Best service you've ever had at a Golf Club in the UK?

[PJ87]

Agree with you. Some of the posts made here are too much for me. Taking my clubs and cleaning my shoes for me - I'd honestly find it embarrassing and a bit cringeworthy to be treated like that. I think there's a line that crosses from good service to over-the-top. I don't need to be treated like royalty, just a respected customer I guess.

Have to admit normally I'd hate it but when away for a golf trip (we went east Sussex national) I did like that they took your clubs off you..gave them a quick clean and had them put out on the storage racks for before your tee time

 

[Orikoru]

If a club took my shoes to clean them in summer I'd be walking round in my socks.

 

[GB72]

I get somewhat uncomfortable with really high levels of service. For example, I'd be embarrassed if someone offered to clean my clubs or shoes, they're always in a right state!

My wife works for a global hotel chain and we get fantastic staff discounts. We get hotel rooms for £50/$50/€50 regardless of whether the normal price is £100 or £1000. We've stayed in a few really expensive hotels thanks to her discount but found the service can be slightly obsequious and overbearing. Maybe it's a touch of imposter syndrome because we're not paying the full whack but I don't think that's the case. We just know what we like and it's not that!

Anyway, back to the question as asked (kind of), some of the best welcomes I've received have been at Barnsley, Market Rasen, Breadsall Priory, Rufford Park and Radcliffe-on-Trent. None of these are really expensive but, as a visitor, I was made to feel very at home, and there was a sense that the staff wanted me to enjoy my day. The other end of the spectrum is a club where I was a member for six years and the owner sees golfers as an inconvenience.

I get this, especially with the resorts that offer some rooms with a 'butler' service. I feel very uncomfortable ordering someone around to fetch and carry for me and it just feels wrong but the Americans love it. Last time I had a room that came with Butler service I just gave him a tip on day one and told him he would not be hearing from me again that trip, not that it was a comment on him but because I found it uncomfortable.

 

[Jimaroid]

Kinsgbarns are the best for me, no question. They get the balance of friendly, attentive and invisible service just right.

Muirfield is up there but I actually don’t want my napkin re-folded every time I stand up, so they lose a tiny mark for being unhelpfully helpful.

Cruden Bay sticks out in my mind for having staff that genuinely made me feel at home as a complete stranger. Again, comes across as genuine.

There are some regular staff around the St Andrews Links who go above and beyond. The type of people that are able to brighten a miserable soul on the darkest of dark and horrific days, it’s no surprise they’re front of house managing someones bucket list.

Trumpberry and such like are all awful, all artificial grins and chintz covered in “real plastic gold”.

So it’s a pretty simple really. When service feels personal and genuine it stands out. When it feels rote and sycophantic, I hate it.

 

[Red devil]

I get this, especially with the resorts that offer some rooms with a 'butler' service. I feel very uncomfortable ordering someone around to fetch and carry for me and it just feels wrong but the Americans love it. Last time I had a room that came with Butler service I just gave him a tip on day one and told him he would not be hearing from me again that trip, not that it was a comment on him but because I found it uncomfortable.

I'd be the same.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I've always found Little Aston to be a very friendly welcome, especially by the pro.

 

[nickjdavis]

Muirfield is up there but I actually don’t want my napkin re-folded every time I stand up, so they lose a tiny mark for being unhelpfully helpful.

Not golf related but I had a worse dining experience whilst on honeymoon in Bangkok many years ago. Was eating in a restaurant in the the hotel and every time I put my fork down to just take a momentary pause in eating, or maybe take a drink of wine, a waiter would appear out of nowhere and pick up my cutlery and load the fork up with a mouthful of food, ready for me to pick up and continue eating !!!!

 

[Crow]

I wouldn't want someone cleaning my priceless relics, who knows what nasty stuff they might put on them.

And they might remove some filth that's been stuck at the bottom of a groove since 1964, that was the year Fred Trueman became the first man to take 300 Test wickets, not that I'm a big cricket fan or anything, just saying.

 

[Orikoru]

Not golf related but I had a worse dining experience whilst on honeymoon in Bangkok many years ago. Was eating in a restaurant in the the hotel and every time I put my fork down to just take a momentary pause in eating, or maybe take a drink of wine, a waiter would appear out of nowhere and pick up my cutlery and load the fork up with a mouthful of food, ready for me to pick up and continue eating !!!!

That honestly just sounds like they wanted the table and were hurrying you to finish.

 

[patricks148]

Would have to say at Skibo, waited on hand and foot, clubs and shoes cleaned without even asking. Food outstanding, car brought to the front door. Mind that was as we were members guests. When we used to play a match against them.iscwas good, but with a member it's on another level.

