Tipping

[iacas]

  ERichardson said:

This isn't Reservoir Dogs and you're not making too much sense with your McDonald's payscale theory.

Sure it does. Club cleaners and bag boys are paid minimum wage at least. Does the job require more than a "minimum wage" effort? I don't think so. It's menial work. If the "majority" pays out in tips, then those guys are earning - by your definition - more than twice as much as the local McDonald's employee. Should they be? Again, no, I don't think so.

Put in another light, I think it's a sad state of affairs when the bag boy earns more than most members of the grounds crew.

  ERichardson said:

Then why did you feel the need to bring it up?

Because I feel tipping has gotten out of hand. You draw the line at "tipping" a website - and we're not even earning a base salary of minimum wage or more. So I brought it up simply to illustrate that there's clearly still a dividing line between what's "tip-worthy" and what's not. We don't tip the grounds crew for doing a great job of raking the bunkers, but we tip a guy for carrying our bag a few feet?

  ERichardson said:

I'm not trying to be a prick here but honestly, you asked the question. I just feel that people that take advantage of a situation and don't tip someone and then convientently claim that that this whole 'tipping thing' has gotten out of hand, is a cop out.

I haven't said I "don't tip" - I either don't use the services (thus not necessitating a tip) or I tip on the rare occasion when I use someone's services. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I do it. I've never said any differently here. You don't seem to have actually read what I've written.

[DDBowdoin]

I caddie at the Country Club in Brookline, MA. We have a set rate of 85 for a double bag loop. The worst part about it is that the members are incredibly wealthy and they never tip. You might get 5 bucks, maybe.

The worst experience though comes with a member guest. At the end of the round you see the guest reaching deep in his pockets for all the yardage you gave him and tips on and around the green and the member steps in and pulls the "I'll cover this..."

He stiffs you. It sucks because you know the guest would have dropped some nice cash on you. Then this member steps in and doesn't even cover what the guest would have given you, its extremely annoying.

[iacas]

  DDBowdoin said:

I caddie at the Country Club in Brookline, MA. We have a set rate of 85 for a double bag loop. The worst part about it is that the members are incredibly wealthy and they never tip. You might get 5 bucks, maybe.

For the record, I firmly believe in tipping good caddies. I won't tip if the guy literally just carries my bag (unless the standard fee is low or the club takes a good cut), but if he does a good job then I'd tip incredibly well. The few times I've had caddies this has been the case, and the pleasure a good caddie can add to a round is easily worth the $40 I've tipped.

This thread is more about the "other" stuff, as caddies are (unfortunately) a dying breed. Too many clubs would rather make cart revenue.

[Warik]

The courses I play have a post-round club cleaner at seemingly random times, and when they do, I tip him a buck or two depending on if he's really cleaning my clubs or if he's just grabbing each clubhead with a wet towel and not making an effort to wipe.

No tip for the "take your clubs out of your trunk and drive them 20 feet to the starting area" guy. Nothing for the beverage girl. I have to wait 3-4 holes AFTER I'm feeling thirsty for her to show up and then I have to pay 2-3x for a beverage than what it's worth? $2.50 for a $1 gatorade or $5 for an Amberbock when I could get 6 bottles for $6-$7? No thanks.

I'm normally a great tipper at restaurants, but there are some services that just don't require anything above-and-beyond the call of duty for which a tip is warranted.

[DDBowdoin]

It's tough to be a "good" caddie at a course like the country club because the members know their course. So I keep up, read greens but other than the members know the distances to bunkers and crap like that. If there is a guest then thats another story but if its a member there isn't much you can do as a caddie.

I remember this one loop this member was playing in a match, 2 on 2, and on the 18th green he looked at me and asked me what to do. I literally pointed to a dark spot on the green and told him here with decent speed. He hit it to that point and drained a 40 footer to win the match. Tip? NOTHING... I was pissed

[Klew]

I only tip the cart girl and the bartender. The others are just fishing for a tip when they do close to nothing.

