Golfing while course is closed?

[Grizpharm]

Hear me out. Live in northwest where all courses are closed for winter (snow). It’s been raining now though and a majority of snow has melted. Have a couple day window before snow falls again. I got a new driver and want to test it out. Is it wrong to go to the local course and hit a few drives into the fairway to see how it performs even though the course is closed? We have simulators around town but it’s not really the same. Interested on your thoughts.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Would it be cool if I stop by your house and use your TV and drop a duece when you are out of town on vacation?

[Cwing]

Find an open driving range. The course is closed.

[1legGOLFER]

Aint no one there? I say rip it!!! whats it gonna hurt to crush a couple?

[nbg352]

I would call the course and ask them if it is okay.

If no-one answers then I would suggest that they are probably not expecting nor receiving guests just now.......

[sethdavidsdad]

Personally as long as your not hitting the greens, I don't see the harm. Our course is closed on Mondays, but the management lets the members that live out there play as long as we don't interfere with maintenance crew.

[Hawkeye77]

Even though I know the owners well and never had them say no, any time the course was closed in the winter and the kids wanted to sled I'd ask.

 

Course closed in spring and snow gone I always ask permission to take a walk with a few balls and some wedges, etc.

 

Not saying right or wrong, just wouldn't think of going out on a closed course that belongs to people I know without asking. Certainly wouldn't do it to strangers.

 

Someone else sees you out there, they think it's okay and before you know it . . . .

[ChillyDipper]

My brother and I used to do this all the time as kids. We never damaged the greens or really even hit into them often, but rather just splashed drivers and fairway woods around the course. We figured it did less damage than the dog walkers whose dogs peed on the greens or the tobogganers or otherwise hoodlums.

[Grizpharm]

Even though I know the owners well and never had them say no, any time the course was closed in the winter and the kids wanted to sled I'd ask.

 

Course closed in spring and snow gone I always ask permission to take a walk with a few balls and some wedges, etc.

 

Not saying right or wrong, just wouldn't think of going out on a closed course that belongs to people I know without asking. Certainly wouldn't do it to strangers.

 

Someone else sees you out there, they think it's okay and before you know it . . . .

 

Good point. I’ll add to my situation as well. All winter long the driving range and first hole are packed with kids sledding down it all day since it’s a huge drop off for each. Just so happens there isn’t any snow there right now. Owners/management of course are never there

[ghoul31]

There are always some courses that are desperate for money and will be open any nice day in the winter

Just find one of those courses

[Justsomeguy]

I say it's ok to hit driver, bc you're teeing up. No divots. Not touching the greens. No motorized cart thrashing the fairway.

Now I wouldn't go near a dormant green, and I wouldn't even take divots in the fairway. Maybe it's ok to hit out of rough, but why bother and that's a slippery slope.

But teeing up driver shouldn't cause any harm anywhere that I can imagine.

[Grizpharm]

I say it's ok to hit driver, bc you're teeing up. No divots. Not touching the greens. No motorized cart thrashing the fairway.

Now I wouldn't go near a dormant green, and I wouldn't even take divots in the fairway. Maybe it's ok to hit out of rough, but why bother and that's a slippery slope.

But teeing up driver shouldn't cause any harm anywhere that I can imagine.

 

These were my thoughts as well. Just driver. Unless this thing is freakishly long I shouldn’t be hitting any greens ha!

[augustgolf]

And here is the rub: IF ANYTHING happens....like heart attack, stroke, etc.....while you are out there, who would know you're there to call for assistance????

 

I don't go to MacDonald's to cook a burger when I buy raw meat at 2 in the morning....

 

Running many courses in my life, I know that the worst (read: cheapest) people always got on one course when it was closed, and were the absolute first to b**** about conditions.

 

OP, find a driving range or a course that is open....best situation for you and for the course you are contemplating "using"

[DDG61]

And here is the rub: IF ANYTHING happens....like heart attack, stroke, etc.....while you are out there, who would know you're there to call for assistance????

 

I don't go to MacDonald's to cook a burger when I buy raw meat at 2 in the morning....

