Draw Nights

[foreputt]

Hi everyone, long time lurker, infrequent poster.

We have a draw night every 3 weeks, for the following 3 weeks tee times for Saturdays as we have quite a large membership. Its not too bad, one person from each 4ball has to go down, grab a beer and wait to be pulled out of the hat.

They've now decided to run it weekly till the end of year, for various reasons but one being that they will get more members into the bar over the winter period.

Just wondered what peoples views on this are, personally I am a little miffed that what was already a minor inconvenience and has now turned into a weekly one (my playing partners live a considerable distance away from the club so it generally falls on me) but can understand the clubs reasons.

Does anyone have a similar set up at their club?

 

[Orikoru]

I've never heard of anything like that. At our club for drawn comps we tend to sign up via HowDidIDo now, which is organised into three time bands so you can pick early, middle, or late, then the club secretary just publishes the groups and times.

 

[robinthehood]

I just book a tee time online . Comps are done via hdid some are drawn bands as orikuru others just put your name in a slot with whoever.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

At a nearby club, I was a member for 1 year, all Saturday comps are filled initially by members writing their names on the start list on a Wednesday evening in the bar. I believe there is some sort of cermony to it. After then the start sheet gets put up in the locker room on Thursday morning and anyone else wanting to play gets what is left. You can not book this online, and the sheet is up on the Wednesday for the upcoming Saturday. As per the OP the aim is to get people in the bar on the Wednesday evening.

I think it is archaic, daft and doesn't fit with the demands of people's modern lives. Fine if you are very local or want to live at the club but for those with lives and pressures on time away from golf it is a pain. It was one of the reasons I left the club, there were others that were more relevant but this added to the cons list, and would not join another where they had this practice.

At my current place you just book online wherever you want. There are no drawn comps, something I think is a bit of a shame as it means people just stick to their own groups every week.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Have I read it right, A draw night every week for a tee time ? Sounds bonkers

Simple, I would not be renewing my membership.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Don’t have bookings, and just turn up when you want and get in line for the tee(if there is a line that is)

 

[Marshy77]

The club I used to be a member of did a weekly draw on a Thursday night for the following Saturday. I went a couple of times and found it a very long drawn out affair. The club is a very social club and I guess its what they've done for years plus it was a way of making money at the bar.

Think they sorted a few other things out on the night whilst a lot of the captains etc were together.

 

[Orikoru]

At a nearby club, I was a member for 1 year, all Saturday comps are filled initially by members writing their names on the start list on a Wednesday evening in the bar. I believe there is some sort of cermony to it. After then the start sheet gets put up in the locker room on Thursday morning and anyone else wanting to play gets what is left. You can not book this online, and the sheet is up on the Wednesday for the upcoming Saturday. As per the OP the aim is to get people in the bar on the Wednesday evening.

I think it is archaic, daft and doesn't fit with the demands of people's modern lives. Fine if you are very local or want to live at the club but for those with lives and pressures on time away from golf it is a pain. It was one of the reasons I left the club, there were others that were more relevant but this added to the cons list, and would not join another where they had this practice.

At my current place you just book online wherever you want. There are no drawn comps, something I think is a bit of a shame as it means people just stick to their own groups every week.

That's stupid. I have football training on Wednesday nights so what would I have done if I was a member there? Never get to play on Saturdays? Daft.

 

[chrisd]

Most of our Sunday comps open in the pro shop 2 weeks earlier so we tend to get the tee times we usually get . I prefer it to online booking as those of us playing early morning get our normal times rather than lose them to someone enjoying breakfast in bed and booking kn their ipad

 

[Lord Tyrion]

That's stupid. I have football training on Wednesday nights so what would I have done if I was a member there? Never get to play on Saturdays? Daft.

I never went on a Wednesday so would just go down at some point on a Thursday or Friday to see what times were left. It usually meant a tee off time around the 2-3pm slot as the earlier times were all taken, it was a popular club due to its location. I didn't play many comps that year , 3 only to keep my h/c from memory. Social golf only.

I'll give you an idea of how backward the place is. There is a junior there, 17 now. Plays off 5, plays for the adult team. However, as a junior he is not allowed to book tee slots online using BRS, he has to ask the pro each time. He is not allowed to put his name down on a Wednesday, nor even a Thursday to play the Satruday comp. He has to wait until Friday before he can put his name down, getting whatever dreg of a slot is left . No idea why his parents haven't taken him out and put him elsewhere.

 

[williamalex1]

We now book all comps online, but up till 2/3 years ago we had to be in the clubhouse at 7 pm Mondays to book the following weekend medal, you could only enter your own plus 1 more member's name.

 

[foreputt]

Thanks for your input.

