Drawn comps or play with your mates?

Just finished playing and having a look at minutes from
Club agm and I was dismayed that the committee have decided that all comps (except 1) at our club this year will be non drawn. I feel this is a real backwards step for the club and has seriously made me consider whether I want to continue my membership as although like everyone I love playing golf with my regular 4 ball I would always want to play big club board comps with people I don't know, through a draw. It adds to the pressure and I always feel I raise my game although I have never won a board comp. Also I feel that regular 4 balls get stuck in a rut and rules can be stretched!! Lastly I really like playing with new people getting to know them and I think it make for a better atmosphere in the bar with less cliques. I would Really like to hear your views.

I agree, comps should really have a more formal feel to them. As you say the same rules will just get broken each week within each four ball. It is maybe not the best way to improve either. When I used to play in club comps I found that I was motivated to improve when I played with better players. It was a good way to see where you could improve, an opportunity missed if you always see the same players games.

Further how long before some scores get the attention of others and the club finds itself with some acrimony to deal with. I think it is better for the comps to be held in more transparent manner. Do you know the reasons for the change and whether this was forced through by a few people or the general will of everyone?

Yeah I agree too. Regular medals, stablefords etc are fine to play with your normal groups but the big comps should be drawn either in a random way or handicap order depending on the competition. Part of being a private club member is getting to know and play with other people.

Mac, forced by a few as the main clique in club boycotted board comps last year to play with each other. I really feel let down and the club has taken a turn for the worse. I feel even more frustrated that I couldn't make the agm so missed the discussion and chance to make myself heard although it clearly must have been a fair number 'for' the change, or so I would hope. Sadly my club is becoming increasingly run by the few loudest voices who incidentally are also some of the biggest tw@ts

Agree with everyone else. At my club ALL comps are drawn (not just board comps but regular medals and stableford too). In a way it makes it better when as a result of the draw I get to play with one or two of my regular playing mates (doesn't happen very often).

As others say also it makes it better to sit and have a beer with guys you don't know so well afterwards rather than sitting with your "clique".

Medals at my club are divided into A/B medals and C medals so as a cat C player myself I get to play with people of similar standard even if I don't know them beforehand, but stableford are open draws and I love the chance to play with some of the best players in the club.

I think this is definitely a retrograde step and find it difficult to understand why anybody would vote for not having comps as an open draw. The essence of competition is to find out your opponents weak spot when challenged. How can you do that when you are your regular group.

But the most disconcerting part about this is the fact that the members will naturally gravitate into their own comfortable cliques and that special 'club' atmosphere will disappear and no-one will talk to anyone. If that happens, then all the people on here who complain about interfering committees will be proved right.

Sadly I also have no confidence whatsoever in some friendship groups not cheating to win. I will win the club championship, you win the autumn bowl etc etc etc. Rubbish, taxi for super65

I also agree, comps should be drawn. And that's from the perspective of someone who is utterly terrified of entering them. That said, it should be a more formal atmosphere and actually live up to the fact that, yes, it's a competition - any idea why that decision was made, super65?

Sadly because drinking in the bar and being in with the right people in the committee means you have more say over the direction of the club. The real golfers in club are really disappointed but decision made and we joked today that the club has gone down market big time. My conundrum now is to convince my friends to leave the club or stick it out an live with decision this year and hope the committee change mind next year.

S65

You could always vote with your feet and leave en masse with your mates? That kind of action will make your committee think twice.

:shooter:

Drawn weekend comps are the fairest way and certainly result in new friendships being built within the club, I find playing with new folk helps me concentrate more and score better, can play with my usual mates anytime really as very few competions take up the entire weekend and normally find that the Midweek medal is very rarely a drawn medal due to less people playing.

drive4show wrote:S65

You could always vote with your feet and leave en masse with your mates? That kind of action will make your committee think twice.

Sadly that's the only way these days a lot of committees will listen. I agree with all of the above, I much prefer drawn competitions to many times do you see the "in crowd" sitting together and trying to act as though its their club boasting about their scores that day, then when it comes to comps you get the "oh didn't fancy it much today that's why the scores not great"

Drawn comps give you the feel they should slightly more formal so you know is competition, Also you get more respect for each other in general in that because you have played together before, your given the correct etiquette from fellow playing partners, the chance to play with nee people who can become new friends to play a friendly round with at another time and the chance to test yourself against better players

Sorry to disagree with most on here, but me and my mates like to play at the same time(lunchtime), so we will book between 4 to 7 consecutive tee times, (all comps are 3 ball and we will have between 12 to 21 in our groups).

Everyone must be on the 1st tee 10 mins before the first tee time, we all put a ball in the hat and the groups are then drawn, we always play for money.

We will welcome anyone who wishes to join us, and they can say if they want to be in the money comp or not. The Pro now sends all new members who do not know anyone at the club out to play with us, and we make them welcome

the vast majority of our competitions are drawn in half hourly ballots, ie 7.30, 8.00, 8.30, 9.00, etc. you turn up, sign in and the ballot is drawn just before the time in 10 minute intervals and off you go with whomever you're drawn with. i love it and almost everyone i've played with stops off for at least one drink/ sandwich after the game. it makes the clubhouse a much friendlier place when you get to know so many people.

