Trolley Ban!

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A bit of history about trolley bans, etc, at our club. Generally speaking, there was no problem with using pull or electric trolleys for 10 months of the year, but in the depths of Winter there was often a trolley ban for a month or two, and players had to carry. The seniors objected to this, as some of them were partially disabled due to bad backs, dodgy knees, or arthritic hips, and found carrying difficult. A compromise was reached in that except under the most extreme conditions, a pull trolley fitted with hedgehog wheels could be used. This was extended a year later to include electric trolleys fitted with hedgehogs. However, we have recently had some very extreme conditions due to excessive rainfall, and it has been necessary on occasions to close the course completely, or to insist on carrying only. This has been communicated to the membership on a daily basis on the club website, or they could telephone the pro shop and ask. So this is really take it or leave it. Probably a lot of the seniors don't want to play anyway in these conditions, and the (covered) range has been kept open for those who wish to have a swing and practice. Can't see that the trolley bans actually discriminate again the disabled as such! :(
 
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Frequency of trolley bans was one of the main questions I asked when looking to join a new club last year. With my chronic heart condition just walking is a bit of a problem so no way I could contemplate carrying even just a half set of clubs.

Suffice to say that the club I was going to join assured me that they never ban trolleys, nor do they even stipulate hedgehog wheels. Imagine my surprise when seeing on twitter the other day that they have had a complete trolley ban on for the last few weeks! Good thing I didn't move there then!
 
Stegsie said:
Frequency of trolley bans was one of the main questions I asked when looking to join a new club last year. With my chronic heart condition just walking is a bit of a problem so no way I could contemplate carrying even just a half set of clubs.

Suffice to say that the club I was going to join assured me that they never ban trolleys, nor do they even stipulate hedgehog wheels. Imagine my surprise when seeing on twitter the other day that they have had a complete trolley ban on for the last few weeks! Good thing I didn't move there then!
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I think this could be the case for many clubs though this year, there have been courses that have never closed of had any restrictions in place before but you have to accept that we have just endured record amounts of unprecedented rainfall, and as such, although the statements were correct at that time, nature cannot be second guessed nor can any club be judged or critacised due to these record mild spells over our winter bringing all this rain. To see Links & Heathland courses closed which are on excellent sand based drainage speaks volumes, so I think it's unfair to judge any parkland course for having to adopt to abnormal conditions not experienced before.
 
Fish said:
I think this could be the case for many clubs though this year, there have been courses that have never closed of had any restrictions in place before but you have to accept that we have just endured record amounts of unprecedented rainfall, and as such, although the statements were correct at that time, nature cannot be second guessed nor can any club be judged or critacised due to these record mild spells over our winter bringing all this rain. To see Links & Heathland courses closed which are on excellent sand based drainage speaks volumes, so I think it's unfair to judge any parkland course for having to adopt to abnormal conditions not experienced before.
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Exactly right! :thup:
 
delc said:
A bit of history about trolley bans, etc, at our club. Generally speaking, there was no problem with using pull or electric trolleys for 10 months of the year, but in the depths of Winter there was often a trolley ban for a month or two, and players had to carry. The seniors objected to this, as some of them were partially disabled due to bad backs, dodgy knees, or arthritic hips, and found carrying difficult. A compromise was reached in that except under the most extreme conditions, a pull trolley fitted with hedgehog wheels could be used. This was extended a year later to include electric trolleys fitted with hedgehogs. However, we have recently had some very extreme conditions due to excessive rainfall, and it has been necessary on occasions to close the course completely, or to insist on carrying only. This has been communicated to the membership on a daily basis on the club website, or they could telephone the pro shop and ask. So this is really take it or leave it. Probably a lot of the seniors don't want to play anyway in these conditions, and the (covered) range has been kept open for those who wish to have a swing and practice. Can't see that the trolley bans actually discriminate again the disabled as such! :(
Click to expand...

I think BPGC rather shot themselves in the foot by actively encouraging members to buy HH wheels for their electric trolleys by saying they would never ban such trolleys.
I was speaking to some members last week who said it's a churned up mud bath in places.

They should have stopped at allowing HH on pull trolleys only
 
North Mimms said:
I think BPGC rather shot themselves in the foot by actively encouraging members to buy HH wheels for their electric trolleys by saying they would never ban such trolleys.
I was speaking to some members last week who said it's a churned up mud bath in places.

They should have stopped at allowing HH on pull trolleys only
Click to expand...

Actually, a lot of the churning up has been caused by the green keepers attempting to cut the fairway grass in extremely wet conditions. The weather has been so warm and wet this winter that the grass hasn't stopped growing, as you would normally expect it to do in the Winter. I did ask the question earlier in this thread about whether HH wheels really do cause less damage than plain wheels on trolleys? Unfortunately BPGC has suffered an almost perfect storm in the last couple of months. I can never remember it being closed for reasons other than lying snow before! :(
 
I have recently moved clubs and was having a chat with Pro about closures and trolley bans.

I visited the club a few years ago and was aware that they did have trolley bans and temp greens in the winter then. Howver with a new Head GK, things have changed.
They no longer have temp greens.

They gave up with "trolley bans apart from those with medical needs" as with an average age around 70, there were still more trolleys being used than people carrying.
Now they either allow trolleys or they close the course.

