Do You Mind Getting Paired up?

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I voted that I mind. But I’ll never just refuse, I just don’t prefer it. I totally agree with @iacasand @nevets88.

You wouldn't mind playing with me.  I'd never mention your "vinsks".

[m052310]

I mind. When I'm a single, I try hard to find times of day that give me the best chance of staying a single. I try not to let on at all that I mind in the inevitable event that I do get paired, though. 

[Double Mocha Man]

1 minute ago, m052310 said:

I mind. When I'm a single, I try hard to find times of day that give me the best chance of staying a single. I try not to let on at all that I mind in the inevitable event that I do get paired, though. 

On the occasion when I play late in the day and don't want to be paired up (rarely) I'll ask the starter to send me out by myself when there's an opening.  And I just pass the time on the practice putting green.

[Big C]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Ah, you don't have the Superintendent Nazi like at my course.  "No back nine for you."  Our head greenskeeper won't let anyone on the back 9 until the first group off #1 turns.  I used to provide $1500 to $1800 in revenue to the course by going off the back nine just before others turned.  I would time it.  Now with the new guy... no go.

That's bizarre. Our local courses allow 6 back 9 tee times to go off each day.  The last back 9 group is usually somewhere on hole 12-13 by the time the first group of the day makes the turn. No interruption in the flow of the course, and the course books an additional $400-500 in revenue each day. Multiply that by 365 and you are talking some pretty substantial money they are forgoing.

 

[Double Mocha Man]

1 minute ago, Big C said:

That's bizarre. Our local courses allow 6 back 9 tee times to go off each day.  The last back 9 group is usually somewhere on hole 12-13 by the time the first group of the day makes the turn. No interruption in the flow of the course, and the course books an additional $400-500 in revenue each day. Multiply that by 365 and you are talking some pretty substantial money they are forgoing.

 

Like I said... our super is the Superintendent Nazi.  And, to his credit, he keeps the course in really good shape but he has this blind spot.  And nobody can speak against him... not even the Director of Golf.

[Darkfrog]

I play as a single 95% of the time. I have no problem being paired up, and since most of my golf is played at public courses, I don't really get a say.

At the course I play most of my golf at, there are a handful of singles who book early morning tee times, and we have all played together at some point or another, so even though I am getting paired up, it's usually not with a complete stranger.

Sometimes when I really want to play alone, usually for practice purposes, I go out on the back 9. My home course allows early bird back 9 starts for the first hour, and it's only $10, so perfect for hitting multiple balls, etc.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 minute ago, Darkfrog said:

My home course allows early bird back 9 starts for the first hour, and it's only $10, so perfect for hitting multiple balls, etc.

Sheesh, I'd pay more to go off the back 9 in the first hour...

[Darkfrog]

1 minute ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Sheesh, I'd pay more to go off the back 9 in the first hour...

So would I, but I am not going tell the GM, in case he gets any ideas.

[phillyk]

17 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Like I said... our super is the Superintendent Nazi.  And, to his credit, he keeps the course in really good shape but he has this blind spot.  And nobody can speak against him... not even the Director of Golf.

Well we just won Top NOI improvement, Top GM and Top Super this year out of PGC. Lifers say they have never seen the course in this good of shape before. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little bit of play to make conditions better. It works for us. 

I don’t mind playing with others so long as they don’t expect advice on every hole. 

[ChetlovesMer]

37 minutes ago, Big C said:

the course books an additional $400-500 in revenue each day. Multiply that by 365 and you are talking some pretty substantial money they are forgoing.

[Zippo]

Normally, I don't mind a bit but this year has been anything but normal. There are still too many folk who think social distancing doesn't apply to them. Fortunately (for me - not the golf course), the course I usually play is a favorite of many Canadians, being close to the border. But, since the border's been closed, the course has frequently been nearly empty rendering the question moot.

[mchepp]

I have played some really enjoyable rounds with strangers. I am a people watcher by nature and you can learn so much about someone after 4 hours of golf. Plus now with COVID they give you your own cart making the least pleasant part (trying to figure out what kind of cart partner you have) much better. I would say 90% of the things that bug me about pairing up come from riding (or driving) with someone else in the cart.

