Booking system v no booking system

[Bunkermagnet]

So the only reason you have provided why it's better not to have bookings, is that it suits you because you have all the time in the world.

Where did I say anything about time? Is a game of golf shorter because of tee times?...no of course it’s not.
I leave home every week day at 4:50 am and get home between 6 and 8 pm every week day. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning is normally spent doing paperwork for my business.
Where exactly does that say I have all the time in the World for golf?
i gave a reason why I like not having tee times, just because you don’t like it doesn’t bother me.

 

[Boomy]

Personally I always turn up but at the moment checking in with COVID precautions just ain't worth the hassle.

Checking in is hassle? ? Which COVID precautions cause it to be a hassle? It’s a 10 second job to let the pro/asst know that someone is there for a tee slot.

 

[sweaty sock]

Just cant get my head around the no booking system, either there are no members, or members are complicit? I feel (please prove me wrong) that without a booking system its just those who have already monopolised the times they want are happy, its in effect a closed shop to everyone else?

Isnt this just a massive barrier of entry?

For those without a booking system, what happens if a new member, or a fourball of new member just turns up on a saturday? Is it a normal thing or is it a rarity? Are they likely to get a reception that makes them want to turn up again. What if a single stranger just appears, can they stroll into a 3 ball in the swindle, or are they largely ignored until the regulars are sorted?

Hope my assumptions are totally unfounded..

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Weekend tee times difficult to book as too many members wanting to play? Can't get into competitions and medals? Members getting fed up and angry with the situation? Is the booking system the problem - or is it simply the numbers of members wanting to play? Find a way of (maybe quite significantly) reducing the membership or number of members allowed to play weekends. Yes...Money...but in these times of waiting lists and the escalating cost of playing courses as a visitor. Question to be asked to a membership?

 

[sweaty sock]

Weekend tee times difficult to book as too many members wanting to play? Can't get into competitions and medals? Members getting fed up and angry with the situation? Is the booking system the problem - or is it simply the numbers of members wanting to play? Find a way of (maybe quite significantly) reducing the membership or number of members allowed to play weekends. Yes...Money...but in these times of waiting lists and the escalating cost of playing courses as a visitor. Question to be asked to a membership?

Thats kind of my point, it seems that everyone with a booking system has members falling over themselves to book an early weekend spot, where as those without a booking system just wander onto the first tee. Theres got to be something going on....???

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Y

Just cant get my head around the no booking system, either there are no members, or members are complicit? I feel (please prove me wrong) that without a booking system its just those who have already monopolised the times they want are happy, its in effect a closed shop to everyone else?

Isnt this just a massive barrier of entry?

For those without a booking system, what happens if a new member, or a fourball of new member just turns up on a saturday? Is it a normal thing or is it a rarity? Are they likely to get a reception that makes them want to turn up again. What if a single stranger just appears, can they stroll into a 3 ball in the swindle, or are they largely ignored until the regulars are sorted?

Hope my assumptions are totally unfounded..

Your assumption on swindles is that they are effectively closed shops. Ours are open to all so the idea of strolling into a swindle 3 ball just isn't a thing. Of course an open swindle means that if numbers playing in a swindle are limited by the number of reserved tee times then some regulars can miss out. But with a booking system so be it. With my sat swindle/roll up it is very rare that that happens if I get my name down before the Tues cutoff.

 

[Backache]

Checking in is hassle? ? Which COVID precautions cause it to be a hassle? It’s a 10 second job to let the pro/asst know that someone is there for a tee slot.

Mask on mask off , can't be bothered with going inside unless I'm eating.

 

[timd77]

Went to the meeting last night, it was packed with members from my current club (closing) interested in joining. It seems like a nice place, clubhouse was decent, very traditional with the captain, secretary, vice captain etc in blazers (not used to that at staffs!), those wooden boards with lists of winners names on etc etc, which I quite liked.

They want to go through the tee availability with us individually to make sure that it suits our own lives (ie, will it be hard to go off at the times we want to, are there fiddles we can join at those times), but broadly speaking it’s:

Saturdays - comps every Saturday April to October, which are booked online

Sunday - Friday - turn up, ball in a shute, go out when it’s your/your group’s turn. No putting the ball in the shute until you’re all there and ready.

