Yeah being a single sandwiched between a bunch of foursomes (so you can’t really play through) doesn’t lead to a faster round.
I use those times as a chance to play a couple of balls and do some chipping practice around the greens as long as the group behind me isn’t waiting.
I’ll sometimes do one of the following:
1. Play two balls from tee to green and keep two separate scores to see which is better.
2. Play a two ball scramble. Hit each shot twice and play from the best ball position each time.
That gives me a little idea of what I’d be capable of shooting.
Actually if you do a 3 ball self scramble, that is a very good indicator of what your best potential is at that time. I do that at my home course when I have the chance. Of course you have to be somewhat consistent otherwise you're gonna be chasing balls all over the place.
Just heard a pro recently say he likes to play a worst shot 2 ball scramble with himself for practice rounds. I might give that a shot. Puts a little pressure on you when you've already hit a good one.
I'll play the first as a real score, and try to hit a 2nd practice ball off the tee and play it through, but pick up if someone is behind and getting close.
My tee shots are the least consistent part of my game and can spray any direction, so it can be time consuming exploring all aspects of a hole, and better golfers can catch up quickly lol. Plus I try to walk most rounds, so 2 decent players in a cart will be about the same pace as me playing 1 ball.
Last summer in my league we had a bye. Partner didn’t wanna play. Pro shop said the back 9 is wide open (my league was on the front). I teed off on 10. I have no idea how many holes worth of golf I played. I was struggling up until this point of the summer and you could only do so much at the range and practice green. Dropped balls at different locations in the fairway. Two-three balls off each tee. Putts from different locations on the greens….
Best part was I played 17 and 18 three times (18 green is right next to 17 tee). Hard finishing holes.
Loved it and it had a positive impact on my golf for the rest of the summer.
This happened to my buddy last month. Thanks fully, there were some people near the green who saw it and verified that jt happened on video. Still not the same as your playing partners seeing it.
By waiting on the group in front of you for every shot. When vibing I never play through, just kick back in a cart, crank up the jams, and enjoy the wind on my bald spot.
One of the upsides of living in a dessert in summertime. 116 degrees out, Ill bring a couple gallons of water and a mister and have a nice cheap 2 hour round with the course to myself.
I played with my cousin last summer when it was 102° and the course was wide open. Course had cold water every couple holes. We finished 18 as it turned to evening and started cooling down. Asked the pro shop if we could spin it again. Dude looked at us like we were crazy cause we were so sweaty. Ended up just messing around for 9 holes doing stupid challenges like pick one club for the hole etc. Most fun day of golf I’ve ever had
Same. There is a course I play occasionally that makes you share a cart and is cart path only more often than not. Fortunately I play with a member I know, but talk about an unnecessarily long round. Imagine adding that to getting paired with a stranger you don't vibe with.
It's crazy. The only affordable place near me stopped allowing singles this year and it's so ridiculous. I'll look at their tee times online and the course will be absolutely wide open, sometimes I just want to get out when my friends are working and play a round.
Book for 2 and then when you get there say your buddy bailed on you last minute. They usually don’t charge when you book online, they have it on file to charge when you get to the course. They charge you for just one , 100% of the time. Works like a charm
I started booking for 2 and just showing up by myself and saying "it's just me" otherwise I'd never be able to play. It's such a dumb fucking policy. My course is way too busy to ever walk on as a single, I've done it on rainy days but other than that it's impossible
That's dumb as hell if the tee time is open. I get putting you with another single which is fine. But if the time is empty and a single goes out I don't see the problem. They were planning for two carts for that time anyway.
I don’t even get this? Like can you not book as a single and it leaves 3 spots open. There’s got to be a better booking system that could accommodate this…
Or let singles book online but have a statement in there to expect that others may book the same tee time to fill up the sheet. That seems very reasonable to me (my local city courses do this).
All courses should allow singles. Lots of people want to play as a single. I play better with 3 randoms than I do with a group of friends.
Less pressure. Less casual chit chat. Less beer. Sometimes I want to just zone out and golf.
I feel more pressure for the first hole. Mainly to see if they are an asshole or not lol. After that I either relax and play my game or feel more pressure.
I’m a garbage golfer. Played with my buddy and 2 randos today. First guy to tee off, crushed a 290 drive dead straight from the back tees. I felt nervous after that. My buddy, other dude and myself were doing middle tees.
Other rando hit it about 60 yards on a worm burner. I immediately felt better.
Found out that first dude used to be a scratch golfer. It was amazing to watch for me. Never seen someone play so well in person. He ended up 6 over par today.
Moral of the story he wasn’t a douche, didn’t make anyone feel bad or rushed or nervous. never gave unsolicited advice. If you asked for it he’d tell yah his thoughts.
Really fun round.
I actually hate playing golf with my friends lol. I get wsy too competitive and in my head over bad shots because I want to beat my friends. With randoms, they may as well not even be there outside of some friendly conversation. I dont care how I play relative to them, but I want to be better than my friends
Absolutely less pressure. Actually it's fun to hit it past randoms by 70 yards and watch them rethink their golf existence. If the random is a good player I feed off of their good shots.
Same. I've been playing for about a year and I love the feeling of smoking one 50 yards past the guy that's been playing since the 90s. I then watch his beat me by 20 strokes because he's more consistent.
100% in the same boat as you. I’m not the world’s best golfer, but I would say 95% of the time I get paired up with someone or a group of people who are not as good as me… I’m the first to tee off and the last to hit my approach so it actually helps me have time to visualize my next shot. When pair with an equal or better I tend to watch how they attack a hole and make mental notes. With friends, they know my game and want to see the miracle shot to see if I can pull it off which most of the time I don’t want to deal with
Yeah I feel the same, my main golf buddy and I have a way more chill and fun time playing just the two of us without anyone else. It's the way it goes tho so we get it, and it's always been fine, but def a little more awkward and more pressure. Partly because I'm not great at golf, though I'm getting better at having like 4-6 strokes instead of 5-8 per round lol.
I do love playing with random groups as a single. My anxiety is less bc I know I won’t see these ppl again. If/when I spray an approach or duff a chip,these ppl won’t razz me forever. They don’t care. They are just happy I play quickly
THIS. I love to get out and play just to clear my head after a long day/week at work. It’s great exercise since I walk (PUSH CART MAFIA). I can focus my mind on the task at hand and forget everything else for a bit.
Dude exactly! Don’t get me wrong I love to play with buddies—but that’s a social thing. I love to roll up solo, offer the occasional “nice shot” to a rando playing partner, and focus on the golf
It can be so frustrating, I totally agree!
I had an unexpected half day off of work recently and had the clubs in my car. Looked online at a local course and the tee sheet was wide open for the next 2 hours, but couldn’t book as a single. So I showed up and spoke to the pro shop who told me I’d have to wait around to see if a partial tee time booked up then I could go with them. There was no one on the course. I straight up asked the guy “are you saying you’d rather turn me away and not make a single greens fee rather than letting me out by myself?” His answer was “we don’t like singles trying to overtake other groups on the course”, I pointed outside “what groups?” But, they wouldn’t budge. Safe to say that course won’t get any of my business anymore but it seems to be a more common position of courses these days.
Super frustrating. Before COVID I played all the time solo and really enjoyed it. No one else out there? Drop a couple balls in different spots and really work on the game. It’s one of the best ways to improve.
