Roll Ups : Entitled or Appreciative ?

[Wilson]

To me a swindle is a group that plays together week in/week out, with an internal comp, and often their own handicaps, regardless of how they get those tee times. A roll up is as it says on the tin, anyone can roll up and play.

I’ve played at various clubs with different approaches, unless it was a complete roll up I think I’d be pretty annoyed if some of the best tee times were reserved for a select few. The best I’ve seen was a club where it was booked tees between 0600-0700, roll up 0700-0900 then back to booked tees, the roll up was organised by the pro shop and worked really well, I joined without knowing anyone and they always matched me well, add in that every comp was drawn and I got to know people quickly.

 

[Backache]

Our roll up is a roll up anyone can come and groups are drawn from a hat.

 

[backwoodsman]

Our swindle is a rollup!

Tees times set aside on a Sunday morning - about 30 slots, anyone can play. Advertised every week in the club newsletter. About 120 people joined in at some stage over this past summer.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Our swindle is a rollup!

Tees times set aside on a Sunday morning - about 30 slots, anyone can play. Advertised every week in the club newsletter. About 120 people joined in at some stage over this past summer.

Can you only use that tee time if you play in the roll up ?

 

[backwoodsman]

Can you only use that tee time if you play in the roll up ?

Yep.

If you want to play with X, Y or Z specific persons, you sign up outside the swindle time. If you want to play in a random group of whoever, you just sign up to that week's swindle.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Yep.

If you want to play with X, Y or Z specific persons, you sign up outside the swindle time. If you want to play in a random group of whoever, you just sign up to that week's swindle.

What’s the timings off the roll up ?

 

[backwoodsman]

What’s the timings off the roll up ?

Is that of any relevance?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Is that of any relevance?

Presumably seeing if it is peak time? Is it blocking popular slots from members who don't want to be part of it but want a round?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Is that of any relevance?

Well sat and Sunday are peak days for those working and to then block peak times on those days wouldn’t seem great

 

[Mandofred]

Well sat and Sunday are peak days for those working and to then block peak times on those days wouldn’t seem great

You aren't blocking those other players from playing.....you are blocking them from playing the way they want to play. For some reason, booking with just your mates has taken priority over playing in a rollup. So now playing with your "mates" is the "right way" and playing in a large group of players in a rollup is the "wrong way".

 

[Arthur Wedge]

You aren't blocking those other players from playing.....you are blocking them from playing the way they want to play. For some reason, booking with just your mates has taken priority over playing in a rollup. So now playing with your "mates" is the "right way" and playing in a large group of players in a rollup is the "wrong way".

Whats wrong with people wanting to play the course the way they want with their mates

If you have the tee open for anyone to book that means everyone has the same opportunity to play how they want to play

 

[Billysboots]

I suppose the answer is, if you want to play with your regular mates between, say, 9 and 10am every Saturday, then you don’t join a club which has roll ups or swindles every Saturday and has those times set aside for that purpose.

From experience, most of these gatherings are long standing so new members will be aware of them. Ours has been running for over 20 years. And any significant decision to start setting aside a large number of peak times every week will doubtless be the subject of considerable discussion before it happens, so is unlikely to come as a shock.

 

[Mandofred]

Whats wrong with people wanting to play the course the way they want with their mates

If you have the tee open for anyone to book that means everyone has the same opportunity to play how they want to play

Not true. If the tee times are left completely open for everybody, that shuts out the people who like to play in rollups in favour of the people who just like to play with their mates.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with people wanting to play with their mates. Neither view is right or wrong.....it's just two different ways of playing golf.

I've always thought there are ways to try to keep both sides of the problem as happy as possible....although neither side will be "completely" happy since things wouldn't go absolutely their way.

The clubs block large tee times for Comps, Opens, business days, visiting parties, junior tourny's, Ladies days, etc etc....why is blocking 45min or so a bad thing for rollups?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I suppose the answer is, if you want to play with your regular mates between, say, 9 and 10am every Saturday, then you don’t join a club which has roll ups or swindles every Saturday and has those times set aside for that purpose.

From experience, most of these gatherings are long standing so new members will be aware of them. Ours has been running for over 20 years. And any significant decision to start setting aside a large number of peak times every week will doubtless be the subject of considerable discussion before it happens, so is unlikely to come as a shock.

When it comes to weekend golf the time people have has changed a little especially younger people who maybe have families etc - if they are restricted to when they can play with their mates then that’s not great

We had it Saturday morning with the long standing group that have played at 8 every Saturday complaining that 2 fourballs of younger lads “stole” their tee time - no they didnt , you dont have a tee time - they are open to all

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Not true. If the tee times are left completely open for everybody, that shuts out the people who like to play in rollups in favour of the people who just like to play with their mates.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with people wanting to play with their mates. Neither view is right or wrong.....it's just two different ways of playing golf.

I've always thought there are ways to try to keep both sides of the problem as happy as possible....although neither side will be "completely" happy since things wouldn't go absolutely their way.

