During the last fortnight our club has been accepting bookings under the Groupon scheme for a trial period. If our experiences are anything to go by then, be warned, if your club go down the same route you are in for a heap of trouble.
I played this morning at 9.24, and started behind two groups booked in under this scheme - a 4-ball and 2-ball, all in buggies. I realised things were going to be grim when I stood on the 1st tee at my start time and saw that the 4-ball, who had teed off at 9am, were only just on the 2nd tee, with the 2-ball right behind them.
I stood on the 3rd tee for a full 10 minutes and watched as the 2-ball stood in the fairway 220 yards from the green. A stiff breeze was against them, and yet they waited for the green ahead of them to clear. Fine, if they were half decent golfers, but as I followed them down that hole they took a further nine shots between them to reach the putting surface.
Things got so bad that, by the time I reached the 7th tee, there were 2 4-balls waiting on the 5th tee, a further 4-ball on the fairway and 4 more on the green. 16 people on the same hole because of the antics of those up ahead. The icing on the cake was a 4-ball of senior ladies behind me. All members, with a combined age in excess of 280, all walking the course. When they got to the 7th alongside me one of them phoned the shop and complained about the pace of those in front!!
I eventually got waved through and by the time I left the club at 1.30pm the two groups were still out on the course. Having spoken with the pro I am told that the trial has been a disaster and we will be accepting no further bookings after this week.
Complaints have ranged from agonising pace of play, obscenities being written on a following society's nearest the pin boards, foul language in the clubhouse and so on. Two players have been removed from the course so bad was their behaviour.
I would be interested to hear if other clubs accepting Groupon bookings have experienced similar issues.
I played this morning at 9.24, and started behind two groups booked in under this scheme - a 4-ball and 2-ball, all in buggies. I realised things were going to be grim when I stood on the 1st tee at my start time and saw that the 4-ball, who had teed off at 9am, were only just on the 2nd tee, with the 2-ball right behind them.
I stood on the 3rd tee for a full 10 minutes and watched as the 2-ball stood in the fairway 220 yards from the green. A stiff breeze was against them, and yet they waited for the green ahead of them to clear. Fine, if they were half decent golfers, but as I followed them down that hole they took a further nine shots between them to reach the putting surface.
Things got so bad that, by the time I reached the 7th tee, there were 2 4-balls waiting on the 5th tee, a further 4-ball on the fairway and 4 more on the green. 16 people on the same hole because of the antics of those up ahead. The icing on the cake was a 4-ball of senior ladies behind me. All members, with a combined age in excess of 280, all walking the course. When they got to the 7th alongside me one of them phoned the shop and complained about the pace of those in front!!
I eventually got waved through and by the time I left the club at 1.30pm the two groups were still out on the course. Having spoken with the pro I am told that the trial has been a disaster and we will be accepting no further bookings after this week.
Complaints have ranged from agonising pace of play, obscenities being written on a following society's nearest the pin boards, foul language in the clubhouse and so on. Two players have been removed from the course so bad was their behaviour.
I would be interested to hear if other clubs accepting Groupon bookings have experienced similar issues.
