Qualifying competition entry systems?

To be really boring, what sort of entry systems do people have to endure at their clubs, when wanting to put your name down for a typical Qualifier (Medal, Stableford etc) ?

At our place, we can sign up in the Pro shop (via Howdidido or Club Systems[?] terminal I think), typically at 16.00 on the Monday, 13 days before the event. Those that can't get to the Pro shop easily, can book online through Howdidido from 19.00 on the same Monday, 13 days prior.
One problem with the above is that if you can't easily get to the club for the 16.00-19.00 period, masses of the popular slots (early-mid morning) are invariably gone before the online booking goes live.

What sort of system does everyone else have to put up with?

BRS Golf online system through the club website. A comp can be booked a month in advance. The alternative is phone the club and ask someone to do it (no pro so just someone!) or E:Mail the comp sec and ask them to. I think that's it. Or just turn up on the day and wait for a space - but best doing that in the afternoons, Sat am does get booked up.

I'm not sure if the "release" time is automated or manual, so I don't know whether anyone gets to have "the jump" on anyone else that your system/process seems to have.

Navy - This has been a big topic of conversation over the years at my club. For our "major" events (Member/Member, Member/Guests, the majority of our events) the sign up is strictly online starting at a specific time on a specific day. Usually a month or so before, 7am. Our Member/Member usually sells out within 3 minutes, so a lot of the older members who (1) aren't digitally savvy and (2) remember the "good old days" when you used to line up at the pro shop aren't too pleased. Many sign up defensively and then drop. That has gone down since we often require full event payment if you drop within 7 days (or so) of the event. The signup system is golfgenius.com

Otherwise, and for regular play, there are no tee times at our club which serves the purpose well 90% of the time.

Navy

Your system sounds horrendous. At my club you just use howdidido as long as times are still available or phone the pro shop. You can do it as close as the day before if there is space, which there always is.

Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

We have 2 types of signup really
Drawn events
Sheet goes up on the board 5-6 weeks before an event and it’s first come first served, the sheets for names are divided into time bands (7-8, 8-9 etc). The sheet comes down and the draw goes up one week before, dropouts are replaced from the reserve list. The club reserves the required tee times from the golf complex.
Medals
You book your tee time a week in advance, when you turn up, you sign the book before you go out. I’m quite lucky being in a large playing group (16 of us) and we have a tee booking rota so it’s only one in every 4 medals we need to get up early for the previous week (to secure a prime time 8-9am you have to be at the clubhouse 6:45-7:00 the previous week).

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Yeah, well I have two kids (poor them I hear many say) and in order to get 'permission' I need to get out early so I don't 'waste' all of Saturdays.

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Yeah, well I have two kids (poor them I hear many say) and in order to get 'permission' I need to get out early so I don't 'waste' all of Saturdays.

I get away with doing stuff in the morning so I can "waste" the afternoon of Saturdays on the course. Unusually mac that's the most consistently right that any of your posts I can recall have ever been! Love an afternoon on the course, it's also emptier and so less full of bloody idiots fannying around too slowly

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Yeah, well I have two kids (poor them I hear many say) and in order to get 'permission' I need to get out early so I don't 'waste' all of Saturdays.

Navy

I would count spending a Saturday with Kids a wasted Saturday.


PS maybe a hard question, but for those with kids. Is it ever that enjoyable to spend time with your own children?

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Early mornings are often very calm too Mac, plus you get the benefit of the greens before the grass has grown, spike marks, ropey cups etc. Also things like the bunkers are properly raked with no fat footprints in them.

I agree though that a quiet Saturday afternoon is a good time to play golf, but for those who have families etc, being done by 10 or 11 means you can be back home before things have even got moving and have the rest of the day to do those "family" things (whatever they are). It wouldn't be for me, because I think spending time with kids would also be wretched, but I'm up around 6:30 anyway, so get a round in with good conditions, and then you've got the rest of the day to do other things. Lying in is something I consider as unenjoyable as the concept of spending time with ones kids.

McLaren wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Yeah, well I have two kids (poor them I hear many say) and in order to get 'permission' I need to get out early so I don't 'waste' all of Saturdays.

Navy

I would count spending a Saturday with Kids a wasted Saturday.


PS maybe a hard question, but for those with kids. Is it ever that enjoyable to spend time with your own children?

Back on form Mac.

But to answer a trolly question as if it were genuine. Yes. Frankly it can be the most absolutely fcuking amazing thing in the world.

Is it like that all the time? No.

McLaren wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Yeah, well I have two kids (poor them I hear many say) and in order to get 'permission' I need to get out early so I don't 'waste' all of Saturdays.

Navy

I would count spending a Saturday with Kids a wasted Saturday.


PS maybe a hard question, but for those with kids. Is it ever that enjoyable to spend time with your own children?

