low, you hit the ground before the ball ("hitting it fat"), and if the blade strikes the ball directly, the ball takes off like a shot, landing far past the target location. Good golfers strike the ball immediately before the club hits the ground, producing a marvelous shot. Very few people are good golfers.

For everyone else, every shot but the drives and putts is either a fat shot or a bladed shot, which sucks.

And because of the terrain, every shot that is not right down the center of the fairway will inevitably roll over to the side and under a tree, into the woods, or into a pool of water that is inhabited by creatures that golfers do not want to mess with.

In short, golfing in Florida is not fun. We do it because any golfing is good golfing, but it's like drinking warm beer. Good, but not good.

At least in my opinion.

Dont be too proud to stick a tee in for every iron shot and take a divot,. It'll reduce the frustration and the grass grows like a weed. And maybe pack a bunch of raw chicken wings for the gators. If you can hit it with a 9 iron and land it close enough -- it'll distract them, they wont charge at you.. LOL.,.,

 

[DGS49]

The worst of it is chipping, where good ball contact is essential, and "good" holes are made or destroyed. A good chip can rectify a poor approach shot and a bad chip can turn a probable par into a double bogey. The "grass" around the greens (on the courses I've played) is a landscaper's practical joke. It might as well be indoor/outdoor carpet.

I would be hard-pressed to tee up my chips. Or shots from the fairway.