Tipping at a golf course, what do you do?

ll.umpire · March 22, 2009

I was just curious as to who you guys tip at a golf club, what you tip, and what kind of service you expect.

For example If there are people at the bag drop who take your bags from your car (or if you decide to walk up, take them from you) and load them on carts. If there is someone at the range (if on grass) who cleans your club when your done hitting it. And lastly if there is someone on hole #18 who cleans your clubs while you are finishing the hole.

What do you tip for? What you service you expect, and how much do you tip? Does the amount you tip change if you are with someone? (For example I have noticed that someone playing alone will usually tip $1 or nothing on the 18th hole, which changes when there is someone else they are playing with)

I think we will get many varying responses on this one.

italianstallion · March 22, 2009

I work at a public course, where cleaning clubs and working the bag drop isn't mandatory to do. Here's what I have observed.

If I decide to bust my butt on a weekend, shuttling between starter and getting people's bags out of their cars onto carts, I might make $10 in tips if I'm lucky. I still do it because it makes it easier for me as a starter, I can ask the people who they are and what their tee time is, so I can match faces in a group with names on my starter sheet.

Washing clubs never happens unless you are a member and leave your clubs in the club storage. Why? because most golfers drive right into the parking lot to put their clubs away.

When I use to wash golf carts, people would never leave tips. Thanks for leaving your hotdog, ketchup/ mustard all over the place, cigarette butts, beers, and dirty napkins in there for me to clean out. $1 may not mean alot to you but when you're a 16 year old saving up for a car it means everything in the world. If one person from each cart left me $1 on a weekend, I'd have an extra $60. But again, that never happened.

I tip when I feel the service is genuine. I don't like going to courses and having some parking lot guy fly over to my car ready to grab my clubs as soon as I pop the trunk. First off, I don't like people touching my car. Second off, I don't want someone I don't know digging my clubs out of my car because there's a certain way they have to come out to avoid scratching my car. Finally, I don't like people touching my clubs and bringing them somewhere out of sight.

If someone washes my clubs at the end of the round, I'll throw them $2. They will already be clean because I clean them back to new after every shot, but I appreciate the effort. Bonus points if they are in that 16-20 year range because they actually need the extra couple bucks (I'm 19 myself).

I went to Disney World and played Osprey Ridge. There was a kid about 20 years old who let me put my clubs on a cart, brought me cold towels and dry towels throughout the round, and was monitoring the pace of play very closely when I was out. He was also a cool cat to talk to as I waited for the groups in front of me. He washed my clubs at the end of the round and I gave him $5 for his services for the day. Granted it wasn't a busy day there, however the kid was finding ways to work hard to make sure I was having a good time. You can tell when thats genuine and when its fake.