[Guest]

I'm going to reactivate this old thread with a new question about tipping -- what about tipping your club fitter? I just had a lengthy club fitting session -- over 3 hours, because I needed everything (returning to golf after a lengthy layoff). I found out the club fitter is not on commission (that's good) and also that the facility leaves it up to the customer. I really enjoyed the experience, had a great fitter, and ended up spending nearly $2K on clubs. So I want to tip the guy (when I pick up the clubs).

I saved three months to get the clubs, so I can't do anything like 10 percent! How much do you think would be appropriate? I just don't know!

[atrapasuenos]

Here in Mexico you are always giving tips. In the golf course we give tip to the guy in the range, to the bartender that is in the course, to the caddies, if you stay to eat you give tip to the waitress and a tip for the valet parking.

At the end of the day you spend like 15 usd on tips.

[ChiChiIsMe]

  Angus McDuffer said:

I'm going to reactivate this old thread with a new question about tipping -- what about tipping your club fitter? I just had a lengthy club fitting session -- over 3 hours, because I needed everything (returning to golf after a lengthy layoff). I found out the club fitter is not on commission (that's good) and also that the facility leaves it up to the customer. I really enjoyed the experience, had a great fitter, and ended up spending nearly $2K on clubs. So I want to tip the guy (when I pick up the clubs).

I didn't tip my fitter, mainly because he's a teaching pro and I had been taking lessons & am a good customer. He owns the range, and sees me so much he's prolly sick of me! ;)

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Just a week or so ago I just finished a round of golf and brought the cart back towards the pro shop (I prefer walking but carts were mandatory). A couple of the cart guys told me to pull up my cart to where they were standing. So I took my clubs off the cart, stood them on the ground, then brought the cart to them (it was maybe 50 feet away). They gave me a bunch of weird looks before finally saying, "you know you are supposed to leave your bag on the cart and we'll get it for you." Huh? Why, so I have to give them money to do something I can, and would rather do myself?

[Terrier]

Menial?

Most of those bag drop guys are highly personable players and have been there since 4 AM.

Most work part time. Most are better players than any of you scratch players from the north.

My favorite stories about working bag drop are dealing with the "don't touch my bag" type.

What "iacas" doesn't understand is that the head golf pro is watching...and will ask why you didn't personally load his/her bag.

"He wouldn't let me".

Gotta love it when "my clubs and my game are so beautiful I can't tip" type show up.

Two of the leading mini-tour wage earners I know work bag drop and don't consider it "menial". One's on TV right now. Another was a few shots away from his card.

Menial?

[iacas]

  Terrier said:

Menial?

Yep, please look up the definition(s). They include:

Of or relating to work or a job regarded as servile. Of, relating to, or appropriate for a servant. They're doing just that. They're serving you. Same would be true of waitresses and a fair number of other jobs. The definition CAN include "degrading," but I think whether being a bag boy is degrading or not is in the mind of the bag boy.

  Terrier said:

Most of those bag drop guys are highly personable players and have been there since 4 AM.

Our pro shop (and the bag boys) doesn't open until 7am on the longest of days. Suffice to say, what you're saying may be true where YOU live, but it isn't the same everywhere.

  Terrier said:

Most work part time. Most are better players than any of you scratch players from the north.

Not around here, nope. Again, wherever you're from, it's different. I've played golf with the "bag drop" guys at my course. With the ones that even play golf, that is. Some don't play at all, and none have been better than a 6 in the past four years.

Your bag drop guys play mini tours? Here, they're just college or high school kids trying to make a few bucks. They're paid a salary and get tips. Our parking lot is 50 feet from our practice putting green. I don't take a cart. I don't need someone to do anything for me and half the time, nobody's even around to help if I wanted it. They're too busy walking to the cart barn to fetch carts or something. I'm friendly with and know most of the "bag boys" at my home course. And again, as I said, I've tipped at other places where it's obvious and where I partake of services. If I drop my clubs off at the curb and then park 500 yards away, and then get shuttled back to the practice green where my clubs await, it's an obvious tip situation. I don't necessarily agree with it deep down - they're still being paid - but I tip.

  Terrier said:

Menial?

Again, yes, that's the proper word. Please consult a dictionary.

