Pasatiempo has long been one of the dozen or so American golf courses I’ve most wanted to play, and it recently took a step up from an already lofty perch.
I was perusing the App Formerly Known As Twitter and noticed a post from a golfer eagerly looking forward to his round at the semi-private Alister MacKenzie masterwork an hour or so north of Pebble Beach. The photo in the post wasn’t of the course, but rather a screenshot of a letter that Pasatiempo sends to all guests ahead of their tee times. The content of the document isn’t all that earth-shattering; it’s essentially a list of FAQs with information advising golfers as to where the driving range is, what they can grab for a quick breakfast, the hours of the pro shop and some course setup points, including rules for where golf carts can and cannot venture.
While the content is fairly standard, the context of this letter of welcome to guests is what impressed me, on top of the fact that it exists at all. At a time when golf is experiencing some growing pains, Pasatiempo’s firm but non-threatening guest information letter is something other courses should consider adopting.
Golf’s recent growth has been good for business but it has also had some negative side-effects. In addition to increased stress on maintenance crews from increased play, cost inflation on necessary materials and challenges around labor availability, golfers are behaving more poorly than ever. Viral videos of on-course fights, destructive temper-tantrums and anecdotes about binge-drunks slowing down play are more plentiful than ever.
Some golfers, both new and entrenched, seem to have forgotten that paying a green fee does not confer temporary ownership of a given course. Forking over money – even $500 or more at some places (Pasatiempo’s peak green fee is $470) – is an access of arrangement. No less, no more. If you have paid to play a golf course, you are bound by that facility’s rules around pace of play, apparel and decorum, on top of the general etiquette norms that govern all rounds of golf. Rules exist not to punish people or stifle self-expression, but rather to guarantee the greatest amount of pleasure for the greatest amount of golfers.
Years ago, the famously eccentric and uncompromising chef Marco Pierre White put it best when a TV presenter asked why he had no problem banning irritating diners from his restaurants.
“I’m here 18 hours a day, six days a week,” he says in the clip. “This is like my house. This is like my home.” White goes on to clarify that 90-95% of diners behave well in his restaurant. But as for the other five to 10%, he says, “I don’t want those people in my house.”
Pasatiempo’s approach is less blunt, but it conveys the same message: guests are expected to uphold standards dictated by the course. The bold, underlined admonition near the top to share the document with all members of the visiting group is a brilliantly-couched warning: ignorance is not an excuse for contravening the house rules.
As a guest, knowing what’s expected of me before I visit a course frees me up to have the best possible time. Many course websites do publish guest rules and expectations, but by proactively sharing them with guests, Pasatiempo sets itself up to deliver a golfer experience that is on a similarly elite level as its golf course. More golf courses across the green fee spectrum should consider doing the same.