Crew starting time vs. Tee Times Cancel The title field is required!

1. Becwar Benjamin G

   
   4/26/2012 9:04 AM

   I'm wondering what time most courses tee times are starting in the morning, and if supers have much of a say when it comes to what time that might be at your course. I'm in Vegas at a semi private club, where the first two hours of tee times are all members. Right now we start at 5am with first tee time supposed to be at 6:07am which actually ends up being 5:40ish or when every they like. As soon as the members can see the ball they are going! I get no help from the starters on this issue at all. I've had entire fwys running, watering in fert and they play right threw it since nobody in the golf shop says anything to them. I've brought it up in board meetings and on a daily basis to the golf shop, the board agrees they should wait but nobody enforces the issue. They might hold them up the next day but then its back to normal. If anyone has any ideas on a different direction to approach this issue with the golf shop or board it would be helpful. At first I thought the golf shop and starters just had no respect for what we are trying to do, which is probably still some of it, but the longer I've been here it seems they are afraid of the membership and don't want to tell them NO to anything. Thanks for any replies

   
   
   
   
2. Jason Baker

   

   12 posts
   
   4/26/2012 9:04 AM

   Our first tee time s 8:02 and we start between 6 and 7 depending on time of year.
   We are member owned so if a member really wants to go off I can not stop him. However, I am fortunate that it does not happen often.
   I do not have any real good advice for your situation. Maybe start your maintenance on a different hole,5 or 6, and come back behind members? Not sure that would fly here though. "Course Closed" signage on first tee? Leave tees off of first tee and flag out of cup, or no cup at all, until first tee time?
   Other than going to the Board, which you already have done, what else can you do? Good luck, wish I had some better ideas.

   
   
   
   
3. James Schmid

   

   1 posts
   
   4/26/2012 9:04 AM

   What issues does this present? Is the membership happy with the condition of the golf course?

   
   
   
   
4. Baker Daniel

   
   4/26/2012 10:04 AM

   Ben - you must be way up north for them to start at 5:40. We aren't even seeing twilight until 6:30 down here right now. That being said, we get an hour and a half in the summer and an hour in the winter and never have problems. If we have something time intensive, I have the ability to start guys 1-5, 18 back and the other half 6 forward due to the layout of the golf course.
   
   Any chance you could help your situation with some creative scheduling?

   
   
   
   
5. Sandy Clark

   

   0 posts
   
   4/26/2012 11:04 AM

   We just move our starting time to 5:30 this week. Golf begins at 7. Most of our challenges come when we start at 6 and golf begins at 7. Frost, darkness, it doesn't seem to matter with our resort golfers. They will be ready to go at 7 even if the frost delay lasts until 9. Being a resort, we treat groups and singles equally. Naturally, the singles are out first and tend to catch us but we don't want to negatively impact a guests stay at our facility. All customers are important even if we are inconvenienced slightly. They do pay our salaries and wages!

   
   
   
   
6. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   4/26/2012 1:04 PM

   Sounds like your golf pro is a pansy and can't stand up to the membership. All you can do is keep harping to those with authority and document what effect it has on your operation when they start before they should.

   
   
   
   
7. Neidhardt John J

   
   4/27/2012 2:04 AM

   If you have remote irrigation......USE iT

   
   
   
   
8. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   4/27/2012 6:04 AM

   We try to give ourselves one hour head start on golfers.
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
9. Becwar Benjamin G

   
   4/27/2012 8:04 AM

   The membership is happy with the course conditions, the problem caused by the members going so early is that the first 4 groups every day play speed golf, they play 18 holes in about 2 hours and 15 min, they catch up to mowers, sprayers, whatever we have out there. I could start earlier but it doesn't do me any good to start earlier when I still wont be able to see until the same time than if we started at 5, I can mow and set up in the dark but then things don't get done as well as it could be, I dont like doing that. And I cant spray or fertilize in the dark.
   Andy- You pretty much nailed it!
   Thanks guys.

   
   
   
   
10. James Smith

    

    112 posts
    
    4/27/2012 8:04 AM

    We start at 5:30am and our first tee time is 6:45am.
    
