Booking system v no booking system

[Bazz]

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.

Where did you choose?

 

[timd77]

Where did you choose?

It’s Penn that I’m talking about, still mulling it over for now. The other options are Kidderminster and Oxley, issue with them is that they’re a bit far away for one of us (ie, Kiddie is near me but too far from my pal, and oxley is near him but a bit far from me). Nothing’s ruled out and we’re planning on playing all of them again before deciding, but Penn seems the likeliest.

 

[r0wly86]

Yeah you're right. And if its a regular roll up I can't figure out why the proshop/club wouldn't just book out the window needed for a handfull of tee times for the roll up before opening up the rest of that days tees times online

This is what my old club did, blocked out 5 tee times (not a big membership) everyone turned up, picked balls out of a hat and off you went. But for the rest of the time is was a booking system, which could be done online, on an app, or by calling the pro

 

[Bazz]

It’s Penn that I’m talking about, still mulling it over for now. The other options are Kidderminster and Oxley, issue with them is that they’re a bit far away for one of us (ie, Kiddie is near me but too far from my pal, and oxley is near him but a bit far from me). Nothing’s ruled out and we’re planning on playing all of them again before deciding, but Penn seems the likeliest.

I've only played the back 9 at Penn as a visitor, and that was because there was a queue of members waiting to go out. We'd got a tee time booked but as you say they don't have them so it was tough.

 

[timd77]

I've only played the back 9 at Penn as a visitor, and that was because there was a queue of members waiting to go out. We'd got a tee time booked but as you say they don't have them so it was tough.

Yeh, I read some online reviews and visitors were complaining about tee times not being honoured, members getting priority, which isn’t great really and they shouldn’t allow ‘golf now’ to book tee times, no idea how that could happen! But selfishly gives me a bit of confidence that they put members first. It’s on my list of questions to ask at interview, however.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

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

What I dislike the most about tee times is the mad rush at 7pm on a Sunday to get a time for the following Saturday morning, and how sterile golf feels with people just turning up just before their booked time. There is no social interaction because you hardly see anyone other than your previously agreed playing partners for that game.
I get that from a pay and play course, I don't want that from a private members club, which is what I pay my subs for.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Our tee times go live at 8.00pm for two weeks time. Not normally an issue until Saturday and Sunday when it really is first finger and the mad scramble. We try and organise ourselves in as much as one person in the roll up will book for a specific group of four with a time in mind and will then look for the nearest alternative if the preferred time is already locked by someone else. It affects the roll up as we can have people unlucky in getting times coming in up to an hour later than the main group, especially as we look to pay on the day so the money is all collected and accounted for and someone (i.e. me) isn't holding too much money to be paid

 

[sunshine]

What I dislike the most about tee times is the mad rush at 7pm on a Sunday to get a time for the following Saturday morning, and how sterile golf feels with people just turning up just before their booked time. There is no social interaction because you hardly see anyone other than your previously agreed playing partners for that game.
I get that from a pay and play course, I don't want that from a private members club, which is what I pay my subs for.

Fair enough on the 7pm Sunday rush. But isn't that preferable than 9am Saturday rush when 50 people turn up at the same time for premium tee times? At least the booking you can do on your phone while sat on the sofa watching Antiques Roadshow.

Most people do the social interaction post round rather than before.

 

[Boomy]

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.

It’s ok to sit for 30-60 minutes eating at the risk of catching a potentially fatal illness but not acceptable to pop into the pro shop for 30-60 seconds to check in - wow! Each to their own as you say but…

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Fair enough on the 7pm Sunday rush. But isn't that preferable than 9am Saturday rush when 50 people turn up at the same time for premium tee times? At least the booking you can do on your phone while sat on the sofa watching Antiques Roadshow.

Most people do the social interaction post round rather than before.

Not really no, because you don't ever have 50 people turn up for a 9am start Saturday or Sunday. The tee opens for play at currently 7am (or when it's daylight), so it allows people plenty of options for when they want to play.
Yes we socialise post round with a drink and sometimes food, but pre round socialising can be more personal and private and also be more general as well.
In case you hadn't grasped it, the socialising aspect is very important to me. All my working life I have worked alone (apart form being in someones house), and therefore you put greater value on social interaction when with like minded friends because that is the only time you can natter and have a joke in a group.

