Spread The Game

[Hutch306]

An Experiement in Creating Opportunity

For those with membership benefits at highly exclusive clubs, have you ever invited anyone out for a round just because you could? Have you ever invited someone just because you found out on an internet forum that the invitee had the same passion you did, and didn't have the same access to the course that you did?

I want to try something, an experiment of sorts. If you have a membership at a course that isn't open to the public, invite someone in this forum to play a round with you as your guest (hereby referred to as the inviter). The person being invited will be expected to pay their own green fees/costs of the round (hereby referred to as invitee). Obviously, there are people on here that don't want others to know their social status, courses they are members at, etc. To prevent your membership status from being put on a public forum, a private message should be the means of communication, until internet forums are no longer effective, in which case the two can work out other forms of communication, at their own discretion.

I picture it working something like this...

Example 1:

I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in Texas. I post in this thread that I live in the DFW area, and I would like to play any course that isn't public (you can list specific courses you want to play). A member of this site, we'll call him SandBaggerJoe, sends me a private message letting me know that he is a member at The Most Exclusive Club in the World, located in DFW. He invites me to play on a Friday afternoon as his guest (I am responsible for ALL of my own costs). SandBaggerJoe and I go and play the round, I come back, and post that I had the opportunity to play at The Most Exclusive Club in the World, making certain not to mention SandBaggerJoe's name (unless he agrees to have the public know).


Example 2:

I am going on vacation to Los Angeles from July 3-July 10. I post in this thread a message stating that I would like to play one of the three best private courses in the LAX area. A member, LAXForLife, sends me a private message offering a chance to play at one of my preferred courses. I take up the opportunity to play the round, come back and post my experience in this thread, stating because of this thread, I got to play a course that I would have not played otherwise.

To be honest, I'm not sure what type of results we will get. I could see this flopping and not having any responses, or I could see it grow into something very cool. We are going to give it a go, and let me know your ideas to improve the experience. I'll start us off below.

[Hutch306]

I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and would like to try any course that isn't open to the public. Please send me a PM if you have access to a private club where I can play as your guest.

[RRFireblade]

Not to be mean but why?

Why would I invite a total stranger off the internet rather than someone I have real personal contact with?

And no offense but so far it sounds a little self serving.

[Hutch306]

No offense taken and that's a great point. To answer the question about the stranger, I think golf is a sport that is easily transferred from different types of people. For example, I think that assuming both players have a true interest in golf, they can both have a great time on a muni a porrivate course playing together. Can you have more fun playing with someone you know? Of course. This is just a means to meet people, offer access to something that typical people don't have access to, and hopefully enjoy a round with someone who shares your interest, but who is different from you. I would think the biggest reason why I would invite someone is because I have access to a course that they don't. If I had the financial and social means to play Dallas National GC, I think it would be cool to let other people who don't have the same means play the same course. I don't know that I would do it with every single person who ever asked me, but I would try it once.

About the self serving point...I can definitely see how it would appear that way, and that's one of the reasons why I saw this never really taking flight. However, I think if you could get 2 people to try it and comment on their experience from both sides (the invitee and inviter), regardless of whether I'm either of those parties, I think it will help determine what kind of life this is going to take.

I just want to see someone try it and see what happens. I don't care if that person is me or not.

[RRFireblade]

Since I'm the only one chiming in, I'll do so again....




I'm not saying its bad idea in theory and again these are just my random thoughts but....

The first issue is no one from a "high end" excusive club is going to invite a stranger they met off the 'net to thier club. I would venture in fact that there may not be many if any at all that would even post in a forum like this.

Golf 'meetings' by neutral parties at neutral clubs happen here already all the time. We have a forum specifically for that purpose. I've played with a good handfull of people that I hooked up with thru here. Most of them already local however as I dont expect many would travel great distance or expense on a gamble.

Lastly, I generally meant taking out people that I run into in real life and that I feel like extending myself in the way would have an impact to us both. I am not a member at any exclusive clubs yet due to my involvement with the game, have regular opportunity to play at many. I take a very wide range of people with me to play from friends who I know just could never afford to play at a course of that quality to students of the game and alot in between. All that I feel like would have a positive impact on us both as players and on the growth of the game. In that way I see what your intent is, but don't see it happening in the way you propose.

IMO.

[StevenF]

I would like to play TPC Dearborn.

[RRFireblade]

[quote name='StevenF' timestamp='1309627395' post='3359295']
I would like to play TPC Dearborn.
[/quote]

Oh yea, just in case....

Put me down for Augusta National, I'll even provide the balls and tees.

[Hutch306]

Fireblade, I fear you are probably correct in all of your points. If you haven't already noticed, I'm not 100% sold this idea is going to work. However, I had the idea, thought some others might like to try, and I'm throwing it out there. If it works, great. If it doesn't work, no harm, no foul .

[FLOGMR]

I get lots of invites to "Exclusive" clubs/courses through my work in the golf industry........but I too, have a hard time seeing many exclusive club members inviting total strangers to come and play their club just because they have posted a desire to do it.
I hope I am wrong but I doubt it

[teejaywhy]

You will never succeed as an access whore with such a lame effort.

[Hutch306]

TJY, as I stated above, I don't really care if I play. I want to see this work for ANYBODY, regardless if it's me. I think that hardly qualifies as an "access whore."

[Jordan J. Caron]

[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1309620791' post='3359067']
Not to be mean but why?

Why would I invite a total stranger off the internet rather than someone I have real personal contact with?

And no offense but so far it sounds a little self serving.
[/quote]


Sounds like this a is a means to gain access to high end private clubs.

If you actually want to "spread the game" why not invite a friend for a game who has never played before? Kind of like a take your kid to the course week.

[teejaywhy]

[quote name='Hutch306' timestamp='1309671508' post='3360691']
TJY, as I stated above, I don't really care if I play. I want to see this work for ANYBODY, regardless if it's me. I think that hardly qualifies as an "access whore."
[/quote]


You're right, that was harsh.

If anyone here wants to spread the game and invite me to Cypress Point, just shoot me a PM. Thanks in advance.

[Hutch306]

[quote name='Jordan J. Caron' timestamp='1309820527' post='3364309']
[quote name='RRFireblade' timestamp='1309620791' post='3359067']
Not to be mean but why?

Why would I invite a total stranger off the internet rather than someone I have real personal contact with?

And no offense but so far it sounds a little self serving.
[/quote]


Sounds like this a is a means to gain access to high end private clubs.

If you actually want to "spread the game" why not invite a friend for a game who has never played before? Kind of like a take your kid to the course week.


[/quote]

That's a good idea, and one that I've tried. However, I've found that 99% of all of my friends that have never played have absolutely no desire to play. If they did have a desire, they've been alive long enough to realize they like or dislike it. I am going to make it a point to try this though. If this really does work for somebody, please remember to post results.

[larrybud]

I invited BlueFan and his buddy out to my course last year and this. I can't even remember how it all went down, but I think he was asking about courses in my area because they come over from Canada once a year, and I said if you wanna play my course, come on over. It's been a lot of fun, and his buddy is hilarious!