Temperatures in the 70's. In February! Yay!!! So I had to play hookie and head for the golf course. Every course in metro Atlanta has been offering specials, so it was simply a matter of making a selection. I chose Stone Mountain Park's Lakemont course, a track I've played a lot, but not in a few years. They had a great special, so my cheap side was sufficiently satisfied to book a tee time.
I was so disappointed. The golf courses at Stone Mountain Park are managed by Marriott, a group I've always found to be great at managing golf courses, but somebody is making some bad decisions as we all muddle thru golf's current downturn. I drove into the park, ready to have a great time. I've always liked Lakemont, a short but challenging... and always well-maintained course. Not this year. Marriott should be embarrassed. The greens were bad. The fairways ran the gamut, from hardpan to slushy mud. And there were lots of bare areas, where bare areas didn't used to exist. All in all, it was really sad to see an Atlanta golf staple in such poor shape.
So the question is, how does a great golf course go bad? I can't speak with any inside knowledge about Stone Mountain Park, but I know many courses are cutting back on chemicals, trimming staff and generally hunkering down to try and survive the bad weather and poor economy. It's a challenging and fine line, trimming budgets but continuing to offer a quality product to golfers. And Stone Mountain has blown it. I know it's been an awful winter. But I've been on many courses this winter... from small, low-budget muni's to high-end private clubs... and most of them have managed to find a balance that meets their economic needs and still allows them to continue giving golfers a great round.
My goal at Hidden Fairways is generally to share the good news of courses that are doing things right, in even the toughest of times. And I don't criticize a course lightly. It's a tough endeavor, maintaining hundreds of acres of lawn. But if you're considering playing Stone Mountain Park any time soon, don't. The people are nice. The service was good. But I go to a golf course for the golf, and Stone Mountain isn't worth the gas to get there. Let's hope they get things in order soon.
