Players who ignore bells

[rudebhoy]

Playing at Filey today, only the second time I've played it.

There is a par 5 and a long par 4 which run parallel, the first one is uphill and the second is downhill both.

I was playing the uphill par 5 and noticed the pair coming down the par 4 ringing a bell as they passed.

there was a pair of old guys in between us. I got to the green on the par 5 just as they were teeing off on the next hole.

By by the time I got to that tee they had disappeared down into the dip about 150 yards from the tee. On the tee was a big sign saying "do not tee off until the party in front of you have rung the warning bell".

So I waited for them to ring the bell. And waited, and waited ...

After about 7 or 8 minutes, I thought "sod it, they must be clear by now" and hit my drive. When I got to the dip, I could see them on the green, about 300 yards in front.

This lack of common courtesy really gets on my wick. It happens at our place as well where you are supposed to ring a bell coming off the 17th green. Most people do ring it, but there is a sizeable minority of players who just ignore it. These are the same players who go mad if someone's drives off behind them when they are playing that hole.

and before anyone asks, yes I did ring the bell when I went past it!

 

[hovis]

god we like a good moan. move on and get on with your day

 

[North Mimms]

What about me?
I managed to hit a bell with an errant shot.

The group on the parallel fairway were looking round trying to see where the invisible person who rang the bell was...

 

[Capella]

I always found the bell system extremly unreliable. Let's say you are playing very quickly as a single player or a two ball and unknowingly catch up to a group in front which is on the hidden green/part of the fairway? You have no idea they are there, so you won't wait for any bell and just hit your shot. Ideally there should be a warning flag of some sort that you raise when you enter a part of the course which is not visible from behind and lower again when you leave it or something like that. Or an accustic signal like the bell which you ring once when you enter the area and twice when you leave it. The common system where you just ring the bell when you leave the green works only when anyone coming up behind you is aware that you are there.

But of course, in the case described here, not ringing the bell is inconsiderate and would have annoyed me as well.

 

[*TQ*]

Really gets on my nerves this.

Went out the other night as a single, had to wait for a guy on his own to tee off in front of me (didn't even say hello let along ask me to join him!). There's a bell on the first at our place I'm waiting and waiting and waiting, eventually just hit my drive and walk off up the fairway; he's on the second green!!!

 

[North Mimms]

I always found the bell system extremly unreliable. Let's say you are playing very quickly as a single player or a two ball and unknowingly catch up to a group in front which is on the hidden green/part of the fairway? You have no idea they are there, so you won't wait for any bell and just hit your shot. Ideally there should be a warning flag of some sort that you raise when you enter a part of the course which is not visible from behind and lower again when you leave it or something like that. Or an accustic signal like the bell which you ring once when you enter the area and twice when you leave it. The common system where you just ring the bell when you leave the green works only when anyone coming up behind you is aware that you are there.

But of course, in the case described here, not ringing the bell is inconsiderate and would have annoyed me as well.

We played a course in New Hampshire that had "traffic lights" on several holes, with explanatory signs..
By the tee, there was a post with a red or green light.
Green light- it's clear ahead, you can tee off.
As group leaves the tee, press the button - light turns red.
Further down the fairway, out of sight of the tee, beyond the landing zone is another button on a post.
Once you have all hit your second shots, press button and this will reset the tee light to green.

But crucially, if you forget to press the reset button, the Tee light will automatically reset to green after a certain number of minutes

 

[jim8flog]

Old guys and their memories.

By the time they got to the bell they probably forgot what the notice said.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

A friend played once in Canada (Vancouver area, I think) and, when he got to the tee of a 90 degree dogleg, there was a large HD television screen showing the green so that one could see if it was clear before trying to cut the corner with a drive. Now that's posh!

 

[Crow]

We played a course in New Hampshire that had "traffic lights" on several holes, with explanatory signs..
By the tee, there was a post with a red or green light.
Green light- it's clear ahead, you can tee off.
As group leaves the tee, press the button - light turns red.
Further down the fairway, out of sight of the tee, beyond the landing zone is another button on a post.
Once you have all hit your second shots, press button and this will reset the tee light to green.

But crucially, if you forget to press the reset button, the Tee light will automatically reset to green after a certain number of minutes

Hmmm, write to the R&A, that could solve the pace of play issue, clear out the way in a certain time or expect to be peppered with balls.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We have our second which is a sharp dog leg to the right but the big hitters can cut the corner. We have a bell past the landing area which is blind to the tee but most of our members never bother ringing it. They have no idea if the group behind intend to cut the corner, and if they hit a duff tee shot and come a long way back off the tee or mishit their second they are in range. None think to tell the golfers behind they have now moved out of danger. I do use it and usually get the "they'll never hit it that far"

 

[shivas irons]

Playing at Filey today, only the second time I've played it.

There is a par 5 and a long par 4 which run parallel, the first one is uphill and the second is downhill both.

I was playing the uphill par 5 and noticed the pair coming down the par 4 ringing a bell as they passed.

there was a pair of old guys in between us. I got to the green on the par 5 just as they were teeing off on the next hole.

By by the time I got to that tee they had disappeared down into the dip about 150 yards from the tee. On the tee was a big sign saying "do not tee off until the party in front of you have rung the warning bell".

So I waited for them to ring the bell. And waited, and waited ...

After about 7 or 8 minutes, I thought "sod it, they must be clear by now" and hit my drive. When I got to the dip, I could see them on the green, about 300 yards in front.

This lack of common courtesy really gets on my wick. It happens at our place as well where you are supposed to ring a bell coming off the 17th green. Most people do ring it, but there is a sizeable minority of players who just ignore it. These are the same players who go mad if someone's drives off behind them when they are playing that hole.

and before anyone asks, yes I did ring the bell when I went past it!

Much ignorance with golfers nowdays and sadly no longer the gentlemans game .

 

[duncan mackie]

So I waited for them to ring the bell. And waited, and waited ...

After about 7 or 8 minutes, I thought "sod it, they must be clear by now" and hit my drive...

Oh, the irony.... :thup:

 

[Hobbit]

It happens. Laugh at there ignorance, don't let it bother you.

 

[Val]

I've been at courses that have bells behind average landing areas so you have to walk back to ring the bell then leaving you in the landing area as others tee off.

 

[jdpjamesp]

Played Windermere a couple of years back. The first (along with half the holes!) is blind because it's over a hill crest. We'd read the local rules before playing and they mentioned the plethora of bells, so we waited at the first for ages. Eventually a kind member informed us this hole had no bell. Ooops.

 

[Roops]

We could really do with a Bell on our 10th. It's a dog leg left, even from the elevated tee the fairway is masked by a mass of trees. You can cut the corner but are blind to the fairway. We asked for a bell as there have been a number of close calls. So far the club has refused as they want to do a H&S study to assess the risk.............

You rely on trying to spot the players on the fairway through the trees, never very easy especially in summer when the trees are fully leafed, so easy though to think it is clear only to find out it wasn't.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

We have a bell on our short blind par 4 16th and quite a number of times people don't ring it, normally find out when they walk to the 17th and we can see them on that tee.

After getting a bit feed up with always waiting, we did on one occasion make the mistake of thinking they must be on the green now and teed off, until we heard shouts coming from up there. So don't make that mistake anymore and just wait