Tee time availability…. Is it a geographical issue?

[Oddsocks]

I’ve recently been experiencing some troubles getting tee times if booking less than a full week in advance for weekends and in some cases week days have been very limited also. To be assured a half decent time it’s two weeks in advance.

After speaking with a friend at my okd club, he’s even been struggling two weeks in advance booking for a Thursday morning slot yet to his amazement slots that were on available in his online booking were available to book via online tee time sites for p&p.

I’m guessing a lot of this is driven by several factors including the recent uptake in newbies in a densely populated area coupled with a few courses near by closing, p&p has literally boomed and casc* seems to have restricted any pricing increases meaning p&p is now profitable and vital income for courses.

What do people class as a reasonable requirement for booking tee slots in advance?

 

[backwoodsman]

I’ve recently been experiencing some troubles getting tee times if booking less than a full week in advance for weekends and in some cases week days have been very limited also. To be assured a half decent time it’s two weeks in advance.

After speaking with a friend at my okd club, he’s even been struggling two weeks in advance booking for a Thursday morning slot yet to his amazement slots that were on available in his online booking were available to book via online tee time sites for p&p.

I’m guessing a lot of this is driven by several factors including the recent uptake in newbies in a densely populated area coupled with a few courses near by closing, p&p has literally boomed and casc* seems to have restricted any pricing increases meaning p&p is now profitable and vital income for courses.

What do people class as a reasonable requirement for booking tee slots in advance?

Our booking goes live at 9:00 one week in advance. We also have "group size restrictions" in that 2balls start at 7am, 3balls at 10am and 4ball at 2pm (slightly different at weekends). During the week, the first few slots in each category get snapped up pretty promptly when booking opens. But after that, there's reasonable availability. But it ends up reasonably full by the time the day actually arrives. Weekends are different - most slots get snapped straight away and just the odd slot is available for a short time. Except Sunday pm when no-one seems to want to play.

 

[Oddsocks]

We’re evening struggling on Sunday pm’s up until about 2.30/3.00 where then you struggle to get round

 

[peld]

our times open at 8:00:00 10 days before. For a weekend, anything before about 3.30 is gone by 08:00:15.
you have to be online, ready and refresh at the exact second, chose 1 time, and hope no-one else picked it at the same time as you.

 

[rudebhoy]

Ours gets booked up very quickly from 7-12, but afternoons tend to be pretty quiet until about 4.30.

I don't understand why mornings are so much more popular than afternoons. I'm playing at 12.48 today, an ideal time as far as I'm concerned. Got all my little jobs out of the way this morning, course will be quiet and weather tends to be best early afternoon.

 

[Bdill93]

Bookings open for members at 8am daily - 14 days in advance.

P&P can book online from 7 days before.

So members get a week grace period before anyone else can book up tees. Only difference here would be an organised Society blocking out a section - but we only accept these in the week and not on Wednesday comp days.

 

[louise_a]

We can book 14 days in advance

 

[jim8flog]

We do not take visitors on the 18 hole course at the weekend because it is normally rammed with members.

Our booking system only allows booking from 8 pm 8 days in advance unless it it a group booking done via the office.

 

[Imurg]

Bookings???
What a strange word......

 

[Oddsocks]

Bookings???
What a strange word......

the joys of a members club

 

[sunshine]

Bookings???
What a strange word......

That must be such a pain when you have a limited window to play.

 

[Imurg]

That must be such a pain when you have a limited window to play.

It is. Would love a booking system
We've taken to going out as early as we can from the 10th so we can get round to the 1st when there's a useful lull in starters...
If I wasn't working it wouldn't be an issue but there you go...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We open tee booking one week in advance of the day. However, just had a look to see what this Sunday pm looks like as I fancy a few holes after my holiday…to refresh things before Camberley and Blackmoor…and I see that all of six tee times are taken after 13:20 - the rest is free. The joys of a Sunday afternoon in a Surrey-Hants borders members club?

 

[Jamesbrown]

Ours gets booked up very quickly from 7-12, but afternoons tend to be pretty quiet until about 4.30.

I don't understand why mornings are so much more popular than afternoons. I'm playing at 12.48 today, an ideal time as far as I'm concerned. Got all my little jobs out of the way this morning, course will be quiet and weather tends to be best early afternoon.

Because you you have the rest of the day to yourself once golfs out the way.

Golf in the afternoon is like going to work in the afternoon. Hanging around waiting to die.

And statistically it rains more in the afternoon.

 

[Oddsocks]

We open tee booking one week in advance of the day. However, just had a look to see what this Sunday pm looks like as I fancy a few holes after my holiday…to refresh things before Camberley and Blackmoor…and I see that all of six tee times are taken after 13:20 - the rest is free. The joys of a Sunday afternoon in a Surrey-Hants borders members club?

So many words and possible responses all of which would no doubt get me reprimanded or expelled from this lovely place.

 

[Optom]

No booking system at Wyke Green just roll up avoiding matches ,swindles and societies.

 

[Orikoru]

Our club has the most unnecessarily convoluted system in place at the moment. They are trying to incorporate roll-ups and tee bookings at the same time, with the ability to start on the 1st or the 10th - one of them has roll-ups and one has tee bookings, and then vice versa in the afternoon. But you're not allowed to play between 10 and 12:30 to allow the roll-up guys to get round, or something. It's annoying because we used to typically play at 11 before they brought this in, but we have mostly managed to get out at 12:30 bar the odd week where some other event was on in the afternoon.

Before all this rubbish it was just tee bookings (after the last lockdown) and it was perfect. 10 minute intervals and I never had any trouble getting booked in at a suitable time. It's really irritating that they threw that system in the bin when the Covid regs were relaxed. I get they wanted to bring roll-ups back, but in my opinion they've made an absolute horlicks of it.

 

[Robster59]

I think it is more of a demographic issue than a geographic one. We used to just be a turn-up-and-play course, but a few factors meant we had to move to a booking system.

• A course local to us closed down and about 100 of their ex-members joined our course.
• Covid happened and we got even more members. For the first time now in over 10 years we have a waiting list.
• Most of the members who left were non-playing, or infrequent playing members, whilst those who joined are now playing so the overall number of playing members have increased dramatically.

So we now use BRS and our booking goes live at 8:20 on a Thursday for the weekend after that Thursday (10 days in advance effectively).
During the summer you had to have rapid fingers as if you didn't book in the first minute, you couldn't get a tee-time before 3pm. It's eased up a little now as the weather is starting to change but you still have to be quick off the mark.

 

[jim8flog]

Ours gets booked up very quickly from 7-12, but afternoons tend to be pretty quiet until about 4.30.

I don't understand why mornings are so much more popular than afternoons. I'm playing at 12.48 today, an ideal time as far as I'm concerned. Got all my little jobs out of the way this morning, course will be quiet and weather tends to be best early afternoon.

Because you have a lot of seniors that have been up and about since the early hours and do not want to miss their afternoon nap.

 

[Jamesbrown]

Because you have a lot of seniors that have been up and about since the early hours and do not want to miss their afternoon nap.

I’m 32 and I don’t want to miss that nap! ?