The vice captain sat down with me and my pal for a chat, he seemed to think that the times we normally play won’t be a problem, even between 9-10am on a Sunday. He says there’s a fiddle that goes off early and then nothing until the next one at 11. However, that could change if a load join from my existing club, as they’re the fastest finger first brigade! Just depends if they’ll accept not booking online, they were the ones asking the questions last night so I suspect not as they were saying they like to be able to make sure they all go out together.

Lots to mull over the next couple of weeks.

 

[Boomy]

Mask on mask off , can't be bothered with going inside unless I'm eating.

So no hassle at all then - it would just involve a little tiny bit of effort for a minute or so ? If it had been for medical reasons then fair enough.

 

[phillarrow]

Went to the meeting last night, it was packed with members from my current club (closing) interested in joining. It seems like a nice place, clubhouse was decent, very traditional with the captain, secretary, vice captain etc in blazers (not used to that at staffs!), those wooden boards with lists of winners names on etc etc, which I quite liked.

They want to go through the tee availability with us individually to make sure that it suits our own lives (ie, will it be hard to go off at the times we want to, are there fiddles we can join at those times), but broadly speaking it’s:

Saturdays - comps every Saturday April to October, which are booked online

Sunday - Friday - turn up, ball in a shute, go out when it’s your/your group’s turn. No putting the ball in the shute until you’re all there and ready.

The vice captain sat down with me and my pal for a chat, he seemed to think that the times we normally play won’t be a problem, even between 9-10am on a Sunday. He says there’s a fiddle that goes off early and then nothing until the next one at 11. However, that could change if a load join from my existing club, as they’re the fastest finger first brigade! Just depends if they’ll accept not booking online, they were the ones asking the questions last night so I suspect not as they were saying they like to be able to make sure they all go out together.

Lots to mull over the next couple of weeks.

Sounds like a really good club to me.
It would have been easy to just accept the extra income of more members and then let them leave if it turns out they can't play when they want to. Seems like you've chosen well in considering this one.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

The vice captain sat down with me and my pal for a chat, he seemed to think that the times we normally play won’t be a problem, even between 9-10am on a Sunday. He says there’s a fiddle that goes off early and then nothing until the next one at 11. However, that could change if a load join from my existing club, as they’re the fastest finger first brigade! Just depends if they’ll accept not booking online, they were the ones asking the questions last night so I suspect not as they were saying they like to be able to make sure they all go out together.

Lots to mull over the next couple of weeks.

Surely it's easier to guarantee going out together if there is no booking system? They meet at the club and all put their balls in the chute at the same time?

 

[timd77]

Sounds like a really good club to me.
It would have been easy to just accept the extra income of more members and then let them leave if it turns out they can't play when they want to. Seems like you've chosen well in considering this one.

They’ve got a waiting list and so must be doing something right. A friend of a friend is a member there and he loves it. Just that fear of new though isn’t it!

Surely it's easier to guarantee going out together if there is no booking system? They meet at the club and all put their balls in the chute at the same time?

Maybe, although there’s about 20 of them and getting golfers to arrive on time is like herding cats at the best of times! I guess the flip side is that at least they’ve got to turn up, whereas booking online 3 weeks in advance means there’s inevitably always drop outs, which is just as annoying to see.

 

[sweaty sock]

Y
Your assumption on swindles is that they are effectively closed shops. Ours are open to all so the idea of strolling into a swindle 3 ball just isn't a thing. Of course an open swindle means that if numbers playing in a swindle are limited by the number of reserved tee times then some regulars can miss out. But with a booking system so be it. With my sat swindle/roll up it is very rare that that happens if I get my name down before the Tues cutoff.

So effectively your swindle is a booking system then so more like a booked comp than a roll up...

My assumptions about swindles is that they are either block booked times that players turn up to play, as soon as they are full, then as the block booking is finite, then they are a closed shop. Or a just turn up at the time, balls thrown up and off we go, the second type very rarely actually just throw the balls up. They much more normally go out in there prefered groups and swap 5ers in the clubhouse after. If a random turns up to the first then they are normally pushed to the back and effectively, just put out as if they were not part of the sweep....