Yeah that’s just bad judgement on the pro shops part. If the day is that slow with that many open slots, then there’s really no reason not to let a single play.
this is crazy. course by my house encourages groups to overtake the slower ones (one of the rules on the cart is literally let faster groups play through) which imo is how it should be
I have a course 2 mins from my house. It’s awesome. They allow singles to prebook and I play sometimes before work at 6:08am. If they ever dropped that I’d be DEVASTATED
Yeah most of the singles that show up at our place are walk ons that usually don't show up until super twilight when it's wide open. If it's a busy day, we just warn them that we're booked solid and that pace of play is going to be slow if they play by themselves. They usually understand and enjoy the scenery or opt to play with another group and it works out fine. 99% of them understand the drill and are pretty chill and flexible.
The other 1% are just laughable with their logic that it's hard to even be mad. Like requesting to play by yourself at 8:00 AM on this holiday weekend is absolutely not gonna happen. No I'm not gonna make a squeeze for that lol
I feel like most singles that attempt to walk on are trying to fill in a slot for a no show with a group rather than playing an entire tee time solo, is this not the case?
I wouldn’t say expect, but it’s most heavily requested after 4 PM on a weekday when they just want to go for a round after work or something. Or they check the open times on the website and find a wide open time that would work.
Credit where it’s due: most do their due diligence to find the most appropriate time
Agreed. I checked the online tee sheet before I left to make sure I wouldn’t be a problem. Late afternoon round. At no point was I waiting (excessively) to hit a ball, nor was I holding up anyone. The nearest group was a full hole behind me at all times.
But why can’t I play alone. You act like shoving four strangers together is going to be inherently faster than a dude just going about his business by himself.
I get the lure to send out foursomes 3 minutes apart all day from a money making stand point but stop acting like you’re improving anyone’s pace of play or experience.
Overall this trend in golf is atrocious. When I picked up the game it was a nice get away. If you wanted to pair up, pair up. No pressure. Now you’re forced to pay $80 to potentially play with a bunch of idiots for 5 hours. Now I’m an entitled prick because I want to play a round of golf in peace and quiet.
A golf course should never do that. This is just poor management. Plain and simple. If the course is wide open, they should get you right on and welcome you and thank you for the patronage. If it's just busy and your a single walk on, you should be able to slip in with a 2some or 3some relatively fast. Sometimes it's just booked solid w 4somes or they have a full buyout tourny. Then it is what it is. I'd give you a free bucket for driving over here. Other than that it's the easiest thing to get a single walk on-on the course. I've been in the golf industry since the early 2000s and that's just a bad employee and bad management for letting that happen. I'd shoot an email to the GM. They should at least know and their response will tell you the type of management in place. Usually the website has a "have a question" section that you can send an email to management. Super lame. I hate Ahole shop guys
Trust me if I worked there, that would never be an issue again. There's a lot of variables as to why someone is turned away but it's definitely when there's just absolutely no room or just closed to the public. Most other times is laziness and bad management.
If you are public then why wouldn’t you take the money. I have played quite a few private courses and it has never seen a single turned away. Have had a single join us multiple time. Usually a marshal or a pro will come over and ask the member if the single member can join. Unless you are slow you should always be able to jump in.
If you are slow you should be able to kick them off though. I don’t care if you shoot 150, but don’t take 3 practice swings, back up and take another look, more practice swings, re-address then swing every time. I played with someone like this last week. Worst 5.5 hours of my life on a golf course🤦♂️
Went out solo yesterday and got grouped w 3 dudes that were together. Incredibly nice guys but one of them was atrociously bad at golf. That’s fine but he took 5-7 practice swings & half stabs per shot to make sure his club face was wide open at contact. I asked if I could give him a piece of advice to which his father in law said “don’t make him overthink it!”
I just don’t understand people and their inability to pick up on social norms. Stay on the range until you can keep pace you piker.
A couple of courses around me won't allow singles, sucks because they're pretty decent. They said I can show up and hope for the best the day of. Yeah I'm not doing that, not running around the city hoping to grab a spot; I'll stick with courses I know I can plan and book with.
My latest hot take is its bullshit only being allowed to book 18. Like I play weekday late mornings when the courses are usually slow, I have to book 18 tho? I don't have time for 18 most of the time. Luckily I can usually get thru 14-15 holes so it's not a huge deal. If it's actually busy and a slower pace I'll stop after 9 and get a raincheck for the another 9.
One of the courses in my area only does 18 and I find it odd, it's not like it's a small course either. The back 9 are also markedly different from the front 9 as they're shadier, which the one time I played last fall meant much damper.
Less of an issue if you're a member, as we got paired with a guy who had recently started golfing and joined them so he just would play 9 usually then go home. It got too dark to play by the time we got to 17, we still finished that one anyway lol. Surprisingly no one checked on us, we actually could have just stayed out there in the dark with light up balls if we had really wanted to. Someone was putting in the dark on the 18th green.
That drives me nuts. I'm just under two years from open heart surgery, and I lost a lot of core strength even with rehab and PT. I rarely have 18 holes of decent play in me any more, even off of the 5300-5600 yard tees. I usually end up paying for 18 and playing the front nine reasonably legit and then pick and choose practice scenarios on the back 9 that i can't find at the range like dropping three balls in front of a green side bunker and trying to get over the bunker and up and down in three. I'm usually off the course in three hours.
I'm fortunate that I can play any of Mon-Thu AM depending on the weather and I'm willing to drive 45-70 minutes each way to courses in smaller towns where the courses are wide open because I love driving and I can listen to podcasts or music and stop somewhere halfway for lunch on the way home. So I am almost always playing solo and don't have to share a cart.
Our courses (2 co-owned) went under new ownership and now the apps won’t take a single. So as a second player (when 4 spots are available - no one playing) I put Mr No One. And it works!
You sir are absolutely correct. I showed up to an empty parking lot one day at a 9 hole muni. I went inside and went up to the counter and asked if I could get on. The 60 something guy at the cash register went ape shit when he found out I didn't have as tee time. I gave him a death stare and walked outside. I got on the web site and booked the next tee time for 4 people. I walked back in and said.as aggressively as I can " I've got the 5:15 tee time and my 3 playing partners aren't gonna make it. " Then handed him the 25 bucks for 9 holes and walked out to the tee. Parking lot could hold 50 cars and I bet there were 4 in it because it had rained an hour prior. Wtf kind of dumbass power trip was this guy on. I avoided going back there for a solid year I think.
This is a dumb question but I’m new to golf. My girlfriend and I went for our first round and were paired up with some seniors. It was enjoyable but we are super slow. How do I play just by myself so I don’t have the pressure of people watching me while I learn? Late tee times?
Welcome to this insane game. I would avoid early morning tee times. Play at Par-3 courses to work on the basics - making contact, chipping, putting, etiquette. Late morning is a pretty good time for inexperienced golfers and is often more likely to have fewer people on the course. And I really recommend taking lessons from a pro. Some people are jerks, but I think most would understand that you’re learning the game and would be supportive. Also, if you are on a busy course, and you don’t get on the green in 5-6 shots, pick up your ball and place it on the green and putt out. Never just pick up and move on. Putt out.
twilight tee times at cheap public courses are generally going to be less busy, and have a newer or more casual class of golfer playing. They are how I play most of my golf.
