Saturday rollups

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Fore said:
Must admit i have the hump with the swindle arrangement at my club at the moment. So much so i am trawling club web sites to see if can find a club with a better arrangement. Any recommendations, i am based near Junction 8 on the M25?
My lot refuse to draw balls for the groupings and insist on making up their own fourballs. The idea is you turn up, put your name in a book and ask if anybody is looking for a game. This is every saturday and sunday when there is not an official competition on. Trouble is a lot of guys 'make up' during the week or in the car park or have a regular four they play with week in week out which is nice if you are in a group like that but a pain if you aren't. Recently i turned up last but not late and the last 2 groups to go out said they were made up and to wait and see if anybody else turns up and to play with them. No one turned up so i went to the tees at 1 and 10 to ask if we could rearrange into 3 groups of three which should be the protocol. The first group said make a five ball with the other group. The second group said why us, can't you play with the other lot.
This is bred out of a desire to have a 4 ball better ball amongst themsleves in what is really an individual stableford competition. I felt really welcome at this point and realised the only way i would get a game would be to start an argument so i went home without a game. The club are not interested, they say the swindle is down to the members to sort out amongst themselves. I have said that the club should get involved as it reflects on them when new members can't get a game because of the unwillingness of old established members to mix it up a bit.
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The cynical comment would be to drive to junction 12 and get to Ascot. Never a problem and newbies and established members are welcomed into any of the weekend early morning roll ups with open arms. Exactly what should happen in a club. Does the the club you're at have booked tee times or is it a case of just making the numbers up and going out?

The simple answer if you don't have tee times would be to speak to some of the others that struggle to get regular games or canvass new members and start your own roll up. Simplest way is a few quid in and either winner takes all or pay out for 1st and 2nd with those taking the money getting some form of short term cut
 
Hi Homer,
the club reserve the 1st and the 10th tees from sunrise till 9.00 am for full members. Beyond this tee times are on the BRS. The roll up/swindle arrangement is to arrive at 7.45 to make up fours. If there are more than 12 turn up, the swindle book comes out. I did look at travelling to Ascot and appreciate your welcoming comments. I would really prefer something just a little bit closer to home though. Thanks for the thought.
 
If that's the attitude of existing members I'd be out of there and when their subs go up because new members leave or new members are not attracted because that attitude becomes common local knowledge and your not made to feel welcome or inclusive, they may have a good look at themselves.

Tee up behind them after they all go out and play through, stuff 'em.
 
Fore said:
My lot refuse to draw balls for the groupings and insist on making up their own fourballs. The idea is you turn up, put your name in a book and ask if anybody is looking for a game. This is every saturday and sunday when there is not an official competition on. Trouble is a lot of guys 'make up' during the week or in the car park or have a regular four they play with week in week out which is nice if you are in a group like that but a pain if you aren't. Recently i turned up last but not late and the last 2 groups to go out said they were made up and to wait and see if anybody else turns up and to play with them. No one turned up so i went to the tees at 1 and 10 to ask if we could rearrange into 3 groups of three which should be the protocol. The first group said make a five ball with the other group. The second group said why us, can't you play with the other lot.
This is bred out of a desire to have a 4 ball better ball amongst themsleves in what is really an individual stableford competition. I felt really welcome at this point and realised the only way i would get a game would be to start an argument so i went home without a game. The club are not interested, they say the swindle is down to the members to sort out amongst themselves. I have said that the club should get involved as it reflects on them when new members can't get a game because of the unwillingness of old established members to mix it up a bit.
Click to expand...

They sound an awful lot like the sort of people I wouldn't want to be associated with anyway so they've probably done you a favour! Never heard of a swindle that doesn't "throw the balls up" obviously it does happen!

Seriously though (I've probably said it before but) I'd have a word with the pro and ask him if there are any other new members looking for a regular game! After that you're in a good area for golf clubs - the 1st thing I asked when I approached the pro about membership at Shooters was if there were any friendly swindles that let any lost soul join in!

I've got friends that left my old club near Chester to join another club nearby, heard there was a Wednesday (I think) afternoon swindle during the summer "just meet up on the putting green at 6" sort of thing, after a few weeks they noticed the numbers were trailing off and soon got down to just them on the putting green. Turned out the original swindle members were meeting (hiding) in the 19th waiting for the 'newbies' to go out then convening on the putting green when they were out of sight!
 
