This is why courses close...

[hef63303]

Perhaps they only had enough range balls prepared to cover what they needed for the juniors. Perhaps they had charged the junior tournament extra to offset their "loss of income" from shutting down for the tournament and did not want to upset them by letting someone hit balls before the tournament. Either way, sorry you were not able to pass the time in the manner which you would have liked. I do doubt that it indicates, in any way, whether they will be in business a year from now. Their ability to attract the junior tournament to their course would indicate that they are doing ok.

[hef63303]

I agree with Other Barry. Regardless of every circumstance that has been discussed, it's just normal customer service to help someone out in a case where it literally takes no effort at all to say "sure, go ahead but make it quick." Especially if it's just a ball machine and they didn't need to set anything up.

 

 

In my opinion though, any course that actually charges for range balls if you're playing a round should go out of business. It's the same as a hotel resort fee, both suck.

In my experience, you are still actually paying for the range balls. They are just adding the cost into their green fees.

[BillyZ2]

'First world' problem.

[Other Barry]

I never characterized OP as being "selfish" and was being perfectly serious in suggesting the value of learning to be flexible in how one enjoys the game. In my own golf life I have found that letting go of feeling like certain things are necessary for me to enjoy my round has been a revelation.

 

I care not for driving ranges but my personal bugaboo has always been slow play. It took many years but I finally realized that slow players holding me up are a mere annoyance, they don't mean my round is ruined. Perhaps OP would find that his perceived need for a driving range is less important than it feels like. That would save a lot of agita.

 

Starting your round angry and outraged is what can spoil your day. Some guy not opening his driving range early for you isn't worth getting mad IMHO

 

Hitting balls before todays round wasn't about warming up or getting loose, it was seriously about wasting an hour before my tee time so I could stay awake. I am with you on the pace of play, and not hitting a ton of balls before a round. I just didn't want to sleep for an hour and feel like crap before the round.

 

So a trip to ihop would have supplied caffeine, an omelet and some time to play around on the forum? Maybe a nice walk. Now I'm not seeing the complaint if it was just something else to do.

 

I agree it's always frustrating when tournaments, ec. interfere with expectations, but a couple posters above have good points. Let you on, then who knows who else shows up, and someone else and might be in their way, or not wanting to have to pick the range. Heck, some of the obsessive junior parents were probably going to get there long before 10. They made the decision/knew the reasons they wanted to be closed, so just a tough break for you. No fun, but not seeing any threat to course survival.

 

valid points. Went to McD's for breakfast, pounded a tall monster. No arguments there, however, given the state of golf, courses closing left and right, wouldn't it behoove them to open their doors for whatever profits that keep the lights on? I am in no way saying one guy's bucket of balls is going to be the make or break for a course but, haven't you ever gone up to a starter and got in front of a tournament before it started? They could have easily opened, closed and cleaned the range long before any tournament started.

 

Like one WRXer said they would have to pick up the range. Also a valid point. But, from watching them in the past, with the size of this range, that takes all about 15 minutes. Again, THIS course may surive like you mention, but if I were the GM I (and Other Barry as well) would take any chance I could to put any money in the till.

[Mr Back]

Op is cray, and SOL to show up with nothing on a saturday. Use the phone. Your not a customer if the're not open for business. The staff probobly looked at you like an alien because you dont get it.

[ats200]

In my experience, you are still actually paying for the range balls. They are just adding the cost into their green fees.

 

It's just a perception thing, I realize it's not actually free.

[Other Barry]

Perhaps they only had enough range balls prepared to cover what they needed for the juniors. Perhaps they had charged the junior tournament extra to offset their "loss of income" from shutting down for the tournament and did not want to upset them by letting someone hit balls before the tournament. Either way, sorry you were not able to pass the time in the manner which you would have liked. I do doubt that it indicates, in any way, whether they will be in business a year from now. Their ability to attract the junior tournament to their course would indicate that they are doing ok.

 

Valid points, no arguments here on that. Could very well be the case. Like I've tried to articulate as best as possible I am in no way saying THIS course is going to close. I was trying to point out with all the problems courses have been having this could be something so simple to "fix", if in the case they were not compensated by NCGA for their "loss of income".

[Other Barry]

'First world' problem.

 

Classic Rando

[flip flappy]

I wish that courses that I play in NC would open at 6 am. My home course opens at 7:30. I have been to another course in the summer during the week and it didn't open till 8:30 am!

[Hot Rod 71]

I agree with Other Barry. Regardless of every circumstance that has been discussed, it's just normal customer service to help someone out in a case where it literally takes no effort at all to say "sure, go ahead but make it quick." Especially if it's just a ball machine and they didn't need to set anything up.