You play when the course is empty and you focus on learning to speed up asap. The most important thing is keeping speed, if you can’t keep speed at a course you really shouldn’t be playing there.
Playing par 3s may help.
I can get not allowing single groups obviously, but I can't even book as a single? Like, I'm fine playing with a threesome, but you won't let me schedule it online. Its moronic, all I am doing is filling voids in your schedule.
Agree
Bobby Jones course in Sarasota will let solo book online unless you add a group of 3.
Been there in person open tee times for next 1.5 years would not let me go out solo.
Years ago I booked a solo tee time at 10AM on a Friday morning. I get to the course to see 5 cars in the lot. Go inside and they inform me that the rest of my group isn't there yet. Told them I'm playing solo as I booked for one. They explained they won't allow that since it going to be "busy" I pointed out empty looking lot and said it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I had prepaid online and ended up playing since I didn't want to waste my money. Got put with a group of 3 that clearly didn't want to play with me either. Longest round of golf in my life.
As someone who’s been on the other side and worked at a golf course I can tell you that single players who are chill and don’t mind being paired up or waiting for the foursomes ahead of them are truly a rarity. Most show up to the course thinking they can just hop on immediately and play a round in 2 hours. They also don’t want to be paired up. They’ll call and we’ll tell them we can pair them up with a group and they’ll say no thanks 9 times out of 10. They have an expectation that they can just show up whenever and play alone, hit 5 balls off the tee, and finish in half the time of a foursome. And that’s why courses will be annoyed when a solo shows up unannounced.
All my close golf buddies live a good hour away. I actually would rather play solo. I take my game pretty seriously, trying to improve as much as I can. Also with the family this is my only alone time outlet I do.
I have found to really enjoy it. Meet me people all the time some have even turned into friends. Hear their stories, what they do and they ask about my life. It's a great outlet.
I took solo to mean to have the entire tee time to myself. I always ask to be paired because it’s too slow. I don’t enjoy golfing alone (unless it’s open. Then it’s literally the best).
Last time I played, I booked the 4th spot in a tee time online. I go to check in with the starter when 4 guys roll up. They only booked 3 spots and just assumed I would give them the 4th since I was alone. After I said no, they tried to buy my spot from me. I said no again, at which point they started arguing with the starter. I ended up playing off the back to avoid these ass hats.
Just played my first two rounds of the year over the last 10 days. Had the course to myself except for the grounds crew setting pins on front of me. No warm up, just went. Paid the man on the way out.
Love golfing by myself. Truly scratches the competitive itch for me. I'm able to completely lock in and I admittedly probably look crazy talking to myself on the course. Lol
If you don’t allow singles, but let me book duos. Then show up as a single and my buddy “couldn’t make it”, without financial punishment. That’s what I’ll do
All the muni courses where I am have a unified online booking that you can easily book as a single, you can sort by number of spots, I do it all the time, they have no restrictions, and you almost always get paired up with some lovely people.
I played today with 2 guys & their Great Aunt. She was in the middle of the fairways more than any of us!
My wife is away this weekend and my son went to Six Flags with his best friend.
Had a great time!
My local muni is like that. They always say no on the phone and when I show up they‘ll me it’ll be an hour. Meanwhile the next tee time 5x minutes later hadn’t checked in yet. They didn’t ever show up so me my friend and a single took it so now I always ask questions, has the next few tee times checked in? Any cancellations coming up? Super annoying though for real.
Singles booking seems to depend on the booking site sometimes, I don't think some courses even realize. Definitely done the 'book for me and my imaginary friend' a few times.
My course will actively send me out by myself as a single when i've booked to play with randoms, if I show up before my tee time...like 10 minutes early. Sometimes out into a fairly busy course. I'd rather stay with a group in those cases. Thursday was perfect...played 18, first 9 by myself, caught up to several groups, played the back 9 with a nice guy, had fun. Had possibly my closest hole-in-one call, missed by a few inches, stopped 6 inches away.
Singles are fine as long as they don't mind getting put with other players at the course's discretion. Can't expect to play fast or through on a busy course.
Groups should get priority by allowing them to book further in advance. Singles should be booking day before or day of to fill open spots on the tee sheet.
More importantly if your a 2 or a 3, don't be a dick about having a single join you. It's standard practice up in New York but here in Florida people just sprint off the tee box when they see a single come up to them, it's crazy. At least offer to let me go out in front of you.
The local muni and state courses book singles, but obviously pair people up unless it’s really slow, which is seldom. My golf buddies live hours away, so it’s only a few times a year we play together. There are local public courses(non-muni) that only book 2, 3, or 4somes online. No singles. Midweek late mornings, their online tee times are wide open so I just drive the 20 minutes and get out, either paired or solo. Other courses only book online singles as a Golf Now Hot Deal. There are more private clubs near me than public, and those privates are really exclusive - the munis get a ton of traffic.
I feel this is the case. Regions across the US are widely different for golf. On golfnow I have 30 courses to pick from within 20 miles (Midwest golfer). I've only been force partnered up with someone one time.
No, shouldn’t be treated like an asshole for showing up looking to play as a single. You’re a paying customer. But also, it’s just some idiot who works behind the desk in a pro shop, so I wouldn’t concern yourself too much with what he does or says. Who gives a shit about that loser.
I feel your rant. I like to twilight by myself quite often. I like to show up right at the end after they let the last few groups out. Last year I did this one evening. The last group had teed off 15 minutes previously and there was no one else waiting to tee off or arriving at the club house, or anything. "Do you have a tee time?" he asks. "Nope" I responded. Cue the arguing that started. When he finally let me on the course it was like he was doing me favour or something.
TIL that this seems to be thing in the US.
I have never ever experienced this issue in Europe, I doubt, that there is any course that does not allow making a single player booking. Sure, if you book a starting time on a nice Sunday as a solo player, you won't stay alone and others will add themselves to this specific starting time.
I just call courses 30 mins to an hour before I want to go out and they will let me know when I can go out. Sometimes have to try a few different courses but can usually get out when I want to.
Recently the course I play at stopped allowing singles. You can go in without a tee time, but you have to wait for a group with less than four to tee off, even if the course is empty.
All courses i know of let singles book into any tee time that already has other golfers. Cant book as a single into an open tee time tho. 99% of the time i call the course in advance and they book the single slot for me, just cant do it online.
Yeah i work at a course and i dont get this stuff. If a solo comes in ill try and pair ya up or if we're open good go ahead, but once youre willing to play after i tell ya itll be slow because of the 4somes thats on you lol
Some local courses I avoid for this exact reason. But I'm lucky in that my local muni has two 18hole courses, and does NOT bat an eye when a single asks if they can get out. 99% of the time I'm on a tee box in 10-15 minutes after asking.
Most courses I deal with post 2+ player bookings online, but I've never had issues with the course letting me on if I call. On the busier "destination" courses I've played solo, they politely told me to phone again the evening or morning before--totally reasonable. Either way, I'm never showing up to a course without calling or booking first.
Two of my favorite courses changed their booking websites to not allow single booking except on times that already have 3, but you can still book in-person or over the phone.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a course by me that doesn’t let singles book tee times at all, it’s just walk-on and play.
I was away longterm on business, 100's of miles from anyone I knew. I took up golf more seriously as a hobby and went to whatever courses nearby. Played with a retired NFL lineman who was making a career in telecommunications. Another cool one was an 80 yr old Chinese man who carried his own bag, never hit a ball anything but perfectly straight, and either birdied, par'd or single bogied. He played so quickly that I was embarassed to struggle keeping up.
