Booking system v no booking system

[Slab]

My club brought in a booking system and most people hate it. Other than comps I play a lot of swindle/fiddles golf and it is ruining it. We had 6 times spread over 3 hours on Sunday, the social side is disappearing, wasn't an issue before. It just fastest finger first for weekend times.

If I read that right I guess this is what I meant about folks preferring whatever suits each person/group
Imagine being a 2-ball that rocks up around the time the first of your swindle goes out, only to find they've now got a lengthy wait to get going behind all those blokes

 

[Deleted member 23270]

If I read that right I guess this is what I meant about folks preferring whatever suits each person/group
Imagine being a 2-ball that rocks up around the time the first of your swindle goes out, only to find they've now got a lengthy wait to get going behind all those blokes

My previous club didn't have a booking system. The scenario above wasn't a problem because everyone knew what times the rollups went out and worked around them.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I've been at clubs with both systems. Not having a booking system would 100% be a deal breaker for me.

No system, turn up, see x number of golfers waiting to go out. You could go out next group, you could wait an hour. I don't want to waste an hour sitting around. Some are happy to do that, fine.

Booking system. Course is fully booked, do something else. Book a slot, that is yours, guaranteed, nailed on. You can see where the gaps are, the 4 balls to avoid, if a society is booked in etc. Visibility is everything, you control the time you are playing at.

 

[Jimaroid]

What works for one club doesn’t necessarily work at another club.

( Thread bingo. Almost full house. )

 

[Tonto]

No booking system for us. We send 3 & 4 balls from the first tee, and two balls off the tenth.
This alternates every couple of hours.
Seems to work quite well, helped by the fact that a lot of the more senior members only play nine holes.

 

[phillarrow]

The best clubs are ones with a booking system that is set up so that you have both pre book times and walk up times. Win/win

This is how my club operates and it works perfectly well. Can't see any real argument against it to be honest.

If I want to get a few holes in at some point (rather than play a full 18), I check the online system and if it's free, I head off. On the other hand, if I know I want to play a full 18, or am taking a guest, I always book just to be sure. I'd hate to turn up with a guest and have to hang around and queue to play.

 

[IanM]

We have a vote in progress about removing the booking system Sunday to Friday. We had no bookable times pre Covid.

The obvious downside of no booking system, is at peak times you have no idea when you'll start.

This is an issue and Saturday mornings and mid winter.

The down side of bookings is lack of flexibility and folk not showing up etc

Hence a hybrid approach tailored to the appropriate day(s) seems sensible. One size never fits all.

 

[Slab]

My previous club didn't have a booking system. The scenario above wasn't a problem because everyone knew what times the rollups went out and worked around them.

But wouldn't that mean a roll up being able to take advantage of a kind of unofficial booking system, so they always got the times/tees they wanted
Might be seen as a bit unequal

(genuine question because all roll ups always book a window at the local course I play)

 

[need_my_wedge]

We didn't have a booking system before Covid, it was just rock up and play. If there was a queue of players on the tee, you joined the queue and followed everyone out. Covid caused us to introduce a booking system, which we've since voted to retain. We can only book 7 days in advance, and we can only book a 4 ball, we can't block book out individual times on a rolling basis, unless you're quick on the trigger each evening at 6pm when the next booking for that day next week goes live. We use IG and it all works fine on the phone app.

Originally, I liked the rock up and play when you want. We knew that certain roll ups went out at specific times at the weekend, you stayed clear unless you wanted to join them. Competitions did block a morning, and you had to book your time for them, otherwise, it was pretty easy to turn up and play whenever you wanted. The roll up I play with can have 40 players, turning up for the draw at 10 and being drawn in the last group out could mean an hour standing in the queue on the tee.

Now that we've been using IG for a couple of years, I like the booking system more, and wouldn't want to go back to a turn up and play system. I know that if I want to book a slot next week, I just open the phone app at 6pm and select my time and all good to go. Sometimes, there may be a lot of players in before me, sometimes not, but I don't go out early doors anymore, usually around lunch time, or early afternoon, or after work. I don't usually have problems booking any of these. It's also easy for me to see who's playing, I know which slow groups I want to avoid and can see whether they're out and book round them accordingly. If I haven't booked and want something at short notice, or maybe forgot or was busy at 6pm, I don't usually have problems booking the afternoon slots.

Our Sunday swindle does a grand job, we stick our names in the hat the Friday the week before, the boss does a random draw and provides a list of groups with a suggested tee time. The first player on the list of each group is tasked with making his groups booking at the suggested time. I'm not aware of anyone having major issues with the system and it seems to work very well for the main part.

Personally, I think the booking system is a plus for the course.

 

[phillarrow]

I've been at clubs with both systems. Not having a booking system would 100% be a deal breaker for me.

No system, turn up, see x number of golfers waiting to go out. You could go out next group, you could wait an hour. I don't want to waste an hour sitting around. Some are happy to do that, fine.

Booking system. Course is fully booked, do something else. Book a slot, that is yours, guaranteed, nailed on. You can see where the gaps are, the 4 balls to avoid, if a society is booked in etc. Visibility is everything, you control the time you are playing at.

