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[Other Sport] Golf - do you play?



Sarisbury Seagull

Sarisbury Seagull

Solly March Fan Club
NSC Patron
Nov 22, 2007
15,030
Sarisbury Green, Southampton
The Harry Kane golf video reminded me of an article I read in The Athletic a little while ago talking about how modern day players don't really play it anymore. Back in the day it was a staple of all footballers lives but computer games seem to have taken over now.

I love golf and when I was young/free/single etc, I used to play a lot. Went through a stage when in spring/summer I would play on a 9 hole course close to where I worked most nights after work if I wasn't playing football and then a round at the weekend. These days with work and family, I hardly ever get out on a course anymore, I miss it.

Is it going to fade out more and more in this country if young, rich athletes with lots of spare time aren't even playing it?
 




Garry Nelson's Left Foot

Garry Nelson's Left Foot

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,536
tokyo
When I was young and wasn't playing football or tennis I could be found on the pitch and putt courses in Saltdean and Rottingdean. I was rubbish.

As an adult I hack my way around a course a few times a year. Saying I hack is over selling what i do...
 




dazzer6666

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
55,622
Burgess Hill
Farehamseagull said:
The Harry Kane golf video reminded me of an article I read in The Athletic a little while ago talking about how modern day players don't really play it anymore. Back in the day it was a staple of all footballers lives but computer games seem to have taken over now.

I love golf and when I was young/free/single etc, I used to play a lot. Went through a stage when in spring/summer I would play on a 9 hole course close to where I worked most nights after work if I wasn't playing football. These days with work and family, I hardly ever get out on a course anymore, I miss it.

Is it going to fade out more and more in this country if young, rich athletes with lots of spare time aren't even playing it?
Click to expand...

Went through a spell of several years of playing every week...but it became a bit of a chore TBH (playing routinely every Saturday morning ended up feeling like another day at work) so I dropped my club membership a few years ago. Now play socially once every few weeks and the occasional awayday, plus an annual pissup abroad which is currently enough for me. Some of the local clubs have thriving junior sections (Cottesmore for example), but others seem to be a haven for the middle-aged and older. My nearest club is absolutely dominated by the 'senior' membership (another reason I let my membership lapse) - suspect once I'm not fit enough to do other stuff I'll start playing more often with the old codgers, but not yet.

So many other distractions for kids these days - even when junior was in his early teens the cricket club were running teams for every age group, and two in some year groups - they have virtually no juniors at all now. Furlough and WFH seems to have led to a lot more workers playing golf though - seems to be loads more pressure on tee times.
 


Lower West Stander

Lower West Stander

Well-known member
Mar 25, 2012
4,753
Back in Sussex
I just tried to book a round on my local course for bank holiday Monday. Its rammed. And you should've seen the bunfight when we came out of lockdown.

I love playing golf - think there's been a pickup in interest recently
 






zefarelly

zefarelly

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
22,801
Sussex, by the sea
played a bit in my 20's, can be enjoyable, also a monumental waste of time if you have a busy lifestyle. par 3 was good fun with the kids.
 


Silverhatch

Silverhatch

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2009
4,697
Preston Park
Big uptick in Golf during the pandemic. Just need more courses to get into the 21st century (both technically and culturally). Great and hugely frustrating game.
 




B

Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,888
My friends say I'm a shocking golfer, but they're being kind - frankly I'm not that good. I have been known to walk round a course carrying a bag of clubs, occasionally stopping to take out one of said clubs to then spend five minutes swishing aimlessly and uselessly at a ball. Whether you'd call that 'playing' is up for debate.
 








M

Munkfish

Well-known member
May 1, 2006
12,090
I play at least once a week from about March to the end of October, I cant be arsed with the poor weather anymore. During last years lockdown a real increase in popularity occurred and lots of courses around Sussex and Surrey have whacked up the prices as a result which is a shame, but I guess supply and demand and all that, plus making up for lost earnings.

I don't really enjoy playing most courses in Brighton and Hove far too hilly for my liking so will often travel a bit further for a round. The problem is so many course are also closing down and being sold of for housing.

Rusper went last summer, looks like Rookwood, one of the best public courses around is being sold off by Horsham Council too and Ifield has also been sold and will be housing within the next 5 years.
 


Rugrat

Rugrat

Well-known member
Mar 13, 2011
10,224
Seaford
Yes, at Seaford but definitely a fair weather golfer. Enjoy it and it's my gesture to exercise. Find it a bit cliquey which can be bothersome when looking for a game
 


Fignon's Ponytail

Fignon's Ponytail

Well-known member
Jun 29, 2012
4,480
On the Beach
My 14yr old took it up last year to give him something else to do outside of cricket.
He went for a round last week at Lewes with his mate, got soaked to the skin, but absolutely loved it.

Not keen on it myself tbh.
 




B

blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
Yes. Down at globalls occasionally
 




dazzer6666

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
55,622
Burgess Hill
Munkfish said:
I play at least once a week from about March to the end of October, I cant be arsed with the poor weather anymore. During last years lockdown a real increase in popularity occurred and lots of courses around Sussex and Surrey have whacked up the prices as a result which is a shame, but I guess supply and demand and all that, plus making up for lost earnings.

I don't really enjoy playing most courses in Brighton and Hove far too hilly for my liking so will often travel a bit further for a round. The problem is so many course are also closing down and being sold of for housing.

Rusper went last summer, looks like Rookwood, one of the best public courses around is being sold off by Horsham Council too and Ifield has also been sold and will be housing within the next 5 years.
Click to expand...

100% with you on the fair weather thing...............golf is crap in the rain/cold - especially round here as a lot of the courses basically get waterlogged and then stay like it for months. In terms of local courses, Hassocks has gone to housing as well, Waterhall (another under-rated public course IMO and always was a good bet after a lot of rain as it drained so quickly) has been 'rewilded' and there is still talk of Haywards Heath being sold off. Mid Sussex GC have reintroduced a hefty joining fee and my pals tell me there is a proper scramble for tee times now - you have to be logged on and ready the second they're available for peak times
 










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