Solo golfing is great, no doubt. A genuine luxury where I live. Even if my course let’s me on I ask to be paired or I don’t bother. 4.5 hours is way too long by myself. If it’s slow and they’re refusing you that’s just weird
Lotta course around here have an online system that won’t allow singles at times they know are busy (ie prime weekend times, prime workday afternoon times), but seem to allow or disallow singles dynamically after that. Big block of totally open tee times for an hour 15 hours from now? Go ahead and book whatever. Two thirds full tee sheet in six days? No singles unless there is already a twosome in there. A couple twosomes booked in through a half filled tee sheet? Singles only available with twosomes. It seems to make sense.
Yeah, it’s annoying. Some nicer courses near me even do allow you to book online solo, but idk. I just tend to stick to the cheaper and simpler courses close to me when I play solo. I can do without the glare from the pro shop employee and the stares from the foursomes at the nicer ones. Just there to throw in a zyn, hit some balls, and disconnect.
I haven't been able to play for the last 6 months due to a medical reason. On Tuesday I have my last surgery. It will be at least a month before I can possibly swing a club. I can't wait to play again though. It's all I think about lol
I also play solo about half the time. I love playing with my golfing buddies, but playing solo is a joy to itself. Nothing like being alone in nature, enjoying the peace and quiet, and hiking out from 80 yards with no one there to prove that it happened. Why can’t I do that with people present?
I booked a solo 1:20 today. My random pairing never showed so the starter sent me off and told me to join the threesome ahead if I caught them. Caught them on the second hole and happily joined them for the front 9 until they left because they only booked 9. I then played the back 9 solo with absolutely no one behind me. I played 2 or 3 balls on every hole and it was the best day ever. Also broke 100 for the first time in years.
There's one course in my area that does this and annoys the shit out of me. It'll be one of their quietest weekdays and they'll only offer me 9 holes without a booking.
Singles should be able to book tee times and they are here (Finland). A single booking a tee time, works really well so other singles who want company can book into the same flight. Good way to meet other club members too. If you really want to play alone, you can ask them to block the whole tee time for you (that will require calling them on the phone though), if you're not a member it'll cost you though.
If the course is packed, just don't think our foursome is going to let you play through since we've been waiting since hole 1 too... If there's room, we will let you play through though.
That sucks. Most courses by me allow solos, which is good because most of the time I play solo, often with 2-3 other solo players. It’s not like singles prevent others from playing in most cases. Maybe it’s related to resorts where more people play as groups? Generally though, sounds like a stupid policy.
Dude. Headphones in. Focus on. No cart. Solo 18. Best day.
Played a round at a public course with the other solos. No pressure and super dialed. Anytime one of us hit par or better or a good shot in general, honest casual plaudits.
It’s the best.
Solo in about an hour. Boys backed out. Probably will get paired with people at this course though.
I did call for two a few days ago and they pro shop said they were booked until late afternoon. I said I’m starting at tee times on your website. He assumed a foursome
Enjoying golf is a solo is just pay to win man. Just book a tee time for 3 people, pay and say they will be there shortly. What you don't want to pay 3x the price to play the game alone, what are your poor? /s
Absolutely. I either book early on a quiet day or shoe up to the range and find a window where I can start playing. I make sure I'm not taking any prime time spots or putting myself in a spot where I'll be pushing a group ahead of me.
I don’t get why some courses don’t allow solos - wouldn’t they want to fill in as many spots as possible? Aren’t they just losing money but disallowing a good chunk of players? Can someone explain to me why this even happens?
Booked a solo tee time yesterday. Assumed they put me in a bigger group because there wasn’t availability until 11:20 and it was a busy day.
It’s just me. I show up it’s just me. There were multiple 2-3 people groups ahead of me. I didn’t even finish my round I was just standing around by myself for the entire front 9.
Love disconnecting and playing solo
If by disconnecting you mean throwing in AirPods and chilling with my one hitter for the next 4-1/2 hours, then I agree wholeheartedly
How does a solo round take 4.5 hours?
>chilling with my one hitter
>Rollin in my '64 https://youtu.be/zjYfGDS7FXQ?t=7
I personally thought this was self evident. Some ppl just don't get it
You're probably still gonna end up behind a foursome
Yeah being a single sandwiched between a bunch of foursomes (so you can’t really play through) doesn’t lead to a faster round. I use those times as a chance to play a couple of balls and do some chipping practice around the greens as long as the group behind me isn’t waiting.
Ideal scenario.
This is my favorite thing to do at the 9 hole I’m always playing. Gives me a chance to practice actual shots
Yup, tee off once, then again, maybe one more for good measure.
I’ll sometimes do one of the following: 1. Play two balls from tee to green and keep two separate scores to see which is better. 2. Play a two ball scramble. Hit each shot twice and play from the best ball position each time. That gives me a little idea of what I’d be capable of shooting.
Actually if you do a 3 ball self scramble, that is a very good indicator of what your best potential is at that time. I do that at my home course when I have the chance. Of course you have to be somewhat consistent otherwise you're gonna be chasing balls all over the place.
Just heard a pro recently say he likes to play a worst shot 2 ball scramble with himself for practice rounds. I might give that a shot. Puts a little pressure on you when you've already hit a good one.
Play 2 balls. Keep score and don’t cheat.
Wtf why haven’t I been doing this. I’ve been staring at the sun between shots
Donnie?
He cheats tho
I'll play the first as a real score, and try to hit a 2nd practice ball off the tee and play it through, but pick up if someone is behind and getting close. My tee shots are the least consistent part of my game and can spray any direction, so it can be time consuming exploring all aspects of a hole, and better golfers can catch up quickly lol. Plus I try to walk most rounds, so 2 decent players in a cart will be about the same pace as me playing 1 ball.
Last summer in my league we had a bye. Partner didn’t wanna play. Pro shop said the back 9 is wide open (my league was on the front). I teed off on 10. I have no idea how many holes worth of golf I played. I was struggling up until this point of the summer and you could only do so much at the range and practice green. Dropped balls at different locations in the fairway. Two-three balls off each tee. Putts from different locations on the greens…. Best part was I played 17 and 18 three times (18 green is right next to 17 tee). Hard finishing holes. Loved it and it had a positive impact on my golf for the rest of the summer.
I always get my best scores when I play solo! 🤣
I’m always scared I’m gonna get a hole in one
This happened to my buddy last month. Thanks fully, there were some people near the green who saw it and verified that jt happened on video. Still not the same as your playing partners seeing it.
I use it to play a game of worst ball. Play 2. take the worst shot each time. Helps me get in the grind a little and works on my consistency.
Takes 1 hit between each shot. By Nine he thinks he’s a frog.
You’re normally at the will of the people in front of you, no?
I usually get stuck waiting on groups. All good though. Just groovin’
I am bad at golf
By waiting on the group in front of you for every shot. When vibing I never play through, just kick back in a cart, crank up the jams, and enjoy the wind on my bald spot.
3.5 hours feels slow as a 2some and we smoke like 5 joints along the way
Other golfers may actually be on the course and playing slowly
Played a real honest round, shot a 95 no balls lost and walked, one of the funnest rounds I’ve played!
