Should a group be allowed to decline to be paired with others?

[Slice of Life]

On a normal every day public course, I feel like you shouldn't be able to turn it down if tee times are tight. 

My exception would be a real nice expensive touristy course. If someone is on a trip with their father, wife, friend, etc., and they want to enjoy their golf experience together, they should be able to decline. Especially since that round is probably $200-300 each.

[DaveP043]

1 minute ago, Slice of Life said:

My exception would be a real nice expensive touristy course. If someone is on a trip with their father, wife, friend, etc., and they want to enjoy their golf experience together, they should be able to decline. Especially since that round is probably $200-300 each.

I can understand the motivation to want to have a "private" group, but you're asking the golf course to forego $400 to $600 in revenue, plus whatever money they could have made in merchandise and/or food and bev from those other players.  In addition, you may be denying two very nice people the chance to experience this course, if there are no other openings for them.

[RayG]

10 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

 

... On a side note, I actually don't like playing as a single.  I'll actually tell the starter that I'd rather he pair me up...I've skipped open slots to wait for a tee time with another threesome.

Agree with that. Not only to keep from being lonely- but the chances that you will catch up with a bunch of posers and have to wait around anyway go up immensely. I'd rather wait to join up with a group. UNLESS there is nobody out there to catch up to, or it's likely that I'll be waved through at some time. 

[imsys0042]

8 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I can understand the motivation to want to have a "private" group, but you're asking the golf course to forego $400 to $600 in revenue, plus whatever money they could have made in merchandise and/or food and bev from those other players.  In addition, you may be denying two very nice people the chance to experience this course, if there are no other openings for them.

I would say that I agree, unless there are other openings.   I've been the single teaming up in these situations and I wouldn't mind at a place like that since I might feel like I am intruding.

[jsgolfer]

11 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I can understand the motivation to want to have a "private" group, but you're asking the golf course to forego $400 to $600 in revenue, plus whatever money they could have made in merchandise and/or food and bev from those other players.  In addition, you may be denying two very nice people the chance to experience this course, if there are no other openings for them.

I voted no, especially at a course that has full tee times.  And as Dave said, having the club forgo additional revenue would be bad business.

There have been times when my wife has wanted to play just the two of us. We were in Kapalua a couple of years ago and the  course paired another twosome with us.  They were both ok golfers and they couldn't have been nicer.   During the round, while we were talking, we find out they are from Virginia and they knew several of the same people we did.  So made new friends just by getting paired up by the course.  

 

[mcanadiens]

Either way really. 

As long as the course has a clear policy on the subject and the golfers know what the deal is when they make their tee time, I've got no problem.

[jsgolfer]

1 hour ago, Golfingdad said:

And I have .............

wait for it ................

.................. never, repeat, NEVER, had a negative experience with strangers.  No arguments over music, cigars, alcohol, ball marks, rules, or whatever other nonsense seems to be documented in so many threads on TST.  No fist fights, no nothing.  The worst of the experiences has been "indifferent" and the best have had me making new golf buddies to play with again.

Me either, I had some people who were really slow that I might not want to play with again, but never an issue with anything else.  I enjoy meeting new people, you never know who you might meet on the tee.

 

[DaveP043]

3 minutes ago, jsgolfer said:

There have been times when my wife has wanted to play just the two of us. We were in Kapalua a couple of years ago and the  course paired another twosome with us.  They were both ok golfers and they couldn't have been nicer.   During the round, while we were talking, we find out they are from Virginia and they knew several of the same people we did.  So made new friends just by getting paired up by the course.  

Oddly enough, my wife and I played at Kapalua once, well before the actual tee times started, and were paired with a couple of nice guys.  We ended up making dinner plans for the next day with one of those guys and his wife, and had a great time.  

[Elrey Desol]

voted "no".

if i'm on a public course (or even semi-private) as a twosome or threesome, i'm expecting to get paired with another two or single to round out a foursome....especially if i'm playing on a weekend or before 12:00 on a weekday.