 

 

In my opinion though, any course that actually charges for range balls if you're playing a round should go out of business. It's the same as a hotel resort fee, both suck.

 

To your first point: letting one guy on for a quick bucket means they can't tell the next guy that comes in no. Pretty soon the range is full, it's almost 10:00 and there aren't enough range balls for the tournament. We often close the range before large tournaments for this very reason.

 

To your second point: I work at a golf course and there are plenty of players who care nothing about hitting range balls before their round, after their round, or at any other time. I don't think they would care to absorb the cost of "free" range balls so those who want them can have them at no additional cost.

 

Even many private courses do not offer free range balls, but charge per bucket or offer a monthly range pass.

[SadTrombone]

It seems odd to me that they were shut down (completely) for a junior tournament.....but asked him if he had a tee time. Something tells me they weren't as "shut down" as some are thinking.

[mjguzik]

Maybe the range rope lines had been set for the day and they didn't want freshly minted trenches between prior to the tournament?

[Wriggles]

In my fifty years of golf, I've encountered several situations like the OP described. One time, I was at a public, around 8:00 am. Unknowing to me, I decided to try to tee off on a nine which is closed for the "chosen" syndicate play. The starter raised a fuss, about the nine being closed, blah, blah, blah. (No signs around stating this.) When he got done with his rant, with no golfers in sight, he just told me to go head and play, warning me not to slow up the "chosen."

 

After the round, he saw me, and basically apologized to me for being rude. He must have thought I'd turn him in, but I answered him good naturedly. I could relate many different incidents, but the point being, it's all on an individual basis. You can run into a nice guy, or you can run into a jerk. It's just the luck of the draw.

 

I've noticed a lot of individual golf course owners think their courses are hallowed ground, and will treat anyone not on their VIP list like dirt. They act as if their cow pastures are the next US Open site.

 

In my opinion, the OP ran into a character like I mention.

[hell_is_chrome]

I wish that courses that I play in NC would open at 6 am. My home course opens at 7:30. I have been to another course in the summer during the week and it didn't open till 8:30 am!

 

The horror.

[SixtySomePing]

In my fifty years of golf, I've encountered several situations like the OP described. One time, I was at a public, around 8:00 am. Unknowing to me, I decided to try to tee off on a nine which is closed for the "chosen" syndicate play. The starter raised a fuss, about the nine being closed, blah, blah, blah. (No signs around stating this.) When he got done with his rant, with no golfers in sight, he just told me to go head and play, warning me not to slow up the "chosen."

 

After the round, he saw me, and basically apologized to me for being rude. He must have thought I'd turn him in, but I answered him good naturedly. I could relate many different incidents, but the point being, it's all on an individual basis. You can run into a nice guy, or you can run into a jerk. It's just the luck of the draw.

 

I've noticed a lot of individual golf course owners think their courses are hallowed ground, and will treat anyone not on their VIP list like dirt. They act as if their cow pastures are the next US Open site.

 

In my opinion, the OP ran into a character like I mention.

 

I had exactly the same thing happen to me Wriggles, last year and I've been playing for 50 years. Just to give another type of example of this kind of thing, my wife and I have been married 42 years, we got married around Christmas. It never fails, when we go out to eat for our anniversary (we go early) we get a table, and start to get service, then a big glob of people maybe from a business or a party of some kind will come in and they will put many tables together, and from then on it's as if we don't exist anymore- same waitress. I understand that's where the big tips are and stuff, still, it's a similar situation. They don't really want to be rude to us, they just have to focus on the bigger crowd.

[knock it close]

Yup OP nailed it 100% exactly the reason courses are closing..... solved the golf crisis guys!

[golfandfishing]

Courses are closing because they dedicate an entire day to junior golf? They make the junior golfers a top priority for one day and this is why courses are closing? I'll alert the fellas at The First Tee.

[SadTrombone]

Any business that chases revenue away is going to struggle, whether it's golf courses or McDonald's. If they were really shut down for the day for the junior event, why even ask him if he had a tee time? Sounds like an odd policy to me to allow someone out on a course that has a tournament coming up, but not allow them to hit a bucket of balls.

[knock it close]

Any business that chases revenue away is going to struggle, whether it's golf courses or McDonald's. If they were really shut down for the day for the junior event, why even ask him if he had a tee time? Sounds like an odd policy to me to allow someone out on a course that has a tournament coming up, but not allow them to hit a bucket of balls.

Might be more cost effective just to outright close then to staff it for a short low traffic time. Any business that is inefficient is going to struggle.

[SadTrombone]

Any business that chases revenue away is going to struggle, whether it's golf courses or McDonald's. If they were really shut down for the day for the junior event, why even ask him if he had a tee time? Sounds like an odd policy to me to allow someone out on a course that has a tournament coming up, but not allow them to hit a bucket of balls.