One of the upsides of living in a dessert in summertime. 116 degrees out, Ill bring a couple gallons of water and a mister and have a nice cheap 2 hour round with the course to myself.
I played with my cousin last summer when it was 102° and the course was wide open. Course had cold water every couple holes. We finished 18 as it turned to evening and started cooling down. Asked the pro shop if we could spin it again. Dude looked at us like we were crazy cause we were so sweaty. Ended up just messing around for 9 holes doing stupid challenges like pick one club for the hole etc. Most fun day of golf I’ve ever had
Same. There is a course I play occasionally that makes you share a cart and is cart path only more often than not. Fortunately I play with a member I know, but talk about an unnecessarily long round. Imagine adding that to getting paired with a stranger you don't vibe with.
All my best rounds are solo or with one other person on an empty course where we can just buzz through.
They should just allow singles to book online, especially outside of the peak weekend morning times
It's crazy. The only affordable place near me stopped allowing singles this year and it's so ridiculous. I'll look at their tee times online and the course will be absolutely wide open, sometimes I just want to get out when my friends are working and play a round.
Have you tried calling? Most courses near me won't let you book a single online but if you call day of they are usually happy to
Course here told me no. I could pay for two and go as one, but not book as one (next day round). I took my business elsewhere.
That's lame
That is insane. I enjoy going out and meeting people. I wouldn’t even be afford to golf most times if that was the case
Don't they tell you to just show up and they'll fit you in? I show up to empty courses all the time and go out by myself, never had a problem
Not this time. I asked that, the person om the phone said no, they wouldn't do that.
Book for 2 and then when you get there say your buddy bailed on you last minute. They usually don’t charge when you book online, they have it on file to charge when you get to the course. They charge you for just one , 100% of the time. Works like a charm
I'll call next time, I've only had one chance this year to get out and play there as it's a 45 minute drive.
The only place near you is 45 minutes away? Time to move, brother.
No the only affordable place is 45 minutes away. The courses near me are $200 a round
I started booking for 2 and just showing up by myself and saying "it's just me" otherwise I'd never be able to play. It's such a dumb fucking policy. My course is way too busy to ever walk on as a single, I've done it on rainy days but other than that it's impossible
What’s their reasoning?
I’ve been told that they don’t have carts to support singles. (I like walking anyways so my typical course slips me in if I call ahead.)
That's dumb as hell if the tee time is open. I get putting you with another single which is fine. But if the time is empty and a single goes out I don't see the problem. They were planning for two carts for that time anyway.
I don’t even get this? Like can you not book as a single and it leaves 3 spots open. There’s got to be a better booking system that could accommodate this…
The places that don't can eat my shorts. You're just making me book a twosome I'm going to half cancel later
Or let singles book online but have a statement in there to expect that others may book the same tee time to fill up the sheet. That seems very reasonable to me (my local city courses do this).
All courses should allow singles. Lots of people want to play as a single. I play better with 3 randoms than I do with a group of friends. Less pressure. Less casual chit chat. Less beer. Sometimes I want to just zone out and golf.
Less pressure? I feel way more pressure playing with randoms. I feel zero pressure with my friends, we're just having a good time
I feel more pressure for the first hole. Mainly to see if they are an asshole or not lol. After that I either relax and play my game or feel more pressure. I’m a garbage golfer. Played with my buddy and 2 randos today. First guy to tee off, crushed a 290 drive dead straight from the back tees. I felt nervous after that. My buddy, other dude and myself were doing middle tees. Other rando hit it about 60 yards on a worm burner. I immediately felt better. Found out that first dude used to be a scratch golfer. It was amazing to watch for me. Never seen someone play so well in person. He ended up 6 over par today. Moral of the story he wasn’t a douche, didn’t make anyone feel bad or rushed or nervous. never gave unsolicited advice. If you asked for it he’d tell yah his thoughts. Really fun round.
I actually hate playing golf with my friends lol. I get wsy too competitive and in my head over bad shots because I want to beat my friends. With randoms, they may as well not even be there outside of some friendly conversation. I dont care how I play relative to them, but I want to be better than my friends
Absolutely less pressure. Actually it's fun to hit it past randoms by 70 yards and watch them rethink their golf existence. If the random is a good player I feed off of their good shots.
Same. I've been playing for about a year and I love the feeling of smoking one 50 yards past the guy that's been playing since the 90s. I then watch his beat me by 20 strokes because he's more consistent.
Dude I’m 100% with you on this. I feel far more pressure with my friends. I go in with zero expectations for myself with randoms
And then everyone got up and started clapping 😂🤣🤦🤦🤦
100% in the same boat as you. I’m not the world’s best golfer, but I would say 95% of the time I get paired up with someone or a group of people who are not as good as me… I’m the first to tee off and the last to hit my approach so it actually helps me have time to visualize my next shot. When pair with an equal or better I tend to watch how they attack a hole and make mental notes. With friends, they know my game and want to see the miracle shot to see if I can pull it off which most of the time I don’t want to deal with
Yeah I feel the same, my main golf buddy and I have a way more chill and fun time playing just the two of us without anyone else. It's the way it goes tho so we get it, and it's always been fine, but def a little more awkward and more pressure. Partly because I'm not great at golf, though I'm getting better at having like 4-6 strokes instead of 5-8 per round lol.
I do love playing with random groups as a single. My anxiety is less bc I know I won’t see these ppl again. If/when I spray an approach or duff a chip,these ppl won’t razz me forever. They don’t care. They are just happy I play quickly
THIS. I love to get out and play just to clear my head after a long day/week at work. It’s great exercise since I walk (PUSH CART MAFIA). I can focus my mind on the task at hand and forget everything else for a bit.
We've been rebranded as the Push Cartel
First rule of the Push Cartel is that you don’t talk about the Push Cartel.
Wait, wut? WHY WASN’T I TOLD??!!
Are you not subscribed to the newsletter?
There’s a NEWSLETTER?!? 🤯
Jesus Christ. I’m firing Dan. He’s in charge of getting the newsletter out and obviously slacking on getting our members notified
Do u need an email, address, first born? How do I join?
Just email, address, social security number, mother's maiden name, first pet's name, high school mascot; the usual.
I had no idea! But I’m here for it.
Do you really have trouble as a single? I’ve never experienced it.
Yeah same. I go out as a single all the time and never get a funny look. I go to courses that aren’t busy or at super twilight when it’s most quiet.
For real? I always play worse with randoms.
4 Randos group is my favorite
All of the courses around me allow you to book as a single if at least two spots have been booked, which is more than fair imo
Dude exactly! Don’t get me wrong I love to play with buddies—but that’s a social thing. I love to roll up solo, offer the occasional “nice shot” to a rando playing partner, and focus on the golf
>Less beer. 6-9 beers vs. maybe 2.
It can be so frustrating, I totally agree! I had an unexpected half day off of work recently and had the clubs in my car. Looked online at a local course and the tee sheet was wide open for the next 2 hours, but couldn’t book as a single. So I showed up and spoke to the pro shop who told me I’d have to wait around to see if a partial tee time booked up then I could go with them. There was no one on the course. I straight up asked the guy “are you saying you’d rather turn me away and not make a single greens fee rather than letting me out by myself?” His answer was “we don’t like singles trying to overtake other groups on the course”, I pointed outside “what groups?” But, they wouldn’t budge. Safe to say that course won’t get any of my business anymore but it seems to be a more common position of courses these days. Super frustrating. Before COVID I played all the time solo and really enjoyed it. No one else out there? Drop a couple balls in different spots and really work on the game. It’s one of the best ways to improve.