Fore said:
Must admit i have the hump with the swindle arrangement at my club at the moment. So much so i am trawling club web sites to see if can find a club with a better arrangement. Any recommendations, i am based near Junction 8 on the M25?
My lot refuse to draw balls for the groupings and insist on making up their own fourballs. The idea is you turn up, put your name in a book and ask if anybody is looking for a game. This is every saturday and sunday when there is not an official competition on. Trouble is a lot of guys 'make up' during the week or in the car park or have a regular four they play with week in week out which is nice if you are in a group like that but a pain if you aren't. Recently i turned up last but not late and the last 2 groups to go out said they were made up and to wait and see if anybody else turns up and to play with them. No one turned up so i went to the tees at 1 and 10 to ask if we could rearrange into 3 groups of three which should be the protocol. The first group said make a five ball with the other group. The second group said why us, can't you play with the other lot.
This is bred out of a desire to have a 4 ball better ball amongst themsleves in what is really an individual stableford competition. I felt really welcome at this point and realised the only way i would get a game would be to start an argument so i went home without a game. The club are not interested, they say the swindle is down to the members to sort out amongst themselves. I have said that the club should get involved as it reflects on them when new members can't get a game because of the unwillingness of old established members to mix it up a bit.
Click to expand...

Perhaps time to find a new club - with a better roll-up/swindle style!

Make sure you tell the Club Management why!
 
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cookelad said:
I've got friends that left my old club near Chester to join another club nearby, heard there was a Wednesday (I think) afternoon swindle during the summer "just meet up on the putting green at 6" sort of thing, after a few weeks they noticed the numbers were trailing off and soon got down to just them on the putting green. Turned out the original swindle members were meeting (hiding) in the 19th waiting for the 'newbies' to go out then convening on the putting green when they were out of sight!
Click to expand...

And i thought my lot were bad!
 
Fore said:
Must admit i have the hump with the swindle arrangement at my club at the moment. So much so i am trawling club web sites to see if can find a club with a better arrangement. Any recommendations, i am based near Junction 8 on the M25?
My lot refuse to draw balls for the groupings and insist on making up their own fourballs. The idea is you turn up, put your name in a book and ask if anybody is looking for a game. This is every saturday and sunday when there is not an official competition on. Trouble is a lot of guys 'make up' during the week or in the car park or have a regular four they play with week in week out which is nice if you are in a group like that but a pain if you aren't. Recently i turned up last but not late and the last 2 groups to go out said they were made up and to wait and see if anybody else turns up and to play with them. No one turned up so i went to the tees at 1 and 10 to ask if we could rearrange into 3 groups of three which should be the protocol. The first group said make a five ball with the other group. The second group said why us, can't you play with the other lot.
This is bred out of a desire to have a 4 ball better ball amongst themsleves in what is really an individual stableford competition. I felt really welcome at this point and realised the only way i would get a game would be to start an argument so i went home without a game. The club are not interested, they say the swindle is down to the members to sort out amongst themselves. I have said that the club should get involved as it reflects on them when new members can't get a game because of the unwillingness of old established members to mix it up a bit.
Click to expand...


Junction 8 M25, That's my neck of the woods, I live in Banstead and play at cuddington which is a bit further down the A217.
There are 2 swindles on a saturday, 10.45 for 11.15 and one a couple of hours later on. There is also an unofficial one on a sunday morning at 8. I joined last year and despite having a reputation for being a bit stuffy I found it to be anything but. I am in my early thirties and have found everyone to be very friendly and welcoming and have never struggled to get a game.

There are also midweek swindles but as I work full time I don't know the details of these.

If you havent played the course its worth a look in
 
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Plenty at our place (doesn't matter if there's a comp on or not) and if you get stuck behind one of them they never let you through, plus some are too big. We've learned to avoid the Wednesday afternoon lot as not only are they ignorant they're cruel slow too, 5 and a half hours last time, frustrating thing is they were letting each other through, but not the two ball behind. This means we cant play the mid-week stablefords, as by the time we get to the course after work you're lucky to finish the round and its no fun anyway being held up to that degree.

On Saturday if we turn up at the club at 9.50 we can be finished by 1. Arrive at 10 and you wont tee off until nearly 11 and you're looking at 3 o clock finish if not later, they won't even make eye contact let alone wave you through, real sense of entitlement about the whole thing, like everyone should know this is their spin up time and stay away.

This is my main issue with spin-ups at our place, that they think they have block-booked the course and no one is allowed break up the party by playing through, even if theyre a smaller group and obviously faster and we'd be through the spin up and at the 19th before they hit the 12th. Not sure if thats the same everywhere but it puts me and the buddy off joining spin-ups, we don't want any part of that "we own the course" mentality, just because everyones pals and put their name in a hat doesn't mean basic etiquette goes out the window.

Yeah, this is one of the those things that really annoys me. :rant:
 
we are 15 mins from J6..........

we have a starter on the first and one of the key roles is to integrate new members in such situations - but to be honest, outside of the first couple of weeks of the new knockout season, when people use such times to play their doubles, everyone is extremely accomodating to new players who want to join in.
 
