Busy Courses

[PJ87]

Love that courses are going 9 holes. I love a bit of 9 holes and would love to be given chance to play our back 9 .. as they do the front only for 9 holes

 

[SammmeBee]

All these people who are furloughed out playing golf when they are being paid to be at home. If you are getting money for not working then you should let those who aren't have priority.

The great mis-informed......

 

[SammmeBee]

Love that courses are going 9 holes. I love a bit of 9 holes and would love to be given chance to play our back 9 .. as they do the front only for 9 holes

Whom plays the back 9 then?

 

[Imurg]

As soon as we came back from lockdown 1 were asked that if we could play midweek it would be good to let those who could only play weekends to have first dibs.
Thats continuing now and I think, for the most part, it works.
We're on o holes only, 2 tee start.
Booking goes live Wednesday at 8pm for times starting the following Sunday
We can book 3 x 9 rounds
From Friday at 8pm we can book, anything thats still available but no more than 1 x 9 per day.
If, like me, you can be flexible with your times it's easy to play 7 days a week.

 

[PJ87]

Whom plays the back 9 then?

During this they have asked us to book us 4 balls as normal if we want and the Marshall will split the group in half one off front one off back

Otherwise he will just manage traffic

Also you can do 18 they just don't guarantee it ATM especially at weekends

Normally I'm talking about If your only playing 9 it's front 9 only you don't get an option.

 

[SteveW86]

Interesting, we’re looking to join a local club, we haven’t decided which one just yet, some are much busier than others and one in particular is exactly like yours, booked solid! I guess that means is a good club but I definitely want to be playing at short notice!

Which courses are you looking at?

 

[fundy]

All these people who are furloughed out playing golf when they are being paid to be at home. If you are getting money for not working then you should let those who aren't have priority.

does that apply to pensioners too?

 

[CliveW]

does that apply to pensioners too?

No. Because they play through the week all the time, not just during lockdown.

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

We’ve two courses, and when November lockdown finished both were open as four ball courses. Now we’ve gone to two ball only and 9 holes because of the Tier 4 rules. When you are through your 9, you can check in with the pro shop and may be able to stay out for 18. You can book front or back nine on either course.

The courses are busy (I guess a combination of furlough, holiday, and enthusiasm to play after being unable to) and so restricted to members only. If you want to tee off at 11:13 on a Thursday like you have for the last 40 years then you’ll struggle. But if you have a bit of flexibility then it’s fine; I’ve been able to play when I’ve wanted to more or less.

I think the club have organised this really very well indeed. This time of year, playing 9 holes is great and this utilises the whole of both courses, and gets people out playing.

 

[Billysboots]

What are the busy courses doing about roll-ups and sweeps? Do they still allow them to take up tee times or have they stopped them?
Just wondering how they've handled sweeps getting guaranteed tee times when non sweepers need to do fastest finger first for the limited slots.

Ours are still allowing roll-ups and, rather annoyingly, still run a winter Seniors Open once a week. That’s fine, because it brings in revenue, but it effectively shuts the course to members once a week. None of our own seniors play in it, as they refuse to pay an entry fee to play at their own course, and nobody else can play anything more than a few holes behind the Open before it gets dark.

Given the huge amount we’ve made financially from new members, I question whether this Open is needed from the revenue point of view. And it’s certainly not going down well with the members given the constant struggle to get a tee time.

 

[KenL]

Ours are still allowing roll-ups and, rather annoyingly, still run a winter Seniors Open once a week. That’s fine, because it brings in revenue, but it effectively shuts the course to members once a week. None of our own seniors play in it, as they refuse to pay an entry fee to play at their own course, and nobody else can play anything more than a few holes behind the Open before it gets dark.

Given the huge amount we’ve made financially from new members, I question whether this Open is needed from the revenue point of view. And it’s certainly not going down well with the members given the constant struggle to get a tee time.

Have you questioned the club?
Seems strange they are having opens especially with travel restrictions in place.

 

[nickjdavis]

Up until we closed due to waterlogged ground we were exceptionally busy. We have cancelled all of the regular "blocked tee times" for roll ups, the seniors section and the ladies and they just have to fight for a tee time like the rest of the membership. Luckily we don't have an online booking facility so you don't have to go through the fastest finger process at an obscure hour in the morning to get a game!!! Trouble is with the vast majority of players being members and the restrictions in the "bar" the club isn't really generating a significant amount of income. I can understand clubs trying to encourage visitors in order to generate some green fee revenue but can see how this would rankle with members trying to get a game in these times of shortened daylight.

Not that it matters at the moment as were shut...supposed to reopen tomorrow but I'd be surprised given the weather that is expected overnight.

 

[Mandofred]

Our roll-ups still have no sign of returning because of Covid restrictions....I wonder how some clubs are doing it?? Our club isn't so busy I can't get a tee time, if it does get that busy I will stop playing. At this time you have to be fairly quick to get the morning slots, and has been mentioned you can't start very late or you won't get your round in. On the positive side of things....we are getting a minute more daylight every evening now and it will be picking up speed over the next couple of weeks....just hang in there for another month and there should be more time/room to play.

 

[Billysboots]

Have you questioned the club?
Seems strange they are having opens especially with travel restrictions in place.

I’ve questioned them previously, long before Covid, as these events are played every Tuesday from mid-October until mid-March. Given it takes every Tuesday for months off the board for members, I asked if I could have a 6-day membership during that period. My request got a rather frosty reception.

With regard to current restrictions, most of the seniors playing these events are from local clubs, so I’m not sure there is much of an issue. They’re delighted to visit our place because many of theirs are shut this time of year because of the wet weather. They’re happy to pay their entry fee, get eighteen holes on a playable course and wreck it for us, returning to their pristine courses each spring. We then pay the price until May or June, with unrepaired pitchmarks and the general mudbath left behind by overplay. I have, on occasion, played a few holes behind these events and witnessed first hand the carnage caused so I’m not generalising - these Opens bring in revenue but the members object to them for a multitude of reasons.

And, as I say, the current demand for tee times in general has merely served to make them even more unpopular.

 

[Blue in Munich]

We are technically limited to 2 nine hole bookings per week, in 2 balls as we are in Tier 4. I say technically because if you reach the turn and there is a tee time on the other 9 within 20 minutes that is not booked then the pro shop can book you into that, which is what I did this morning.

With the numbers now working from home and furloughed, I don't see it changing anytime soon.

 

[Shooter McPowick]

Now that we are down to 2 balls it is very difficult to get a tee time for 18. No hassle getting a time for 9 though.

 

[patricks148]

it didn't take long for ours to go back to being a joke.

was on yesterday at 6PM on the dot to book a time for next Sat, after the refresh on the dot, locked up and opened at 6.03 by that time every booking talen from 8.52 to 1pm so no time as you wont get round light for a full 18 if its slow

same again tonight on the dot and got 12.20

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We are down to 9 to allow everyone a chance to get on and you can choose front (usually drier and the easier) or the back. Hasn't been too bad so far, especially back 9. I didn't log in until 9.00am Christmas Eve and could easily have got a game on Tuesday (day being booked). It has actually worked really well

 

[SteveW86]

Roughly how many members do you guys have who are struggling with tee times?

 

[USER1999]

Roughly how many members do you guys have who are struggling with tee times?

700?