The clubs block large tee times for Comps, Opens, business days, visiting parties, junior tourny's, Ladies days, etc etc....why is blocking 45min or so a bad thing for rollups?

No it doesn’t - just do what everyone else does - book the times you want , the same as everyone else

Do the people in the roll ups pay anything extra for the tee to be booked for them only ?


Comps are open to all to play in a competition

Societies etc pay the club money to book the tee for them and I suspect most clubs don’t allow them at prime time tee time spots

I’m going to guess if they told the roll up you can have the tee booked but it must be after 13 etc they wouldn’t be happy

 

[Mandofred]

No it doesn’t - just do what everyone else does - book the times you want , the same as everyone else

Do the people in the roll ups pay anything extra for the tee to be booked for them only ?


Comps are open to all to play in a competition

Societies etc pay the club money to book the tee for them and I suspect most clubs don’t allow them at prime time tee time spots

I’m going to guess if they told the roll up you can have the tee booked but it must be after 13 etc they wouldn’t be happy

I'll ask the question again......If the club has large blocks of tee times (or even all day) for comps, ladies days, opens, junior events, business days, large groups of visitors etc etc....why is it a BAD thing to block some tee times for a rollup? Are you ok with all the other blocked times?

Rollups are open to everybody, at least they should be. I've no idea why you are comparing that to a comp.....which blocks almost the whole day.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I'll ask the question again......If the club has large blocks of tee times (or even all day) for comps, ladies days, opens, junior events, business days, large groups of visitors etc etc....why is it a BAD thing to block some tee times for a rollup? Are you ok with all the other blocked times?

Rollups are open to everybody, at least they should be. I've no idea why you are comparing that to a comp.....which blocks almost the whole day.

We don’t have comps that block the whole day

Also a comp doesn’t block the tee every week

Visitors don’t block the prime tee spots every week

Socities don’t block the prime tee spots every week

Players can enter the comps with the mates and play together

Opens etc bring in extra needed revenue for most clubs

Why should a roll up block the prime tee spot every week when they pay nothing extra for it - why can’t people who pay the same book those tee times to play with their friends

Would your roll up be ok paying more to have those guaranteed prime spots every week

 

[Mandofred]

-Our comps block the day until 2? or so. You either play in the comp or late in the day....which of course you can't do at this time of the year.
-We have comps pretty well every Saturday.
-Visitors at ours get some pretty good times, not the 8-9 times, but right after that.
-Societies do get a lot of prime time in the mornings at our place.
-I'm totally against mates being able to play comps together. They let them at our place, not at my last club.
-Opens do bring in extra money.....and stop the members from being able to play at their own course on those days.
-Why shouldn't rollups get a good tee time? Again.....there is NOTHING to keep the same people who are wanting to play with their mates from playing in a rollup....nothing. It's just not the way THEY want to play so they are mad since they can't get their way. You can also say the same about the rollup people. Nobody likes compromise.....why can't the rollups go out at 10 or 11? I'm fine with that.....but then the people who like to play with their mates at 10 or 11 will complain about not getting their way. Somebody is always unhappy.
-I'd certainly be willing to pay a little more to play in the rollup....not much though. Are these same older members the same ones that bring in most of the bar money?

So you ARE fine with all the other millions of blocked tee times? One of the reasons I left my old club is because they had soooooo many blocked days for Open, business days etc etc....it makes the club money, but then I can't play on my own course quite a few times during the summer.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

It simple - you have the tee open to be booked by anyone, that’s called equality and people getting the same treatment for the membership fee they pay

If your club is booking comps every Saturday then that’s not great for those that want to play social golf every now and then

If they are giving prime spots at weekends for visitors and societies again that’s not great

It seems really poor tee time organisation to restrict members so much

And why would the roll up stop going to the bar when they have to book like everyone else ?

Maybe if the tees were open to all then more would go to the bar

The “older ones” at my club aren’t the ones bringing in the money across the bar - it’s the newer members who are coming up with their mates and visitors that bring in the money

 

[Swango1980]

It simple - you have the tee open to be booked by anyone, that’s called equality and people getting the same treatment for the membership fee they pay

If your club is booking comps every Saturday then that’s not great for those that want to play social golf every now and then

If they are giving prime spots at weekends for visitors and societies again that’s not great

It seems really poor tee time organisation to restrict members so much

And why would the roll up stop going to the bar when they have to book like everyone else ?

Maybe if the tees were open to all then more would go to the bar

The “older ones” at my club aren’t the ones bringing in the money across the bar - it’s the newer members who are coming up with their mates and visitors that bring in the money

Why can't you perhaps see the point of view that the club are doing was is best for THEIR members, rather than what your own personal opinion is?

Not everyone had a consistent groups of mates to play with, or mates may be unavailable lots of weeks. A roll up gives ALL golfers an opportunity to play, without worrying about organising people to play with.

If these roll ups were empty, then fair enough. Stop them or restrict them so others can book individual tee slots.

But, if they are popular, then maybe they are working well?