 

[jim8flog]

We have a booking system which is quite civilised 8 p.m. 8 days in advance. 7 am I would not consider civilised and who really knows what they are doing in 3 weeks time.
8pm was also chosen because the office and pro shop would be closed and it would avoid them being inundated with phone calls.

Before it was brought in we had a referendum and in it was about 60-40 in favour of one, not enough to actually bring it in for all times so it came in piecemeal. When it came for all times one guy tried to stop it at AGM and got zero support from any of the other attendees. I reckon if a vote was taken now it would be a vote strongly in favour of keeping it.

The problems which went on before; We would all play on Monday agree the time to play on Thursday turn up and find a society had been booked in with no way of knowing until we turned up at the club. We had a ball chute weekdays one person would turn up and place 5 or more balls in it without anybody else being present, other players would turn up with all players present and there would be rows about them going out when balls were in the chute, Saturday and Sundays players would turn up at 5am to join a queue for the ball chute to be 'opened' at 7am and there were lots of arguments with the starter which has but stopped now.

 

[jim8flog]

My problem with our booking system is that it is unpoliced.

If I discover today that I have time for a game tomorrow, the sheet for the morning is fully booked (and probably has been for some time), yet I know a significant number will not turn up.

.

We have started to address that problem. Every player must check in on the computer to signify they have arrived and are playing (it was originally bought in for Covid reasons). Players that do not check in are now getting letters asking them why they did not book in and did they actually play. It is working well.

 

[Orikoru]

Mask on mask off , can't be bothered with going inside unless I'm eating.

Compulsory masks are long gone aren't they?? The only place I wear a mask now is on the tube.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Just cant get my head around the no booking system, either there are no members, or members are complicit? I feel (please prove me wrong) that without a booking system its just those who have already monopolised the times they want are happy, its in effect a closed shop to everyone else?

Isnt this just a massive barrier of entry?

For those without a booking system, what happens if a new member, or a fourball of new member just turns up on a saturday? Is it a normal thing or is it a rarity? Are they likely to get a reception that makes them want to turn up again. What if a single stranger just appears, can they stroll into a 3 ball in the swindle, or are they largely ignored until the regulars are sorted?

Hope my assumptions are totally unfounded..

The swindles at my club are open for anyone to join. If you’re a club member you have as much right as everyone other member.
We don’t have visitors before the afternoon at the weekends, and no societies at all at a weekend.
The group I normally play with have had many a new member be invited to join us for a game. Some have stayed, others have moved to other groups
With a friendly members club, having no tee times isn’t as sinister as many like to think.
I find having no tee times leads to a more friendly and social feeling, but everyone has their own choice and wants.

 

[sunshine]

Where did I say anything about time? Is a game of golf shorter because of tee times?...no of course it’s not.
I leave home every week day at 4:50 am and get home between 6 and 8 pm every week day. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning is normally spent doing paperwork for my business.
Where exactly does that say I have all the time in the World for golf?
i gave a reason why I like not having tee times, just because you don’t like it doesn’t bother me.

Apologies, maybe I've not understood you. Why do you like not having tee times? And how would a booking process inconvenience you?

 

[Foxholer]

When you have a booking system that goes live at a particular time you get lots of people all diving in to book a time. If there is a rollup you end up with lots of groups mixed in which is the problem at my club. It means there are no true rollups as such. You may have 5 groups in a 'rollup' going at at 10am, 10:24, 10:44 11:12 etc which spoils it. Lots of people enjoy a rollup with a couple of quid in the pot, it creates a good club atmosphere rather than everyone playing in the same 4ball every week and also is good for integrating new members.

So yes, you are being a presumptious

Most clubs I've been associated with block out sufficient tee times for recognised roll-ups. It's in their interest, through bar and kitchen takings, to do so.

 

[Backache]

Compulsory masks are long gone aren't they?? The only place I wear a mask now is on the tube.

I still wear a mask in all public places indoors , don't want to catch covid playing golf so I don't go into the clubhouse unless I'm eating .
Personal choice and all that but I don't want to catch a potentially fatal illness just to check in . The chances are low so I would if it served a point but I'm playing anyway so I don't check in.