Swindles, Roll ups & tee times

[backwoodsman]

At our place, we currently have no tee times - but are thinking of bring them in. And in doing so we are trying to work out how to accommodate the morning swindle.

Now l know that at some clubs this is accommodated by the club block-booking a series of tee times - but the question is - how many?

Does your club do this? If so how many tees times are block-booked to accommodate the roll up - and how many people turn up (on a regular basis) to join in the roll-up

(Our swindle comprises anywhere between 20 and 30 a regular basis - but on occasion can be 35 or more. Just trying to work out how to keep it going with the introduction of tee times)

Any advice/information appreciated.

 

[fundy]

Club ive just left decided to bring in a quasi system, basically made saturday and sunday mornings until 11am non bookable and then put in a booking system for the rest

This then allowed weekend morning comps and roll ups to fit in before the 11am slots

Worked pretty well 95% of the time

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We don't have tee times apart from blocked times for competitions. We have a number of roll ups on a Saturday and Sunday and we make sure their usual times are well publicised to new and existing members and visitors. There is usually a decent gap between each one to let social golfers out. The same applies to the midweek ones. I wouldn't want to join a club where you have to pre-book and really think the freedom to play as and when, especially in the summer is a great asset

 

[duncan mackie]

We had this issue an out 5 years ago, triggered by a group who joined wanting to book to play (together) at the time the swindle historically went out....they subsequently left but their legacy lives on!

Currently we now have bookable times up to 0830, and from 1000 to 1200 on non competition weekend days. Obviously nothing to prevent people booking at 1000 intending to play in the swindle if needed but, in practice, it's worked out OK but with some dilution in those playing (partly because they feel the need to arrive more formally to head off from 0830, partly because they book to play with friends or family outside the open period!).

Moving to bookable early times has helped maximise usage of these times - people can see that they need to get up 10min earlier to have a slot around the time they wish to play, and do so, rather than all the early birds turning up at the same time. Equally 1000+ seems to work for us.

 

[backwoodsman]

We don't have tee times apart from blocked times for competitions. We have a number of roll ups on a Saturday and Sunday and we make sure their usual times are well publicised to new and existing members and visitors. There is usually a decent gap between each one to let social golfers out. The same applies to the midweek ones. I wouldn't want to join a club where you have to pre-book and really think the freedom to play as and when, especially in the summer is a great asset

Thanks Homie but that's not especially helpful. You do what we currently do.

I'm hoping people will be able to give an insight on alternatives?

 

[duncan mackie]

We don't have tee times apart from blocked times for competitions. We have a number of roll ups on a Saturday and Sunday and we make sure their usual times are well publicised to new and existing members and visitors. There is usually a decent gap between each one to let social golfers out. The same applies to the midweek ones. I wouldn't want to join a club where you have to pre-book and really think the freedom to play as and when, especially in the summer is a great asset

You don't seem to see the paradox in what you have written - no bookable times except the swindle members who expect to be able to play at their chosen times each, and every, week...

 

[upsidedown]

Our Fiddle meets every Weds and Friday and to play in it you need to book into a tee time between 9.30 and 11.00. New members are all brought up to speed on this.
Our organisier keeps an eye on the tee times booked to see if there are any non fiddlers booked so that we are aware of them and they can tee off at their allotted time .
We generally have between 28 to 40 for the Weds and 24-30 for the Friday. Arrive at by 9'15 in the clubhouse for draw to be made, works well.

 

[USER1999]

The swindle I belong to has roughly 32 guys. Sometimes 20, some times 40. We have space for 36, if there are more, they have to sort themselves out.
The first tee is open play at weekends. Our swindle goes off 10, 12, and 14, from 8.00. 3 tee times from each. The first tee closes at 9.30 to allow us all to come through. This maximises course usage at a busy time.
It also gets the biggest in numbers, and biggest money spending swindle in to the bar at near enough the same time.
Guys who are outside the 36 can chip in to the pot, and play in the swindle, but have to queue up off the first.

This was thought up by the GM, as when we all went off the first, you could turn up at 7.30, and get out at 10.00. It works very well.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

My view.....stay as you are and don't change. Tee times are too restrictive.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

You don't seem to see the paradox in what you have written - no bookable times except the swindle members who expect to be able to play at their chosen times each, and every, week...

They may "expect" but they have no privilege or preference and if people are on the tee waiting to go out they simply have to filter in and wait their turn. They can't rock up at 10.00 and say we're the roll up and we've got the tee now. If I was the OP I'd seriously consider what the perceived pro's of introducing booked times are and whether in the scheme of things they truly outweigh the cons. I would suggest a lot of members my feel strongly about this and may be overly happy

 

[backwoodsman]

They may "expect" but they have no privilege or preference and if people are on the tee waiting to go out they simply have to filter in and wait their turn. They can't rock up at 10.00 and say we're the roll up and we've got the tee now. If I was the OP I'd seriously consider what the perceived pro's of introducing booked times are and whether in the scheme of things they truly outweigh the cons. I would suggest a lot of members my feel strongly about this and may be overly happy

As OP I personally really like the current system of no bookings - and it really suits the weekend swindle. But, we currently have three start points, & l can't deny we have a problem with course congestion - especially mid morning when those who didn't start at the first, come round to continue their game.

Its looking like our best option is to have an unbookable hour "reserved" for the swindle - say 8:30 to 9:30 - where if you want to play, you join in the swindle. All other times, you book your slot as you choose

I'm caught between a rock & a hard place - as a swindler, l don't especially want change, but as a Council member, l know we have to resolve the problem. And the evidence is quite clear as to what we ought to do to get maximum use of the course with least congestion - drop a start point, rearrange to two 9s, and go to tee bookings. But as a club, we are set in our ways, and i can already hear the rustle of rope as the lynch mob prepare their nooses for those who even think about altering things - even if it is to solve the problems everyone is grumbling about!

