What one change would you make at your club?

[KenL]

We can play from 1st light
Greenkeepers have priority before 7.45 ( i think) but they normally let me play through when I go out at stupid o'clock

Nobody allowed at my place before the first bookable time.
7am I think it is in summer

 

[Deleted member 15344]

7:00 for us during summer hours - gives the greenstaff time to sort out the front 9

 

[Golfnut1957]

I was going to say drainage, and probably should as it would make a huge difference to our course in the winter. But I changed my mind following the discussion about earliest start times.

Pre covid our course never closed, the booking system started around 7:30, but anyone could go out as soon as it was light. The club used covid as an opportunity to end this and restrict people to bookings only and post covid they continued it on the ground that it allowed the greens staff to sort the front 9 out before any golfers arrived. So that's my change, allow people back on the course at first light. At the end of the day there were so few people up at that time that of the morning it made so little difference.

One thing about those very early morning starts. Nothing bugged me quite as much as being out there at 05:30 and finding the footprints in the dew of the golfer who really was the early bird.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

What, the final of a club comp isn't serious golf. It would be for me.

Not for me. I’d treat it just the same as every other round. As in, it’s just a round of golf.

 

[rudebhoy]

If the course has to open when it's as wet as it's been recently, I'd like to see a carry only rule. Our place was a right mess last week, and most it was caused by 90% of members using a trolley.

The course finally reopened yesterday. It was still pretty wet in a lot of places according to the lads who played. However, not only are trolleys allowed, so are one-seater buggies. Ridiculous.

 

[Billysboots]

Am I allowed two changes?

If so, the second would be to somehow spy on the group which won our Captain’s Drive In this morning by a whopping 8 shots.

The same four mid handicap golfers, none of whom feature in any singles comp, win virtually every scramble and am-am they enter as a team, invariably by some distance. They were DQ’d from a scramble last year for not using a drive each on the par 3’s (they would have won that one as well had they not all been seen teeing off at their last par 3 when only one of them should have needed to, and the infringement therefore highlighted), but a quick look at previous results has confirmed their remarkable consistency.

It’s a tricky one because, excluding the above infringement, no other breaches of the rules or competition guidelines have been spotted, and nor would they be as it’s the same 4-ball playing together all the time. But the entire membership has long since suspected some funny business going on.

It makes entering team events rather pointless for the other 200-odd participants.

 

[Bazz]

Am I allowed two changes?

If so, the second would be to somehow spy on the group which won our Captain’s Drive In this morning by a whopping 8 shots.

The same four mid handicap golfers, none of whom feature in any singles comp, win virtually every scramble and am-am they enter as a team, invariably by some distance. They were DQ’d from a scramble last year for not using a drive each on the par 3’s (they would have won that one as well had they not all been seen teeing off at their last par 3 when only one of them should have needed to, and the infringement therefore highlighted), but a quick look at previous results has confirmed their remarkable consistency.

It’s a tricky one because, excluding the above infringement, no other breaches of the rules or competition guidelines have been spotted, and nor would they be as it’s the same 4-ball playing together all the time. But the entire membership has long since suspected some funny business going on.

It makes entering team events rather pointless for the other 200-odd participants.

You're going to get people along in a second that say maybe they just struggle with a card in their hand. Sounds a bit fishy to me.

 

[chrisd]

If the course has to open when it's as wet as it's been recently, I'd like to see a carry only rule. Our place was a right mess last week, and most it was caused by 90% of members using a trolley.

The course finally reopened yesterday. It was still pretty wet in a lot of places according to the lads who played. However, not only are trolleys allowed, so are one-seater buggies. Ridiculous.

 

[KenL]

If

Am I allowed two changes?

If so, the second would be to somehow spy on the group which won our Captain’s Drive In this morning by a whopping 8 shots.

The same four mid handicap golfers, none of whom feature in any singles comp, win virtually every scramble and am-am they enter as a team, invariably by some distance. They were DQ’d from a scramble last year for not using a drive each on the par 3’s (they would have won that one as well had they not all been seen teeing off at their last par 3 when only one of them should have needed to, and the infringement therefore highlighted), but a quick look at previous results has confirmed their remarkable consistency.

It’s a tricky one because, excluding the above infringement, no other breaches of the rules or competition guidelines have been spotted, and nor would they be as it’s the same 4-ball playing together all the time. But the entire membership has long since suspected some funny business going on.

It makes entering team events rather pointless for the other 200-odd participants.

Are you suggesting that people cheat? That never happens in medals when people play with their pals.

 

[Billysboots]

You're going to get people along in a second that say maybe they just struggle with a card in their hand. Sounds a bit fishy to me.

This is way beyond golfers struggling with a singles card in their hand. It’s pretty much every team competition they play and, as I say, the winning margin in invariably considerable.

It has been going on now for so long it really cannot be coincidence, and the fact that a clear infringement was identified a few months ago would tend to suggest the suspicions of many members are probably well founded.

 

[chrisd]

If the course has to open when it's as wet as it's been recently, I'd like to see a carry only rule. Our place was a right mess last week, and most it was caused by 90% of members using a trolley.