Fore said:
Must admit i have the hump with the swindle arrangement at my club at the moment. So much so i am trawling club web sites to see if can find a club with a better arrangement. Any recommendations, i am based near Junction 8 on the M25?
My lot refuse to draw balls for the groupings and insist on making up their own fourballs. The idea is you turn up, put your name in a book and ask if anybody is looking for a game. This is every saturday and sunday when there is not an official competition on. Trouble is a lot of guys 'make up' during the week or in the car park or have a regular four they play with week in week out which is nice if you are in a group like that but a pain if you aren't. Recently i turned up last but not late and the last 2 groups to go out said they were made up and to wait and see if anybody else turns up and to play with them. No one turned up so i went to the tees at 1 and 10 to ask if we could rearrange into 3 groups of three which should be the protocol. The first group said make a five ball with the other group. The second group said why us, can't you play with the other lot.
This is bred out of a desire to have a 4 ball better ball amongst themsleves in what is really an individual stableford competition. I felt really welcome at this point and realised the only way i would get a game would be to start an argument so i went home without a game. The club are not interested, they say the swindle is down to the members to sort out amongst themselves. I have said that the club should get involved as it reflects on them when new members can't get a game because of the unwillingness of old established members to mix it up a bit.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a bit of a closed shop if you ask me and not the sort of place you'd want to be a member. I'm afraid I'm not all that familiar with course down that way, I know of a lot but the only one I have played is leatherhead which I remember was a bit quirky in places but was in decent nick. Good luck with your search and sorry I can't be more helpful.
 
Fore said:
Must admit i have the hump with the swindle arrangement at my club at the moment. So much so i am trawling club web sites to see if can find a club with a better arrangement. Any recommendations, i am based near Junction 8 on the M25?
My lot refuse to draw balls for the groupings and insist on making up their own fourballs. The idea is you turn up, put your name in a book and ask if anybody is looking for a game. This is every saturday and sunday when there is not an official competition on. Trouble is a lot of guys 'make up' during the week or in the car park or have a regular four they play with week in week out which is nice if you are in a group like that but a pain if you aren't. Recently i turned up last but not late and the last 2 groups to go out said they were made up and to wait and see if anybody else turns up and to play with them. No one turned up so i went to the tees at 1 and 10 to ask if we could rearrange into 3 groups of three which should be the protocol. The first group said make a five ball with the other group. The second group said why us, can't you play with the other lot.
This is bred out of a desire to have a 4 ball better ball amongst themsleves in what is really an individual stableford competition. I felt really welcome at this point and realised the only way i would get a game would be to start an argument so i went home without a game. The club are not interested, they say the swindle is down to the members to sort out amongst themselves. I have said that the club should get involved as it reflects on them when new members can't get a game because of the unwillingness of old established members to mix it up a bit.
Click to expand...

As has been said already you are probably better off not playing with folks like that.

It is a cardinal rule of our roll-ups, which are played as 3 or 4 ball am/ams that nobody can pre-select partners, that all teams are drawn, and that nobody is turned away.

Absolutely agree that the Club, usually the Captain, should involve themselves in ensuring all members get a game.
 
duncan mackie said:
we are 15 mins from J6..........

we have a starter on the first and one of the key roles is to integrate new members in such situations - but to be honest, outside of the first couple of weeks of the new knockout season, when people use such times to play their doubles, everyone is extremely accomodating to new players who want to join in.
Click to expand...

That sound pretty good Duncan. May i ask where that is?
 
We have one on non-comp weekends.

Played over Sat and Sun. Just book your normal teetime with the club, if you want to play in the swindle stick your name in the book before you go out, if you don't just go out and play normally. You then pay your £2 and hand your card into one of the organisers in the bar afterwards.

1/3 of pot for best front and back and other 1/3 for best overall.

We run our own handicap rules as well. And you get fined 50p if you score below 30 points.

It's really good fun. Gives you a little something to play for if you want to. If you don't want to enter you don't have to.

It's a great way for new members to get involved in the mens section and always a good bit of banter in the bar afterwards.
 
The only one I'm aware of at my club is on a Wednesday morning.

At the tail end of the season there was a regular four ball and me. One of the guys took such a hissy fit because they were split up. I just wanted to go home. Not the best way to encourage new members.
 
I just find it hard to believe a members club is like this. My place is full of swindles all over the place. Tues and Thurs all year through swipe your card in to the competitions comp then one of the blokes who organises it gets the computer to generate us into 3 balls as there can be anything up to 50 people when the weather is nice. Mon, Weds and Friday be in the club house at 10:30 and you draw a number out of the hat to sort out who you are playing with. Saturday at 8:00 first swindle goes off, 10:30 the next one goes off, both when no comps are on. Sunday morning is around 9:00. So plenty of swindles to join, no one is allowed to make up their own game.
 
at least 2 regular Saturday roll ups (different times of course) and a Cat 1 roll up on a Thursday evening - in summer of course-.

My last course (resort course) didnt know what a roll up was (I still dont know what a swindle is)
 
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