• Thanks to each and every one of you for being part of the Golf Monthly community! We hope you have a joyous holiday season!

Tee booking

Mandofred

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
3,059
Location
Harrogate
Visit site
Booking tee times is 100% the way to go in my opinion. Time is precious and I personally don’t have it to waste on waiting about. Unless you play at a very quiet/low membership club where rolling up may work fine... I’d say it would (could) be chaos just rolling up!
Nothing wrong with this opinion at all. I partially agree with it.

If one club that is near you has only online bookings, no other way to get a tee time.........and another club near you runs lots of roll-ups (with block out tee times), but still plenty of bookings available.......which club would you join? I know the answer.....I'm just trying to make a point. Nothing wrong with either club.....join the club that best works for you.
 

Golfnut1957

Newbie
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Messages
1,793
Visit site
Used to hate that, we'd get there for 7 on a Saturday and have 4x4balls waiting. I want to know what time I'm going off so I can plan other stuff. Can't just hang around and wait.
Two things spring to mind here. Bank holidays and early morning fog delays. Pre-booking system these two phenomena could result in football crowds on the first tee.
 

NearHull

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
Messages
1,243
Visit site
Thanks for all the comments. I’ll re read them in the morning as I’ve just poured an Ouzo on ice ( I love Ouzo) and then disappointingly, the hooter just gone at Augusta ( I am watching on record).
 

Boomy

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2020
Messages
1,022
Visit site
Nothing wrong with this opinion at all. I partially agree with it.

If one club that is near you has only online bookings, no other way to get a tee time.........and another club near you runs lots of roll-ups (with block out tee times), but still plenty of bookings available.......which club would you join? I know the answer.....I'm just trying to make a point. Nothing wrong with either club.....join the club that best works for you.

I’ve never known anything other than booking a tee time to play (other than at a par 3 municipal when I was a junior where you just rocked up and queued) It seems to me that “roll ups” suit the older/retired category of golfer with more time available - which is fine, as long as tee availability is fair for all to book.
 
D

Deleted member 29109

Guest
Two things spring to mind here. Bank holidays and early morning fog delays. Pre-booking system these two phenomena could result in football crowds on the first tee.

Why would bank Holidays be any different to a normal day if there is a booking system? They aren't at my place.

Fog is a problem at times. If the course is closed due to fog you lose your time. When the course is deemed safe to play, the order of play is whatever the order is at that time on the booking system.
 

benjo09

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
46
Location
Sheffield, UK
Visit site
As a new member at a club, I'm really looking forward to the resumption of roll ups as it has been hard/near impossible to meet people to play with since I joined in September. On the other hand I like the booking system as it allows me to pick a time to play where I won't catch up the main block of 4 balls. I don't know what the plans are going forward but a system where rounds have to be booked but roll ups can be signed up to in advance and allocated a tee time would work well IMO.
 

Mandofred

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
3,059
Location
Harrogate
Visit site
I’ve never known anything other than booking a tee time to play (other than at a par 3 municipal when I was a junior where you just rocked up and queued) It seems to me that “roll ups” suit the older/retired category of golfer with more time available - which is fine, as long as tee availability is fair for all to book.
Again......membership clubs have the choice of running things pretty well any way within reason they want. Yes, roll-ups do work better for people who aren't in a big hurry to get the round over with and zip back home. But, there are lots and lots of people who want to talk to their friends before and after the round. The roll-ups we have allow for people to go out first if they have something they need to do and don't have time to hang around. We also have roll-ups nice and early for those people who want to get home to families (or is a possible 15 minute delay because you weren't 1st out too much of a delay?) As I've stated before, I'm fine with opening up some of those prime Saturday morning slots (these are the ones people complain most about) that roll-ups quite often take up and moving the roll-ups to 11? Everybody can't get everything they want, some compromises need to occur at quite a few clubs.
 

Boomy

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2020
Messages
1,022
Visit site
As a new member at a club, I'm really looking forward to the resumption of roll ups as it has been hard/near impossible to meet people to play with since I joined in September. On the other hand I like the booking system as it allows me to pick a time to play where I won't catch up the main block of 4 balls. I don't know what the plans are going forward but a system where rounds have to be booked but roll ups can be signed up to in advance and allocated a tee time would work well IMO.

I’m a new member at a club as well and have had no problem meeting new people to play with by pre-booking - I just put my name down with other groups/people on BRS? I certainly wouldn’t class it as impossible or even hard to do - very easy to be fair.
 
D

Deleted member 29109

Guest
I’m a new member at a club as well and have had no problem meeting new people to play with by pre-booking - I just put my name down with other groups/people on BRS? I certainly wouldn’t class it as impossible or even hard to do - very easy to be fair.
Same here. I'm at a new club and have played with 3 different groups in the ladt week.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
33,491
Visit site
members at my club voted a few years ago against us having a tee booking system for non-competition play. I voted against on grounds that I would not be able to just turn up and if I have to wait in a queue then so be it. But my experience of the tee booking system over the last year and indeed the last week - is that I can play pretty much whenever I want - only having to bear in mind that there are going to be the normal busy/popular times that I have to be organised if I want to book a tee time. Plus we have worked out a procedure that enables the three main rollups of the week to have a fixed number of tee times at their normal/historical times and that seems to work for most members.