The course finally reopened yesterday. It was still pretty wet in a lot of places according to the lads who played. However, not only are trolleys allowed, so are one-seater buggies. Ridiculous.

Maybe you read England Golf's guidance for people with disabilities. Clubs can have a carry only policy, but may be in danger of discrimination if they deny players with disabilities from using a trolley or a buggy.

 

[chrisd]

Am I allowed two changes?

If so, the second would be to somehow spy on the group which won our Captain’s Drive In this morning by a whopping 8 shots.

The same four mid handicap golfers, none of whom feature in any singles comp, win virtually every scramble and am-am they enter as a team, invariably by some distance. They were DQ’d from a scramble last year for not using a drive each on the par 3’s (they would have won that one as well had they not all been seen teeing off at their last par 3 when only one of them should have needed to, and the infringement therefore highlighted), but a quick look at previous results has confirmed their remarkable consistency.

It’s a tricky one because, excluding the above infringement, no other breaches of the rules or competition guidelines have been spotted, and nor would they be as it’s the same 4-ball playing together all the time. But the entire membership has long since suspected some funny business going on.

It makes entering team events rather pointless for the other 200-odd participants.

Similar at mine!

Our team a while back had a result that was "as good as it gets" we really had the game of our lives, made every putt or chipped in, it was awesome, and the same guys who win amost every team comp beat us by 2 points. They were slightly lower handicap than us too.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Maybe you read England Golf's guidance for people with disabilities. Clubs can have a carry only policy, but may be in danger of discrimination if they deny players with disabilities from using a trolley or a buggy.

Can a club request that golfers carry unless they come into that category or is that not on because it points a finger at people with disabilities?

I'm at the same club as @rudebhoy and I always take a trolley, dodgy back. If the club worded as above, refine it a bit, I'd halve the clubs in my bag and carry on those occasions. I wouldn't carry all winter, I'd have to move clubs, but on the wettest of days I'd carry when requested.

Basically, can they up the message to dissuade more from taking a trolley but allow those who really need one?

 

[chrisd]

Can a club request that golfers carry unless they come into that category or is that not on because it points a finger at people with disabilities?

I'm at the same club as @rudebhoy and I always take a trolley, dodgy back. If the club worded as above, refine it a bit, I'd halve the clubs in my bag and carry on those occasions. I wouldn't carry all winter, I'd have to move clubs, but on the wettest of days I'd carry when requested.

Basically, can they up the message to dissuade more from taking a trolley but allow those who really need one?

They can have a "carry only" policy but a lot of clubs have a medical exemption arrangement where a person can play with a trolley (or buggy) when others can't, and the club is aware that certain players need a trolley/buggy to play the course, it's more likely that a club will ban buggies on health and safety grounds, and, trolleys for care of the course, but stuff I've read says " if the course is open , it's open to everyone and not allowing those with a medical exemption to use a trolley/buggy is very likely to be discriminatory. .

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Maybe you read England Golf's guidance for people with disabilities. Clubs can have a carry only policy, but may be in danger of discrimination if they deny players with disabilities from using a trolley or a buggy.

Clubs can have a buggy policy in place for health and safety reasons that can prevent using buggies if ground conditions deem there to be a risk for buggies

 

[chrisd]

Clubs can have a buggy policy in place for health and safety reasons that can prevent using buggies if ground conditions deem there to be a risk for buggies

Yes they can, I covered that in #154, but there are some hoops to jump through in deciding to ban buggies

 

[Mandofred]

If

Are you suggesting that people cheat? That never happens in medals when people play with their pals.

I....I......I'm just not going to say anything more. I've stated it before. Golfers are just normal people....they are as dishonest honest as everybody else.

 

[Mandofred]

I'm afraid I'm going to add a second hope, as has been done before. Our "new" bunkers have a special sand in them. It's crap. Our greens are littered with small pebbles. I really want to carry a vacuum cleaner around with me just to get rid of all the small stones......ruins the greens....well, at least trying to hit a putt in a straight line.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes they can, I covered that in #154, but there are some hoops to jump through in deciding to ban buggies

Yep it’s why we have a traffic light system in place in regards when buggies and trolleys can be used

The only people that can use buggies on our course are those with a medical exemption anyway , there are buggies routes when course conditions could cause issues and various levels closures etc .

We did have to go through a lot of work with Health and Safety experts after someone got run over by a buggy

 

[chrisd]

Yep it’s why we have a traffic light system in place in regards when buggies and trolleys can be used

The only people that can use buggies on our course are those with a medical exemption anyway , there are buggies routes when course conditions could cause issues and various levels closures etc .

We did have to go through a lot of work with Health and Safety experts after someone got run over by a buggy

It seems that a lot of clubs are unaware of their need to look after disabled members needs. I'm fine walking, and playing, our course but, on the advice of my surgeon, I would be stupid to carry and its difficult to get that through to some people, especially those who dont understand, or haven't read, the Diversity and Equality Act of 2010 and also the advice of England Golf.