[Big C]

Both the second and third responses to the poll question are correct. If a twosome/threesome wants to play alone, they have the right to pay for all 4 green fees. Most of the time, the course won't even know there are fewer than 4 players (not alot of munis around here have starters at the first tee box). 

Short of that, you are getting paired up almost every time on a busy course. That's the way it has been and always will be. I would imagine those of us who have played most of our golf on crowded SoCal courses are incredulous that it's even in question.

[Slice of Life]

24 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I can understand the motivation to want to have a "private" group, but you're asking the golf course to forego $400 to $600 in revenue, plus whatever money they could have made in merchandise and/or food and bev from those other players.  In addition, you may be denying two very nice people the chance to experience this course, if there are no other openings for them.

 

Personally, even on a private group, I like being paired up. Always nice to meet and play with new people, I just see the reasoning behind wanting to keep it private.

 

I'll agree that if it's either they pair you up or turn 2 people away from the course, that's one thing...but if there's any open slots at all, you should be able to decline. Just one man's opinion.

[DaveP043]

2 minutes ago, Big C said:

 I would imagine those of us who have played most of our golf on crowded SoCal courses are incredulous that it's even in question.

I started this thread because I've always expected to be paired up when I'm not part of a full foursome, unless traffic on the course was really light.  When I read on the "disrespect for singles" thread discussions of how disruptive a bunch of single players could be on a full course, I wondered whether that actually ever happened, and how it could be allowed to happen.  Hence this thread and poll.  

[Big C]

1 minute ago, Slice of Life said:

 

I'll agree that if it's either they pair you up or turn 2 people away from the course, that's one thing...but if there's any open slots at all, you should be able to decline. Just one man's opinion.

But what if that open tee time is 40 minutes later? an hour later? Why should a twosome on the waitlist be penalized by waiting longer than they have to because another group prefers not to pair up?

And what if that decision costs the course, when a foursome calls in wanting to play a last minute round of golf - only there are none available because the course has booked that open spot with a second twosome?

[rkim291968]

Voted no.  The course owns the tee time slots around here.   In some courses, it's not even an option.   If they say you are pairing up with another party, that's pretty much the law. 

Once in a great while, I will decline to play with others only if there are many open slots and we want to keep the pace going as twosomes rather than a slow foursome.   When the course gets crunched up, singles and twosomes will merge anyway in most cases. 

[GolfLug]

I voted no. Can't think of ANY reason to not want to pair up. I am assuming an instructional round with the course pro is not inclusive in this discussion.

[Rainmaker]

No - if the course says they're pairing you, you have to accept it or else be one of "those" people.  If it's not busy, the course should give you a choice or else just send you off as a twosome, etc. 

When I've been given a choice, I've chosen to pair up vs go out single.  It makes the pace of the round better and it's always fun (so far, at least) to play with new people. 

Just think of it this way . .when you finally make it to the Tour, you're going to have to play with Kevin Na if they tell you to.  So, really . .except just being unaware of how golf works . .I don't see how anybody could reasonably have the expectation that they can go off as a twosome when the course is really packed . .like . .for privacy or to hold hands or hear the birds singing better . . or something,lol. 

[rehmwa]

First priority, the course owners get to make whatever rules they like on the matter.  It's their business.

But for a general position?  Absolutely NO.  And your 'slot' isn't the timeslot, it's just 1 of the positions within that timeslot - so there really isn't any 'sharing' involved, it's not mine to share.  Golfers have zero ownership over the empty spots.

and I'm someone that LOVES to play alone

and, frankly, if the course is busy, then when smaller groups converge, they absolutely must join together up to a 4-some - this is courtesy for the entire course in terms of pace of play

(this is under the generalized understanding that a 4some is 'full' and not some other arbitrary size)

If one is just a snob and won't join up with others, then it's on the them to find courses that aren't very busy - perhaps they can build their own.  They might even have a dress code.

 

(wry - if I'm paying for all 4 slots, you bet I'm also playing 4 balls)

[bkuehn1952]

I voted yes if the group paid for 4 people, assuming the course was okay with that process.  I have never run into a situation where someone paid for a non-existent player(s) in order to control who was not permitted to join them.