Is it Harder to Get Tee Times on Saturday Mornings?

[khalespace]

My foursome wants to play early this Saturday and we are unable to get a tee time at a decent course. We are in Orange County, CA. I don't remember something like this in previous years. Do you feel that people are playing more during Covid-19 pandemic?

Edited May 4, 2021 by khalespace

[iacas]

Umm, yes? Always has been. Even tougher the last year.

[dennyjones]

It's always been tough to get a tee time early on the weekend.   The courses charge almost double and there are many, many more golfers because of the Covid pandemic.   

One of the groups I play with will not play on the weekend because of the crowds and the usual very slow play.    The other group can only play on the weekend, sometimes it can be painfully slow.  

[Yukari]

Since the pandemic, the amount of people playing golf (at least around here) has exploded.  If you want an early tee time on weekends, good luck.  You have to be fast with your computer to snag one.  Most early tee times for weekends are gone within an hour of opening up the sign-up period.

Some courses are actually started charging premium green fees during peak hours.  They call it "dynamic pricing" that suppose to give discounts for low demand tee times and charge extra for high demand tee times.  So for, I have not seen any discounts only higher fees.   

Edited May 4, 2021 by Yukari

[dennyjones]

3 hours ago, Yukari said:

Since the pandemic, the amount of people playing golf (at least around here) has exploded.  If you want an early tee time on weekends, good luck.  You have to be fast with your computer to snag one.  Most early tee times for weekends are gone within an hour of opening up the sign-up period.

Some courses are actually started charging premium green fees during peak hours.  They call it "dynamic pricing" that suppose to give discounts for low demand tee times and charge extra for high demand tee times.  So for, I have not seen any discounts only higher fees.   

In a sense, there has been dynamic pricing for ages.   The prices are always higher on the weekend than during the week.   Most courses don't offer senior discounts on the weekend.    In my area, some of the courses have increased all of their prices because their tee sheet is always full.

[Big C]

3 hours ago, Yukari said:

Since the pandemic, the amount of people playing golf (at least around here) has exploded.  If you want an early tee time on weekends, good luck.  You have to be fast with your computer to snag one.  Most early tee times for weekends are gone within an hour of opening up the sign-up period.

 

I think the more important variable is that the availability of golf "slots" is down significantly.

Our local municipal courses in Long Beach (not far from the OP) used to let out groups in 8 minute intervals and they allowed people to go out in fivesomes. Now the groups are foursomes only and the intervals are 10 minutes. It's great for pace of play, but let's do the math.....

Pre-Covid - 45 Groups out between 6am - 12noon. Theoretically up to 225 golfers, but let's say 200 to be conservative

Post Covid - 36 Groups out between 6am - noon. All foursomes = 144. 

That is approximately 56 golfers that used to be able to get a morning tee time who are no longer able. 

It is definitely an issue both of supply (down) and demand (up), but I think the supply constraints are the bigger issue in Southern California.

[khalespace]

19 minutes ago, Big C said:

I think the more important variable is that the availability of golf "slots" is down significantly.

Our local municipal courses in Long Beach (not far from the OP) used to let out groups in 8 minute intervals and they allowed people to go out in fivesomes. Now the groups are foursomes only and the intervals are 10 minutes. It's great for pace of play, but let's do the math.....

Pre-Covid - 45 Groups out between 6am - 12noon. Theoretically up to 225 golfers, but let's say 200 to be conservative

Post Covid - 36 Groups out between 6am - noon. All foursomes = 144. 

That is approximately 56 golfers that used to be able to get a morning tee time who are no longer able. 

It is definitely an issue both of supply (down) and demand (up), but I think the supply constraints are the bigger issue in Southern California.

Since I am in Cypress, Long Beach is just 10 minutes away. I tried to get tee times at Skylinks, Rec 18 and El Dorado but unsuccessful. Next time I should try to book the minute when tee times are available for booking. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by khalespace

[Yukari]

22 minutes ago, Big C said:

I think the more important variable is that the availability of golf "slots" is down significantly.

Our local municipal courses in Long Beach (not far from the OP) used to let out groups in 8 minute intervals and they allowed people to go out in fivesomes. Now the groups are foursomes only and the intervals are 10 minutes. It's great for pace of play, but let's do the math.....

Pre-Covid - 45 Groups out between 6am - 12noon. Theoretically up to 225 golfers, but let's say 200 to be conservative

Post Covid - 36 Groups out between 6am - noon. All foursomes = 144. 