Might be more cost effective just to outright close then to staff it for a short low traffic time. Any business that is inefficient is going to struggle.

 

It would be way more cost effective to outright close.

 

But that clearly wasn't the case if they're asking if he had a tee time.

[North Butte]

Or maybe they were being passive aggressive sarcastic and already knew he didn't have a tee time.

[SadTrombone]

Or maybe they were being passive aggressive sarcastic and already knew he didn't have a tee time.

 

Which is another good way to chase revenue away...

[golfandfishing]

Any business that chases revenue away is going to struggle, whether it's golf courses or McDonald's. If they were really shut down for the day for the junior event, why even ask him if he had a tee time? Sounds like an odd policy to me to allow someone out on a course that has a tournament coming up, but not allow them to hit a bucket of balls.

 

At what point did the OP play the tournament course?

[SadTrombone]

Any business that chases revenue away is going to struggle, whether it's golf courses or McDonald's. If they were really shut down for the day for the junior event, why even ask him if he had a tee time? Sounds like an odd policy to me to allow someone out on a course that has a tournament coming up, but not allow them to hit a bucket of balls.

 

At what point did the OP play the tournament course?

 

I didn't say he did.

 

The point is why ask if someone has a tee time if you're closed? To be passive aggressive?

 

These are all good ways to upset would-be customers. You get one chance at a first impression and its 10x as expensive to get a new customer than to keep an existing one.

 

Businesses need revenue (more than expenses) to survive.

[chicagolongball]

 

In my opinion though, any course that actually charges for range balls if you're playing a round should go out of business. It's the same as a hotel resort fee, both suck.

 

I feel it's petty to charge a guy who just paid $60 for his round, $5 for range balls to warm up. I'd like to agree with you that they should close, but that would eliminate 75% of the local courses. Nearly all of them squeeze you for the $4-5 before the round to hit 30 balls.

[golfandfishing]

Any business that chases revenue away is going to struggle, whether it's golf courses or McDonald's. If they were really shut down for the day for the junior event, why even ask him if he had a tee time? Sounds like an odd policy to me to allow someone out on a course that has a tournament coming up, but not allow them to hit a bucket of balls.

 

At what point did the OP play the tournament course?

 

I didn't say he did.

 

The point is why ask if someone has a tee time if you're closed? To be passive aggressive?

 

These are all good ways to upset would-be customers. You get one chance at a first impression and its 10x as expensive to get a new customer than to keep an existing one.

 

Businesses need revenue (more than expenses) to survive.

 

Wouldn't know why they asked. Just as likely the golf shop was surprised to see someone standing there at 6:00 and thought someone had made a mistake and allowed a tee time to be booked when it shouldn't have. Sounds like the golf course has revenue and customer service covered - buyout for an event, and staff that is intent on delivering the contract to that group without exception.

[SadTrombone]

Equally as perplexing, a course that is closed for an event covering payroll for someone to be at the course to turn people away.

 

As knock it close said, it would be more cost effective to just keep the doors locked for a few more hours.

 

As for revenue, they do seem to have that...for now.

 

Customer service I'd disagree on that. Which could come back to impact said revenue stream in a few years.

[North Butte]

There are plenty of golfers who would never even consider teeing off for a round of golf without banging balls first. A public course trying to make money sees them as guaranteed extra revenue, it's easy to see why they'll charge them for the range balls. It isn't like they're going to skip it to save five bucks.

 

What if 3 out of every 4 golfers who show up to play want to drink a beer while they are there? Would the course offer a free beer with every round? Of course not, that would be stupid if the golfer's are willing to pay $4 for it.

[Thug Hunter]

There are plenty of golfers who would never even consider teeing off for a round of golf without banging balls first. A public course trying to make money sees them as guaranteed extra revenue, it's easy to see why they'll charge them for the range balls. It isn't like they're going to skip it to save five bucks.

 

What if 3 out of every 4 golfers who show up to play want to drink a beer while they are there? Would the course offer a free beer with every round? Of course not, that would be stupid if the golfer's are willing to pay $4 for it.

 

My home course gives 2 free draft beers per round, but charges for balls. So there goes your theory.

[SadTrombone]

There are plenty of golfers who would never even consider teeing off for a round of golf without banging balls first. A public course trying to make money sees them as guaranteed extra revenue, it's easy to see why they'll charge them for the range balls. It isn't like they're going to skip it to save five bucks.

 

What if 3 out of every 4 golfers who show up to play want to drink a beer while they are there? Would the course offer a free beer with every round? Of course not, that would be stupid if the golfer's are willing to pay $4 for it.

 

My home course gives 2 free draft beers per round, but charges for balls. So there goes your theory.