[Guy In Lyon]

As long as everyone involved understands that I suck as a golfer I've never had a problem with being paired. On a couple of occasions it has resulted in meeting sympatico playing partners that became regulars. One guy and I became friends, as we both sucked and found the lack of "pressure" enjoyable. Sadly he passed away a few years ago after I moved away from the area where we both lived, but we'd managed to keep in touch.

[tehuti]

I almost always play solo so I don't mind being paired up with strangers. If I had to wait for my one golf buddy I would only play about 10 rounds a year, and I try to play weekly. So being paired up is a given for me.

[SG11118]

On 1/4/2021 at 12:51 PM, Double Mocha Man said:

Ah, you don't have the Superintendent Nazi like at my course.  "No back nine for you."  Our head greenskeeper won't let anyone on the back 9 until the first group off #1 turns.  I used to provide $1500 to $1800 in revenue to the course by going off the back nine just before others turned.  I would time it.  Now with the new guy... no go.

It definitely makes it tougher for the Superintendent and his/her crew to get their jobs done when there are golfers on both the front and back nines early morning.  In my opinion, the crew should be skillful enough to be able to hop around and manage their work from a few groups once they see where people are, but from experience when the course books times starting at dawn off both nines, and the tee sheet is full, it makes it very slow going and imposing on the golfers for the crew to get the necessary work completed.

[Bonvivant]

My home course(s) have online tee sheets where you pick the exact number of players you will have. There is the threat of having to pay for an unused slot if you book it, but I don't think they actually enforce that. Even if you do book for 4 when you only have 3 or something like that, there are usually people that drop in not thinking about tee times and wait for a slot to be open, so you wouldn't be able to get away with tricking the system to get a 3 some out without getting paired. 

Also, they only allow you to book for 3 or 4 online unless someone else already has part of that time. If you call in, I believe you can make a tee time for 1 or 2, because I have seen 2-3 slots available for booking online. I generally enjoy being paired unless the course isn't very crowded. There have been multiple times where I went after work during the summer months, hoping to get 18 in and they try and pair me with someone that is only playing 9, and therefor wants to take their sweet time. This is the only time I am really upset about it when it happens. There have been times where I was upset about it AFTER my round, but that really only has to do with the people I happened to have been paired with on that day.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 minute ago, SG11118 said:

It definitely makes it tougher for the Superintendent and his/her crew to get their jobs done when there are golfers on both the front and back nines early morning.  In my opinion, the crew should be skillful enough to be able to hop around and manage their work from a few groups once they see where people are, but from experience when the course books times starting at dawn off both nines, and the tee sheet is full, it makes it very slow going and imposing on the golfers for the crew to get the necessary work completed.

Prior to the new superintendent I've always respected the crews.  Never hit into them when they're mowing the green, always signal to them when they're working elsewhere to keep their motors going and don't stop for me... and I've always made it a point to get to know them by their first names... and chat with them a bit... though not for long, they've got work to do!

[bweiss711]

I voted I don't mind as I mostly play as a single.  However, there are times when I know I'm playing during a down time, like a mid-morning mid-week tee time, where I expect to be able to play by myself.  I'll usually tell whoever might get paired up with me that I intend to take it slow, and play multiple balls, and they should go ahead and tee off in front of me.

But, I am also mindful when booking a tee time as a single that not everyone wants me paired with them.  So, I'll only book tee times where I'm the first to book, or only 1 or two people have booked already.  I figure that way, everyone kind of knows what they signed up for before they even get to the first tee.   And I'll avoid booking a tee time as the 4th person.  I'm aware that a threesome probably isn't looking for a 4th, or at least wouldn't mind not having a 4th.  I'll make an exception if I'm looking to play a busy public course during prime Saturday or Sunday mornings.  I'd have to assume that anybody looking to play a public course at that time knows they will get paired up with random players.

But mostly, no, I don't mind.