confused , annoyed and fed up.....

[time_vans]

lovely afternoon lad finished early so it was off to a local course for a swift 9 before the third member of our party had to nip off to beverley races. first problem the score card.....it has white yards and red yards but no yellow yards and being a total novice guessing yardage is a problem hence we all shot through a few greens. second issue this total a**e of a groundsman who got infront of us on the 5th fairway and just ploughed up and down refusing to giveway.He did this at every hole delaying us and putting us off by dissapearing behind trees then just as your about to swing shooting back into the fairway. then he would decide to cut around the green as we were all waiting to chip on. This got so ridiculous that at the par 3 8th both the lad and his mate tried to deliberately hit him with their tee shots as he hid behind a row of bushes. when they went to look for their balls they had landed on the practice hole along with another 100 or so balls ! it took over 2hrs to complete 9 holes because of this idiot and spoilt a first and probably last visit to the place.!!

 

[barb]

Sorry to hear you haven't had a good afternoon
I would complain to the general manager (if there is one) about the groundsman regarding his conduct on the course, I know the grass needs cutting but surely there are other holes that could be done with no one playing them.
At the end of the day you are paying for the enjoyment of a sport you love so courtesy should be given to you, you wouldn't go into a coffee shop and expect the waitress/waiter to be wiping down your table while you are sat at it (unless you had asked) so why should it be any different on the golf course.
Sorry, rant over now

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would think he saw it was getting on your nerves and did it deliberately. My advice is to write a strongly worded letter outlining what happened and the unacceptable behaviour of one of their employees and demand another round free or at the very least 1/2 price

 

[HTL]

Defo complain mate, he sounds a right plonker! Did you try to speak with him?

2hrs to complete 9 holes sounds a nightmare.

 

[USER1999]

It is often efficient for the greens staff to cut grass / greens in a seemingly random fashion, and so the same 4 ball get held up time and time again.

I have had the same arguement on saturday mornings at my club. If they worked from 18 backwards you would only see them once. Sadly this never happens.

 

[viscount17]

before you complain to the club check for signs that say you must give way to greenskeepers - I've seen these at several places.

at our club this week they were gritting (top dressing?) the greens as we were playing the Seniors Medal (I think hoping to take advantage of predicted rain that never happened). Usually though they are very good, most often 2 or 3 out at different parts of the course but will pull off, switch-off and wait for you to play through.

(didn't get an increase for the first time - if I had only doubled my three bad ones I would have been net -2 instead of +4).

 

[TonyN]

Everywhere I play they have signs saying greenkeepers have priority, but they always move out of the way and shut down for people to play. That sounds way out of order!

I would defo express your concerns!

They other day I went out on my local 9 holer, on my own and and flew round (4 over i may add, with a disaster ina bunker) then when I tried to a play a back 9 i got stuck on the 3rd (12th) I could see 4 groups of 4 all dressed in what i can only describe as OTT golf fancy dress. The pro had to come out and have words but even after he left they were still slow as anything, wouuldn't let people play through and on the 7th (16th) there were 3 groups waiting, including me and 2 chaps who let me join them.

There was a lad who worked at the range(attatched to the course) who said I would let you 3 through but you wont get anywhere any quicker, which I excepted and he was right.

Eventually when I finished and went back into the pro shop, I was speaking to my pro about the speed of play and basically told him along with about 8 others I was fairly pi**ed off with the groups in front.

The guy who worked there heard this and must have told one of his pals, because when I went out on to the range, one of the lads came up to me and asked what I was complaining about. I told him that I was on about the pace and the fact that 3 groups got bunched up together. He obv saw his a**e and tried kicking off, but I did explain I wasn't blaming them and it was the groups infront of them I was refering too, he just walked off with out an appology.

Anyway, do we think clubs should put more effort into keeping things flowing, do you think greenkeepers could intervien whilst there out and about rather than us rely on pro's or captains?

 

[viscount17]

That's the $64 question isn't it? Whose job is it to ensure that pace of play is maintained; it's not the greenskeeper (though ours will speak up if he sees misdeeds), it's certainly not his staff, except for club events not sure it can be the committee if the club is separate from the course. it ought to be the pro, but if he's a one-man band?
we have a starter on society days and at weekends, unpaid I think; maybe it's also a case for marshals at busy times.
(nearly 6 hours yesterday and we were letting solos through who then teamed up)

 

[HomerJSimpson]

As far as I am aware, it is the job of course marshals if your course has them. The pro (certainly at my club) is there as a business and so not too worried about how long it takes the members t get round. I guess theonus may be slightly different on a pay and play but all the ones by us just seem to take the money without worrying how long it takes you to get round.

That said I know one (Downshire near Wokingham which is council owned) does have a marshall who goes round keeping an eye on the pace of play and looking into any reports of misbehaviour but this is an exception rather than the rule