Golf Random Irritations

[BubbaP]

On the annual hedgehog wheel debate, I suspect it comes down to soil/earth types. Some they work well on, some they don't.
At the last course I played at, just before I switched to carrying, my PP fitted them on his trolley - we had the same leccy trolley so I was interested. After about 7 holes they seemed to have increased in size, like a snowball going downhill. He took them off when close to the car park.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Not sure if this is the right place for this but chatting to a mate of mine who is a member at a club.

They have had 4 fairly old chaps going up to their club and using the practice facilities (chipping green practice bunker and putting green) every Sunday morning for about the last 6 months.

Once finished they jump in their cars and disappear and none are members of the club.

A member of staff approached them last Sunday and they said they play somewhere else every Sunday but that club has no facilities to warm up so they use this clubs practice facilities and then go the other club and play.

Personally I thought it was brilliant but apparently they have told them this is not allowed.

What’s everyone’s thoughts on this and would you be happy if this was your club?

Damn!! Part of me wants to applaud them for the blatant cheek of it and getting away with it for so long.

It’s completely wrong, but I like Hobbits approach to telling them about it, be civilised, whilst politely telling them why they can’t do it enquire about where they play and entice them to play where they’ve come for their pre round practice. Club gets a green fee and potential new members, they’re not made to feel like scolded children and more likely to come back and splash the cash.

 

[clubchamp98]

Hilly? Chance of a twisted ankle? Can't imagine walking around a flat course will do any harm.

It’s a bit hilly but not mountain goat country.

It’s part of their rest and recovery.

 

[clubchamp98]

Not sure if this is the right place for this but chatting to a mate of mine who is a member at a club.

They have had 4 fairly old chaps going up to their club and using the practice facilities (chipping green practice bunker and putting green) every Sunday morning for about the last 6 months.

Once finished they jump in their cars and disappear and none are members of the club.

A member of staff approached them last Sunday and they said they play somewhere else every Sunday but that club has no facilities to warm up so they use this clubs practice facilities and then go the other club and play.

Personally I thought it was brilliant but apparently they have told them this is not allowed.

What’s everyone’s thoughts on this and would you be happy if this was your club?

No.

 

[KenL]

Luckily the course is built on lava rock so its extremely porous and any run off/daming for path is almost inconsequential. Never seen drainage like it, after tropical storm rain it can go from flooded to playable in no time, crazy to see

@Slab . Where’s that, Hawaii?

 

[Imurg]

6.02 - Course status Open with PL. No trolleys or buggies. Carry bags only.

6.19 - Course status Open with PL. Carry if you can.

So the course has miraculously gone from being unsafe for trolleys to, effectively, being ok in 14 minutes...

Either that or someone's been on the phone as there's a Stableford today...

 

[Arthur Wedge]

6.02 - Course status Open with PL. No trolleys or buggies. Carry bags only.

6.19 - Course status Open with PL. Carry if you can.

So the course has miraculously gone from being unsafe for trolleys to, effectively, being ok in 14 minutes...

Either that or someone's been on the phone as there's a Stableford today...

At least it’s open and people can get out and play

 

[chellie]

Bit naughty. Not sure they’d be covered by the club’s insurance… charge them a £5 each visit, “practice ground members.” Tell them if they pay £25 they’ll get a £5 bar voucher. Make ‘em feel welcome - they might decide to become members. Make ‘em feel unwelcome and they won’t.

Would you want them as members though if they act like that.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Would you want them as members though if they act like that.

Everyone needs educating sometimes and they may turn out to be good members that stay for a long time.

 

[chellie]

Everyone needs educating sometimes and they may turn out to be good members that stay for a long time.

Nope. They are entitled "fairly old chaps" who think they can do what they want. May sound OTT but they have stolen form the club. The practice facilities are not free to use for non-members. Would it be OK if they jumped over a boundary fence and played the course for free?

