It is a shame to have to leave such a beautiful course a bad review, and I might mention it is the first review I have ever left in my life. I usually don't let much in life get to me but this experience is inexusible and needed to be shared. Let me first say the situation I'm about to describe is so bizarre this review runs the risk of sounding fictitious, and if I'm completely honest, I am still wrapping my head around it all.
My father is in his late 70s so I try to take him golfing as often as I can while I still have him. We decided to check out this highly rated course that is not far from home. We arrived and one moment we were checking in and about to tee off, laughing and having a good time. We had a rough start. Almost immediately, a group of apparently important (and tactless) members were behind us shouting and yelling at us distastefully to hurry up and hit. My dad is quite old and we weren't trying to be slow so we hustled at the next hole (hole 2).
At this point, the ranger/starter who had been nothing but kind prior pulled up and told us, "you gotta pick it up, the people behind you are pretty upset." We told him, "no problem" and worked to play faster. Apparently, the party behind us were big spenders and were putting the pressure on him to hurry us along; we began to feel we were in the way and wondered how we could slowing them down while we were only on hole 2. Who rushes through golf on a Friday afternoon...? On hole 3 we teed off from the same box, as to try to play quicker (we couldn't play too much quicker because there were people at the next hole). I got a par and dad ended up getting a bogie. At this point the ranger has basically joined our game, closely following us around and making commentary on our every move. Then, he tells us we may have to skip a hole. At this point, I'm angry, but I remained calm and tried to blow it off. We are extremely uncomfortable now and his hovering over my shoulder didn't leave me any room to improve my game, which was uncharacteristically lacking that day.
He continues to follow closely, telling us when and where to hit from. I am insulted. I bite my tongue but I'm sweating bullets. He insists I hit toward other players, whom I can easily hit the ball past. Clearly he's feeling pressure from the "elite" members behind me. Then we get to the 4th hole and he is following still, closely. He tells my dad his shot sucks and continues to urge me to hit at an unsafe range from the players ahead. I decided this is enough and we were about to tell him we were leaving and going to request a refund. At this time, he turns to us and says, "are you sure this is the right course for you guys?" I reply, "I am quite sure that it is not" and we leave.
I am 40 and have been playing on courses since age 13. I have never experienced any treatment like this on a golf course or anywhere else, My memory continues to flash back to these events to try to make sense of them. I would never return and tell all my friends and family to avoid this place because of the way they are willing to treat paying customers. read more