Fastest finger first. Booking tee times

[IanM]

I'm a member at two clubs that use iG.

At one you can see "the time" on the booking page. On the other, there is no time on the booking page.

I used the inverted commas to differentiate between "server time" and what it says on your watch/phone/cuckoo clock! They could be different enough.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

So there is a facilty to check times and whether the committee want to act on it is another matter .
It may well be a difficult conversation but one that should be had if enough members raise the issue.
As a club that prides its self on inclusion, which I heartly agree with, I'm suprised there seems an acceptance of a practice that disadvantages other members.

The ability to create some way to auto pick a tee time is available to all

Is it any different to those that have faster internet or better smart devices etc

It’s not something you can prove beyond any doubt unless you are sat at their home watching them do it

 

[KenL]

The ability to create some way to auto pick a tee time is available to all

Is it any different to those that have faster internet or better smart devices etc

It’s not something you can prove beyond any doubt unless you are sat at their home watching them do it

How about if their script/bot comes from an ip address that looks suspicious?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

At my last club it had a big membership and it was a very definite fastest finger job. I got to be quite good at it. 2 seconds after the times are released? Too late. You have to time the tap. Too early, no good. Watch the clock, count the last few seconds in your head, tap the booking.

I used to go for a slightly uneven time as well. Don't go for 8.00am or an 8.30 for example. Find an ugly number around that time. Let's say 8.08 or 8.32. it's surprising how many people don't go for ugly times. Gives you more chance of getting one.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

How about if their script/bot comes from an ip address that looks suspicious?

Eh it runs on their own PC

 

[timd77]

It’s after the has been booked which ultimately is all that matters - it’s tough to go up to someone and say , you booked within 3 seconds you must be cheating etc

No doubt it’s a tricky situation, but the evidence I sent was pretty clear. 1 slot filled with 4 names, all of the others still available. Not a chance in the world anyone can type in 4 names and confirm the booking within 3 seconds. It comes down to whether the club are bothered about it. If they are they’ll do something, if they’re not, they’ll claim it was booked after the tee sheet was opened and that’s all we’re bothered about.

 

[Pin-seeker]

At my last club it had a big membership and it was a very definite fastest finger job. I got to be quite good at it. 2 seconds after the times are released? Too late. You have to time the tap. Too early, no good. Watch the clock, count the last few seconds in your head, tap the booking.

I used to go for a slightly uneven time as well. Don't go for 8.00am or an 8.30 for example. Find an ugly number around that time. Let's say 8.08 or 8.32. it's surprising how many people don't go for ugly times. Gives you more chance of getting one.

Think I’ll stick to being a nomad & playing twilight golf.
This all seems like hard work to me.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Think I’ll stick to being a nomad & playing twilight golf.
This all seems like hard work to me.

I've moved to a quieter club now, fewer members. You get the hang of it though. Set your alarm for 2 minutes before and get ready. There's a knack to it, it becomes a mission

 

[Pin-seeker]

I've moved to a quieter club now, fewer members. You get the hang of it though. Set your alarm for 2 minutes before and get ready. There's a knack to it, it becomes a mission

You felt like you’d hacked the FBI database when you’d got a time slot didn’t you?

Come on admit it

 

[The Squirrel]

I genuinely don’t get this thread?
People have described organised teams of people sitting at computers at 17.59.59 every night all clicking furiously to get huge blocks of daily times and not one person suggested this wasn’t fine.

But if you think a bit and get your home computer to do the same thing with a little automation (so it does it much better) it’s suddenly not OK?

They’re both attempting the same thing just in different ways. One is smarter than the other.

Sounds like characterising the fact that you did it the dumb-repetitive-hard-work-every-day way while someone else used their brain and did it better, by automating the repetitive task, as “disgraceful”. How silly. Don’t like the endless click war and getting beaten? Nothing at all stopping you from using your brain too to spend less time clicking and more time coding to achieve the same.

If a slot opens at 6pm and someone books it at 6.00.00.0000001 then they’ve stuck to the rules. Why should the committee intervene? As for “disadvantaging” other members, if you’re doing it manually you’re disadvantaging others who wanted that time but are a little slower or have a poor internet connection than you. What’s the difference?

Anyway , I like playing at quieter times and the scrum of block-booked 4-balls starting at first tee and lasting 2-3 hours, when you can play millionaire’s golf on an almost empty course in the afternoon, has always puzzled me. Same people that think playing at this time is utterly essential probably come in and complain bitterly about slow play having chosen to only play during the most congested time….

 

[rulie]

Our booking system is definitely “fastest finger”. One second early or one second late and you will be looking for scraps.
However, ten “fastest fingers” is much better than one. We usually get enough tee times. We’re allowed to book using our own name and then guest, guest, guest, which speeds things up and prevents name duplication. The organizer will do the draw later and advise the golf shop and all the players.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

No doubt it’s a tricky situation, but the evidence I sent was pretty clear. 1 slot filled with 4 names, all of the others still available. Not a chance in the world anyone can type in 4 names and confirm the booking within 3 seconds. It comes down to whether the club are bothered about it. If they are they’ll do something, if they’re not, they’ll claim it was booked after the tee sheet was opened and that’s all we’re bothered about.