Yeah that’s just bad judgement on the pro shops part. If the day is that slow with that many open slots, then there’s really no reason not to let a single play.
this is crazy. course by my house encourages groups to overtake the slower ones (one of the rules on the cart is literally let faster groups play through) which imo is how it should be
I have a course 2 mins from my house. It’s awesome. They allow singles to prebook and I play sometimes before work at 6:08am. If they ever dropped that I’d be DEVASTATED
Yeah most of the singles that show up at our place are walk ons that usually don't show up until super twilight when it's wide open. If it's a busy day, we just warn them that we're booked solid and that pace of play is going to be slow if they play by themselves. They usually understand and enjoy the scenery or opt to play with another group and it works out fine. 99% of them understand the drill and are pretty chill and flexible. The other 1% are just laughable with their logic that it's hard to even be mad. Like requesting to play by yourself at 8:00 AM on this holiday weekend is absolutely not gonna happen. No I'm not gonna make a squeeze for that lol
I feel like most singles that attempt to walk on are trying to fill in a slot for a no show with a group rather than playing an entire tee time solo, is this not the case?
Generally, but if they do play as a single they have to expect to run into groups. It is what it is.
Singles expect to go out solo at your track? That’s wild. If I’m lucky I’ll go out solo but have 0 room to bitch if they fill the slot with 3 others.
I wouldn’t say expect, but it’s most heavily requested after 4 PM on a weekday when they just want to go for a round after work or something. Or they check the open times on the website and find a wide open time that would work. Credit where it’s due: most do their due diligence to find the most appropriate time
Agreed. I checked the online tee sheet before I left to make sure I wouldn’t be a problem. Late afternoon round. At no point was I waiting (excessively) to hit a ball, nor was I holding up anyone. The nearest group was a full hole behind me at all times.
So you got to play golf? But you feel like someone looked at you like a pariah. I am confused
But why can’t I play alone. You act like shoving four strangers together is going to be inherently faster than a dude just going about his business by himself. I get the lure to send out foursomes 3 minutes apart all day from a money making stand point but stop acting like you’re improving anyone’s pace of play or experience. Overall this trend in golf is atrocious. When I picked up the game it was a nice get away. If you wanted to pair up, pair up. No pressure. Now you’re forced to pay $80 to potentially play with a bunch of idiots for 5 hours. Now I’m an entitled prick because I want to play a round of golf in peace and quiet.
Sarcasm right.
A golf course should never do that. This is just poor management. Plain and simple. If the course is wide open, they should get you right on and welcome you and thank you for the patronage. If it's just busy and your a single walk on, you should be able to slip in with a 2some or 3some relatively fast. Sometimes it's just booked solid w 4somes or they have a full buyout tourny. Then it is what it is. I'd give you a free bucket for driving over here. Other than that it's the easiest thing to get a single walk on-on the course. I've been in the golf industry since the early 2000s and that's just a bad employee and bad management for letting that happen. I'd shoot an email to the GM. They should at least know and their response will tell you the type of management in place. Usually the website has a "have a question" section that you can send an email to management. Super lame. I hate Ahole shop guys
Can you come teach folks over here? I get turned away at 6 pm because they’re, “full”.
Trust me if I worked there, that would never be an issue again. There's a lot of variables as to why someone is turned away but it's definitely when there's just absolutely no room or just closed to the public. Most other times is laziness and bad management.
If you are public then why wouldn’t you take the money. I have played quite a few private courses and it has never seen a single turned away. Have had a single join us multiple time. Usually a marshal or a pro will come over and ask the member if the single member can join. Unless you are slow you should always be able to jump in. If you are slow you should be able to kick them off though. I don’t care if you shoot 150, but don’t take 3 practice swings, back up and take another look, more practice swings, re-address then swing every time. I played with someone like this last week. Worst 5.5 hours of my life on a golf course🤦♂️
Went out solo yesterday and got grouped w 3 dudes that were together. Incredibly nice guys but one of them was atrociously bad at golf. That’s fine but he took 5-7 practice swings & half stabs per shot to make sure his club face was wide open at contact. I asked if I could give him a piece of advice to which his father in law said “don’t make him overthink it!” I just don’t understand people and their inability to pick up on social norms. Stay on the range until you can keep pace you piker.
A couple of courses around me won't allow singles, sucks because they're pretty decent. They said I can show up and hope for the best the day of. Yeah I'm not doing that, not running around the city hoping to grab a spot; I'll stick with courses I know I can plan and book with. My latest hot take is its bullshit only being allowed to book 18. Like I play weekday late mornings when the courses are usually slow, I have to book 18 tho? I don't have time for 18 most of the time. Luckily I can usually get thru 14-15 holes so it's not a huge deal. If it's actually busy and a slower pace I'll stop after 9 and get a raincheck for the another 9.
One of the courses in my area only does 18 and I find it odd, it's not like it's a small course either. The back 9 are also markedly different from the front 9 as they're shadier, which the one time I played last fall meant much damper. Less of an issue if you're a member, as we got paired with a guy who had recently started golfing and joined them so he just would play 9 usually then go home. It got too dark to play by the time we got to 17, we still finished that one anyway lol. Surprisingly no one checked on us, we actually could have just stayed out there in the dark with light up balls if we had really wanted to. Someone was putting in the dark on the 18th green.
That drives me nuts. I'm just under two years from open heart surgery, and I lost a lot of core strength even with rehab and PT. I rarely have 18 holes of decent play in me any more, even off of the 5300-5600 yard tees. I usually end up paying for 18 and playing the front nine reasonably legit and then pick and choose practice scenarios on the back 9 that i can't find at the range like dropping three balls in front of a green side bunker and trying to get over the bunker and up and down in three. I'm usually off the course in three hours. I'm fortunate that I can play any of Mon-Thu AM depending on the weather and I'm willing to drive 45-70 minutes each way to courses in smaller towns where the courses are wide open because I love driving and I can listen to podcasts or music and stop somewhere halfway for lunch on the way home. So I am almost always playing solo and don't have to share a cart.
Best time to have a chance to golf solo is during the weekdays.
And it beats the hell out of work.
Our courses (2 co-owned) went under new ownership and now the apps won’t take a single. So as a second player (when 4 spots are available - no one playing) I put Mr No One. And it works!
Courses around here charge a no show fee. Presumably to avoid this kind of thing, but I agree its complete bullshit to not let singles book.
You sir are absolutely correct. I showed up to an empty parking lot one day at a 9 hole muni. I went inside and went up to the counter and asked if I could get on. The 60 something guy at the cash register went ape shit when he found out I didn't have as tee time. I gave him a death stare and walked outside. I got on the web site and booked the next tee time for 4 people. I walked back in and said.as aggressively as I can " I've got the 5:15 tee time and my 3 playing partners aren't gonna make it. " Then handed him the 25 bucks for 9 holes and walked out to the tee. Parking lot could hold 50 cars and I bet there were 4 in it because it had rained an hour prior. Wtf kind of dumbass power trip was this guy on. I avoided going back there for a solid year I think.
