Course Marshall

[patricks148]

I have mentioned the 3 ball in our group ripping though the course as the front nine was empty and mentioned they were using buggies(see my post 27).

Interested to hear your views, we were playing as a walking 3 ball, 2nd group out and were heading for just under a 3 hour round(7 holes played in 1hr 10 minutes with a par4 & par 3 to finish the front nine and were about 1.5 hours for front 9). It was almost a shame that we/the first group/whole group got stuck behind some slow members playing from the 10th, as I had decided to have my say next time and my wife was saying do not).

BTW I was the organiser for this and it was a business event, the whole matter was embarrassing tbh and for the first time ever, I am considering making a formal complaint (btw there is more comments made by the marshal, and she also said that we started to play faster on the back nine and caught the group up in front which was just rubbish we only caught them up due to the slow members ahead of the first 3 ball in buggies[we had almost a 2 hour back nine], other comments were made to others groups at lunch and other groups/hassle/food issues tbh), but really looking to see if my view is out of step with other peoples. I will only make a complaint about the facts I know that are true as I experienced them(hence why I have not posted the other groups experiences). A shame really as the course is cracking and greens were superb and we did not have any problems with any other people on the day.

Do you think that the Marshall was doing a good job when she asked up to speed up, even though we were playing at just faster than 3 hour pace for 3 ball ?

I would complain then. the members cutting in from the 10th sounds a bit of a cheek, esp if they held you up on the back 9.

my com are purely on the fact you had lost ground on the group in front and the marshal had brought that to your attention, which i suppose she is there to do. I would have brought her attention to the members who cut in front of you and held you up.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I would complain then. the members cutting in from the 10th sounds a bit of a cheek, esp if they held you up on the back 9.

my com are purely on the fact you had lost ground on the group in front and the marshal had brought that to your attention, which i suppose she is there to do. I would have brought her attention to the members who cut in front of you and held you up.

As such they didn't cut in, I think there was a board saying about different 2/3/4 ball times for 1st/10th setup but didn't really read it tbh(but either way the members were playing from the 10th to start with. Probably didn't help that our first group(and us) were really early to the allocated block out time for the 10th(ie. the club had block the 10th tee for 2 hours after tee off, the marshal had told us with the morning chat).

Interested to hear opinions as I dislike slow play myself, and know we had lost some ground but were playing fast(so a strange situation). The first group went out first, as from previous days they are the fastest group out of all of us and quite like sitting in the bar.

 

[bobmac]

Sounds like the 'marshal' may have been just a normal member who was given a bit of power, she abused that power and told you off just because she could.
I would have politely explained to her we were in fact keeping good time and then, the following day written a letter to the club explaining how she spoiled our round.

 

[patricks148]

As such they didn't cut in, I think there was a board saying about different 2/3/4 ball times for 1st/10th setup but didn't really read it tbh(but either way the members were playing from the 10th to start with. Probably didn't help that our first group(and us) were really early to the allocated block out time for the 10th(ie. the club had block the 10th tee for 2 hours after tee off, the marshal had told us with the morning chat).

Interested to hear opinions as I dislike slow play myself, and know we had lost some ground but were playing fast(so a strange situation). The first group went out first, as from previous days they are the fastest group out of all of us and quite like sitting in the bar.

TBH the whole Time thing is irrelevant unless the club in question states " you should take X time to here" one clubs 3 hours is slow where another 4 hours is fast. personally ive been held up plenty of times by guys with buggies and they don't always equate to faster play. if you are up with the group in front they had nothing to bring to your attention. if the course was clear in front on them and they had got several holes ahead of you, but the group behind you had also lost ground on you, then there is not much you can do, other than smile and say thanks, then when she drives off have a laugh about it.

If you knew the members were going off the 10th in front of you i suppose its not worth complaining then.

 

[r0wly86]

I suppose it comes down to how you define speed of play.