I think opposition to tee booking will have dropped very significantly and that it will be continued past when it is no longer essential in the context of infection control. That said - there will be a heated debate I am sure.
 

jim8flog

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
16,071
Location
Yeovil
Visit site
One of the big advantages we found to all booked was the opportunity of all ages to play at the time they wanted. Prior going to all booked most weekday mornings were taken up by unofficial senior roll ups (it was these that moaned the most when we went to all booked) who more or less shut out younger players.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
33,491
Visit site
One of the big advantages we found to all booked was the opportunity of all ages to play at the time they wanted. Prior going to all booked most weekday mornings were taken up by unofficial senior roll ups (it was these that moaned the most when we went to all booked) who more or less shut out younger players.
Interesting thing that has happened is that most members recognise the periods that are traditionally used by the three main rollups of the week and seem to avoid booking into these periods. Either that or those who play in the rollups get in early and book the tee times. That said reserved times for the rollups starts from tomorrow with advance booking for what are now deemed to be whs qualifying comps is in place.

I forgot that bookings opened last night at 8pm for the 40 places in next Sat am rollup. Thought I’d have missed my chance - but no - looked ten mins ago and was still able to get my name down. Draw for 4 ball groups will be done next Thursday and so I will know then when between 10:32 and 11:44 I am teeing off.

All times next Sat before 10:32 fully booked but still plenty of available slots in the times immediately after 11:44 for those wishing to play in the rollup comp but not in the draw. Though have to find out how that will work in the context of the WHS qualifying comp. maybe it won’t and those in the subsequent times will just enter the weekly ‘enter on the day’ saturday stableford.
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 16999

Guest
Interesting thing that has happened is that most members recognise the periods that are traditionally used by the three main rollups of the week and seem to avoid booking into these periods. Either that or those who play in the rollups get in early and book the tee times. That said reserved times for the rollups starts from tomorrow with advance booking for what are now deemed to be whs qualifying comps is in place.

I forgot that bookings opened last night at 8pm for the 40 places in next Sat am rollup. Thought I’d have missed my chance - but no - looked ten mins ago and was still able to get my name down. Draw for 4 ball groups will be done next Thursday and so I will know then when between 10:32 and 11:44 I am teeing off.

All times next Sat before 10:32 fully booked but still plenty of available slots in the times immediately after 11:44 for those wishing to play in the rollup comp but not in the draw. Though have to find out how that will work in the context of the WHS qualifying comp. maybe it won’t and those in the subsequent times will just enter the weekly ‘enter on the day’ saturday stableford.
So being pedantic, it’s no longer a “roll-up” it’s a pre booked slot and no different to a Society booking or a Club Comp.
 

IanM

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 18, 2009
Messages
13,392
Location
Monmouthshire, UK via Guildford!
www.newportgolfclub.org.uk
My club never booked times. It was a club "non negotiable."

On a Saturday morning, you could be off in 10 mins, or 90, depending on when you got there. Made planning your day impossible

Post covid, everything is booked on line. Makes life easier, I think its much better.

The chatter about keep/remove when we're able to will be fun!
 

jim8flog

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
16,071
Location
Yeovil
Visit site
My club never booked times. It was a club "non negotiable."

On a Saturday morning, you could be off in 10 mins, or 90, depending on when you got there. Made planning your day impossible

Post covid, everything is booked on line. Makes life easier, I think its much better.

The chatter about keep/remove when we're able to will be fun!

One of the things in particular that made us go to all booked was Saturday mornings. Apparently players were arriving at 5 am to put their ball in the chute. Very annoying for the team living on site and minutes after the ball chute was officially 'opened' the were enough balls in the chute to take it to 10.30 ish.
We tried a couple of alternative systems but they caused a lot of other problems like abuse to the starter.
 

Bazz

Q-School Graduate
Joined
May 12, 2012
Messages
3,271
Location
Wolverhampton
Visit site
My club never booked times. It was a club "non negotiable."

On a Saturday morning, you could be off in 10 mins, or 90, depending on when you got there. Made planning your day impossible

Post covid, everything is booked on line. Makes life easier, I think its much better.

The chatter about keep/remove when we're able to will be fun!

Could imagine that conversation with the boss before I left the house.
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
28,066
Location
Watford
Visit site
I hope that tee booking stays in place permanently. I can't see the merit in turning up whenever and hanging around waiting for a slot? Waste of time. I want to know when I'm teeing off, so I can turn up on time and hopefully tee off on time. Why wouldn't you want that?
 
Top