 

[Jamesbrown]

Three start points!?!? Ridiculous. 1st hole. You can’t cut in at our place you’ll be turfed off by the course marshall.
You have to book tee times at ours, and also check in. Course Marshall regularly does the rounds and radios the shop who should be where.
It works quite harmonious. We don’t have roll ups either.

But at clubs I’ve been a member at that so have them. Slots are booked for the average amount of players in a roll up.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

As OP I personally really like the current system of no bookings - and it really suits the weekend swindle. But, we currently have three start points, & l can't deny we have a problem with course congestion - especially mid morning when those who didn't start at the first, come round to continue their game.

Its looking like our best option is to have an unbookable hour "reserved" for the swindle - say 8:30 to 9:30 - where if you want to play, you join in the swindle. All other times, you book your slot as you choose

I'm caught between a rock & a hard place - as a swindler, l don't especially want change, but as a Council member, l know we have to resolve the problem. And the evidence is quite clear as to what we ought to do to get maximum use of the course with least congestion - drop a start point, rearrange to two 9s, and go to tee bookings. But as a club, we are set in our ways, and i can already hear the rustle of rope as the lynch mob prepare their nooses for those who even think about altering things - even if it is to solve the problems everyone is grumbling about!

I can see your issues. We have two star points, 1st and 10th but those starting on the 10th, especially on a big roll up where we try and split the field to give non-swindle golfers a chance to get off without too long a wait, have no priority once they get to the first and have to filter in behind those already there. Not ideal, and sometimes a gamble if you are off on the back nine in the roll up as to whether you'll get a free run, or get caught behind other groups and have to hang about.

If you have congestion issues it makes sense to look at viable alternative for the bigger picture but if your club is not open to significant change getting any sort of major overhaul through isn't going to be easy

 

[User 105]

At Chesfield everyone books their own teetimes.

When you show up you sign into the swindle book to confirm you'll play then pay you're money at the end and hand in your card to one of the guys who coordinates the swindle.

If you don't have a tee time you can post to a facebook group they have and someone will usually have a slot available.

At Knebworth they have no teetime booking so everyone has to show up before 7:30 to be included in the swindle. Which means if you get drawn in the last group you could be standing around for an hour before you go out.

I prefer Chesfields way, at least you know when you'll be going out.

 

[Slab]

No idea if its workable or not but could you book 30 min (approx 4 tee slots) on 1st (& start 4 groups off the 10th at same times) giving you a capacity of up to 32 roll up players
Then book a 2nd 30 minute slot on 1st tee around 2 hours after start for the guys who started on the back as they come through the 1st (vary to suit your course length/group sizes etc)

That way the roll up aren’t grabbing too much space out of the prime time from non-roll up players and spacing is kept more even as the guys playing in reverse come through with less clogging etc

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

At our place, we currently have no tee times - but are thinking of bring them in. And in doing so we are trying to work out how to accommodate the morning swindle.

Now l know that at some clubs this is accommodated by the club block-booking a series of tee times - but the question is - how many?

Does your club do this? If so how many tees times are block-booked to accommodate the roll up - and how many people turn up (on a regular basis) to join in the roll-up

(Our swindle comprises anywhere between 20 and 30 a regular basis - but on occasion can be 35 or more. Just trying to work out how to keep it going with the introduction of tee times)

Any advice/information appreciated.

We tried it for our Sat am roll up - 20-30 guys going off from about 10:30am - as part of a pilot of using a tee-time booking system. After 6months the membership had a vote on whether we wanted to adopt tee-time booking across the board - 66% against.

I think we basically booked 6 tee-times tee from 10:30am to see how it went. But our club philosophy is that the roll-ups are casual and flexible things - they are not a 'society/club' within the club and have no more rights than any other member wanting to play. And so if members turn up at 10:45am to play, they should be able to get their ball in the chute and play. That they might be in the middle of the roll-up - well we are fine with that. We'd ask if they would like to join the roll-up but they don't have to.

 

[GB72]

As ours is a hotel course, we need to be quote organised. We are given a number of tee times on a Saturday morning. The organiser texts the roll up members on a Monday to ask who wants to play the following Saturday. Once we have replies we let the club know and release any tee times that we do not need. Seems to work.

 

[backwoodsman]

No idea if its workable or not but could you book 30 min (approx 4 tee slots) on 1st (& start 4 groups off the 10th at same times) giving you a capacity of up to 32 roll up players
Then book a 2nd 30 minute slot on 1st tee around 2 hours after start for the guys who started on the back as they come through the 1st (vary to suit your course length/group sizes etc)

That way the roll up aren’t grabbing too much space out of the prime time from non-roll up players and spacing is kept more even as the guys playing in reverse come through with less clogging etc

It's this kind of thing that will happen (probably) regardless of how a roll up is oganised. If we have multiple start points, there will be chunks of time "not available" for bookings to accommodate groups already on the course

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

We don't have tee times apart from blocked times for competitions. We have a number of roll ups on a Saturday and Sunday and we make sure their usual times are well publicised to new and existing members and visitors. There is usually a decent gap between each one to let social golfers out. The same applies to the midweek ones. I wouldn't want to join a club where you have to pre-book and really think the freedom to play as and when, especially in the summer is a great asset

Exactly the same at my club apart from a Sunday morning start sheet, has worked perfectly well for the last 50 years.

 

[jim8flog]

Weekdays after 9.30 we have to do our own tee booking . One person within the group books all the tee slots.

Saturdays we use a ball shoot. There are a number of different swindles at our club and we have all got on quite well through the years so that each group knows roughly when to turn up and the required number of balls go in the shoot when it is known how many are playing. The starter knows who all the groups are.