[Elsfan]

Always tip everywhere. By the way how much do you tip a chambermaid?

[Terrier]

  iacas said:

Yep, please look up the definition(s). They include:

I live in the golf capital of the world, Iacas and follow friends of the Gateway tour, the Tarheel tour, know Hooters tour players...whatever.

You're a little out of touch with golf protocol in the real, real golf world. I made it to HS state playoffs when I was a teenager in PA and have played junior/hs/college golf around your neck of the woods, too, iacas. My best friend from HS works for Titleist and reads this site and gets a kick out of it, too. Please consult and read the daily sports/golf page of the Sun News for a rundown of the mini-tour pros that are busting their butt. Alan Blondin writes a nice column; and tells of a mini-tour leading money winner that still does bag drop once a week.

[goblue107501]

I play at a few courses where the cart guys will come to the car (I never use a bag drop) and ask if they can take my clubs. I will politely say "no, I can get them" and leave it at that. Sometimes it is the course protocol (and I still refuse), other times these guys are just fishing for a few bucks. I refuse to give someone a few bucks for something that I can do myself. I clean my clubs as I go, so they never need to be wiped down afterwards. If they want to come to my car and take the cart away that is fine but they are not getting anything for it. Many times it's hard to find the time and extra money to play a round of golf for me (mortgage, wife, three kids), the last thing I am going to do give out what little cash I may have for a drink or snack at the course so someone can carry my bag 100 feet.

I worked some as a cart boy at a local course when they had a big events when I was in high school. Usually, I had too much to do to worry about kissing someones ass trying to get a few bucks. I had another job and was getting paid at the course in free golf so I really didn't care if someone tipped or not.

[iacas]

  Terrier said:

I live in the golf capital of the world, Iacas and follow friends of the Gateway tour, the Tarheel tour, know Hooters tour players...whatever.

What's that got to do with the topic? Very little of your post has anything to do with the topic we're discussing.

I never said that no mini-tour players worked as bag boys. I simply said they don't at my club (or most of the ones around here). I've also said that when I use the services offered, I tip, though largely because it's "customary" and not because I necessarily agree with it. What the heck does how far you've gone in high school golf have to do with anything? Or is this about the time you whip out another "Pennsyltucky" comment? No further comments from you are welcome or necessary. You've made your point (and bragged, for some reason).

[iacas]

Given a few recent moronic posts by the likes of dkglf98, which resulted in his placement in the penalty box, this thread is now closed.

Debate all you want, but when you cross the line into cursing and name-calling, that ends it.

[PiKapp23]

I have a major pet peeve with many golf courses (especially those that at least believe they are a high end course). I hate that these courses hire bag boys, club cleaner guys and other such people to provide services I do not need or want and am expected to tip them anyway.

When pulling into a course that has a big parking lot (or far from clubhouse) they often have a bag drop area, where you can pull up and drop your clubs so you don't have to carry them from car to clubhouse. Of course, a lot of courses 'staff' these areas with 'bag boys', who take you clubs out of your car and put them on cart. They tend to be young and expect a tip for this service (since the course is too cheap to actually pay them a decent salary). This drives me crazy because, first of all, I do not need these people to take my bag out of car and put it on cart. Often, I end up doing it anyway for them. It really bugs me when they put my bag on cart, then I have to take it back off to adjust it or put it on correctly. They are providing a 'service' which I do not need or want. But they still expect a tip!!!

Along those same lines is the guy off the 18th green somewhere who cleans your clubs. Sometimes this guy is where you stop the cart when you get to the green and he will even start cleaning your clubs without you asking. Personally, I keep my clubs clean as I play by cleaning them (quickly) after every usage if they need it. Of course, this guy also expects a tip, whether he's really done anything or not. (A few years ago one of these guys even put a big dent in my Scottie Cameron putter by banging it into one of my irons.)

Currently I do tip these guys even though it really bugs me, but I'm just getting fed up with it. I do not go to a restaurant, order takeout at register then tip them just because. I will gladly tip those service industry workers who provide a wanted/needed service, but if I do not want it why should I be tipping for it?

Am I alone in this?