The farce of THE MAIL on SUNDAY FIRST ROUND...please read

[alexgolf]

Hi all

Been out at the youth club i run and just reading the thread replys...Thank you to all for reading.

All i really would like to see with this is to raise awareness of what has happened really. Someone said above that 40 to 50 clubs was a small percentage and yes that is correct but the thing really is that things can either be done OR put in place to avoid this happening.

If you are going to play at this time of the year the bad weather comes into play of course more that it will in the Summer, so allowances or more time to play should be put into place at this time of the year. Less allowance would be given later in the year.

The MoS organisers in my opinion have embarrased themselves. Life doesnt fit into boxes and with golf EVERY effort to play without going too far should be accomadated. Their attitude here is....Sorry these are the rules....dont care about exceptional circumstances......tough.

Now of course you can say sorry this is golf....there is no leeway in out rules...get on with it. And yes with the Rules of our game i would agree because you cant have people doing different things when we play.

But i believe every effort should be made to actually get to play and to get people playing. Thats my main point actually.

 

[Imurg]

Why couldn't the match have been played earlier?
Was it a clash with other matches?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It does seem an unsatisfactory way of deciding things but I really don't see what else could have been done. Depending where in the UK you are, it is unlikely that some courses will be open this weekend, maybe not even next if the next predicted snowfall arrives. How long do you leave it before making a decision

 

[alexgolf]

It does seem an unsatisfactory way of deciding things but I really don't see what else could have been done. Depending where in the UK you are, it is unlikely that some courses will be open this weekend, maybe not even next if the next predicted snowfall arrives. How long do you leave it before making a decision

Good point Homer and the answer there is just one week. You cant KEEP going on of course and this is my main point.

The bad weather could still be here of course and then a decision would have to be done, BUT the clubs could have decided a winner then and not someone sitting in an office somewhere where no one can see how the process actually happens.

If we had been given one week more Hollingbury and ourselves would have sorted it in some way.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I can understand how you and the oppos could have sorted it particularly if the course was open again even if it meant swapping venues. I guess the problem comes if there are courses still shut by bad weather. What do you do then. All go to the range and decide it on a nearest the pin shootout. I think the MoS needed to have publicised their way of dealing with these situations more clearly and perhaps reiterated to club organisers that this way of deciding the tie would take place, particularly as they must have known about the snow coming etc.

 

[rosecott]

If we had been given one week more Hollingbury and ourselves would have sorted it in some way.

Would that not be unfair on the next round opponents?
That would one weekend less for them to arrange their next match.
The next round has to be played by 5th March and rounds are all about 4 weeks apart until the quarters in September with the semis and finals in November.
With only 4 weeks between rounds, it doesn't leave any margin.

 

[alexgolf]

Would that not be unfair on the next round opponents?
That would one weekend less for them to arrange their next match.
The next round has to be played by 5th March and rounds are all about 4 weeks apart until the quarters in September with the semis and finals in November.
With only 4 weeks between rounds, it doesn't leave any margin.

Good point rose but i said to the MoS that if the draw HAD to be made what ever team that won would wave being at home so at least the next round club would know they were at home and had the wipp hand in sorting the date.

With the bad weather now either the whole draw could have been put back one week and time caught up later if necessary, or the clubs not playing just had the penality of less time to sort themselves AND have to play away

 

[rosecott]

Nice to see you're being optimistic that things might be better by this coming weekend.
Me - I'm resigned to no golf for at least another week. Tonight's forecast is -8 for Nottingham - and that's in the city centre. God knows what it will be like here out in the sticks.

 

[alexgolf]

So you all totally understand where i am coming from here......

I totally agree that you need deadlines and keep to them.

The fact we were playing on the last possible day is neither here nor there. It was an available day to play.

I also believe that where things go wrong efforts should be made to try to sort it out WITHOUT putting the integretary of the comp into disrepute.

Dont forget neither club was trying it on here.....the weather caused the cancellation. Mind you our "card would have been marked" and less leeway would have been given in the future.

The winning club would know that they HAD to get a move on in other rounds.

I want golf to be the decider...not an administrator

 

[alexgolf]

Nice to see you're being optimistic that things might be better by this coming weekend.
Me - I'm resigned to no golf for at least another week. Tonight's forecast is -8 for Nottingham - and that's in the city centre. God knows what it will be like here out in the sticks.

And thats a good point.....what happens now if we get three weeks now with NO golf....do all the matches get decided by the toss of a coin....farce

 

[HomerJSimpson]

And thats a good point.....what happens now if we get three weeks now with NO golf....do all the matches get decided by the toss of a coin....farce

Alex you do raise a good point. Might be worth putting it to the organiser and asking the question. Would be interesting to see the answer although I imagine he'll say there's still plenty of time until the next deadline etc etc

 

[DCB]

Sorry, but I really don't see what the problem is. You had 4 weekends to play the tie, you chose to play it on the last available date. Given the organisers timescale for completion of the first round, I'd have thought that a little common sense would dictate you don't leave a tie until the last minute, especially in the midst of a British winter.

I've seen events where extensions have been granted and they have turned into a farce as people try to take advantage of the situation. At least they organiser was willing to flip a coin. Most commonly the bottom team in a tie would progress in my experience.

Bet you don't leave it to the last next year

 

[backwoodsman]

I also don't see the point. You left it late then were caught by the weather. If this had been an internal competition at ours, both parties would have been out and the round 2 oppo would have had a bye. Sorry,the rules were there but that's the way it is. If one rule gets bent, why not bend another - and another?

 

[jammag]

Unfortunately rules are rules, they give you 4 weeks then thats when you have to play it in otherwise you sacrifice the chance. Whether you arranged it on the first day or the last in the end you didnt play it in the allotted time slot. What happens if you grant 1 extension is then you have to grant everyone else an extension at any round and it can then mean that teams are reduced to only a couple of weeks in the later rounds. Also it leads to the fact is people know they can get an extra date they can wait until they have there best side out as they know they can get the extra date.

Unfortunate for your team yeah sure just one of them things. If you are saying you just want to play golf then go find a team for a friendly as there must be a few local teams near you who have gone out. If you dont like the rules dont enter next year is my advice.

 

[Pants]

I can see the pro's and con's on both sides here.

What I think is totally wrong though is that if the tie is not played, then one team goes through on a "toss of a coin" in the organizer's office (yeah right!). If no leeway can be granted, then surely neither team should go through to the next round.

 

[rosecott]

one team goes through on a "toss of a coin" in the organizer's office (yeah right!)

What are you suggesting? A huge conspiracy?

 

[Pants]

Qui? Moi??





:mmm::mmm:

 

[Tignanello97]

In French "farce" is stuffing........

 

[bladeplayer]

say the weather was grand they just didnt bother or forgot , and the match is not played on time both should be disqualified .. should they not ? so if you can bend a rule for that .. ?? where does it stop ..?

P.s i have not seen or read the competition rules it may well be covered in there ..

 

[CallawayKid]

We were kicked out on the toss of a coin despite our efforts to play some kind of golf. I called the MoS to ask what would happen and they said to play some form of golf even if it were a nearest the pin or putting in the bar. So this was agreed with our competitors to turn up no mater what to get a result.

I get a text Saturday night saying that our competition would not be showing up as it is unsafe to drive...really?! Surely then they have conceded the match? Not in the eyes of the MoS!

Voting with my feet next year, I for one will not be taking part. Have enough hassle organising our own comps

CK