    We allow golfers to go ahead of time much like you are seeing but this is what I have done;
    
    I personally took control of the tee box before the starting tee time and talked to every golfer going out. I explained our situation to them and our goal of having the course ready for play for the first tee time. I also informed them that my crew is under strict orders not to stop their duties for these early golfers or else we will get behind. I informed the early golfers that they will have to wait until my crew member is finished before they can play the hole or they can pick up and proceed to the next available hole. While we will allow them to use the course without a tee time we will not allow them to screw up our task of getting ready for the regular tee times. If they cause a problem we will shut the tee down until 6:45am so it is in their best interest to work with our crew.
    
    I repeated this the second week to make sure they understood the issues. We use this same program for Mondays when we are closed and holidays.
    
    My members took to these rules eagerly and make a point to inform any new members that show up early. They believed me when I told them I would see to it that no early golfer went out if they gave us problems.

    
    
    
    
11. Paul Hughes

    

    0 posts
    
    4/30/2012 11:04 AM

    If you are not able to get your point across to your pro shop or board, I would consider adjusting your maintenance schedule. If peak play by members is in the morning, then bring in staff late afternoon/evening to spray, fertilize, mow.
    
    By doing this, you could also free up more bodies in the morning to beat your first groups out.
    
    Paul Hughes
    Cape Fear National

    
    
    
    
12. Jakob Solem

    

    0 posts
    
    7/1/2012 12:07 PM

    Benjamin Becwar said: The membership is happy with the course conditions, the problem caused by the members going so early is that the first 4 groups every day play speed golf, they play 18 holes in about 2 hours and 15 min, they catch up to mowers, sprayers, whatever we have out there. I could start earlier but it doesn't do me any good to start earlier when I still wont be able to see until the same time than if we started at 5, I can mow and set up in the dark but then things don't get done as well as it could be, I dont like doing that. And I cant spray or fertilize in the dark.
    Andy- You pretty much nailed it!
    Thanks guys.

    
    
    
    We have the same issues here as well. We have a couple groups that will play the course in about 2 hours or less. we start at 5 and golf isn't suppose to start until 630 but it always seems to be more like 615. We just made sure we told them if they get to a hole with our crew still mowing greens or fwys,etc.. that they either wait to play the hole or proceed to the next available. The members have always followed this. As for spraying I would just make sure you start either on the back somewhere or at least on 5 or 6 and just come back to the holes you had to skip after play has been through. Our pro shop guys are the same way, basically useless!

    
    
    
    
13. Smith Kipp R

    
    7/1/2012 8:07 PM

    Paul Hughes said: If you are not able to get your point across to your pro shop or board, I would consider adjusting your maintenance schedule. If peak play by members is in the morning, then bring in staff late afternoon/evening to spray, fertilize, mow.
    
    By doing this, you could also free up more bodies in the morning to beat your first groups out.
    
    Paul Hughes
    Cape Fear National

    
    
    Paul you must live in a fantasy world. I know here we are just as busy in the evenings as we are in the mornings. Solid tee times from first light to sunset. It should not be that difficult to get our point across. The pros inside do not want to entertain the golfers so they just send them out. This would interfere with their coffee drinking and sweater folding

    
    
    
    
14. Aaron Gutierrez

    

    0 posts
    
    7/2/2012 3:07 PM

    i agree with the remote irrigation "ooops you guys got hit by irrigation heads on the green...well they are on a timer thats why we don't allow golfers to sneak out on the back 9...O the pro gave you permission, well then go talk to him about letting you out on the back 9 because we try our best to stay ahead of golfers and it SURELY WILL HAPPEN AGAIN!!!!"

    
    
    
    
15. Ronald Conard

    

    4 posts
    
    7/2/2012 8:07 PM

    We start at 5:30. We don't let anyone off the front nine until 6:30. If someone gets out before us, say right at 5:30 then they are aware that we have the right of way. Today the pro pulled the "well it's just a foursome" card and sent out a group at 6:00....right in the middle of our morning processional. We were spiking, brushing, mowing, rolling greens, in order. So I simply held them up until we were out of the way and far enough ahead that they wouldn't catch us. So instead of waiting in the pro shop or lounge, they waited on the first fairway. I think they got the point.
    
    I would play the safety card. It's far more safe for our operators and the players if we are out ahead play and out of the line of fire....at least for morning duties.