David Brudwick said: I really enjoy reading golf course blogs. Its interesting how everyone deals with the daily grind of working at a golf course.. By reading these blogs I'm starting to think municipal golf courses are getting a bad rap from private clubs. Here's a quote below from a fellow superintendent at a private club. I'm not including the clubs name....This blog was about golfer etiquette!
" I am not a fan of a lot of ropes and stakes, as I think that it makes the course look very cluttered and like a municipal. "
I work at a municipal course. How am I suppose to take this; using rope is not a bad thing. It helps keep people out of areas that you don't want them to go into. Do municipals have a bad rap for being trashy because we use rope and signs to keep golfers out of certain areas? Are private clubs that much better than municipals? Maybe I'm looking too much into this. Isn't it an unwritten rule not to bash other people's golf courses. Regardless if its a municipal or a private club! We should be helping one another, not criticizing other courses regardless of their stature. So if you write a blog you should chose your words carefully please.
The not so flattering "muni" term has been around for as long as there have been munis. To piggy back off of Trevor's PC point, there is a reason the term is used to distinguish one from the other. Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of munis that don't fit the "muni" profile. But the fact is that there are plenty out there that perpetuate the connotation. I work with low-end munis to high private and everything in between. The difference is measurable in a number of ways.
Now to David's point. It is what it is. Don't let a simple term or phrase grind at you. I have never heard a superintendent from a private course use the term "muni" as a opinion to describe the abilities of the muni superintendent. It is, generally, used as a term referencing the muni golfer's lack of appreciation and care of the course that they play. Munis generally charge reduced pricing compared to the other courses, which translates into lower maintenance budgets and more wear on the course. Hence the need for stakes/ropes, the incredible number of ball marks, the unfilled divots, the wild west style of cart traffic, and the like. It's just a fact of the matter.