Lied to in pro shop!

I played at Theydon Bois GC today (Sunday 12th Aug) and I arrived early so I could hit some practice balls.

When I went into the pro shop I asked the professional if they had a practice ground.

He replied "No, but we've got two nets outside and a putting green".

So imagine my surprise to walk to the first tee and see a sign post saying 'Practice Ground'. Then when we walked up the second fairway I could see to my left a practice ground. Why would they lie to me? After all, you would think a professional would like to see people having a warm-up before playing.

This happened to me once before when I played at Weald Park GC. I phoned up to see if I could get a tee time and asked about a practice ground. The bloke on the phone replied "It's for members only."

Now I always thought that once I'd paid my green fees I was a temporary member of the golf club!

Russ

I've never understood why some clubs are so protective of their practice ground. I was a member at The Shropshire in Telford for a year and only members could use the practice ground but they'll let people pay to get balls from the driving range.

I'm sort of torn to be honest.