Of course, you probably can’t play this course if you’re not a member and who knows how much it actually costs to become one. However, they do so many corporate events that if you’re a good professional, you could potentially get invited by peers.
Fortunately, my boss is one of the organization’s board members that put this event together, and since I love golf as much as he does, lucky me! Plus loads of corporate golf gifts: umbrella, swiss army pitch repair tool, towel, shoe bag, tees, so cool!
However, the pressure was there (even for a scramble), indeed, my contract here is « at will » (very different from our french undetermined ones) and I knew my boss was also going to judge me on my actions with our 2 clients we had invited. Check this article.
Anyhow, if you’re from midtown, it will take you 40 minutes to get there by car (60$ cheap Uber X…) if you’re going there during the week like I did, in the morning, while everyone else is going downtown. If you’re invited, you’ll probably expense that.
And when you arrive, you finally understand what a private US golf club can look like. One word: Perfect for the Oldest US Private golf course (1888) also name St Andrews.
1-Price: 10/20
So here, it’s tricky because not only it is a private golf club, but also if you want to invite clients, it will cost you some good expensable money. Wanna become a member, probably 10-20K entry fees, plus 10-15K yearly. Guess what, Trump NY is 100K entry fees.
Wanna organize some outing for your clients? The foursome is 2500$. But oh boy, you’ll have everything for that. Locker, food, beautiful perfect golf course, cart, photographer, beer, some great gifts if you win the events, and money for a charity.
So, is that expensive? Yes and no, 625$ to play all included a beautiful golf course with clients creating a relationship nowhere else you would have created no. Becoming a member yes probably. It makes you wanna make a lot more!
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2-Reception: 19/20
First of all, the club house is marvelous, not as pretty as Saint Nom La Bretèche, but pretty nice. One word for it is Chic and fancy. Then you put your golf bag on a stand that someone in charge will install directly in your golf cart. You can head to the locker room.
Norman is there to welcome you and give you one of the member’s locker still with one of his red club jacket. Of course no need to say that you’ll have more grooming stuff than in your own house and that everything is perfect.
I remember thinking to myself, I wish they would have a shoe horn, and looking right and left, seing one every 1 meter on the huge wooden bench… And of course, Norman is there to tell you he knows you’ll play well! Without even knowing your game of course.
3-Fun score: 19/20
It all starts with an elevated putting green facility with a famous Rolex Watch where the First Tee association was organizing a fun 9 holes contest. Of course, no need to say these guys are fun and seem to care about what they do!
Then, the driving range where you had a big 8 seats golf cart to take you there and it’s probably one of the funiest facilities I’ve tried. My wife had asked me we would have Titleist balls in a triangle shape like pros but what we had was also very good!
It was great because you had little holes on elevated greens with a specific Yardage on each so fun to try aiming at them with different clubs. Like playing drivable par 4s, short and long par 3s.
What about the course itself? Well, it is long, very very hilly, probably the highest I’ve played, and you almost everytime start in an elevated tee. So cool. Plus add some water in the middle, high greens and very hard greens and you’ll be lucky to play bogey.
Moreover, the First Tee organized two other contests on the course, longest drive where all of us had to shoot, including a golf teacher from the association, and we could take the best of the 5th, plus closest to the pin on a par 3. They were very good!
4-Lost Balls: 17/20
So first of all, your supplier, if he’s not cheap, will do like us and offer you 12 pro V1x or Bridgestone 330S. So do you really care about losing balls you did not buy?! Second, the golf course is so well taken care off than the ruff will show you all the other pro V1s.
Indeed, you wont bother going after the ball you faded on the other fairway because if you’re playing corporate, it will most surely be a scramble format, so the best of the 4. For every ball lost, you’ll find 4 pro V1s.
5-19th Hole: 18/20
After all these corporate events, you have an early dinner awards party. You have the time to shower in their perfectly clean, smelling good locker room with all the best shampoos, and then you can head to the restaurant/bar where you’ll have all needed.
Don’t need to tell you how many people working there to make sure you have everything you need, and very very good.
Conclusion: 16,60
For Business it is perfect, for golf lovers it is perfect, for life amateurs it is perfect. The only problem is that I’m not a member… yet…
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