Why your preferred tee time is gone

In my time in a golf office, hardly anything annoyed guests as much as a tee time that was no longer available. I understand that well. At home you can often still get a round two days ahead. Why should it be different on holiday? The answer lies in a simple calculation and in the different rhythm of golf regions in the south.

Why times between 9 and 11 a.m. are scarce

A golf course works with a fixed interval. A tee time at 9:52 means that the first player of your group tees off at exactly 9:52. Then comes the next group, then the one after that.

The most popular tee times are between 9 and 11 a.m. Take an interval of ten minutes. That gives twelve tee times in these two hours. With four players per group that makes 48 places on the tee sheet. Depending on the interval, about 40 to 60 golfers fit into these two hours. Everyone else plays earlier or later.

A hotel can move a guest to another room in an emergency, an airline rebooks you on the next flight. On a golf course that hardly works. Only one group fits on the first hole at each tee time, and golf courses rarely overbook so far.

In winter the sun adds to this. The days are short, and if you start in the early afternoon you may not finish 18 holes before dusk, depending on the place and the pace of play.

How early courses are booked in season

Popular golf regions run on a different rhythm from your home course. Top courses are often heavily booked many months ahead in the main season. In warm regions the peaks are usually in autumn and spring, while midwinter is quieter depending on the region.

When I still worked in a golf office, requests regularly came in two to five months before arrival. The guests thought they were early. Their preferred times were already gone, and the disappointment landed with us at the desk.

My advice is simple. Book the tee times together with the trip. If you only search once you are there, you often find no good time left on popular courses in the main season.

What to fix when you book

Booking early is the first step. The second is booking precisely. Once you are there, courses and times can hardly be swapped in busy regions.

• Course and day: Decide which course you play on which day. Also clarify whether only the courses of your resort are included or whether you plan to play other courses.
• Number of players: Book for exactly the number of players who will play. If you book for four and turn up as three, you may have to pay for the fourth place. Some courses only grant a round without other players for an extra charge, others not at all.
• Buggy and rental clubs: On some courses a buggy is compulsory, on others they are booked out quickly. Reserve it together with the tee time. The same applies to rental clubs. Ask which brands and models are available.
• Handicap: Some courses require a minimum handicap, for example better than 36 or 28. Ask before you book. If you have only just started playing, you avoid a nasty surprise on the first tee.
• Proof of handicap: Bring your membership card or handicap certificate. Many courses want to see it before you go out, even if the tee time is already paid.

Get everything confirmed in writing

Depending on the course, booking works online, by e-mail, by phone or through an agent. However you book, in the end you need a written confirmation. It would not be the first time a guest stands at the golf course and hears: “Sorry, there is no booking for you here.”

Also ask about the cancellation policy and have it confirmed. Refunds and deadlines depend on the course. Some courses refund up to a few days before play, others keep part or all of the amount. In popular regions some deadlines apply months before arrival.

Read carefully when you change a booking

Sometimes you want to change a tee time because your plans have shifted or a better time has opened up. Read carefully here. Some courses change the time straight away when you ask. Others first send you alternatives that you have to confirm.

It gets risky when a course cancels your old time and only then suggests alternatives. If none of them fits and the old time has gone in the meantime, you are left without a tee time. So add a sentence to every change request saying that your old time stays booked until the new one is confirmed.

Keep the arrival day free

A tee time on the day you arrive sounds tempting. A flight delay, a long wait at baggage reclaim or a late transfer is enough, and you do not get to the course on time. You often have to pay for the tee time anyway. So plan your first round for the day after you arrive at the earliest.

When the course is busy anyway

In the main season a round takes longer. Instead of the usual four and a half hours I have seen rounds of six hours, with waiting on every tee. If you know this beforehand, you go out with a different attitude. More fresh air, more sun, more golf.

If you prefer it quieter, look at the early morning or the late afternoon. The time around sunrise is known among golfers as a tip for peace and good course conditions.

And one more thing from my time at the desk. If you want to swap a time or have questions, go to the golf office at midday or in the afternoon. Until around 11 a.m. it is the busiest time there, later the staff have more time for you. Your frustration about a slow round does not belong at the front desk, by the way. The people there do a good job.

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