Updating course status

[Deleted member 17920]

How is 30 mins plenty of time? That is a a bit of an obtuse statement. What if it takes longer than 30 mins to drive to the course and get sorted?

I live 40 mins away and plenty of times over the years I have got close to the course to find it closed.

We just have breakfast then go home. It’s just luck of the draw and I certainly don’t blame the green staff for not getting there early enough or checking the course thoroughly enough.

 

[rosecott]

This is the exact issue this morning. Makes little sense. Either defer the first tee time or get the announcement out quicker.

Deferring the first tee time may well not be practicable as that will have an effect on others booked later on.

 

[jim8flog]

How early do you think the greestaff should be there then?

our greenstaff start at 5 am.

 

[upsidedown]

I’m not being unreasonable. If they start at 6am and it takes 30 mins to do a course check, the course update will be published by 6.30am. That is an hour before the first competition tee time of 7.30am. Which will prevent any of the issues experienced today.

Is it the greenkeepers or the Pro shop that does the update?

 

[doublebogey7]

But you don’t think people who need to play earlier should be afforded the same?

Are you being forced to book an early tee time, I am guessing not. I understand the reason why you raised the question on here and it's clear from the answers that some clubs do it to your satisfaction others don't. Rather than continuing to complain about your club, you now ought to be concentrating your energies on talking to the manager about your concerns.

 

[Fromtherough]

I live 40 mins away and plenty of times over the years I have got close to the course to find it closed.

We just have breakfast then go home. It’s just luck of the draw and I certainly don’t blame the green staff for not getting there early enough or checking the course thoroughly enough.

No blame attached to the green staff. In my opinion they should be instructed to start at a time to enable an announcement 1 hour before the first tee time.

Ha the only food available at our before lunch time is the halfway hut. They time that to open with those teeing off first. If no one tees off, the halfway house doesn’t open - so no chance for breakfast for those unfortunate enough to turn up ahead of the announcement to close.

 

[Fromtherough]

Are you being forced to book an early tee time, I am guessing not. I understand the reason why you raised the question on here and it's clear from the answers that some clubs do it to your satisfaction others don't. Rather than continuing to complain about your club, you now ought to be concentrating your energies on talking to the manager about your concerns.

I have done already. I was interested in seeing if other courses had a more sensible approach we could learn from. You know, cos it’s a forum.

And regularly on a Sunday, my group needs to book the early tee time due to family commitments.

 

[Fromtherough]

Is it the greenkeepers or the Pro shop that does the update?

I’ve raised this question today. I don’t even know who actually makes the final call to close.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

But you don’t think people who need to play earlier should be afforded the same?

We are the first group out every Saturday at 7 and we have people that travel 30-45 mins to get to the club and they make a judgement call and I have been at the club a few times and the course has had to close

 

[upsidedown]

I’ve raised this question today. I don’t even know who actually makes the final call to close.

For us it's the Pro shop after being told by the GK's but our signal around the course is not great

 

[clubchamp98]

With no actual knowledge of how it works, I'd have thought the head greenkeeper should make the decision, based on guidelines from the greens Committee. They are there, they know their stuff. Does a Committee member really want to be part of the process at silly o clock?

Unless the greenkeeper is closing it excessively then you should trust in their judgement. That's my thoughts anyway.

We always go to the lower holes first.
they get a bit wet if the course is closed it will be because of them.
we send a pending message on IG.
then if they are to wet we can still open the top twelve but any comp would be off.
But it’s very rare to shut the whole course.

 

[MadAdey]

You wil always have that risk when taking an early tee time. If I have a 9am tee time I will be looking at leaving home at about 7.15am (15 mins drive plus time to grab some McDonald's breakfast) I get there around 7.45am. So even for a 9am tee time they need to have gone out and accessed the course and made a decision and notified people by 7.15 for me.

 

[AJNairn]

With no actual knowledge of how it works, I'd have thought the head greenkeeper should make the decision, based on guidelines from the greens Committee. They are there, they know their stuff. Does a Committee member really want to be part of the process at silly o clock?

Unless the greenkeeper is closing it excessively then you should trust in their judgement. That's my thoughts anyway.

Head GK alone imo! Maybe with knowledge of importance of what's scheduled for marginal decisions! Can't think of any 'guidelines' Greens Committee can/should give! The HGK will be aware of the different effects of closure at weekend cf weekday!

 

[Bunkermagnet]

our greenstaff start at 5 am.

I have no idea what time our greenstaff start, but tbh it's not something that really bothers me. I know exactly what it's like starting early, I get up 4:10 and leave home 4:50 each weekday. Regardless of what job you have, that's not a nice time to be getting up and leaving home to go to work so I have sympathy with the greenstaff and very little with those who don't see that time of day every week day, just because it's a hobby they want to do

 

[BiMGuy]

Maybe the OP could volunteer to be at the course for 5:30 on a Sunday to inspect it.

 

[MadAdey]

Always tough in the UK this time of year with the weather so unpredictable. You wake up early, too early for the greenstaff to have made their decision yet, so you have to make a call if you think the course will be closed or not if you have a bit of a drive to make. My old club back in the UK would ban you from competitions if you failed to turn up for a tee time if you did not have a damn good reason.

 

[D-S]

our greenstaff start at 5 am.

Sunrise today is at 6.13 - 5 seems a tad early at this time of year.

 

[Fromtherough]

Always tough in the UK this time of year with the weather so unpredictable. You wake up early, too early for the greenstaff to have made their decision yet, so you have to make a call if you think the course will be closed or not if you have a bit of a drive to make. My old club back in the UK would ban you from competitions if you failed to turn up for a tee time if you did not have a damn good reason.

So surely an earlier announcement would only help?

 

[Fromtherough]

Maybe the OP could volunteer to be at the course for 5:30 on a Sunday to inspect it.

Not likely. Plus, at the minute it’s still darkish at 5.30am.

 

[doublebogey7]

I have done already. I was interested in seeing if other courses had a more sensible approach we could learn from. You know, cos it’s a forum.

And regularly on a Sunday, my group needs to book the early tee time due to family commitments.

I can understand that, but it is still your choice and choices have consequences.