All alone and no one to play with

[Magic]

Hi I recently joined a local club after many rounds at differant courses I decided where to spend my money which was gratfully accepted.
I very often like to play alone and being a new member wanted to get a feel for the course and discover some people who i would enjoy playing with. The golf pro was great in introducing me to other people. But one Monday I set off for a round of golf behind 2 sets of four balls waiting my turn to tee off when another 4 ball group arrived at the tee and told me that they would be teeing in front of me because single players had no standing on a golf course. Not sure of the rules, although i had booked my tee time, I explained that i would in no way slow there progress as playing on my own i would be much quicker than them. After being told that i should find some one to play with they proceded to tee off. In most cases but not all when playing alone other groups have allowed me to play through.
Has any one else experianced this sort of situation and what are your views.

 

[Coopsarama]

I've never experienced it myself but it just sounds like ignorance and somebody trying to show off to his friends to me. Did you get held up by them?and if so did they let you play thru?

 

[Magic]

I was held up for 18 holes even though there was at least 3 clear holes in front by the 9th

 

[birdieman]

Hi Magic, not so sure on this one. It is commonly accepted that a single player has no status. You can't play the game to the rules as a single cos you cant mark yourself or hold the pin for yourself etc. The starter shold not have set aside a tee time for a single however and should have asked the group size when taking the booking. I would expect as a single to either be paired into another group if the 1st tee is busy or accept you'll be bottom of the pecking order and perhaps start on another tee and jump about the holes keeping out of the way.
Some clubs are so money-hungry they put 4 balls out at 7 minute intervals then feign astonishment when 25 minutes later they are already running 20 minutes behind time. Personally I hate 4 balls, should be 3 max for strokeplay.

 

[muttleee]

I was once due to play a singles match at 1.30 in the afternoon but when we turned up for our tee time, the starter said that the society out before us had underbooked the number of slots they needed and so we'd just have to wait until they'd all teed off. After another half hour of watching a bunch of hackers take half a dozen shots each to make it half way down the first, we knew we were in for a long day.

The annoying thing was that the golf centre (which is pay and play but with an affiliated club of fee paying members, so not a traditional members' club) was so willing to bend over backwards to suit the society who were clearly in the wrong by not having booked enough tee times. It was their mistake but we were the ones who were inconvenienced by having to wait an extra half hour to play. If the society couldn't be well enough organised to know how many people were going to turn up, that's their own look out. Of course, they were paying cash up front whereas my opponent and I were members who weren't paying over the counter for our game. Money talks.

 

[Teetotal]

I know that there are wierd rules for singles but if I was in a fourball and there was just one person behind me I would let them tee off rather than feel guilty for holding them up for 18 holes as I know I wouldn't see them for dust after the first hole. Sometimes you have to use common sense rather than sticking to the rules.

 

[USER1999]

I thought that the ruling on singles (and threes) having 'no standing' was changed a couple of years ago, such that this was not an issue anymore. could be wrong tho', may just depend on the course.

My course is a members course, but we also extend tee bookings for societies if they get it wrong. Often up to over an hour. Members don't seem to count where societies are concerned. We also hold teee blocks open for them if they can't be bothered to come out of the bar on time. This often leads to a tee being closed for an hour, with no play, and then they come out, and clog it up for another hour.
This isn't annoying at all.

 

[furyk_or_unique]

Murphthemog - you're spot on, this crap etiquette thing was indeed written out of the rules in one of the last two amendments.

But sadly that still doesn't stop pompous old pillocks who live in a bygone era lauding it over someone they consider inferior for no other reason than that they're trying to enjoy a few holes in splendid solitude.

My advice - wait till they're inevitably hacking around in the bushes early on and sneak past them onto another hole if the course ahead is clear - as it inevitably will be because pompous pratts are invariably notoriously slow too!