Not sure if you’d frame Grandchildren into the same equation but yes I do enjoy spending time with my granddaughter and I’ve got 2 more coming this year. Oddly enough I can’t wait until they are old enough to be introduced to the game, they may not like it which will be fair enough but they’ll get the opportunity.

Mac the Saturday(and Sunday) morning thing is guys who have families and other stuff to do (like footy)
To be fair to the family and having worked hard all week having my exercise and fun and getting home for say 1.30 gives everyone a fair deal.
I agree a nice afternoon/evening game is just lovely but not too practical on the weekend.

We sign up on the day so if it’s raining, I just turn over and go back to sleep. Our club, Lundin Ladies, has only just embraced the 21st century and gone computerised with ClubV1, with score entry last year and now sign in via the terminal in the locker room this year (we have to introduce things gradually for our members ) but we still sign in physically and pay entry money to the starter. Sounds a bit convoluted but it works. The bonus of signing in before the round means that those of us who process the cards and close the competitions can check from home if anyone has played (for the alternative day, for example) and not bother going to the club if no-one has.

Saturday afternoons are usually great tine to play, I though fall into the having kids category and it means early saturdays are usually when we play. But sometimes being out at 7am or earlier is pretty nice in itself.

And the kids question, greatest thing ever is spending good time with your childrem. My boy is nearly 5, so thinking about taking him for a few wild swings, though is bobbins at crazy golf. So have no hopes yet.

Our place is pretty busy so booking is 14 days and 1 hour before .Sounds daft but it means you can turn up and book for a comp 14 days on just before you start to play at your usual time.Couple of courses closed recently in my area so we are really up to full capacity.Major events probably 6 a year names on the sheet 2 weeks in advance and a draw for start times 7 days prior.I have much respect for the handicap/comp secretary at any club.

beninho wrote: greatest thing ever is spending good time with your children.

That is pretty Hard to believe.

Might explain a few things but my mum has freely admitted to being bored out of her mind looking after us.

McLaren wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:Also never understood the clamber for early sat times. You don't get a lie in and at least where I live the wind often dies down in the afternoon. Plus late afternoons in the summer are the most pleasant times to play golf.

Yeah, well I have two kids (poor them I hear many say) and in order to get 'permission' I need to get out early so I don't 'waste' all of Saturdays.

Navy

I would count spending a Saturday with Kids a wasted Saturday.


PS maybe a hard question, but for those with kids. Is it ever that enjoyable to spend time with your own children?

Here's hoping you never father any then. No offence.

McLaren wrote:

beninho wrote: greatest thing ever is spending good time with your children.

That is pretty Hard to believe.  

Might explain a few things but my mum has freely admitted to being bored out of her mind looking after us.

I said good time with your children. It sounds like your time with your mum is just that, time. Shame, that your mum thinks your dull. Maybe your online persona is not wrong after all.

I came to the conclusion golf and kids don’t mix, not young kids anyway. Not if you are actually sharing the hassle that does go with having kids, ferrying them to clubs and parties. I can’t justify losing most of a weekend day, can’t say I really want to, so no club membership for me, just try and play when I can and enjoy it when I do play.

McLaren wrote:

beninho wrote: greatest thing ever is spending good time with your children.

That is pretty Hard to believe.  

Might explain a few things but my mum has freely admitted to being bored out of her mind looking after us.

You mean there is more than one Mac? I would think your mum must have been suicidal rather than bored.

"Mummy mummy, can we go to the library to see the latest Doak book? Please, pretty please"

"Mummy mummy, I will not eat Robertson's jam unless they take the gollywog off the jar" says Mac age 4.

Supers Dad: Did he play with the other kids at nursery today?
Supers Mum: No, he called Wee Jimmy a ghastly beast, so Jimmy battered him.
Supers Dad: Why does he talk like that? Nobody else in the tenement does, it’s embarrassing. And why does he scrub his hands 8 times an hour?
Supers Mum: I know, still he’s happy with his third reich memorabilia, 4 seems a bit young but he says it inspires him. I just wish he’d hug me, but he says touching people makes him feel sick.

Diggers wrote:Supers Dad: Did he play with the other kids at nursery today?
Supers Mum: No, he called Wee Jimmy a ghastly beast, so Jimmy battered him.
Supers Dad: Why does he talk like that? Nobody else in the tenement does, it’s embarrassing. And why does he scrub his hands 8 times an hour?
Supers Mum: I know, still he’s happy with his third reich memorabilia, 4 seems a bit young but he says it inspires him. I just wish he’d hug me, but he says touching people makes him feel sick.

This year the Member/Member (72 teams- 144 golfers, 5 nine hole matches over two days) sold out 7:02am. Registration started at 7:00am. In fact, there are three teams on the waiting list that were entered at 7:02.