Golf is a social game and new members at clubs find it difficult to break in, when there are cliques and groups of friends who always play medals together. Besides the problem of potential 'score engineering' and cheating, the club house can become a no-go area for newer members. My club do not draw names therefore it's always the same people entering comps. The onus is then put on the new member, or a single player to try and insert himself into a 3-ball on the notice board, which isn't very satisfactory. I'm a social golfer and enjoy playing with my mates, but only play 3 QC's each year because of the clique mentality. There are plenty of players in cliques at my club, and in the main they are all great guys, but there are a few who you wouldn't trust to enter a correct card. Golf clubs will do anything to keep members happy, but sometimes they can ruin a club because of trying to pander to every whim of players who dominate the club house. It doesn't take long for a club to seem exclusive, rather than inclusive to new members, or people thinking about joining a club.

The social side is very important I think.

Played my first comp of the year on Saturday and the random draw put me with one guy who I'd played a casual rollup with once, and two other guys who I'd seen around the club but never really met before.

An excellent 4-ball followed with lots of good banter and friendships made - and afterwards, there was rugby on the TV in the clubhouse so we all sat together for a beer and watched the game.

I can understand people like Doc being put off entering comps if they have to insert themself into an existing clique to play

At my old club you could play with who you wanted and (imho) the same old cliques dominated certain parts of the day, were tortoise slow and I became aware of sharp practice and cheating and that's what drove me away from that club. My new club draws all comps including medals and that is the best way to play. It gives me the opportunity as a newcomer to the club to meet other members, play with better players and hopefully play in the B Team and A Team matches as my game progresses to a better standard. Communication has been excellent and everyone has been really friendly during my 4 months at this club. I definitely believe pandering to the few hardcore players is a retrograde step and you have to wonder about the motives for their actions. Surely if people want to organise their own bounce comps and play with the regulars that is fine, but surely the whole point of club comps is that they should be inclusive not exclusive

Im playing a mid week comp this week as I was unable to get to the course sunday, and am playing in a drawn group, I know none of the 3 guys im drawn with and that to me will add to the round as I will get to know new people have a drink with them after and get to enjoy conversation and a game that otherwise I might not have had.

The club I started at as a Junior you were able to play full mens comps if you had a single figure handicap, was play with who you like, problem there was you never got an early tee time as they went to the same groups, invariably I had to start off the back half of course as the cliques got the 1st tee. You could have blisterin ground but knew it wouldn't be good enough as the same old faces came in with the same scores week after week, yet if you played with them in a bounce game they couldn't string a score together! It was so bad at one point in the club championship where one of the juniors returned the 2 lowest rounds was then told he couldn't win as he was a junior and first place was instead given to the same guy who somehow always won it which was always s urprise when you harldy ever saw him hit a fairway or green yet he always shot gross 66!!

I'm not saying all cliques are cheats far from it there are many honest ones to, but it's amazing how little things in some groups get over looked when playing with your mates.

Board comps should be drawn. I am lucky to play 2 clubs - at one comps are drawn at the other you play with your mates. there is no doubt which is the better, and where the cliques are formed.
I wouldn't accuse anyone of cheating, but there is no doubt that familiar groups can fail to interpret rules including local rules properly. By mixing groups up it is amazing how the overall spirit of the club develops, and knowledge of the rules and their applicability improves.
Sadly those who stick to "their group" don't have a problem with the social side, because they have their own, THANKS, and do not appreciate the negative impact they have on others and the club in general.
It is after all COMPETITION. "Who've you drawn in rd 1 at Dubai Lee?" "Oh they put me with Tiger, but I wanted to play with Rory, so we went off early - we always go early so the greens don't have spike marks!" I DON'T THINK SO!!!!

Board comps should be drawn. I am lucky to play 2 clubs - at one comps are drawn at the other you play with your mates. there is no doubt which is the better, and where the cliques are formed.
I wouldn't accuse anyone of cheating, but there is no doubt that familiar groups can fail to interpret rules including local rules properly. By mixing groups up it is amazing how the overall spirit of the club develops, and knowledge of the rules and their applicability improves.
Sadly those who stick to "their group" don't have a problem with the social side, because they have their own, THANKS, and do not appreciate the negative impact they have on others and the club in general.
It is after all COMPETITION. "Who've you drawn in rd 1 at Dubai Lee?" "Oh they put me with Tiger, but I wanted to play with Rory, so we went off early - we always go early so the greens don't have spike marks!" I DON'T THINK SO!!!!

puligny,

i am in the same situation re. dual membership. my home club operates the book a 3ball slot format, whereas the away operates a draw format.

i am often surprised at the lack of knowledge of simple rules at my home track. For example i had to explain the procedure for taking a penalty drop to a regular playing partner a couple of weekends ago during a bounce game. Not saying that doesn't happen at the other course, but in general the rules are more strictly adhered to when playing in a more formal atmosphere. When playing a bounce game i wouldn't always take out the driver to measure 2 club lengths marking it with a tee before dropping etc, but in a medal you must play to the letter, and i've seen a few players flaunt this one in competition, more through ignorance than cheating intent [not that it makes it any better].

agree with what has been said socially, but for me the main thing is it detracts from the formal sense of competition.

as an aside, i'd also say the book a 3ball slot thing takes considerably more organisation for us. we have about 15 in our 'clique'. most play fairly irregularly in terms of both time available, and entering every medal. this means we send dozens of emails back and forward to work out the 2 or 3 3balls that work for everyone the best, which is a complete hassle compared to individually signing your name up for a time slot to be drawn.

obviously the system works fine for all the 'local regulars' who play the same 3ball week in week out at the same time. coincidentally the booking system also caters for them as you have to turn up in person at 4pm the friday a week before playing to book [impossible if you work], or call after 5pm. by the time you get through on the phone you are lucky to get the slot you were after. i am generally quite flexible so doesn't cause too much hassle, but i'd probably get quite worked up it if i had stricter parameters at the weekend.