 

[phillarrow]

What I dislike the most about tee times is the mad rush at 7pm on a Sunday to get a time for the following Saturday morning, and how sterile golf feels with people just turning up just before their booked time. There is no social interaction because you hardly see anyone other than your previously agreed playing partners for that game.
I get that from a pay and play course, I don't want that from a private members club, which is what I pay my subs for.

This is the best argument I've seen about not having bookings. I can see the benefits of increased social interaction it can bring about by only having roll ups. I can also see how it could help to integrate new members better - and I say this as someone who is a new member of a club who doesn't have a ball chute system.

However, my instinct is that many/most/all of those who turn up will be doing so with regular playing partners anyway and will still end up playing together. Whereas those who would split up to welcome a new member would be so welcoming on and around the course that they'll help the new member to integrate anyway. So for me, the benefits of a booking system outweigh the drawbacks. Good to hear a genuine counter argument though. ?

 

[Bazz]

Yeh, I read some online reviews and visitors were complaining about tee times not being honoured, members getting priority, which isn’t great really and they shouldn’t allow ‘golf now’ to book tee times, no idea how that could happen! But selfishly gives me a bit of confidence that they put members first. It’s on my list of questions to ask at interview, however.

Absolutely, you want to know if you're shelling out that sort of fee that you'll be the priority rather than a pay and play.

 

[Backache]

It’s ok to sit for 30-60 minutes eating at the risk of catching a potentially fatal illness but not acceptable to pop into the pro shop for 30-60 seconds to check in - wow! Each to their own as you say but…

Checking in appears to provide no benefit, never used to be done and is a minor hassle and small risk.
Eating is an essential part of life and benefits the club.

 

[phillarrow]

Checking in appears to provide no benefit, never used to be done and is a minor hassle and small risk.
Eating is an essential part of life and benefits the club.

Doesn't checking in benefit the club because it allows them to check whether members are adhering to their bookings, thereby allowing them to know whether/when they can accept more members, as well as being able to deal with any who regularly book tees and don't turn up? Isn't that helping the club too?

 

[Jamesbrown]

I’ve never been at or to a club were you don’t book a tee time. And I certainly cannot imagine turning up and waiting about. Absolutely not. I want to go on the range, have a coffee and arrive at the tee warmed up.

We do not have roll ups at ours either but the only day there isn’t a comp on is Thursday and Friday so no need for such shenanigans.

 

[Backache]

Doesn't checking in benefit the club because it allows them to check whether members are adhering to their bookings, thereby allowing them to know whether/when they can accept more members, as well as being able to deal with any who regularly book tees and don't turn up? Isn't that helping the club too?

Not very obviously.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

We had a guy join our rollup today. He told me that he joined with some mates a year ago and only played with them. Said he loved it today playing with different people, can't wait for next Friday to do it again.

 

[phillarrow]

Not very obviously.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult but what does that mean?

Are you saying you'll only do things that help the club if it's obvious to you how it helps them? But you won't do things that help the club if you don't benefit and/or can't see the benefits?

I'm sure you're not saying that, but it's how it comes across?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

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....

If say 32 are signed up for our sat rollup by cop tues then we have 8 tee times - we are limited to 10. All 32 turn up for 10:15 and a random draw is made for groups of four and order of teeing off from 10:30. In our fours we chuck balls up for pairs to play a 4BBB match. In truth it’s a rollup in name only as we must know how many are playing in advance so the club can release tee times not required, but all other aspects are as pre-booking system.

 

[Backache]

Sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult but what does that mean?

Are you saying you'll only do things that help the club if it's obvious to you how it helps them? But you won't do things that help the club if you don't benefit and/or can't see the benefits?

I'm sure you're not saying that, but it's how it comes across?

I will absolutely try and help the club and do my best to help it but I'm not keen on bureaucracy. I'm certainly keen to avoid indoor spaces.
The club has existed for years without a booking system, I comply. I really don't think checking in helps anyone.