Is it an absolute i.e. 1hr10 for 7 holes
or is it relative i.e. how are you faring compared to those in front and behind.

Losing 1/2 a hole could easily be done by looking for a couple of balls on a single hole and not be emblematic of that group's actual pace of play.

If I were a marshal and a group had lost a bit of time on the group in front, I may observe them for a hole or two and see if they could play faster, for instance where are they leaving their bags, are the playing ready golf.

But just to go other at the first instance without knowing why they have lost ground is a bit stupid imho

 

[Slab]

I have mentioned the 3 ball in our group ripping though the course as the front nine was empty and mentioned they were using buggies(see my post 27).

Interested to hear your views, we were playing as a walking 3 ball, 2nd group out and were heading for just under a 3 hour round(7 holes played in 1hr 10 minutes with a par4 & par 3 to finish the front nine and were about 1.5 hours for front 9). It was almost a shame that we/the first group/whole group got stuck behind some slow members playing from the 10th, as I had decided to have my say next time and my wife was saying do not).

BTW I was the organiser for this and it was a business event, the whole matter was embarrassing tbh and for the first time ever, I am considering making a formal complaint (btw there is more comments made by the marshal, and she also said that we started to play faster on the back nine and caught the group up in front which was just rubbish we only caught them up due to the slow members ahead of the first 3 ball in buggies[we had almost a 2 hour back nine], other comments were made to others groups at lunch and other groups/hassle/food issues tbh), but really looking to see if my view is out of step with other peoples. I will only make a complaint about the facts I know that are true as I experienced them(hence why I have not posted the other groups experiences). A shame really as the course is cracking and greens were superb and we did not have any problems with any other people on the day.

Do you think that the Marshall was doing a good job when she asked up to speed up, even though we were playing at just faster than 3 hour pace for 3 ball ?

I totally get that this incident got to you on the day and still bothers you to an extent but I also think you might consider whether your overthinking it/taking it too personally. It’s just a marshal giving a hurry-up, she didn’t accuse you of damaging the course or cheating etc

It isn’t the first time a course marshal has been over zealous/too quick to take action and sure won’t be the last (not helped if they’re not a great communicator either) It’d be lovely if everyone was great at their jobs every day but we’re not, but did her actions really justify a formal complaint (it could even be that she was simply acting on instructions given to her by the very person you want to complain about her to)

On the flip side though she may even have thought that as a booking of visitors she was actually giving you a little extra service by being so attentive to your group (she may even believe it’s precisely because she drove past you several times that is the only reason you managed to do 7 holes in 70 minutes, yup she might actually take the credit for your pace thinking she did a stellar job that day!)

As for making a ‘formal’ complaint, she’s a marshal in the verb sense, there to organize groups of golfers, she’s not the law enforcement kind of Marshal (ok I know you know that)
If you put a complaint in writing the marshal will simply say to her boss that she got you all round well inside the expected time as she also did with the 4-balls in your party, she didn’t swear, shout, stab or poke anyone with a stick or call anyone names. She didn’t even raise her voice. She did make herself very prominent and available to your party and kept pace of play at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts by proactively asking groups to speed up when barely falling behind, rather than waiting until a hole and a half gap appeared and only then reacting when its harder to correct the gap

By all means mention her over-zealousness as an observation when you mail to give your impressions on the day but in your shoes I don’t think it’s anywhere near a formal complaint

 

[3offTheTee]

Which course was involved please?

Whilst hindsight is wonderful you played 3X 3 balls and 3 X 4 balls . Why not 7 x 3 balls which SHOULD have been quicker?

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Which course was involved please?

Whilst hindsight is wonderful you played 3X 3 balls and 3 X 4 balls . Why not 7 x 3 balls which SHOULD have been quicker?

At this stage I would not like to say the course but they do provide a marshal to all visiting groups to help smooth passage of play and it was on the original literature/booking form and no where near Cumbria tbh, so hopefully it should never affect you.