That is approximately 56 golfers that used to be able to get a morning tee time who are no longer able. 

It is definitely an issue both of supply (down) and demand (up), but I think the supply constraints are the bigger issue in Southern California.

 

2 minutes ago, khalespace said:

Since I am in Cypress, Long Beach is just 10 minutes away. I tried to get tee times at Skylinks, Rec 18 and El Dorado but unsuccessful. Next time I should try to book the minute when tee times are available for booking. 

LOL.  I grew up in LB. Went to Poly High.

I presume @Big C is referring to LB Rec Park GC?  I play there and Eldorado whenever I visit my parents.

[Big C]

10 minutes ago, khalespace said:

Since I am in Cypress, Long Beach is just 10 minutes away. I tried to get tee times at Skylinks, Rec 18 and El Dorado but unsuccessful. Next time I should try to book the minute when tee times are available for booking. 

Even then you will have a tough time getting a foursome. Long Beach gives their resident cardholders an 8 day booking window vs. 7 days for the general public. You might be able to snag a morning twosome if you are lucky. But the odds of getting a foursome on the weekend are almost non-existent. 

Your best bet is probably to make friends with someone who has a resident card and have them book a time for you. I'd offer to help, but as a former LB resident who recently moved to Los Alamitos, I'm in the same boat as you.

10 minutes ago, Yukari said:

 

LOL.  I grew up in LB. Went to Poly High.

I presume @Big C is referring to LB Rec Park GC?  I play there and Eldorado whenever I visit my parents.

Cool! Good to know another person with SoCal roots. Yeah, I was referring to Rec Park, El Do and Skylinks.

[jlbos83]

Definitely more difficult (and hence more expensive) to get a weekend morning tee time over the past year.  One the one hand, it is a bit annoying, on the other hand, I hope that it means the course closures of the past decade or so (maybe even a bit more) may finally be done!

[tehuti]

19 hours ago, khalespace said:

My foursome wants to play early this Saturday and we are unable to get a tee time at a decent course. We are in Orange County, CA. I don't remember something like this in previous years. Do you feel that people are playing more during Covid-19 pandemic?

I don't know which courses you are looking at, but it's been this way since the Covid reopening. I used to walk on as a solo, or book a few days in advance. Since last year I have to book a week in advance to get morning tee times in OC.

3 hours ago, Big C said:

Even then you will have a tough time getting a foursome. Long Beach gives their resident cardholders an 8 day booking window vs. 7 days for the general public. You might be able to snag a morning twosome if you are lucky. But the odds of getting a foursome on the weekend are almost non-existent. 

Your best bet is probably to make friends with someone who has a resident card and have them book a time for you. I'd offer to help, but as a former LB resident who recently moved to Los Alamitos, I'm in the same boat as you.

Cool! Good to know another person with SoCal roots. Yeah, I was referring to Rec Park, El Do and Skylinks.

From what I hear, it's so difficult to get tee times in Long Beach and LA County that LA golfers are booking here in OC or in Riverside County just to get a tee time somewhere.

[Darkfrog]

I'm in SF Bay Area, mostly play in the east bay (Berkeley/Oakland/Alameda). About a year ago, when golf courses opened back up, it was a pain to get an early morning weekend tee time. At my home course, it meant staying up until midnight 2 weeks before the day you wanted to play, and then logging in at 12:01am and booking an available time.

Lately, the surge of pandemic golfers seems to have dissipated a bit. Maybe with virus transmission numbers falling and vaccines available to all, people have gone back to other social/recreational activities. My home course is still busier than I have ever seen it, and you still definitely need to book in advance if you want to get out in a specific time frame, but I haven't had any trouble getting my preferred tee time for several months now (Sunday morning in the first group out).

[Effington]

I'm in Chicago suburbs.  It's tough if you are not looking out a week in advance if the weather forecast is looking good.

[cooke119]

We don't even try anymore. (Long Island, NY Suffolk County)

[ncates00]

On 5/3/2021 at 9:28 PM, khalespace said:

My foursome wants to play early this Saturday and we are unable to get a tee time at a decent course. We are in Orange County, CA. I don't remember something like this in previous years. Do you feel that people are playing more during Covid-19 pandemic?

When is it not hard to get a tee time on a Saturday, regardless of covid? That’s why you book in advance, where possible.