It has been closed a fair bit since new year, but judging from posts on the forum, it's been closed less than some other courses.
The upshot is that I played golf yesterday (with trolley) and the course is in fair nick. Soft in places but the only really muddy bits are pinch points in front of tees, with little mud around the greens.

There are no double buggies but a few single seaters.
These are occasionally banned when trolleys are still ok , normally on back 9 which is much hillier than front 9 so is not safe for buggies when very soft or slippy
 
Fish said:
I think this could be the case for many clubs though this year, there have been courses that have never closed of had any restrictions in place before but you have to accept that we have just endured record amounts of unprecedented rainfall, and as such, although the statements were correct at that time, nature cannot be second guessed nor can any club be judged or critacised due to these record mild spells over our winter bringing all this rain. To see Links & Heathland courses closed which are on excellent sand based drainage speaks volumes, so I think it's unfair to judge any parkland course for having to adopt to abnormal conditions not experienced before.
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Fair point, Fish.

:thup:
 
Just wondering about the advisability of staying on permanent greens during the Winter. My club nearly always does, and they can become a little bit lumpy by the springtime as a result. Due to recent course closures, our greens have had a bit of a rest and are pretty perfect at the moment, despite all the rain. However they are raised USGA ones and drain very well. The fairways and rough are in far worse condition!

In frosty weather we use 'frost holes' which are normal sized holes cut about 4 feet onto the front edge of the greens. Generally, in such conditions, if you pitch the ball onto the green it will run to the back of the green, but if you land it just short it will just stick in the grass. As players still often have to walk onto the green to play their next shot, I am not sure how these frost holes are really supposed to help?! :confused:
 
Oddsocks said:
:thup: not rocket science.

The the majority of the membership gets the arse because it's always closed and look elsewhere

The membership drops, as does the revenue to the club meaning cut backs or raised fees

The circle continues and runs the ground into the floor before selling the club to a developer

Seems the OP is only interested in their own gains, maybe they should look to move to a club which caters more for the buggy / trolley requirements
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As I mentioned in a previous post -I'm not sure so about your assumption about this being about their own gain.

Bit of an assumption there as @psychew states in the post that resurrected this thread...

My partner is disabled and his club like many others have a trolley ban I am at this point fighting the decision

In fact in that original thread it's not clear if @psychew actually plays the game because reference is made to his club and not our club. I may have missed statements in this thread by @psychew since that original one that clarifies these thoughts; but this might explain the rather lack of understanding shown at times by @psychew of the issues, and the pressures on greenkeepers and greens committees, in respect of golf course management in extremely wet weather.
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PhilTheFragger said:
Its not the (new) OP, its the (new) OP'S partner that plays and has the disability
The (new ) OP obviously has never played the game nor has any idea how Golf Courses work or the funding involved.
He probably works for "Injury Lawyers 4 You" or is the sort of Litigant that gives Litigants a bad name.
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JustsSpotted your post on this having just re-iterated it myself. But quite. I get the impression that the OP doesn't actually plays the game.
 
ChrisB0210 said:
My club has never banned trolleys in winter, although last year we did have a request to carry if we were able to (I did).

As our membership is generally the top side of 50, I think a ban is unlikely unless the course really started to suffer. We're lucky as our course drains quite well and the Greens staff do rope off vulnerable areas to protect them from trolleys. We also use fairway mats in winter to help protect the course, so perhaps that helps avoid a trolley ban?

I do use an electric trolley due to long standing neck and shoulder issues (injuries from other sports) and it's fitted with hedgehog wheels. I'm not sure how they help the course, but that said, my tracks don't seem to be as noticeable as those left by summer wheels.

If a ban was implemented then I'd carry, but would have to consider what stayed in the bag and what could be left behind at home.

Interestingly, one of our older members has an acquaintance who is a Conultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. He tells me that the Surgeon says he'd ban carrying for all golfers all year round because of the damage and strain it can cause to certain parts of the body.
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Which actually suggests that you would probably be OK with an outright ban.
 
Fish said:
I think this could be the case for many clubs though this year, there have been courses that have never closed of had any restrictions in place before but you have to accept that we have just endured record amounts of unprecedented rainfall, and as such, although the statements were correct at that time, nature cannot be second guessed nor can any club be judged or critacised due to these record mild spells over our winter bringing all this rain. To see Links & Heathland courses closed which are on excellent sand based drainage speaks volumes, so I think it's unfair to judge any parkland course for having to adopt to abnormal conditions not experienced before.
Click to expand...

This is our place. A sand-based largely heathland course - we basically have historically rarely had any flooding issues - until the last few years.
 
Seems I spoke to soon. Thanks to the actions of a few selfish idiots we're now faced with either a trolley ban or course closure until it dries out a bit.

This morning our green staff discovered that somebody had taken their trolley(s) straight up a roped off fairway and to compound this stunning act of ignorance, had also run the trolley over part of the Green!

Discussing this with my playing partners led us to conclude that it was probably an older, long standing member affronted at being directed to the path to the side of the fairway and possibly somebody well in with the powers that be at our club.

Really annoying that a few idiots can spoil things for all of us. In terms of next week's comps, then if it's carry only then I'll comply but will have to have a good think about which clubs can have the weekend off to keep the weight down and hope for the best.

That said, long range weather forecasts are suggesting a load more rain this week, so no guarantees we'll be playing anyway.
 
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