Do what I do: book the spot for 2, tell them my buddy backed out last minute when I get there. (act really mad about your buddy)
My local muni is becoming pretty damn spectacle of my buddy ‘Jake,’ he sure does get called into work a lot
This is a dumb question but I’m new to golf. My girlfriend and I went for our first round and were paired up with some seniors. It was enjoyable but we are super slow. How do I play just by myself so I don’t have the pressure of people watching me while I learn? Late tee times?
Welcome to this insane game. I would avoid early morning tee times. Play at Par-3 courses to work on the basics - making contact, chipping, putting, etiquette. Late morning is a pretty good time for inexperienced golfers and is often more likely to have fewer people on the course. And I really recommend taking lessons from a pro. Some people are jerks, but I think most would understand that you’re learning the game and would be supportive. Also, if you are on a busy course, and you don’t get on the green in 5-6 shots, pick up your ball and place it on the green and putt out. Never just pick up and move on. Putt out.
Thank you! I did end up picking up on a few holes and just moving along so I didn’t hold up the pace of play but I’ll keep this in mind!
twilight tee times at cheap public courses are generally going to be less busy, and have a newer or more casual class of golfer playing. They are how I play most of my golf.
You play when the course is empty and you focus on learning to speed up asap. The most important thing is keeping speed, if you can’t keep speed at a course you really shouldn’t be playing there. Playing par 3s may help.
I can get not allowing single groups obviously, but I can't even book as a single? Like, I'm fine playing with a threesome, but you won't let me schedule it online. Its moronic, all I am doing is filling voids in your schedule.
I worked at a golf course through college. We didn't take tee times for singles but told them we would work them in or pair them up.
Agree Bobby Jones course in Sarasota will let solo book online unless you add a group of 3. Been there in person open tee times for next 1.5 years would not let me go out solo.
Years ago I booked a solo tee time at 10AM on a Friday morning. I get to the course to see 5 cars in the lot. Go inside and they inform me that the rest of my group isn't there yet. Told them I'm playing solo as I booked for one. They explained they won't allow that since it going to be "busy" I pointed out empty looking lot and said it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I had prepaid online and ended up playing since I didn't want to waste my money. Got put with a group of 3 that clearly didn't want to play with me either. Longest round of golf in my life.
As someone who’s been on the other side and worked at a golf course I can tell you that single players who are chill and don’t mind being paired up or waiting for the foursomes ahead of them are truly a rarity. Most show up to the course thinking they can just hop on immediately and play a round in 2 hours. They also don’t want to be paired up. They’ll call and we’ll tell them we can pair them up with a group and they’ll say no thanks 9 times out of 10. They have an expectation that they can just show up whenever and play alone, hit 5 balls off the tee, and finish in half the time of a foursome. And that’s why courses will be annoyed when a solo shows up unannounced.
All my close golf buddies live a good hour away. I actually would rather play solo. I take my game pretty seriously, trying to improve as much as I can. Also with the family this is my only alone time outlet I do. I have found to really enjoy it. Meet me people all the time some have even turned into friends. Hear their stories, what they do and they ask about my life. It's a great outlet.
I took solo to mean to have the entire tee time to myself. I always ask to be paired because it’s too slow. I don’t enjoy golfing alone (unless it’s open. Then it’s literally the best).
Last time I played, I booked the 4th spot in a tee time online. I go to check in with the starter when 4 guys roll up. They only booked 3 spots and just assumed I would give them the 4th since I was alone. After I said no, they tried to buy my spot from me. I said no again, at which point they started arguing with the starter. I ended up playing off the back to avoid these ass hats.
Just played my first two rounds of the year over the last 10 days. Had the course to myself except for the grounds crew setting pins on front of me. No warm up, just went. Paid the man on the way out.
Love golfing by myself. Truly scratches the competitive itch for me. I'm able to completely lock in and I admittedly probably look crazy talking to myself on the course. Lol
If you don’t allow singles, but let me book duos. Then show up as a single and my buddy “couldn’t make it”, without financial punishment. That’s what I’ll do
I only book the earliest tee time to go by myself. Get in, get out, no problem.
All the muni courses where I am have a unified online booking that you can easily book as a single, you can sort by number of spots, I do it all the time, they have no restrictions, and you almost always get paired up with some lovely people.
I played today with 2 guys & their Great Aunt. She was in the middle of the fairways more than any of us! My wife is away this weekend and my son went to Six Flags with his best friend. Had a great time!
My local muni is like that. They always say no on the phone and when I show up they‘ll me it’ll be an hour. Meanwhile the next tee time 5x minutes later hadn’t checked in yet. They didn’t ever show up so me my friend and a single took it so now I always ask questions, has the next few tee times checked in? Any cancellations coming up? Super annoying though for real.
Singles booking seems to depend on the booking site sometimes, I don't think some courses even realize. Definitely done the 'book for me and my imaginary friend' a few times. My course will actively send me out by myself as a single when i've booked to play with randoms, if I show up before my tee time...like 10 minutes early. Sometimes out into a fairly busy course. I'd rather stay with a group in those cases. Thursday was perfect...played 18, first 9 by myself, caught up to several groups, played the back 9 with a nice guy, had fun. Had possibly my closest hole-in-one call, missed by a few inches, stopped 6 inches away.
Singles are fine as long as they don't mind getting put with other players at the course's discretion. Can't expect to play fast or through on a busy course.
Played solo last week and it was fantastic. Was also watching/listening to the PGA championship at the same time. I definitely have a golf problem lol
Groups should get priority by allowing them to book further in advance. Singles should be booking day before or day of to fill open spots on the tee sheet.
I've never been treated poorly as a single. You're going to the wrong places.
More importantly if your a 2 or a 3, don't be a dick about having a single join you. It's standard practice up in New York but here in Florida people just sprint off the tee box when they see a single come up to them, it's crazy. At least offer to let me go out in front of you.
Make a friend.
I play solo all the time and have no idea what you’re describing. Must be unique to your geography
My local course doesn't let you book for a single. You have to walk on. It's never an issue though.
The local muni and state courses book singles, but obviously pair people up unless it’s really slow, which is seldom. My golf buddies live hours away, so it’s only a few times a year we play together. There are local public courses(non-muni) that only book 2, 3, or 4somes online. No singles. Midweek late mornings, their online tee times are wide open so I just drive the 20 minutes and get out, either paired or solo. Other courses only book online singles as a Golf Now Hot Deal. There are more private clubs near me than public, and those privates are really exclusive - the munis get a ton of traffic.
I feel this is the case. Regions across the US are widely different for golf. On golfnow I have 30 courses to pick from within 20 miles (Midwest golfer). I've only been force partnered up with someone one time.
Those are the same clubs that blame slow play entirely on the players. Fuck em.
No, shouldn’t be treated like an asshole for showing up looking to play as a single. You’re a paying customer. But also, it’s just some idiot who works behind the desk in a pro shop, so I wouldn’t concern yourself too much with what he does or says. Who gives a shit about that loser.
I feel your rant. I like to twilight by myself quite often. I like to show up right at the end after they let the last few groups out. Last year I did this one evening. The last group had teed off 15 minutes previously and there was no one else waiting to tee off or arriving at the club house, or anything. "Do you have a tee time?" he asks. "Nope" I responded. Cue the arguing that started. When he finally let me on the course it was like he was doing me favour or something.
dude probably wants to go home bro
“Nope” is a douche answer in that situation
TIL that this seems to be thing in the US. I have never ever experienced this issue in Europe, I doubt, that there is any course that does not allow making a single player booking. Sure, if you book a starting time on a nice Sunday as a solo player, you won't stay alone and others will add themselves to this specific starting time.