 

Running many courses in my life, I know that the worst (read: cheapest) people always got on one course when it was closed, and were the absolute first to b**** about conditions.

 

OP, find a driving range or a course that is open....best situation for you and for the course you are contemplating "using"

 

So the many courses you’ve run in your life had people employed to look for heart attack and stroke victims?

 

How about just tell the wife, etc. I’m heading to the course, not sure we need to plan for the sun falling.

 

More than not that lived on a course have used the facilities when the course is “closedâ€. Agreed it’s trespassing but if your okay with that I wouldn’t worry about a catastrophic health issue.

[rawdog]

Why can't you just find a public park?

 

There's literally millions of acres of federal land.

[Grizpharm]

Whoa. This seems to be escalating quickly. Seems like people feel pretty strong about this. Guess I better get my blood pressure and cholesterol checked before I do anything by myself though

 

Why can't you just find a public park?

 

There's literally millions of acres of federal land.

 

Haven’t thought about that. I’ll look into that one. There a few near me.

[shifu]

I would say that it is not ethical to play on a closed course. Yes you can do it, but is it right? It wouldn’t feel right for me.

[LeftyLuck]

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught".

-J.C. Watts

[rawdog]

Whoa. This seems to be escalating quickly. Seems like people feel pretty strong about this. Guess I better get my blood pressure and cholesterol checked before I do anything by myself though

 

Why can't you just find a public park?

 

There's literally millions of acres of federal land.

 

Haven’t thought about that. I’ll look into that one. There a few near me.

 

Not trying to escalate anything, FYI.

 

Just don't understand the point of using private land to do the same thing you could do on public land.

 

From a liability standpoint, I'd not be appreciative of someone coming onto my property without my knowledge. I'm sure (as you've stated) that you wouldn't cause damage to the course, but if someone drives by and see you, they aren't going to know that.

[shorrrno]

And here is the rub: IF ANYTHING happens....like heart attack, stroke, etc.....while you are out there, who would know you're there to call for assistance????

 

Haha what a bizarre scenario to raise! So by your logic no one should ever go anywhere alone at all?

[hammy83]

I say go for it and set up a camera so you can post the video here after.

 

 

FYI....I'm starting a thread to bet on how long he lasts before the cops arrive.

[mesquite2]

What part of " closed " don't some of you guys understand? Easy really, when something is closed, it means you can't go in, period.

[TPG1971]

No. Closed is closed. Rules don't apply to you?

[Ferguson]

What if a random guy trespassed in your apartment (you sound as if you rent) and just started eating your food and using the bathroom?

 

Closed means no trespassing.

[GSRswapandslow]

are there houses along the fairway? if so...then odds are there are people out there doing this more often than not. I've done this many times...never had an issue or felt as though I was doing something wrong really. But, of course, this was back in the day when i was a cart boy and the club was private. We fished in the hole 14 pond...raced carts on the bottom half of the driving range...took carts on the trails back behind 12's teebox... man, those were the good days

[golfandfishing]

I don’t think you should do this, it is plain disrespectful to the course owners. But further, you say you want to hit a few drivers into the fairway, then later you say there is a driving range also. If you were going to do this why wouldn’t you hit a few out into the range? Why use the course at all?

 

Just find an open stand alone range you selfish cheapskate.

[mshills]

IMO you have to find a course that is open and you should not play a course that is closed. That course is still someone else's private property - maybe an individual, maybe a family, maybe a group of investors, and maybe a large company, but it is still their property, not yours. If it is closed it is closed.

[DDG61]

Society never seems to amaze.

 

You guys have the same thoughts on joggers, dog walkers, fishing (catch and release) on the course as well?

[Ferguson]

IMO you have to find a course that is open and you should not play a course that is closed. That course is still someone else's private property - maybe an individual, maybe a family, maybe a group of investors, and maybe a large company, but it is still their property, not yours. If it is closed it is closed.

 

 

But he has a new driver. Doesn't that make it right?

[TPG1971]

Society never seems to amaze.

 

You guys have the same thoughts on joggers, dog walkers, fishing (catch and release) on the course as well?

 

If they were hitting their brand new driver on the course while it was closed, yes I would, but they aren't.