Ultimately what rules are they breaking ?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You felt like you’d hacked the FBI database when you’d got a time slot didn’t you?

Come on admit it

There was a level of buzz when it came off and you got the slot you went for

 

[Pin-seeker]

There was a level of buzz when it came off and you got the slot you went for

oh I can imagine,did you tell the Mrs?

 

[PaulMdj]

Our bookings for Sat/Sun open up in the Clubhouse 8 days previous at 6:30pm, turn up, take your turn.

All remaining slots then go live at 8pm.

Mon-Fri bookings are available online only, 2 weeks in advance.

Seems to work for us.

 

[KenL]

Our bookings for Sat/Sun open up in the Clubhouse 8 days previous at 6:30pm, turn up, take your turn.

All remaining slots then go live at 8pm.

Mon-Fri bookings are available online only, 2 weeks in advance.

Seems to work for us.

You have to be in the clubhouse to book?

 

[Slab]

Interesting comments
Where tee times are hard to come by are your clubs oversubscribed in general or is it just the ‘attractive/popular’ times?

If known; roughly how many rounds will be played at your course this year?

 

[Mandofred]

I genuinely don’t get this thread?
People have described organised teams of people sitting at computers at 17.59.59 every night all clicking furiously to get huge blocks of daily times and not one person suggested this wasn’t fine.

But if you think a bit and get your home computer to do the same thing with a little automation (so it does it much better) it’s suddenly not OK?

They’re both attempting the same thing just in different ways. One is smarter than the other.

Sounds like characterising the fact that you did it the dumb-repetitive-hard-work-every-day way while someone else used their brain and did it better, by automating the repetitive task, as “disgraceful”. How silly. Don’t like the endless click war and getting beaten? Nothing at all stopping you from using your brain too to spend less time clicking and more time coding to achieve the same.

If a slot opens at 6pm and someone books it at 6.00.00.0000001 then they’ve stuck to the rules. Why should the committee intervene? As for “disadvantaging” other members, if you’re doing it manually you’re disadvantaging others who wanted that time but are a little slower or have a poor internet connection than you. What’s the difference?

Anyway , I like playing at quieter times and the scrum of block-booked 4-balls starting at first tee and lasting 2-3 hours, when you can play millionaire’s golf on an almost empty course in the afternoon, has always puzzled me. Same people that think playing at this time is utterly essential probably come in and complain bitterly about slow play having chosen to only play during the most congested time….

This is how I see it. I just don't like having to do it. It's only bad at one of the clubs I play at.....the others less so. I'm more than happy to play at 10 or 11....or even a little later during the lighter months but getting other people to do so isn't easy. As I've said many times....golfers don't like change. The people who have played at their "desired" time for millions of years just insist on playing at those times only. Sometimes there are good reasons....but a lot of the time it's just habit.

 

[Crazyface]

Experience from my previous club tells me that you're better off checking for cancellations during the week before the tee time than trying to get prime tee times in the seconds after they are released.
I was quite good at it but got annoyed with having to go through it every Wednesday and Thursday evening at 8pm.
It's one of the main reasons I left for a club where there is literally no competition for tee times whatsoever.

For some strange reason my club does not allow us to book on brs at weekends. All bookings have to go though our Pro. This means he automatically puts in all known groups every week, at the times he knows they want. Seems to work ok.

 

[NearHull]

When I took over the oversight of the tee booking system a few years ago, I investigated the issue whereby it appeared some members may have been using software scripts to book tees. These software scripts used to be referred to as ‘sniping’ which became popular in the early days of Ebay to win bids.
We use BRS which, as was previously mentioned, records the time, to a second, of when a booking has been completed. I spent many an hour taking the data from BRS and analysing the results. In our case there was evidence of regular ‘success’ of booking the popular tee times by the same groups of members, some of whom I knew personally.
I engaged two outside software ‘experts’ who independently came back with the same answer, that to use software to book a tee would need ‘direct access into the server’ and not ‘direct connection/access to BRS’. My background is aircraft mechanical engineering and, whilst I do have a rudimentary knowledge of software at management level, I did not really understand their assessments, but they were both insistent that it was extremely unlikely that a sniping tool was being used.
I discovered that the successful booking groups were well organised, with all four trying to book on BRS whilst connected by telephone chat/ video links to select the most suitable time and then they released or did not pursue the other ‘not required times’.
This last sentence has significance, if the non used times were not actively shut down, they would time out which could be seen by a number of tees becoming available at BRS booking start time + 2 minutes and then being booked around BRS start time +2mins 10 secs. I'm aware of one group who regularly watch and wait for these timed out slots to appear - it’s all in the crucial timing of the refresh.

For interest, our Board Members do have some booking advantages, with each member allocated pre bookings for certain competitions, carefully arranged and split across the year. Along with a shared parking space , I don’t think that they are over rewarded for the significant effort that they give to the club.