Phantom Golfers

On the municipal course where I was a member last year I became increasing wound up by members booking tee times and then not turning up to play. 

I am fortunate enough to be able to play once a week during the day but have a limited slot of four and a half hours which I can use so the tee off time I need is restricted. On a number of occassions I could only get a tee time which meant I was pushed at the end of the round to get to where I had to be.  I would then turn up to the course to find it like the Marie Celeste.

Has anyone else experienced this and do any courses impose penalties on members who book tee times and then not use them? 

My current club of one year, now, is the first club I have been a member of that has used a tee time booking system.

One just turns up and plays, if there is a queue then one puts a ball in the shute. Simple really.

Surely they have a system where if you book and don't turn up maybe 3 times then they are banned from booking the tee?

J P, I feel you are reading my post wrong again, I said that my current club is the first club that I have been a member of that operates a tee time booking system. All my previous clubs one just turned up and played and if busy then one placed a ball in a shute by the first tee. No group were allowed to put a ball in the shute until all players of that group were present.

My club J P is Sherfield Oaks, which is north of Basingstoke and south of Reading on the A33. We have two courses and are a Crown golf course so that entitles me to play all fifty other courses that Crown own, for nothing mid-week.

Our club also operates an online tee time booking system for members only.

Jim, no there was absolutely no sanction for booking a time and not turning up and it was obvious that members were abusing the system by booking multiple tee times during the week say 9.24 everyday and then only turning up when the weather was ideal and they felt like a game.  On the odd occasion I could not make a tee time I rang up and cancelled and I could tell from the tone of surprise on the other end of the phone that it was a rare occurance.

This all led me into an embarassing situation one day.  At the start of my membership I religiously waited for my tee time before starting but having realised what was happening I would turn up early and if there was a long gap on the first tee and no one was coming out of the clubhouse, I would tee off. 

This worked fine on my usual playing day Wednesday but one week I had to switch to Tuesday.  I rang up and asked for 9.30am and was told there was nothing available between 8.30 and 10.15.  I booked 10.15 but turned up at 9.20 and seeing the 1st fairway clear and no one emerging from the club house, I teed off about 9.25.  When playing my second shot I noticed that four women had teed off behind me.  On the second I caught up with the group in front who were also four women and I spotted four women teeing off on the third.  I then remembered that the three tee times prior to 9.30 on Tuesday were reserved for women only.  I completed the 2nd hole and then hung around looking sheepish on the third tee and offered to let the group behind me play through.  When I explained to the group why I had teed off early they were very understanding and said they had encountered the same problem. I didn't see any other golfers on the course that day either ahead of the three womens' groups or behind me.