I was about to edit my reply to add this - For those who like no bookings, do your clubs not allow societies? Some societies alone can take up over an hour's worth of tee times. If I rocked up at my club hoping for a game and there was a society going off, with other members also waiting, the idea of hanging around for a couple of hours is very unappealing to me.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

But wouldn't that mean a roll up being able to take advantage of a kind of unofficial booking system, so they always got the times/tees they wanted
Might be seen as a bit unequal

(genuine question because all roll ups always book a window at the local course I play)

No, it was common knowledge that a rollup would start 'about' a certain time but if people wanted to get out before them they just had to get to the tee ahead of the rollup. The rollup had no divine rights to certain times. But it worked well, nobody ever had to queue more than 2 or 3 groups max.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It’s an aged old debate

We used to be a roll up club and there was never a chance it would move to tee bookings for general play , we had one in place for Competition and it worked well

After Covid we made a decision to go to a vote to ask the members

it was 95% in favour of the tee bookings so we kept it all

The 5% are still noisy at times because they don’t get their 4 tee times in a row at a time they want so they want to have swindle bookings which we have said No because it just blocks out the whole tee all day

Our main roll ups have got themselves organised so generally we all get booked in at the times they want but it also leaves loads of spaces for others - the roll ups also open to anyone

For me knowing when I will start and finish is good - it also helps the kitchen and bar knowing when people will be on the course

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

But wouldn't that mean a roll up being able to take advantage of a kind of unofficial booking system, so they always got the times/tees they wanted
Might be seen as a bit unequal

(genuine question because all roll ups always book a window at the local course I play)

No booking precovid. We have kept booking in place. I was dead against booking for a number of reasons...impact on roll ups being one. But compromise is that our roll ups have been allocated windows of sets of tee times. Truth is that though this works fine for those wishing to play in a roll up there is increasing resentment from members who don't. Specific issue being pressure on Sat am tee times and then 'special' position the sat am roll up has.

The real issue is that our membership is full at what historically would have been fairly easily accomodated. But not so these days. Everyone wants to play so much more - all weekend rounds are members as are vast majority through the week.

Though perhaps for a separate thread...our income is mostly membership subs, we don't take many societies and visitors. So to ease weekend pressure, do we significantly reduce membership, by say 75-100, and then to fill the big income gap we increase subs by say 10% (almost certainly losing a load of members at renewal as a result), and significantly increase off peak visitors and societies.

It's moving to a different business model. And would be very controversial. But it's an option and a possible answer to member pressure on weekend and medal tee times and the issues around tee booking system yes/no debate.

Meanwhile, and despite my strong previous opposition, given the numbers wishing to play weekends I'd say keep system.

 

[Boomy]

I seem to remember this being ‘furiously’ discussed previously (on here and at golf clubs)… the general consensus, if I remember rightly was; people with lots of time on their hands were happiest with turn up and play when it suits them and they didn’t like having to use technology, or take the time when slots open to book a tee. People with limited time to play preferred the booking system as it meant they could fit a game in with everything else.
The people with limited time were generally happy for tee times to be blocked out on the booking system for group roll ups so both could exist. The people with lots of time on their hands just want it their way with no tee booking and no technology or effort required to book a tee.

Personally tee booking is a deal breaker for me, I like to plan time to play and get a coffee/lunch/snack after the game. I don’t see why a hybrid system couldn’t work, try to keep it workable for both types of golfer.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

We have a booking system in place for whenever the course is open.

However, just like this week when my afternoon became free, I checked on line, saw it was empty and just went and played.

The Club still asks members to book on to the course so they are aware who is on the course at any given time, so I opened the app on arrival in the car park and booked the next slot.

If we hadn’t of had the on line system I’d be either rocking up to the empty course or getting there and finding the course booked.

We have a comp sat/sun every weekend of the year and are full and there is no way a roll up would work, unless those interested waited until after 2pm in the summer.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

As a member of a club which gets a lot of visitors then a booking system is the only way that members and visitors get a game without spending time hanging around waiting for the 1st tee to become free.

If clubs have a small number of active playing members then I can see the merits of rock up and play.

A big active playing membership then becomes better having a booking system.

Neither system is perfect due to differing needs of members as you have those who are there for a round of golf only and those who are there to socialise before, during and after a round of golf.

 

[The Fader]

I understand it's all about personal choice but I really struggle to understand why a booking system is so despised by some. Surely knowing your tee time in advance and not having to hang around if you arrive at the same time as many other groups is a good thing? Not everyone has the luxury of being able to spend an unspecified amount of time at the golf club.

It may be presumptious but would I be right in thinking that the majority in favour of no booking are long term members who would be eligible for the senior section?

I also don't understand the complaint of booking systems creating the "fastest finger" scenario and prime tee slots going quickly. The roll -up system does not create any extra tee times so if everyone who used the booking system to book a prime tee time just turned up instead along with those who missed out - you still have a situation where there are more people wanting to play between certain times than tee times available.

Am I missing something?

 

[Bazz]

Not having a booking system would cause me to look elsewhere. I've said it before (on the many times this thread comes around) I couldn't tell the family I'll either see them in 4.5 hours or 7 depending on what the queue is like.

 

[timd77]

Some interesting replies on here so far, thanks all. Must admit, I am a bit nervous about no bookings, having only ever played in the online booking era. The main thing is the unknown wait time. I already get it in the neck off my wife if my tee time means I’m back later than usual (ie, finish around 1 but it’s more like 2pm today), but if I’m saying ‘I’ll see you when I see you’, it could cause some problems. I’ll have to ask some honest questions at the club tonight.

I’ve just read that one of the other clubs also doesn’t have tee times.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

Some interesting replies on here so far, thanks all. Must admit, I am a bit nervous about no bookings, having only ever played in the online booking era. The main thing is the unknown wait time. I already get it in the neck off my wife if my tee time means I’m back later than usual (ie, finish around 1 but it’s more like 2pm today), but if I’m saying ‘I’ll see you when I see you’, it could cause some problems. I’ll have to ask some honest questions at the club tonight.

I’ve just read that one of the other clubs also doesn’t have tee times.

That's the problem with golf unfortunately, it's an old man's game where the members go to escape for the day.

The working and family man is in the minority.