 

[KenL]

As mentioned other than being a nice service there are very practical benefits to cleaning players shoes after players traipse around the course/rough/woodland etc so that mess/grass/seeds etc isn’t distributed to other areas of the clubhouse, or other courses, same with wiping clubs down especially in areas adjacent to farms &/or livestock etc

I still clean both clubs and shoes after every use whether staff did it or not but as post #16 admits (probably with some humour) so if a player arrives at a quality course with crud etc from who knows where, it has potential to cause serious problems

As with clean toilets, plates, glasses etc I may have used, someone working as a cleaner is not demeaning. My home club doesn’t do shoes but will do the clubs post round

Played away on Saturday and they did clean shoes for me and someone else will have cleaned the shower cubicle after I used that too, i appre4ciated getting into a clean shower as much as finding that someone wiped clean my shoes

I see enough examples to know that some players don't/won't clean their gear

Right, we get it - you like getting your shoes cleaned.

 

[IanM]

The folk in Saunton's clubhouse are top class, without the toadying! I wish they'd serve food a bit later though!

Wentworth and Sunningdale are both as good as you'd expect. Honourable mention for Working. Very friendly and restaurant quality food in the dinning room,

 

[Deleted member 25172]

As mentioned other than being a nice service there are very practical benefits to cleaning players shoes after players traipse around the course/rough/woodland etc so that mess/grass/seeds etc isn’t distributed to other areas of the clubhouse, or other courses, same with wiping clubs down especially in areas adjacent to farms &/or livestock etc

I still clean both clubs and shoes after every use whether staff did it or not but as post #16 admits (probably with some humour) so if a player arrives at a quality course with crud etc from who knows where, it has potential to cause serious problems

As with clean toilets, plates, glasses etc I may have used, someone working as a cleaner is not demeaning. My home club doesn’t do shoes but will do the clubs post round

Played away on Saturday and they did clean shoes for me and someone else will have cleaned the shower cubicle after I used that too, i appre4ciated getting into a clean shower as much as finding that someone wiped clean my shoes

I see enough examples to know that some players don't/won't clean their gear

I'm not saying it is demeaning, but growing up in Sweden I'm not accustomed to having my shoes cleaned by someone else, which is probably why it's uncomfortable to me as it feels like having a servant. One which I've never craved (my mom would probably say otherwise, but still).

 

[Slab]

Guys I just find it strange you're happy for someone to clean the toilet seat you bare your bum to, but baulk at the thought of someone wiping the mud off your shoe

Edit, by the way, they're not there as volunteers, it's a paid gig like GKs, bar staff etc and they get tips that the toilet cleaner doesn't get

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Guys I just find it strange you're happy for someone to clean the toilet seat you bare your bum to, but baulk at the thought of someone wiping the mud off your shoe

Edit, by the way, they're not there as volunteers, it's a paid gig like GKs, bar staff etc and they get tips that the toilet cleaner doesn't get

The person cleaning the toilets, hand basins etc is doing it for everyone, it's not a personal service. They don't clean after every person, it will be once or maybe twice a day. I think people, me included, are uncomfortable with the individual nature of shoe cleaning, club cleaning etc. We just aren't used to it here, it would feel awkward. I'll do my own thanks

 

[Slab]

The person cleaning the toilets, hand basins etc is doing it for everyone, it's not a personal service. They don't clean after every person, it will be once or maybe twice a day. I think people, me included, are uncomfortable with the individual nature of shoe cleaning, club cleaning etc. We just aren't used to it here, it would feel awkward. I'll do my own thanks

The person cleaning shoes is doing it for everyone too just like the toilet cleaner and the person cleaning your pint glass, burger plate that only you used

Your shoes are not special

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Your shoes are not special

You've hurt their feelings now .

I accept it's a cultural thing

 

[fenwayrich]

I wouldn't want someone cleaning my priceless relics, who knows what nasty stuff they might put on them.

And they might remove some filth that's been stuck at the bottom of a groove since 1964, that was the year Fred Trueman became the first man to take 300 Test wickets, not that I'm a big cricket fan or anything, just saying.

Hawke c Cowdrey b Trueman 14 has stuck in my memory for nearly 60 years . Good service is provided by someone who is courteous and attentive, just as I hope I would be to them in similar circumstances. Anything that appears obsequious is very offputting. Shoe cleaning? No thanks, I'll do that myself.

 

[BrianM]

Would have to say at Skibo, waited on hand and foot, clubs and shoes cleaned without even asking. Food outstanding, car brought to the front door. Mind that was as we were members guests. When we used to play a match against them.iscwas good, but with a member it's on another level.

What's the membership costs for this year

 

[LincolnShep]

The person cleaning shoes is doing it for everyone too just like the toilet cleaner and the person cleaning your pint glass, burger plate that only you used

Your shoes are not special

I suppose the difference is that they're cleaning the mess on my plate so that someone else can use the plate; they would be cleaning the mess on my shoes just so I could go make them messy again. On the other hand, I have no problem paying someone to clean my house so I'm not sure what the difficulty is. I just know that there is a difficulty - for me.