Quote:
Originally Posted by Camus
However, I am actually switching clubs in mid-October, and one of the biggest reasons is that I am now the youngest member at my club by 11 years, and have consistently felt as though many of the older (55+) members think that younger golfers like myself disrupt their "traditional" ambiance. Obviously, given the demographic breakdown of the club, there are very few social events targeted at younger demographics which has also made my wife reluctant to involve herself in the club's activities.
I cannot imagine that this kind of a situation is unique to my club. I know that most of the complaints lodged against golf by non-golfers and occasional golfers have to do with pace of play, but I have to wonder if the attitudes of more senior golfers toward those "damn kids" and the stereotypes/prejudices that those attitudes bring to country clubs also have a lot to do with diminishing any aspiration to join a club by generations under the age of 40.
I (read: my family) have belonged to the same Country Club for my entire life and my experience has been the exact opposite. My Dad still likes to play but doesn't get out as often as he used to - maybe around 15 times a year total and certainly less than 20. When I'm around in the summer time, the club still lets me play on my family membership because they rarely use it and I spend enough through golf and food to meet the minimums.
As far as golf goes, right now there is only one other golfer close to my age who is a member that I play with regularly. He's a bit older than me - I'm 24 and he's 26, but all of the other members at the club don't have a problem including us when we go out to play. Both of us play with the "blue ballers" on Saturday and Sunday mornings who are the most pretentious bunch in the club, but as long as you don't hack it around they are always looking for more players. Hell, even if you do - I shot 81 with them a few weeks ago - it's not really a big deal.
There is also a Thursday night group comprised of mostly older gentlemen that I play with regularly, and the same is true. It also never hurts to socialize and buy a pitcher or two after the round.
Sounds like you just ran bad with the club you joined, hopefully the next one works out better for you.