Respect (Or Lack Thereof) for Singles/Walkers

[phillyk]

8 minutes ago, Hazsa said:

 

Id just say again, that there seems to be a slightly different golf culture here to over there. You just don't seem to get singles playing during peak times in the U.K, not that I've seen anyway. 

It is hard to argue one side or the other when you are playing in drastically different places.  It's just different, like you said.  As a starter and pro shop worker for a number of years, I understand that guys want to play with their buddies or husband and wife, but when you reserve and pay, you're paying for that spot of the 4 players.  If the course is busy, we will fill the extra spots if we can.  I've been asked to not put people with others and I never say that I won't.  I tell them, I'll do what I can but if it's busy they may be paired and if they want to play alone, they need to pick less busy times.  The starters job is to juggle around all these special requests to make everybody the happiest, but sometimes it won't work in your favor.

Kind of off topic, but the best times are when you have a 3 some riding and you have to pair a single with the group who is also riding and we have to put the two singles together in the same cart.  A lot of people don't appreciate that.  But that's also the nature of playing on busy days.

[Release]

A common practice of our local public golf courses during the weekend and peak hours of play.

There will be one to several blocked tee times for the walk-in golfers.  Single or double..... to get them out within 30-60 min.  Because if any walked on golfers had to wait more than an hour or two, most likely they will not return in the near future.

Usually there will be no issue of filling up the blocked tee time with a 4-some.  I'd done it often.   Sometimes I had last minutes chance to play golf, and the walked on would be the only choice.

[Hardspoon]

This morning's round was pretty typical. Showed up as a single to my local course (which has 3 9-hole "segments")...they sent me out on one of the nines (the "back" for most groups) alone, ahead of the pack. Finished up in an hour. Went back to the starter, waited about 15 minutes for a short-handed group, and I was off.

[Jack Watson]

I used to play muni as a single quite often years ago.  I would never jump in front of a group finishing nine and coming to ten.  If there's room to go off the back no problem but not by cutting in front of other golfers already on course.  They were there first.

If I finished nine and came to ten tee with someone teeing off who I had not seen all day I'd say something.  It's inconsiderate.  

Anymore I find playing alone boring so I don't do it.

The guys I play with also rarely play peak times unless we got a good deal.  It's not worth the money if the game is slow imo.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Jack Watson

[Pretzel]

7 hours ago, Hazsa said:

In your opinion... Again, I've played at dozens of courses here (some worth playing more than others) and have never been dictated to by the club on who I should play with.

Actually, it's not an opinion. I work the front counter at a golf course every weekend. If it's busy, you don't get to play alone as a single or choose which groups you are paired with. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective, and it only serves to make the pace of play worse for every other player on the course.

If it isn't busy you're fine to go off and play on your own. If it's busy, it's way out of line to expect or demand that you play alone without being paired up.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Pretzel

[JonMA1]

28 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

Actually, it's not an opinion. I work the front counter at a golf course every weekend. If it's busy, you don't get to play alone as a single or choose which groups you are paired with. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective, and it only serves to make the pace of play worse for every other player on the course.

If it isn't busy you're fine to go off and play on your own. If it's busy, it's way out of line to expect or demand that you play alone without being paired up.

I'm a single/walker and I've come to expect and even understand this way of thinking - especially on the weekends. All I have to do is call the course and ask if they're allowing walkers before I make a tee time.

Anyway, I hate busy golf courses and enjoy the good fortune not having to play during peak times. But not everyone gets that choice.

[Pretzel]

1 minute ago, JonMA1 said:

All I have to do is call the course and ask if they're allowing walkers before I make a tee time.

The course I work at has no issues with people walking versus riding, we just can't let single golfers have a full tee time to themselves (and groups of two or three will likely be paired up) during our busy times, which are Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday mornings. During the evenings and other slower times it isn't a problem, but otherwise it really clogs up the tee sheet and it actually ends up slowing down the pace of play usually.

[JonMA1]

1 minute ago, Pretzel said:

The course I work at has no issues with people walking versus riding, we just can't let single golfers have a full tee time to themselves (and groups of two or three will likely be paired up) during our busy times, which are Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday mornings. During the evenings and other slower times it isn't a problem, but otherwise it really clogs up the tee sheet and it actually ends up slowing down the pace of play usually.

Right. And that makes perfect sense.

Many other courses do have an issue with walkers, however. 

But no one is sticking a gun to my head and making me play those courses. As a matter of fact, of the three courses in my area, I haven't decided which course I'm going to purchase a membership from. One of the determining factors - perhaps the biggest factor - is how walker-friendly they are.

[Hardspoon]

2 hours ago, Pretzel said:

which are Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday mornings

I know this is off-topic, but I can't help but ask...Tuesday mornings?!?

[phillyk]

18 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

I know this is off-topic, but I can't help but ask...Tuesday mornings?!?

Id guess its mens league/day. At a few courses round me, its nearly impossible to find an open spot on mens league day in the morning. 

[Pretzel]

1 hour ago, Hardspoon said:

I know this is off-topic, but I can't help but ask...Tuesday mornings?!?

Senior free cart day. It's the busiest day of the week, with a tee sheet that's usually booked solid a week or more in advance all the way through nearly 1 PM.

Edited April 3, 2017 by Pretzel

[phillyk]

15 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

Senior free cart day. It's the busiest day of the week, with a tee sheet that's usually booked solid a week or more in advance all the way through nearly 1 PM.