We did not play 7x3 balls, as some come as four balls(this was not a group of friends or a forum day), some were 2 balls and some were 1 balls. We were told we had to be round within 4 hours in the morning, as that was our allocated time and we were within that and were never informed requested to play in 2 or 3 balls or of the 4 hour rule when booking up. If we had been informed that we had to play in 3 balls then I would not have booked up the day as it does not work for the group of people that come.

Slab, I get what you are saying, hence why I asked the question as I do like to take a step away, thanks I think you have made up my mind, life really is to short to waste my time on it anymore and vote with my wallet by not going back!! (the incident over asking us to speed up, was only one of a number of issues with the Marshal that the group had, but certainly was the thing that really put my back up). Cheers

 

[Slab]

At this stage I would not like to say the course but they do provide a marshal to all visiting groups to help smooth passage of play and it was on the original literature/booking form and no where near Cumbria tbh, so hopefully it should never affect you.

We did not play 7x3 balls, as some come as four balls(this was not a group of friends or a forum day), some were 2 balls and some were 1 balls. We were told we had to be round within 4 hours in the morning, as that was our allocated time and we were within that and were never informed requested to play in 2 or 3 balls or of the 4 hour rule when booking up. If we had been informed that we had to play in 3 balls then I would not have booked up the day as it does not work for the group of people that come.

Slab, I get what you are saying, hence why I asked the question as I do like to take a step away, thanks I think you have made up my mind, life really is to short to waste my time on it anymore and vote with my wallet by not going back!! (the incident over asking us to speed up, was only one of a number of issues with the Marshal that the group had, but certainly was the thing that really put my back up). Cheers

Probably for the best, last thing I'll say on it:
I was playing the Eden course about 10 years ago, my very first time on a ‘posh’ course and it was also a business outing

The Marshal was on us after we hit our tee-shots on the second hole (& for me, totally unjustified, in hindsight it almost seemed like routine)
Today looking back it spoiled the day and I do not remember a single stroke or hole of the entire round… but I do remember him (no doubt he would not even remember my group the very next day) so I decided never again would I let a hurry-up message spoil my golf like that

Since then on occasion I’ve called the marshal on groups in front of me, I’ve chivvied groups personally as a committee member, and I’ve had the marshal called to my group too.
A marshal speaking to you is a bit like taking three to get out of a bunker, it happens so infrequently it catches you unawares & it’s just a wee bit embarrassing
(but if you check your golf bag you will see that there is no plague-mark etched on there and no one thinks less of you as a player, in short it does not define you… unless you let it)

 

[IanM]

In 2015 I was between contracts so spent 3 months working at Celtic Manor ..... one of the role was Marshalling. You had a copy of the starting sheet, annotated with who should be where and when. Most the time it was fine, and as you drve around the course, the gaps are obvious.........

My usual line was "Hi folks, how's it going? There's a wee gap starting to appear in front, anything you can do to close it up would be appreciated!" You got two of those... but on the whole that was it. Occasionally you had to "insist" on a group letting another through. But thats was when all of them were looking in the trees and game being were tapping their feet waiting to play!

Once a group of hotel guests needed "escorting off." They'd hired all the clubs and had never played before. The Roman Road might not be the best place to start! I took them to the range and got them a group intro lesson.

But has anyone ever met someone who would say they were a slow player?

 

[shortgame]

I'd say you have every right to send in feedback or even a complaint.

Sounds totally out of order

 

[Deleted member 21258]

My mum is a slow player and acknowledges it, she likes to amble/stroll, hits many shots, finishes each hole and talk alot about cake recipes(its a running joke)

I can be a slow player when I am wayward, but just say I will walk the hole out or drop a ball and play from there, just don't have the patience to look for the balls for more than a minute at a time but all that looking takes time over 18 holes.

 

[Jacko_G]

Name and shame the club, let them know your feedback and feelings, I'd suggest that 90% of golf clubs desperately need visitor income these days.