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Nope. They are entitled "fairly old chaps" who think they can do what they want. May sound OTT but they have stolen form the club. The practice facilities are not free to use for non-members. Would it be OK if they jumped over a boundary fence and played the course for free?

And that for me is often the reason people still see golf as a stuck up sport with unapproachable people.

Of course it would not be ok to play the course for free and of course what they’ve done is wrong and unacceptable, where did I say it would be and what they have done is! I haven’t I don’t condone it at all . But sometimes you don’t need to jump down peoples throats to prove a point.

If you start a confrontation at full tilt you leave little room for escalation and you also don’t know the response you’re going to get. Often it’s easier to diffuse a situation with kindness and be the grown up and then escalate as required. People will often acknowledge their fault and mistake if you speak calmly with intent and educate, start straight away by going all in you could easily end up in a sticky situation.

 

[IanM]

Walk in to a gym and use equipment without paying? You'll get chucked out sharpish.

Are gyms stuffy and unapproachable?

But doesn't mean you can't offer them the opportunity to pay, or tell them to naff off politely

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Walk in to a gym and use equipment without paying? You'll get chucked out sharpish.

Are gyms stuffy and unapproachable?

Kind of hard to get past the entry barriers in a gym without scanning your card so doesn’t really match up. But the point stands you still approach people in the right way someone else misdemeanour doesn’t mean you haven’t to be equally as stupid or arrogant. Especially in a gym environment you’re more likely to get an unwanted response than on a golf course.

Edit. I’m guessing you edited your post as it doesn’t match what I quoted. But that last line you added of:

But doesn't mean you can't offer them the opportunity to pay, or tell them to naff off politely

Is absolutely spot on and the point I’m making so fair play for adding that

 

[Slime]

@Slab . Where’s that, Hawaii?

Slab's based in Mauritius.

 

[jim8flog]

This is a really insightful post. I've not played winter golf or club golf long enough to know what it was like 20 or 30 years ago. What do you think has driven the increase in personal buggy use from 1.25% of membership to 5%?

At my club, all the juniors seem to have big tour bags and electric trolleys. I think there is a culture now where anyone new to the game assumes they need a big bag and an electric trolley, or even a buggy (that bit is definitely US influence). The idea of carrying your own bag is an alien concept.

Maybe if buggies were limited to people who really did need them, the numbers would be so low it probably wouldn't be an issue. Same goes for trolleys.

Many years ago we used to have trolley bans unless you could provide a note from the docs to say you needed one on health grounds, in the end we had so many people produce such a note we stopped bothering.

Originally you had to produce a similar note to use your own buggy on the course.

I know a lot of the buggy owners and think that most need one to play, used to have a couple that walked if there was a buggy ban.

 

[AussieKB]

We are lucky in OZ as it is very rare for Buggies to be banned.....

cannot think of a course this has happened in the last 10 plus years.

The number of people carrying their clubs would be less then 5% at any time.

 

[Billysboots]

Paul McGinley.

He’s taking his not knowing when to shut his trap to a whole new level.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Paul McGinley.

He’s taking his not knowing when to shut his trap to a whole new level.

He’d fit in well on the forum

 

[Orikoru]

I was just about ready to jump in the car and head down to my club today, when they finally put a message out saying course was closed - at 7:30. Bit late isn't it?? First tee time is 7:30, the roll-up goes out at 8 - there must have been a car park full of disgruntled members! I'm only lucky I live 5 minutes away otherwise I'd have been on the road on the way there, as my 3 mates were.

 

[Backache]

I was just about ready to jump in the car and head down to my club today, when they finally put a message out saying course was closed - at 7:30. Bit late isn't it?? First tee time is 7:30, the roll-up goes out at 8 - there must have been a car park full of disgruntled members! I'm only lucky I live 5 minutes away otherwise I'd have been on the road on the way there, as my 3 mates were.

What time is it light enough to inspect the course?