4 Ways To Get Invited Back to a Member Guest

When your friend or relative invites you to a Member-Guest, it’s a big deal. They are, in essence, saying, “I want you to come represent me in front of my friends at my club.” It is a true honor. This privilege creates a lofty amount of responsibility; below are 4 simple, easy ways to get invited back to your friend’s Member Guest.

Make Your Partner Look Good

There are many ways to do this and not do this. A few that come to mind include:

– Tell stories of the past you have together. Each of you know one another for a reason, let his fellow members in on a side of your host they may not know — a good side, that is.

– Do not talk about or compare your club. Any form of trying to “keep up with the Joneses” or commenting on how your club does it always comes off awkward.

– Dress like your partner. This doesn’t mean wear the exact same item…that would be ridiculous and is highly ill-advised. But dressing beneath your partner (shirt untucked or tennis golf shoes) could create tension and dressing above him (a flamboyant-Poulter outfit) could make him feel out-of-place at his home course. Best advice: stay traditional and classic.

Play Well

This might be too simple, but depending on your partner, being in contention is a high priority and if you get waxed, coming back may be a tall order. Weeks leading up to the tournament, take some extra range time, bring the putter to work, and get mentally prepared for firing at pins and dropping putts.

Write Personal Thank You Notes

Writing thank you notes is one of the least time consuming ways and potentially has the greatest “remembrance factor” because so few people do it. Notice Thank You Notes” is plural. This means writing two is best form: one to your host and one to the head pro — both thanking them for the weekend, accommodations, and experience. Notes should only be written if the message is authentic and sincere, otherwise don’t bother.

Reciprocate

Some of the greatest relationships are formed on the golf course. As most know, relationships are a two way street and if an individual doesn’t reciprocate in anyway, it hints a lack of appreciation. There are many ways to reciprocate including a gift, a golf trip that you initiate, or your Member-Guest.

Good luck and hopefully your host will see you next year.

Jon @ atruegolfer.com

The Immaculate Par

My fellow competitor left his first putt a woeful 5 feet short of the hole, and as he approached his ball it was clear that he wanted to finish. Finish he would – with style. As he read the break, I turned my back to the hole and began the walk down the slope towards my mark, which sat some 30 or 40 feet from the cup on the other side of the green. When I arrived, I turned back towards the hole expectingCheater! to see my competitor partway through his pre-putt routine. Turns out he’d already hit and missed the 5-footer, leaving it an inch left of the cup. I caught him just in time to witness the most ridiculous, yet brilliantly straightforward, act of cheating one could imagine: hand picks ball off of green, hand puts ball into hole, hand extracts ball from hole as if the 5-footer had dropped. Bogey magically turned to par.

“CHEATER! Are you joking? Really? I’m standing right here! Did you think you could get away with that? I’ve sweated every 2-footer all day long and you’re going to pull a f*#@ing stunt like that in broad daylight?” Continue reading “The Immaculate Par”

WANTED: Golf Criminal

SCENE OF THE CRIME: UNC Finley Golf Course driving range, Chapel Hill, NC.

WITNESSES: None.
Divots on the golf Range

EVIDENCE: Photo of the aftermath taken by MyScorecard blog writer. (See photo at right)

CHARGE: Desecrating golf grounds with inexplicably grotesque divot pattern.

WEAPON: Not yet discovered. Search is on for a very muddy 5-iron or a trench shovel.

NOTES: The location of the tee marker relative to the divot pattern, the rightward slanting direction of each individual divot, and the unnatural depth of each divot suggest that perpetrator is a left-handed golfer with a violent over-the-top move. Residents in homes on left side of driving range have been evacuated in case perp returns to hit more balls.

Divot pattern somewhat resembles middle finger being given to greenskeeper. Greenskeeper has been relocated for his own safety.

WARNING: This photo is for investigative purposes only. If you stare too long, you won’t be able to help imagine the golf swing that created this mess, and you will feel your handicap increasing as you do. Glance if you must, but avert your eyes quickly as if you were looking at the sun.