Please do not do this at the golf course!

After a trying day at work at a busy golf club somewhere in america I need to vent and to let people know what not to do when you check in at a golf course.

1.Please know what name the tee time is under and what time it is. Every day countless people come up to the counter and say they are here to play golf. I ask what tee time do they have? They don't know. I ask what name it is under, they don't know. We have three 18's on property, I ask what course they are playing, they don't know. Then they just stare at me. Sir I reply we have three different courses here two regular and one championship at different rates I cannot check you in until you can give me the name of the tee time or the course you are playing. Sometimes they understand and sometimes they just stare at me until I suggest they wait until they meet with their playing partners. This happens all the time. Also someone who knows only one last name of their foursome and says the tee time is under that name and we do not have that name on our tee sheet then everyone starts to panic. Did we lose the tee time? The person thinks we screwed up. 95% of the time it is under a different name. 4% the tee time was booked on the wrong day and 1% they are at the wrong course. Believe me this also happens.

2.If you make an online tee time please read your confirmation e-mail that tells you if you paid for the tee time online or owe at the course. Just because you give your credit card online does not mean that you paid for the tee time. This happens 5+ times a day. It goes like this: "Hello how may I help you today?" "I have a 9:00 tee time for 4" "ok that will be $75 each please". "No" the golfer says "I paid online". "I am sorry sir, but my system shows that you only paid a booking fee, you still owe for the green fee". They think that we screwed up again. Last thing anyone want's to do is to pay twice. I ask them if they received a confirmation e-mail. Annoyingly they bring it up on their phone if they can until they say, "I guess I didn't pay for it". Please don't do this.

3.When calling for a tee time, two things you never say is, first "what tee times do you have?". I have lot's of tee times please try to narrow it down for both our sakes. The second is "what do you have in the morning?". Usually morning means something different to you than me. This is how this goes, "What tee times do you have in the morning?". "How about 8am?" "Thats to early have anything around 10?". Why didn't you just say 10am? This happens all the time.

4.At the course we have rate changes at mid day and late afternoon. For example twilight starts at 2:30pm. If you make a tee time at 2:00 please do not ask if you can get the 2:30 rate. I know it's close to that time but it isn't going to happen. Either make a tee time after 2:30pm or pay the green fee at that time. Please.

5.If there might be a chance for rain that day, please do not call the course and ask if I think it is going to rain. I have as much of an idea as you. I and my co-workers are not meteorologists. You can read a weather map as well as me. Plus all golfers are eternal optimists. Here is how this goes. "you think it is going to rain today?" Me:"I don't know the weather channel says 60% chance". Them:"No way it's not that high of a chance", or something akin to that. Please don't call a golf course for a weather report.

6.If you get a handicap flag for your cart, this does not mean you can drive right up to the collar of a green. It means you can get to within ten feet of the front of the green. And if it is cart path only there are no handicap flags, no exceptions. Please do not ask me for one. I am sorry if you can't do cart path only. Maybe play another day when it isn't cart path only.

Sorry about the rant. Some days are longer than others. Please take heed and pass it on. Enjoy your round.

Haha! This is spot on, especially the weather one. Sorry about the long day.

Sounds like someone needs a different job.

K

Lets see sounds like you work at a resort course. HMMM 3 courses $75 rate--- Must be Myrtle Beach National. Yep know what you are going through we see it on our end locals that have our act together having to wait on stupid hungover Tourons. Makes one wonder how they made it down here to begin with

1) Sounds like the course/s should get a better tee time system/software provide and then go to a 100% pay online only tee time system; except for large group bookings for call ins. Seems like that would solve most of your bullets.

2) You should find a different job; because I am sure you'll be happier slinging fries and burgers.

I've turned up at the wrong course, but that was due to my mate giving me the wrong name. That was embarrassing, but I just gave him a quick call and sorted it out. He hadn't yet arrived, and was on his way to the same wrong course....

1) There mihht be more than one reservation service and along with it, different ways to pay.

2) That’s just...no. He makes a lot of sense and I’m sure he knows he won’t change people’s behavior by posting his pet peeves here, just wanted to vent a little.

I worked at a "resort" course for a few years before there was an online booking system. We kept a massive book of tee times for the current year and I believe the next. Some of those phone calls from people trying to book blocks of tee times over the course of a week were excruciatingly long.

I can still hear that "whoa, that's too early!" phone call play out in my head. "Can I get the earliest tee time available on Monday?" "Sure, we have an 8:30 slot." "WHOA, that's insane, how about something around 10:30?"

So .... people are idiots? Thanks for the news.

Sounds like someone got into a customer service industry and doesn't want to give decent customer service. As someone who worked in the service industry starting in highschool through college and then moved into construction management, you have one of the easiest jobs in the service industry which is also one of the easiest job types on the planet already. You need to change your mindset or quit. Customers can tell when you're being an ass or intentionally obtuse.

Here is my counter to every point so you can perform your job to what I would consider an adequate level of customer service.

