Roll ups

[evemccc]

What’s the point of them, pros and cons?
Why do people seem to like them so much?

I have only a vague idea of what they are..but to my limited knowledge they seem incompatible with BRS (?) and a slight waste of time

I want to know when my tee-time is, play a round, and then get off to my other chores, commitments and things to do in my weekend.


Edit: if they are what I think they are, then it would be great if you have lots of free-time to spend at the club and lots of friends a similar age and interests at your club

 

[Crazyface]

IMO they are THE reason to join a club. Great way to join in with members and get to know a few of them. Great banter. God I miss them. No roll ups at my place. Everything is booked. Very very boring.

 

[road2ruin]

For me they were an opportunity to play with different people at the club as I joined on my own. As the balls were drawn out of the bag it meant there were no real cliques and I met people.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I have no idea what they are, never been a member of a club that has them.

From the name I assume you “roll up” rather than put your name down to play, the other difference to what I can infer from here is that they are not run by the pro shop.

 

[Ethan]

Roll ups are great. Don't have to book, pitch up to the club and get paired up, get a chance to meet and play with different people.

 

[evemccc]

Roll ups are great. Don't have to book, pitch up to the club and get paired up, get a chance to meet and play with different people.

Yes I can see their benefit, but surely if you've no guarantee of when you're playing, you might be hanging around in the clubhouse for ages before going out.
Surely a fairly brisk 3 hr 15 min round could turn into a 4 hour plus chunk of time of your weekend taken up, if you have to wait 45 mins before going out?

I'd like to know when I'm playing, then can plan my weekend around that!

 

[Beedee]

In normal times we have about half a dozen tee times block booked on a Saturday mid-morning (Sunday is our usual competition day). Meet in the bar about half an hour before the first tee time and draw groups etc. All of the rest of the time it's tee booking.

I've only joined in a couple of times as I prefer teeing off very early. However was really useful to get a game and get my cards in when I first joined the club. I've no idea what would happen if too many people turned up. Didn't happen on the ones I attended.

 

[Ethan]

Yes I can see their benefit, but surely if you've no guarantee of when you're playing, you might be hanging around in the clubhouse for ages before going out.
Surely a fairly brisk 3 hr 15 min round could turn into a 4 hour plus chunk of time of your weekend taken up, if you have to wait 45 mins before going out?

I'd like to know when I'm playing, then can plan my weekend around that!

I don't mind a bit of a wait. I usually hit a few balls on the range.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Yes I can see their benefit, but surely if you've no guarantee of when you're playing, you might be hanging around in the clubhouse for ages before going out.
Surely a fairly brisk 3 hr 15 min round could turn into a 4 hour plus chunk of time of your weekend taken up, if you have to wait 45 mins before going out?

I'd like to know when I'm playing, then can plan my weekend around that!

Sounds like rollups aren't for you then.

 

[MrGrumtastic]

As someone who works all week and has two young children, my free time at weekends is rather precious to me. So as you say, I would much rather be able to book a time then go out at that time, instead of waiting around for up to an hour (or even more).
I was originally put off the club I joined last year because it didn't have a booking system, but when covid restrictions came in and it all went online, that was ideal for me.

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

It's never been a big part for me as lacking free time , if I know I've got a spare day then I'll make sure friends or Dad are available to play well in advance and therefore a booked slot is great and I get to see them.

I did join a club not knowing people though and they didn't have roll ups or drawn comps, so instead a lot of people played in their usual fourball. That meant it was quite hard waiting around to see who had a spare slot in the competition so that chilled morning roll up would have been handy.

 

[USER1999]

You can play golf on your own, or with a couple of mates, it is an easy sport to play, at your convenience, at a convenient time, get home at a predictable hour, and you can crack on with life afterwards, do things with family, go to work whatever.

What if you had more time?

Roll ups. Instead of playing with the same people every week, you can meet lots more like minded idiots, and meet new people. Yes, there will always be groups of death, but once you know everyone, that's part of the laugh (especially if your mate gets a duff draw). Everyone is fine for one round. You meet lots of new people, some of whom might become lifelong friends. Yes, you might need to wait to go out, but you can sit around having breakfast, a chat, a coffee, you can hit the practice net, chipping ground, putting green. Heck, it might do your game some good. To me, and I have time, it's what I love about golf.