My gosh, that'd be a scary day.

Edited April 3, 2017 by phillyk

[Bucki1968]

I play as a single about half the time because I will go out to the course after work (usually around 5:00) and play as long as I can. I don't expect to be allowed to play through a foursome that I catch. Luckily at the course I play most often, they don't mind if I drive back over to the first hole (or the 10th) and play those holes again. I don't get to post many scores but I just go out to hit some balls and get the hell away from the chaos at work. Almost all of the time the foursomes I catch will let me play through anyway.

[MrDC]

I've been playing as a single a lot lately because the two groups I play with are candy asses and don't play until it's warm out, wimps.

I haven't had any problems, not sure why others do but courses want 4 balls going out and there's always a 2 or 3 to join. Sometimes I can sense they don't want the company but once they realize that golf affords plenty of space even in the same group they chill and have fun.

 

Edited April 3, 2017 by MrDC

[Bucki1968]

I would like to know who taped the third round, watched it in real time, then could zoom in and see if the ball if properly marked? Really? Whoever it was, you really need to get out more. Maybe it was Donald Trump with the help of the Russians?

[Kalnoky]

4 hours ago, Bucki1968 said:

I play as a single about half the time because I will go out to the course after work (usually around 5:00) and play as long as I can. I don't expect to be allowed to play through a foursome that I catch. Luckily at the course I play most often, they don't mind if I drive back over to the first hole (or the 10th) and play those holes again. I don't get to post many scores but I just go out to hit some balls and get the hell away from the chaos at work. Almost all of the time the foursomes I catch will let me play through anyway.

This mirrors my experience and is also why I play golf.

I never expect to play through; I'm not in a hurry to finish my round, ever. Once I hole out I just practice putts. This is easy to do during a twilight round and one of the benefits of living in a rural area with not many golfers.

 

[Nutsmacker]

On 4/2/2017 at 11:30 AM, Hazsa said:

The problem is that I have a busy schedule. The only time I see these particular friends is at golf, once or twice a month if I'm lucky. I think it's perfectly reasonable to want to enjoy that by ourselves.

 

Can't speak definitively, but there seems to be an entirely different culture in the UK to the US. Not once in all my years playing at all the clubs I've played have I been paired with others by the club.

Maybe if it were a 4 hour meandering roller coaster with conversation 

 

In your opinion... Again, I've played at dozens of courses here (some worth playing more than others) and have never been dictated to by the club on who I should play with.

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate playing with strangers. If I'm playing in club comps I enjoy playing with new people, I've made a couple of friends that way. But, if I've arranged to play with friends that's what I expect.

What a ridiculous use of the word 'antisocial'. I'm perfectly pleasant, courteous, and conversational with other golfers in and around the club and on the course.

i probably play half of my golf as a single during weekday afternoons and have never felt the need to join a group.

It's hard to argue with anything in this comment.

Id just say again, that there seems to be a slightly different golf culture here to over there. You just don't seem to get singles playing during peak times in the U.K, not that I've seen anyway. 

I am speaking specifically in the concern of pace of play. If you are a single and the group ahead is playing at a good pace, then by all means, no need to join up.  However, there are situations where it is clearly obvious that by joining up too a group is going to make the pace of play on the course go faster.   Maybe anti-social isn't the right word.  Selfishness is probably a better word to use when a group actively refuses a single to join a group when it is in fact slowing the course down because they cannot be bothered by the other golfer.  As I mentioned, you are not going to be interrupted by the other person and the fun you will have with your friend.  Besides teeing off and putting, the rest of the time you are going to be separated by hundreds of yards/meters.  Or just let them play through...why waste someone else's time? 

Or, the more egregious behavior is when a group won't allow a single or any group for that matter play through when one group is playing too slow.  It is fairly common for me to see a group of 5 on the course and watching everyone get grinded to a halt because the 5some won't acknowledge or let someone play through.  When that occurs I play right up on their arse.  I will be hitting approaches the moment they are off the green and my tee shots will be rolling up behind them after they hit approaches.  I cannot stand it when selfish people want to play as a 5 group and won't let someone play through.  

I am not as concerned about the social behavior about letting a single join, but when you are clearly slowing down the people behind you...then either let them through or join up with them.  It is not anyone's own golf course.  You are sharing it with other strangers that all deserve to be able to enjoy their round as well.  

[jetsknicks1]

On 4/2/2017 at 11:54 AM, phillyk said:

It is hard to argue one side or the other when you are playing in drastically different places.  It's just different, like you said.  As a starter and pro shop worker for a number of years, I understand that guys want to play with their buddies or husband and wife, but when you reserve and pay, you're paying for that spot of the 4 players.  If the course is busy, we will fill the extra spots if we can.  I've been asked to not put people with others and I never say that I won't.  I tell them, I'll do what I can but if it's busy they may be paired and if they want to play alone, they need to pick less busy times.  The starters job is to juggle around all these special requests to make everybody the happiest, but sometimes it won't work in your favor.

Kind of off topic, but the best times are when you have a 3 some riding and you have to pair a single with the group who is also riding and we have to put the two singles together in the same cart.  A lot of people don't appreciate that.  But that's also the nature of playing on busy days.

Your last paragraph is the only thing I don't enjoy about being paired with a stranger. I've never had any problem getting along with a stranger but having to share a cart with somebody I don't know makes me uncomfortable.