I've been informed by my boss we don't need ethics ...

douchebags

fuck 'em

 

Jesus, all this because they want you to play free golf and write a slurp piece?

There are worse ways to sell your soul.

 

Is getting paid to write a glowing story about a golf course, not putting your byline on it and labeling it advertisement, unethical?

To me it's not. And it may be a suitable alternative. Then tell your bosses to fuck off — and for shit's stake, don't do a golf tab.

 

It would be hard for me to write golf course reviews. As long as the course wasn't horrendous, I wouldn't be unhappy ... because I'd been playing golf that day.

 

My reviews would all include the line:
The only problem I had with the course was the large number of houses lining the fairways. It's very difficult to get your ball out of a gutter.

 

If I had a job opening I'd offer it to you.

Best of luck.

 

Ethics are for people who can afford them. I oftentimes see the crap that the NY/DC media get away with and feel like a sucker.
That said, why not get some local golfing authority to do the trashing of the course for you?

 

Wouldn't that leave ink stains?

 

Jeebus. Good luck with this, Rhody.

 

The course is OK. I've spent my fair share of golfing experiences on some nice private courses in RI and I've played the dog tracks as well.
I don't expect a public course to match up to a private course. I also don't expect a course to be, to steal a Chappelle Show's line, all Afghanistan - Bombed out and depleted.
I know this course. The last time I played there, it was bombs away and hope you get a good lie in the fairway. The greens were slower than Corky from Life Goes On. There were no guides to tell you how to get hole to hole and yardage markers were few and far between.
I can have fun golfing anywhere, but I hate when courses charge big bucks and provide jack squat, which is what this particular course does. The layout is blah, the conditions are OK and it is East Jabumfuck, RI. The last thing I want is one of my readers to drive 40 miles to play it, pay the 55 bucks, and not enjoy it because I lied and said it was great.
Of course, if I went there and the place changed, my review would say as much.
I really hate this company I work for. People I work with are actually longing for the days when JRC ran this rag. The only thing worse is our sister dailies, which apparently are filled guys who just like collecting a paycheck (except for at least one, maybe two).
I'll let y'all know how this ends ... my EE told me to e-mail the publisher and explain why I don't want to and I've fired it off ... I'm expecting a phone call or email sometime tomorrow.
Soon I may be a member of unemployedsportsjournalist.com