 

[Imurg]

They're great for some, they're not for others.
I think the powers that be at my place are thinking we have too many roll ups...2 or 3 most days. I think they're trying to cut them back a bit.
It cuts the amount of tee times for the members who don't want to be in a roll up or who want to play at certain times with guests..
Although our roll ups don't have any sort of priority in normal circumstances
Personally, I like to know when I'm playing...mainly because I'm still working and can be working 7 days a week so I might not have time to hang about for an hour waiting to go out.
That might change as and when going part time finally kicks in and ill have more time so a roll up may well work for me.

 

[Crazyface]

At my last place if loads turned up 8 players would be sent to the 17th tee to start from there. This was great as you finished on 16 right near car park and had a clear run for two holes.

 

[evemccc]

Sounds like rollups aren't for you then.

Yes. Thought as much..

I enjoy playing golf with others and have met people and enjoyed rounds with people I wouldn't have normally played with, through medals and Open Comps at other clubs. Met plenty of people in the 19th too, and subsequently played rounds with them.
Don't see why a roll-up is a pre-req for that..

It seems like golfers who have to work in the week, and have outside interests aside from golf, plus plenty of other commitments, ie are not time-rich, are not advantaged by having the number of tee-bookings blocked off for roll-ups at weekends. They pay a 7 day membership for a chance to play at weekends. Then half of Saturday is blocked off for rollups...might work for those who are happy to hang around drinking coffee and 'talking to Gerry" whilst waiting an hour or more to get their golf in, but it's not great for those who are time-poor,

 

[Mandofred]

Yep, I can see both sides to the argument. For me, the roll-ups are great. I'm retired.....don't have to get home to a family etc. Before Covid (BC....get it.....BC?), I think we had 4 roll-ups on Sat. mornings. There were people with families and wanted to get home so they jumped in with the first or second group (smaller groups). Our group of about 25 most Saturdays and another group of about the same size after us.....would be an issue if you wanted to come and play and get the heck back home. If you were in the first two groups....hardly any waiting. In my opinion....you join a club to both golf and get that social interaction with quite a few other people (which I need because I'm a hermit). If I just wanted to golf with the same friends every time....then roll-ups don't work. There likely need to be some compromises from what I have read over the last year or so....for instance, I would be more than happy if my roll-up groups played later in the day.....which would allow more of the "time poor" people to get out early. I'd just arrange my day accordingly.....which means cranking out a 5-7mile walk before golf...which is fine with me.

*People who love roll-ups want them to continue because it's in their best interest.
*People who don't love roll-ups want them to go away because it's not in their best interest.

Everybody can't get their way (like everything else in the world)......there are several ways to compromise....or change to a club that hopefully offers choices that work the best for you. If my club does away with roll-ups, but another club in the area still has them.....I'm changing.

 

[Deleted member 25172]

What’s the point of them, pros and cons?
Why do people seem to like them so much?

I have only a vague idea of what they are..but to my limited knowledge they seem incompatible with BRS (?) and a slight waste of time

I want to know when my tee-time is, play a round, and then get off to my other chores, commitments and things to do in my weekend.


Edit: if they are what I think they are, then it would be great if you have lots of free-time to spend at the club and lots of friends a similar age and interests at your club

Roll ups are the single reason why I know so many people at the club now. I didn’t know anyone when I joined, so the roll up was the perfect introduction as it wasn’t just the golf, but then continue “bonding” and get to know more people in the clubhouse afterwards for a few drinks.

Roll-ups, yes please!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I don't mind a bit of a wait. I usually hit a few balls on the range.

Hit a few balls and if a longer wait I'll have a breakfast bap to accompany my coffee - and catch up with club bantz and goss.

 

[Old Skier]

Big roll up fields aren’t an issue at our place as majority of comps are drawn so you get to know many club members.

 

[clubchamp98]

Yes. Thought as much..

I enjoy playing golf with others and have met people and enjoyed rounds with people I wouldn't have normally played with, through medals and Open Comps at other clubs. Met plenty of people in the 19th too, and subsequently played rounds with them.
Don't see why a roll-up is a pre-req for that..

It seems like golfers who have to work in the week, and have outside interests aside from golf, plus plenty of other commitments, ie are not time-rich, are not advantaged by having the number of tee-bookings blocked off for roll-ups at weekends. They pay a 7 day membership for a chance to play at weekends. Then half of Saturday is blocked off for rollups...might work for those who are happy to hang around drinking coffee and 'talking to Gerry" whilst waiting an hour or more to get their golf in, but it's not great for those who are time-poor,

Thing is though if the said players didn’t play in the roll up they would just book times anyway.
So the amount of tees avaliable is just the same .
We don’t have block booking if you want to play in the roll up you book your own tee time and put your fiver in the tea caddy.
What’s app tells you the results.