If they don't know the answer to what time, course, or name they are playing with politely ask them if they would like to step to the side if you have other customers and reach out to there group for confirmation, and you'll get them checked in after they find out. Simple and effective.99.99999999999% of all websites that take your card info when hitting a purchase page take the money then. It would be the epitome of arrogance to get upset at people who are confused about not paying for the round when they entered their credit card information online. Instead of whining on here, complain to management about getting a better online POS system implemented that better fits the typical structure of online purchases.Here is how that interaction should go. "What tee times do you?" "Around what time did you want to play?" "In the afternoon." "We are fairly open in the afternoon, any specific time you were thinking of?" "Anything around 1?" "The 1pm time is booked but I have 1:15 and 12:45 available, do either of those work for you?" "That works, can you put me down for a single at 1:15". Your complaint is you basically don't like talking to customers. Twilight starts at 2:30, Customer wants to play at 2 and asks if you can bend the rules, easy response. "Typically we can't but let me check with my manager for you sir." If you manager is available, ask, if not pretend you asked and then return to the call and apologize and say you can't today but the 2:30 slot is open if you would like that one." its either going to result in a booking or the guy will grumble for a second and end the call. "Do you think its going to rain today?" "Well I have the weather channel is showing a decent chance. if you would like to take the chance and come out and it starts raining early into your round we will be happy to refund you." Boom done, the burden is now all on the customer. Don't even ask you for a handicap placard? Sheesh, you are just complaining to complain now. "My apologies sir, its cart path only today, no exceptions, would you like to still play or I can book you for another day if you prefer?" I used to hate the other servers complaining about every little thing a customer did. Unless they were being intentionally rude, honestly who cares. Its your job to make the customer happy. Grow up and accept it or find another industry.

I worked retail for longer than I want to admit so I tend to be very sympathetic towards the employees and squared away when I go in.

For all of you telling him to get a different job...get off his back. You never squawk about your job???

How many times have you waited in line behind idiots like he describes? I've wanted to kick a few of them in the a$$ myself, and I was only in lin 5 minutes behind them.

Most of us who have jobs will have job related gripes. Just the nature of the beast...it's why they call it "work" and not "fun". Typically, if I'm gonna vent, I do it with my co-workers, friends or wife. Coming to a forum to publicly vent and include instructions of what not to do is probably going to get a range of responses...especially when that forum is full of golf nuts who probably adhere to all (or nearly all) the very things being vented...it's like preaching to the choir.

With that said...we can all have a bad day and we all need to vent from time to time. The world needs less judgement and more understanding/forgiveness. Personally, I've always found face-to-face venting especially over a cold beverage to be the best venue.

On #1: My point was, there are courses which only use a singular tee service. Perhaps, taking that route, would solve a lot of the bullets. My intent was to suggest a legitimate opportunity for improvement. If not possible, then the course will be stuck with all those same issues.

I see idiots every time I venture out. I'd never make it in a job where I needed to interact with the public.

A man's got to know his limitations.

My god, who’s whining here? Don’t be a d*ck to a guy who complained a little about his job. This forum is supposed to be for social interaction, man.

Most of these are very simple tasks that the customers ideally should know. The one respondent who was railing against the OP had some good suggestions as to what to say to try and alleviate some issues, but sometimes issues are unavoidable. I work in a very busy pharmacy and we get all sorts of things, dr's saying it shouldn't cost much, or that it'll be ready when you get there is very common. I find a lot of the problems are from people not using the tools available to them.

OP would never make it in the ER.

To paraphrase George Carlin " Look at how stupid the average person is. Then realize that 1/2 the population is stupider"

Haha-“we didn’t screw up and you can’t do anything right and how dare you ask us questions!”

Hopefully it’s just a few of “those customers”, but it comes with the territory and definitely can get frustrating.

Not sure why the OP is getting ripped. His examples are pretty egregious and he wanted to blow off the some steam.

To those people criticizing him I say:

Gee, it must be swell to be so perfect and odor-free.

Dealing with the public is always interesting.

My favorite is when the customers come into the shop at 6:35 and say they have a 6:30 tee time. Folks, you HAD a 6:30 tee time; you are late, and the tee sheet is full. Would you like to get on the wait list?

I came for some snarky elitist comments, I was not disappointed

I understand the OPs rant. Yep, there seems to be way more people lacking forethought and or common sense skills these days. @GeorgeHWB - If I had to guess, some people read themselves into his rant then react without forethought, again.

Single care, Dad!

It has been my experience that bad or slow service is usually the result of people who are too stupid to know if they want fries with that burger at the drive thru. I can’t count the number of times people started to accuse me of stealing their money because they thought they had paid online but actually had not....or thought they had booked today but actually booked yesterday or tomorrow.....or thought they had booked my course but actually booked a course with the same name but in another state.

Customers, can’t live with them...

I spent over 40 years in customer service and dealing with the public. I could write a best selling book. When my wife and I retired I took a P/T job, now volunteer, with the local golf maintenance department. The darn grass does not talk back, or complain or ask stupid questions (and yes, there such things as stupid questions* when dealing with the public) !!

*ie - Police officer - What's your name?

Mr. Public - Who? Me?