Has it got to be..........1st to 18th??

[johnboywalton]

Just wondered what peoples thoughts were on the subject of starting a game not at the 1st hole, therefore not finishing at the 18th. I know at some "horseshoe" courses it may be a bit inpractical but it would work at many other clubs, where for example you can tee off from the 10th and finish at the 9th.This was mentioned in another thread with larger groups starting at various different holes to help with "slowplay" and I am sure that many clubs already do this, but i was at a course early on Sunday morning, where there was a queue for the 1st, and you can just see the 10th and it was empty.
As I do not play in club comps I do not know if it is allowed, but this not about slowplay or rules just people`s views, I asked 2 of the guys I play with at work (one is early twenties the other early fifties, I do not know if this has any bearing!!), the younger guy was adamant that he would only start at the 1st and has to finish at the 18th, where as the older guy who I sometimes play with, was not that bothered, as long as it was an enjoyable course and he played all the holes!!

 

[Monty_Brown]

It's ok to start people off the 10th if they only playing 9, but if you start people off both tees that are playing a full round, as some point they end up piling into the queue on the 1st tee. If the course is closed for roll-ups and all the tees are booked for a comp, then 2-tee starts are a realisitc and sensible way to organise the course.

Similarly shotgun starts, with a group starting at the same time on every tee is a good way to get everyone round in daylight during winter. But again, you need the whole course to be controlled to make this happen.

 

[wull]

not sure if it will help or not,but in comps it is ok and on the pga tour they do it regulary.

at our club we set off at the 1st,4th and 7th tee depending on numbers but the main reason we do it is so we can all get back in at roughly the same time for a bite to eat and a drink.there's not that many of us.

 

[fundy]

we use our 10th tee a fair bit, always worth checking how busy the first will be in 2 hrs time though

 

[markyjee]

We can start at 10 or 14 if its busy at the first, just have to make sure 9 or 13 is clear, after 18th you have no priority over people waiting and would have to register in pro shop for first available slot.

 

[USER1999]

On Saturday's my swindle go off ten, twelve, and fourteen, and then they close the first for us to come round. We used to go off the first, but it is not good use of the course, and also getting forty guys off one tee, not including the other twenty odd people trying to get off was ridiculous.

 

[papyt]

As we have over 190 members playing in the winter comps on a SATERDAY we have introduced a two tee start and it seems to working fine,only hold up is at the bacon butty bar after nine holes!!!!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We can use the 10th if the first is busy but comps are always off the first unless a shotgun start. The problem wiht starting off the 10th on a Saturday morning is that you usually run into the back of one of the roll ups already queueing to go out and with no right of way means you are no better off. I tend to use the 10th more in the summer if I'm playing a later afternoon round at the weekend. You can see who is coming up nine and if there is a gap and it means you never bump into anyone for the front nine that much later on

 

[MashieNiblick]

We use 2 tees for starting.

On normal days its 2-balls off one with 3 and 4 balls off the other for fixed periods which change through the day so that the play keeps flowing.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings we use both tees for about an hour and a half so we get maximum numbers off. Otherwise the course would be half empty for 2 hours and the 1st tee queue twice as long.

In comps though it's first tee only.

 

[chrisd]

We have a 2 tee start at all times alternating 2 balls and 3/4 balls on the 1st and the 10th at various times during the day. We don't have tee times other that comps and if a society or group need a tee for a while then the pro or secretary will give the ok to go off the wrong tee at the wrong time. Pretty well always works.


Chris

 

[Oddsocks]

At my old club we would often start on the 11th if the first was busy, a club i used to caddie at as a kid would have 1st, 5th, 12th and 16th as start holes.

 

[need_my_wedge]

We can start off the 10th too if it's empty. I often start this side if there's a queue at the first and no one on the 10th or putting out on the 9th.

If players start on the 10th and come back to the first, and there's a queue on the first, the club rule is to alternate so the players coming off 18 do not have to wait until the whole queue disappears before playing, they get let in after the next group tees off.

Oh no, queue new 27 page thread on not agreeing with the rule and not letting the players in the middle of their round through to the front of the queue

 

[Phil2511]

At my place its a 1st tee start only, because it is a pay and play course where we our club is attached to we must follow the course rules and they do not allow 10th tee starts as they say that is too hard to control who has paid or not as then they would need 2 staff, one at 1st and the other at 10th tees, currently they only have 1 person who also collects the driving range balls and also rangers the par 3 course we have.

 

[Anders]

We had winter tee times off the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] at my old club. Didn't much like it as the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] was always one of my bogey holes! They would book us a tee slot on the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] so we would have a target time to get round in. More often than not, there would still be some delay on the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] - either because we got round to quick and had to wait, or slow and missed our slot.

It did at least allow you to get out at a reasonable hour as the prime morning slots off the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] were taken up by the various swindles and long standing members.