I hope it settles down a little. It was excruciating last year. Where did all these people come from? 1/2 of them looked like they had hardly ever played the game and some looked like it was their first time on a golf course.
I am a member (and an unpaid ambassador) at a fairly difficult course in mid-Maryland. Most of the golfing crowd who traveled here up until the pandemic, came to play on a nice course and to test their game against this tougher track. This past season had my head spinning. Forget the fact that the course had it's best year ever, even after a 7 week shutdown mandated by the governor. More impressive was that it surpassed the previous best year numbers by September. Any decent-weather day during the week saw a tee sheet with over 200 on it. Unfortunately, along with the positive numbers came the negative side of the equation. The course took a beating. Ball marks, divots, etc were the worst I have ever seen, anywhere! I can't tell you how many times, as an ambassador of the course, after 5 days of rain, I had to tell people it was Cart Path Only even though they were told by the starter. Or, on more than one occasion, that they could not drive their carts up alongside or onto the green! Or, that when the signs in the fairway say "No Carts Past This Point," it means no carts past that point.
I have so many stories of inept golfers, not only their ability, but understanding of the game and its etiquette from just last season alone, I could write a book. Made me sick at times, some of the stuff I saw. Any decent player, having to play behind some of the ineptness I dealt with, would drive them mad, too. At the very least, putting the pro shop on speed dial would not be unexpected. They got some interesting calls, I can assure you, with the cops showing up on more than one occasion. (That's another couple chapters in that book I could write.)
One of the things I didn't understand was why these people would come out to learn to play on a course as difficult as this one is and more importantly, one so pricey, when they could first learn the general basics at a flat, wide open muni and pay 1/2 the price. Literally, I have stories that would have your head spinning of some of the stuff I saw this past year. Yes, you saw that kind of stuff everywhere every now and then pre-pandemic. But the stuff I saw happened day in and day out.
Some days when the parking lot was so full, I couldn't even find a parking space. I would just turn around and go home unless I had a pre-planned time with friends. I live around the corner, so I would just come back later before sunset to get in a few practice holes. Even though the course did it's most rounds ever, I had my fewest rounds played in a year (151) as a result of the overcrowding.
Sorry this post was so long. I really could write a book, given the opportunity.