I have no issue with the draw night being 3 weekly or even bi-weekly, it's a fair way of distributing times but every week just seems a little bit much for me. All our comps are done in this way, we don't draw out for 'majors' which is a little bit of a shame in my opinion.

Not sure how this is going to work out or the rest of the memberships thoughts on the matter.

 

[Grant85]

Hi everyone, long time lurker, infrequent poster.

We have a draw night every 3 weeks, for the following 3 weeks tee times for Saturdays as we have quite a large membership. Its not too bad, one person from each 4ball has to go down, grab a beer and wait to be pulled out of the hat.

They've now decided to run it weekly till the end of year, for various reasons but one being that they will get more members into the bar over the winter period.

Just wondered what peoples views on this are, personally I am a little miffed that what was already a minor inconvenience and has now turned into a weekly one (my playing partners live a considerable distance away from the club so it generally falls on me) but can understand the clubs reasons.

Does anyone have a similar set up at their club?

Personally I think this sounds like a very poor system.

It likely discourages new people into the club as only way to get a Saturday tee time is to turn up in person at a specific time each week or month. Also disproportionately benefits people who are time rich and can turn up in person often (and also have mates in the club and they can share these duties). Those with jobs, kids or midweek transport issues will likely not bother then get hacked off that they can never get a weekend tee time.

Ok - so it might generate a few drink sales and get people into the club, but I think the long term this will be suit a decreasing number of people.
I guess if you have a big membership, then this doesn't put a lot of people off and the club is probably doing well enough - although healthy finances are more important than full tee sheets.

Clubs I've been at have had the following system - Friday afternoon (I think 5pm or so) sheet goes live on the terminal in the club for people to book individual slots. Then Saturday morning, opens up for online booking.
Means those who are desperate for a specific time can turn up and book, but in the main people just booked online.

Current club - whole sheet goes live online on a Sunday night 7pm, 3 weeks prior to the weekend comp. No need to book in person.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

It’s a con to get money spent over the bar, the only way to stop it is for those turning up not to spend any money.

We have it!! Thursday nights BRS can be booked in the Clubhouse from 6:30 to 8:00pm for the following weekend, people turn up from 4:00pm to put their name down on a list, bookings then are taken in order.
BRS is then opened for everyone online at 9:00am Friday morning.

Ours was done purposely to encourage members to use the bar, problem is, it suits those who aren’t in work and a lot of those who do work can’t enter the Club in work clothes and can’t be bothered going home first to change.

 

[robinthehood]

It’s a con to get money spent over the bar, the only way to stop it is for those turning up not to spend any money.

We have it!! Thursday nights BRS can be booked in the Clubhouse from 6:30 to 8:00pm for the following weekend, people turn up from 4:00pm to put their name down on a list, bookings then are taken in order.
BRS is then opened for everyone online at 9:00am Friday morning.

Ours was done purposely to encourage members to use the bar, problem is, it suits those who aren’t in work and a lot of those who do work can’t enter the Club in work clothes and can’t be bothered going home first to change.

That sounds like a pretty poor deal. I couldn't join a club like that.
Although someone will be along soon to tell me it's up to the club and it's members and they can run it how they choose

 

[fundy]

Not a fan of having BRS and having to book a tee time at the best of times, let alone being told where and when I have to be to book the tee time!!!! Clubs that can do this must have plenty of others things going for them, couldnt want to be a member however good it was with rules like this personally, plenty of other clubs out there and would be going to one of those myself.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Sounds a poor system and glad its not in action. I remember back at Wimbledon Common you had to get there mega early each Saturday and Sunday morning to get your name down on the tee sheet for the following week and usually the same four would book the same time and same names. So glad we enter club comps via HowdidIDo and then don't have tee times so roll up other times and play. Everyone knows when the roll up groups go out in the week and weekends and so can always be guaranteed a game there if they need one

 

[jim8flog]

We use computerised booking. The slots are available 8 days in advance at 8.00pm one person can book 4 players in to one tee time without using their actual names(very civilised). You just need to on superfast broadband with quick fingers if you want an early slot.

Our rollups generally have one person within the group responsible for booking a specific tee time.

It all works quite well now despite a lot of grumblings when we first introduced it.

 

[Jacko_G]

Embrace it or move on. Likewise this was the "done" thing for years and you used to have to be up at the club at X time for the sheet going on the board for a decent time.

Worked for years and you could also see who was where if you wanted to avoid certain people.

Is it really different to online booking where fastest fingers get the times? May be slightly more convenient but in essence the same principle.

 

[jim8flog]

Up until this year we only operated booking after 9.30 not including Saturdays .

We used to use a ball chute. Apparently players were turning up as early as 5 am to get in to the queue. Some were putting in several balls then driving home and coming back at the time they roughly calculated they would be going out.