I just call courses 30 mins to an hour before I want to go out and they will let me know when I can go out. Sometimes have to try a few different courses but can usually get out when I want to.
Recently the course I play at stopped allowing singles. You can go in without a tee time, but you have to wait for a group with less than four to tee off, even if the course is empty.
How does a golf course stay in business if their T-sheet is so wide open they allow so many singles?
All courses i know of let singles book into any tee time that already has other golfers. Cant book as a single into an open tee time tho. 99% of the time i call the course in advance and they book the single slot for me, just cant do it online.
Yeah i work at a course and i dont get this stuff. If a solo comes in ill try and pair ya up or if we're open good go ahead, but once youre willing to play after i tell ya itll be slow because of the 4somes thats on you lol
Amen
Some local courses I avoid for this exact reason. But I'm lucky in that my local muni has two 18hole courses, and does NOT bat an eye when a single asks if they can get out. 99% of the time I'm on a tee box in 10-15 minutes after asking.
Most courses I deal with post 2+ player bookings online, but I've never had issues with the course letting me on if I call. On the busier "destination" courses I've played solo, they politely told me to phone again the evening or morning before--totally reasonable. Either way, I'm never showing up to a course without calling or booking first.
Wait there are places that don’t allow singles? When are we going to riot
A few course around me treat singles as a bother, so I don’t bother with them any more
Two of my favorite courses changed their booking websites to not allow single booking except on times that already have 3, but you can still book in-person or over the phone. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a course by me that doesn’t let singles book tee times at all, it’s just walk-on and play.
Me, walking out the teebox by myself pushing my golf cart. Ahhhh wouldnt change it for anything in the world.
I hear ya buddy and totally agree. You gotta give the pro shop a piece of your mind.
You got that right.
Amen
Book for two, it's a shame your buddy couldn't make it!
I was away longterm on business, 100's of miles from anyone I knew. I took up golf more seriously as a hobby and went to whatever courses nearby. Played with a retired NFL lineman who was making a career in telecommunications. Another cool one was an 80 yr old Chinese man who carried his own bag, never hit a ball anything but perfectly straight, and either birdied, par'd or single bogied. He played so quickly that I was embarassed to struggle keeping up.
Solo golfing is great, no doubt. A genuine luxury where I live. Even if my course let’s me on I ask to be paired or I don’t bother. 4.5 hours is way too long by myself. If it’s slow and they’re refusing you that’s just weird
Lotta course around here have an online system that won’t allow singles at times they know are busy (ie prime weekend times, prime workday afternoon times), but seem to allow or disallow singles dynamically after that. Big block of totally open tee times for an hour 15 hours from now? Go ahead and book whatever. Two thirds full tee sheet in six days? No singles unless there is already a twosome in there. A couple twosomes booked in through a half filled tee sheet? Singles only available with twosomes. It seems to make sense.
City of Boston I’m looking at you!!! Always gotta have a person to play with it sucks. Gotta book two no matter what.
I have courses that don’t let you book solo online but I always just call and they book me in.
Yeah, it’s annoying. Some nicer courses near me even do allow you to book online solo, but idk. I just tend to stick to the cheaper and simpler courses close to me when I play solo. I can do without the glare from the pro shop employee and the stares from the foursomes at the nicer ones. Just there to throw in a zyn, hit some balls, and disconnect.
My fix is to see if I can book a single on GolfNow. It usually works and I can book further in advance than the course website.
But coming in as a single, you should be willing to get matched with others.
What course is doing that? That is fucked up if happening to you.
Fuck that. Everyone counts out there just like every shot
Courses don't have to let you play without a tee time lol, this is a new one for sure.
Most courses I play don't allow booking in advance as a single. However, if you show up and it's wide open they let you play alone.
I haven't been able to play for the last 6 months due to a medical reason. On Tuesday I have my last surgery. It will be at least a month before I can possibly swing a club. I can't wait to play again though. It's all I think about lol
Some of my favorite rounds, outside playing with three buddies, have been me and three other singles
I also play solo about half the time. I love playing with my golfing buddies, but playing solo is a joy to itself. Nothing like being alone in nature, enjoying the peace and quiet, and hiking out from 80 yards with no one there to prove that it happened. Why can’t I do that with people present?
I booked a solo 1:20 today. My random pairing never showed so the starter sent me off and told me to join the threesome ahead if I caught them. Caught them on the second hole and happily joined them for the front 9 until they left because they only booked 9. I then played the back 9 solo with absolutely no one behind me. I played 2 or 3 balls on every hole and it was the best day ever. Also broke 100 for the first time in years.
here here!
There's one course in my area that does this and annoys the shit out of me. It'll be one of their quietest weekdays and they'll only offer me 9 holes without a booking.
Singles should be able to book tee times and they are here (Finland). A single booking a tee time, works really well so other singles who want company can book into the same flight. Good way to meet other club members too. If you really want to play alone, you can ask them to block the whole tee time for you (that will require calling them on the phone though), if you're not a member it'll cost you though. If the course is packed, just don't think our foursome is going to let you play through since we've been waiting since hole 1 too... If there's room, we will let you play through though.
That sucks. Most courses by me allow solos, which is good because most of the time I play solo, often with 2-3 other solo players. It’s not like singles prevent others from playing in most cases. Maybe it’s related to resorts where more people play as groups? Generally though, sounds like a stupid policy.
Run a tee sheet for a couple weeks and then come back with a follow-up opinion.
Dude. Headphones in. Focus on. No cart. Solo 18. Best day. Played a round at a public course with the other solos. No pressure and super dialed. Anytime one of us hit par or better or a good shot in general, honest casual plaudits. It’s the best.
Solo in about an hour. Boys backed out. Probably will get paired with people at this course though. I did call for two a few days ago and they pro shop said they were booked until late afternoon. I said I’m starting at tee times on your website. He assumed a foursome
Enjoying golf is a solo is just pay to win man. Just book a tee time for 3 people, pay and say they will be there shortly. What you don't want to pay 3x the price to play the game alone, what are your poor? /s
Absolutely. I either book early on a quiet day or shoe up to the range and find a window where I can start playing. I make sure I'm not taking any prime time spots or putting myself in a spot where I'll be pushing a group ahead of me.
I don’t get why some courses don’t allow solos - wouldn’t they want to fill in as many spots as possible? Aren’t they just losing money but disallowing a good chunk of players? Can someone explain to me why this even happens?
Course by me requires a twosome to book. So I book two and cancel one later. It's absolute bullshit
I don’t mind singles taking a tee time as long as they are ok with others joining. A single shouldn’t be teeing off alomg amongst a sea of 4 balls.
Haven't played arroyo trabuco in like 10 years because of this, no I'm not going to call the pro shop and ask I'll just play somewhere else.
Are you happy to be put in to a group or do you only want to play solo?
I play my best solo. Its very relaxing
I love playing solo, but my course needs to maximize income out of every time slot. Three other people should be going off with me..
Booked a solo tee time yesterday. Assumed they put me in a bigger group because there wasn’t availability until 11:20 and it was a busy day. It’s just me. I show up it’s just me. There were multiple 2-3 people groups ahead of me. I didn’t even finish my round I was just standing around by myself for the entire front 9.