Keeping 2 balls away from 3/4 balls

[YandaB]

In an attempt to ensure pace of play, I beleive that there is some discussion about starting different sized groups of the 1st/10th at different times to assist the 2 balls getting round without running into 3/4 balls all the time. Does anyone know of clubs that do this? Does it work? Are there any examples that can be copied? Are the 3/4 ball slots over a shorter period to provide a buffer for the 2 balls to roll round into?

Any practical advice and guidance on the matter would be gratefully receieved.

 

[Bratty]

We have a system whereby the 1st is twoballs only for almost the whole of Saturday morning.
Except:
The 10th is used for a pickup in the morning at 8am - 9am, which is three and fourballs, and then three teetimes held back from 09.00 - 09.30.
The 1st tee is 2balls until 10am, then the pickups from 10am - 11am, then 2balls again.
It seems to work pretty well.
This is only on a Saturday though.

 

[louise_a]

In an attempt to ensure pace of play, I beleive that there is some discussion about starting different sized groups of the 1st/10th at different times to assist the 2 balls getting round without running into 3/4 balls all the time. Does anyone know of clubs that do this? Does it work? Are there any examples that can be copied? Are the 3/4 ball slots over a shorter period to provide a buffer for the 2 balls to roll round into?

Any practical advice and guidance on the matter would be gratefully receieved.

I remember playing at Wilmslow a few years ago and they something like that in place

 

[Bunkermagnet]

We dont have restrictions on 2, 3 or 4 balls at the weekends, and TBH I wouldn't say a 2 ball is much quicker than a 3 ball.

 

[Oddsocks]

I’m sure our key downs does this and the feedback is it’s very efficient. There has been suggestions of this at ours, where I see the issue is if a two is walking to the tee and someone rolls up looking for a game. The same pain could be a three waiting on the right tee only for a no show.

It would be great to assume logic would apply but unfortunately in today’s age I’m not so sure.

What about a fast lane and slow lane. If you expect to get around quick (ex 3.5) you go off one tee, if you’re likely to be a 4hr + leisurely group you go off the other? I’ve seen two balls play very slow and four balls play very quick.

 

[D-S]

We do this on ‘roll up days’, Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Other days are booked as when we have societies and big comps this obviously doesn’t work,
This works very well and if you are a two ball you can normally get round in 3 hours. It depends on everyone obeying the times but they do and it certainly works.
Here is the start time list.

 

[Pants]

There are several courses in my area that do this. One for instance splits the mix with 2/3's off one tee and 3/4's of the other allowing 1 3/4 hours before swapping the starting tee. E.g. say 08.00 - 09.45 3/4's off the 1st and 2/3's off the 10th and 09.45 - 11.30 vica versa, then continuing swapping every 1 3/4 hours. Seems to work well. In busy times there may be a couple of groups waiting to start their round at the change over time but if the group coming round are on the green then they have priority over the next group to start.

 

[jim8flog]

I have played at 2 courses that do this - Sherborne and Lyme Regis
In my experience/opinion it just makes for slower rounds if it is continued throughout the day.

I reckon it should be discontinued at the appropriate time for the early players reaching the 1st/10 tee.

Once a course is full how can it accommodate more players just by changing which tee they start from?

 

[bobmac]

I've been saying this for years...let the fast 2 balls out first and the more relaxed 3/4 balls behind them.
Everyone's happy

 

[Springveldt]

I've been saying this for years...let the fast 2 balls out first and the more relaxed 3/4 balls behind them.
Everyone's happy

Well I wouldn’t be. We play in a 3 or 4 and due to home life I prefer to tee off between 8am-9am. I wouldn’t join a club that said if we wanted to play as a 3 or 4 we couldn’t tee off before 10am.

 

[Oddsocks]

We do this on ‘roll up days’, Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Other days are booked as when we have societies and big comps this obviously doesn’t work,
This works very well and if you are a two ball you can normally get round in 3 hours. It depends on everyone obeying the times but they do and it certainly works.
Here is the start time list.
View attachment 58983

Simple and effective. Love this!

 

[bobmac]

Well I wouldn’t be. We play in a 3 or 4 and due to home life I prefer to tee off between 8am-9am. I wouldn’t join a club that said if we wanted to play as a 3 or 4 we couldn’t tee off before 10am.

Who said anything about 10am?
I don't know how many fast players you have at your club but if they start at 7.30 or 8am, they'd be gone by 9am at the latest.
Would your home life be ok with teeing off at 9 behind a slow 4 ball, finishing at 1.30-2pm or teeing off at 9 behind a quick 2 ball and being finished by 12.30-1pm?

 

[chellie]

Who said anything about 10am?
I don't know how many fast players you have at your club but if they start at 7.30 or 8am, they'd be gone by 9am at the latest.
Would your home life be ok with teeing off at 9 behind a slow 4 ball, finishing at 1.30-2pm or teeing off at 9 behind a quick 2 ball and being finished by 12.30-1pm?

Why should a faster player have to tee off at that time though.

 

[Springveldt]

Who said anything about 10am?
I don't know how many fast players you have at your club but if they start at 7.30 or 8am, they'd be gone by 9am at the latest.
Would your home life be ok with teeing off at 9 behind a slow 4 ball, finishing at 1.30-2pm or teeing off at 9 behind a quick 2 ball and being finished by 12.30-1pm?

Thing is, current club is 3 balls only during comps with 8 minute tee times and our round is usually 3:30 or so teeing off at around 8:30. We did do one day late this year due to some stuff, teed off at 10:30 and the round was still 3:30. Maybe everyone is just a quick player at my club.

I’m not sure how the membership would react if they said only 2 balls before 9am. There wouldn’t be enough tee times for the comp unless people were willing to tee off at 2pm etc.

The 10am thing came for an earlier post where it was saying before 9am only 2 balls, between 9-10 was 2 or 3 balls and after 10 was 3 and 4 balls. Seems ridiculous to me.

 

[Swango1980]

If I'm in a 2 ball on a very busy weekend, I simply expect to be held up. No issue with that.

And if anybody sees the spare slots in my group on the BRS Booking system, they are welcome to join us.

I wouldn't want to be starting on different parts of course based on group size. Sometimes someone will join my group last minute, or withdraw last minute, so not sure how that would work with a tee start based on group size

 

[Neilds]

We are trialling no bookings on Tuesday and Thursday evenings where the pro shop join singles and pairs up to try and maximise players on the course. The thinking is that currently, people are reluctant to join bookings so slots are going unused.

 

[LincolnShep]

I've been saying this for years...let the fast 2 balls out first and the more relaxed 3/4 balls behind them.
Everyone's happy

Every time you say this, someone else replies to say they wouldn't be happy; and yet you keep claiming it's some sort of golfing panacea.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

South Beds have a process in place for two tee starts

3/4 balls from one tee at a certain time

2 Balls from the other tee

It swaps around etc

Think that sort of stuff only works without tee bookings

So for us it’s - you can play the back 9 from 7 until 8

But all bookings are from the 1st and any combo

 

[Troymcclure]

Sometimes someone will join my group last minute, or withdraw last minute, so not sure how that would work with a tee start based on group size

I assume only Clubs with 1st and 10th close by do it?

 

[RichA]

I've been saying this for years...let the fast 2 balls out first and the more relaxed 3/4 balls behind them.
Everyone's happy

We're normally a relaxed but fast 3/4 ball. Yesterday 3 of us were stuck behind a slow 2-ball for most of the morning. One size does not fit all.