Reasonable to request a partial membership refund?

[3offTheTee]

Within The Club’s Constitution does it allow for groups to have priority bookings? If not certain members are receiving priority treatment and you could play the “discrimination” card which always gets clubs’ worried. If they are receiving priority the subs should be adjusted accordingly.

We have a 2 week booking system with 3 ’active‘ bookings within a 7 day period. this means that the maximum bookings at any one time is 6. Members have abused the system and repeat offenders have had a 7 day booking ban.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The opening up on a rolling day basis so for example I could book the 5th yesterday, book the 6th today and tomorrow the 7th will open.

For me the issue comes from people booking “ incase “ they fancy a round but vary rarely do the log on to cancel it. The issue like most no doubt have is I plan my weekends a fortnight or week in advance, as a full paying member I shouldn’t have to rely on a cancelation the night before in my view.

Yesterday we arrived at the club for a 1pm tee time around 11.20 hoping for a slot as a 2 ball, no chance! We actually tees off late, what was worse was there were visitors booked on amongst the members!

I think the issue is that the membership is simply too big for the club, late/mid September we got told that the club was full and was building a waiting list yet every month there’s a welcome section to 8-10 new members in the news letter. When joining originally we were told that once the membership was full all green fees would stop at weekends yet this isn’t the case.

Absolutely…and as I suspected might be an issue for you with a 3 week lead time. One week in advance as we have I have a pretty certain idea whether or not I will want to, or be able to, play…and will have a reasonable idea of the weather likely.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Now you can see why I’m hacked off. 4/5 roll ups all booked solid 3 weeks in advance defeats the point of them being roll ups. I’ve rolled up twice to join hoping there was a space and they’re full … so that option is out too.

You might want to check to see if the club members handbook or similar defines your rollups and/or declares them to be open to all members - with no caveats such as limits to numbers that can play.

At my club there is no defined limit in the handbook on rollup numbers, but now that we have tee booking there is a practical limit. I sometimes do not book in time and it’s full, but that doesn’t usually bother me as I can play whenever. However if I was in your shoes I might well be waving our club members handbook under the nose of the clubs golf manager.

 

[Robster59]

I can fully understand your frustration. To me it sounds like too many members looking for too few slots using a booking system where the process needs re-visiting.
At our club, we always used to just have a turn up and play policy. A combination of another club closing (100 new members) and Covid (to give us a full membership). What this resulted in was that the non-playing members we lost were all replaced by playing members. As a result of this, there was a higher demand for tee times, and we had to go to a booking system. Our booking time is 8:20pm on a Thursday evening for the slots 9-16 days ahead. If you want to get a tee-time for the weekend, you have to be pretty slick with your fingers at 8:20 otherwise the slots are gone.
There is no ideal system for booking tee times, and our club has a policy of reviewing them if required, but you will never be able to please everyone no matter what the system is. But I do believe there is an issue with the system at your club.

 

[Oddsocks]

The roll ups are open to everyone but each roll up may block book 4-5 slots. When tee times are in such demand 20 people per roll up fills them very quickly.

I’ve raised my concerns today with the membership manager and await a call back.

 

[GG26]

At our place there is no booking until 1.10pm on a Saturday, which means that short of standing by the first tee and hoping a non-full group will let me join there’s no point in turning up. When we had booking last year, I could check a day or two in advance and put myself down with a non-full group and was always welcome.
Not having tee times basically caters for established groups, but not individuals wanting a game in the morning. Booking after 1pm means that it’s currently not possible to get 18 holes in.

 

[patricks148]

You can only ask, you never know!

 

[doublebogey7]

Our booking system goes live for GP a week before at 7 am and for competition play it's 2 weeks at the same time, would prefer that both were the same period but it seems to work ok. Despite having in excess of 100 new members getting a GP time even at weekends has not been a problem, competitions though have filled up pretty quickly particularly during the last couple of months when late afternoon light has been at a premium. We only went to tee booking for GP around three months before Covid started to bite and I cannot see us going back to rock up and wait for your ball to get to the bottom of the shute, thankfully.

 

[Oddsocks]

Our booking system goes live for GP a week before at 7 am and for competition play it's 2 weeks at the same time, would prefer that both were the same period but it seems to work ok. Despite having in excess of 100 new members getting a GP time even at weekends has not been a problem, competitions though have filled up pretty quickly particularly during the last couple of months when late afternoon light has been at a premium. We only went to tee booking for GP around three months before Covid started to bite and I cannot see us going back to rock up and wait for your ball to get to the bottom of the shute, thankfully.

I don’t mind the Shute situation, gives you time to mix with more members

 

[Maninblack4612]

Our booking for the 6th opened at 7.30 this morning and by 8.30 all pre 11.30 tee times including roll ups were full, .

They'd all be full by 7.35 at our place!

 

[Oddsocks]

They'd all be full by 7.35 at our place!

But does everyone turn up?

 

[Old Skier]

Club needs to have a sign in policy prior to play to check if booked tee times are being used and by how many. One way to see if the system is doing what it’s required to do.

 

[Old Skier]

But does everyone turn up?

Only the ones with NVGs.

 

[Oddsocks]

Only the ones with NVGs.

Nvg’s?

 

[Maninblack4612]

But does everyone turn up?

Pretty much, or cancel beforehand

 

[Old Skier]

Nvg’s?

Night Vision Goggles.

 

[Crazyface]

How do the people who book the slots up get to book them before you? If its first come first served, get in before they do and book up a slot. Book it for EVERY DAY going forward. If there is no penalty for a no show you loose nowt, but if you want to use the booking you turn up. Play the game how it is set up.

Ours is pretty much like your place with the exception is that if you don't use the booking and don't cancel it the BRS system will, apparently, not then let you book anymore slots.

 

[Oddsocks]

The issue is by 8am they’ve gone, 3week in advance.

 

[williamalex1]

can you not join in one of the roll ups?

think trying to go the legal route will ultimately be more time, effort and frustration for no return, can understand totally not renewing and finding somewhere that works better for you though

I agree you should join one of the roll ups, as all the tee times probably won't be taken up.

 

[fundy]

At our place there is no booking until 1.10pm on a Saturday, which means that short of standing by the first tee and hoping a non-full group will let me join there’s no point in turning up. When we had booking last year, I could check a day or two in advance and put myself down with a non-full group and was always welcome.
Not having tee times basically caters for established groups, but not individuals wanting a game in the morning. Booking after 1pm means that it’s currently not possible to get 18 holes in.

thats exactly the point of roll ups, allows individuals to rock up and join in with a group of like minded individuals