What's your view on the new Executive Course Tee Off Booking?

If you don't know by now the Executive Course in Mandai now requires you to book a tee off (as of 2 weeks ago).  Tee off is confirmed upon payment and can be booked a week in advance.
 
How does this motivate or develop golf as a family activity for beginners or a group of friends catching a weekend round to develop skills to play on the bigger courses? 
 
What are your thoughts?  Is this new tee booking process better or the old go and wait better?  I like the OLD. 
 
PS: Before you stereo type me as adverse to change, my day job is process change manager.
 
 
My situation.
I am a beginner who is also trying to get a primary school child interested in playing golf.
 
I try to play Saturday with my child and wife catering for school paper, projects and EC.  With the old process, I go down to the course and wait (I am happy to wait), based on the schedule of the my child and wife.  We can usually get in 3 rounds of 9 holes in a month.
 
With this new process, I doubt my family will play twice a month because:
1)  Scheduling regularly changes with wife and kids and I only know a day or 2 days at most before if I can book
2)  To get the noon to afternoon time for a Saturday, I will need drive from Thomson to Mandai a day or two in advance or first thing Saturday HOPE to get a slot.
 
This new process is not encouraging.  I think, I will need to eventually change Turf Club though it means I need to drive further and fight Saturday jams on the expressway.

IMO this is really not acceptable.
if they want to do booking system might as well make a online system for booking.

I was there with my wife last Saturday wanting to go for a nine hole quick walk.
Saw a gentleman uncle quarrelling with the counter pple, I thought maybe this uncle cheapskate or what but when it my turn, the counter just shruck off saying fully booked blah blah in the end no choice just go range... even the range the balls are really lousy compared to the previous times...
During the range, I can see so the starting no pple playing or only 2 person in a flight.

Now, I dun understand why the need for walk in booking!???? if I stayed jurong or changi to play I must drive all the way to mandai to book first???? My coach was telling me aye yah their business good that why they implement like that...

just to confirm, because i don't know about the new practice....
i have to walk-in for an advance booking, no other ways to book?
and if i don't book, only way is to walk in and try my luck?

That's just plain bad news. I guess a drop in revenue will soon correct that!

Is this only for weekends only? There's hardly anybody playing on weekdays...

Is this change of rule as a result of the change in management?

I used to play over there, and there's lots of balls to pick as many of them are beginners:P

I guess they have every right to do so as it is the norm for golf courses. It seems more systematic and the course also seems well maintained especially the greens.

Lucky for me, I usually plays weekdays. Not much impact for weekdays, in fact less people. Guess those staying far away will think twice before coming here. My worry is THE SCHOOLS! Schools often have lessons there right? And what if they booked a few flights or the whole afternoon?

Agree that they should have an online system.

need booking for executive course? business so good? they should reconsider this, go jurong or nsrcc lor. If not can always go impian emas or permas jaya abt the same price but it's a full 9 holes.

think all this is prob due to new management policies by Seletar Golf Club to make the executive course  appear more professionally run

enwee wrote:

need booking for executive course? business so good? they should reconsider this, go jurong or nsrcc lor. If not can always go impian emas or permas jaya abt the same price but it's a full 9 holes.

 Permas Jaya can make it? Btw, is Permas Jaya 'complicated'? Heard a lot of vices around the areas?

Oh shucks, didn't know that we can no longer walk in for Mandai. Used to play there almost every weekend and was still thinking of heading down during this National day long weekend.

Havent try green fairway. maybe time to give that a try as well.
For sure NSRCC also a big club, but par 3 still walk in and very much the best maintained par 3 course in sg i guess. yah, that sucks, and i agree with drastic drop of revenue very soon, someone's butt will be burnt!

Disagree that advance booking is required for executive courses. The aim of going there is to practise the short game.  Bad move by mandai

Didn't knew about this until I played last two sunday.

Am lucky to get a time slot else got to wait till 11.30am..

Checked with the counter ladies and they said can book thru phone call (6456-6533) three days in advance..

Bro..go permas...full course and good training ground...

In all due respect, the Management has done a lot to improve the maintenance of the course and was attracting more players.  

For now, I think the option is just to play less as my situation doesn't really allow for booking.   And no more sneaking a game when the wife and child are spending bounding time    .

Guess can always hope they read the thread and change back to a queueing system.  

Haven't heard much support from anyone one the tee booking.

I still prefer walk in, imagine call in everytime but always hear no slots on my desired date n time.

Absolutely agree that it's nonsense, there should be telephone or online booking.making someone go down in person is stupid.

Maybe they forgot that its not a private club.

sob wrote:

Absolutely agree that it's nonsense, there should be telephone or online booking.making someone go down in person is stupid.

Maybe they forgot that its not a private club.

they confirm ...  

sooner or later, ppl might frequent the place less ... got telephone or online system ppl also dun use ... 

I feel this is not a right move. Lets nature takes its course which means "drop in revenue" then mgt will change. just like Jurong Fairway Range when they start charging car park. I havent been there since. wonder if the crowd is still there drinking or hitting balls. some even smoking!

poresia wrote:

I feel this is not a right move. Lets nature takes its course which means "drop in revenue" then mgt will change. just like Jurong Fairway Range when they start charging car park. I havent been there since. wonder if the crowd is still there drinking or hitting balls. some even smoking!

Yes it is.  Was there last week, cldn't find ground floor hitting space...ended up on 2nd, it was a WRONG move.  there is this group (prolly uncles in their late 40s early 50s) talking loudly in local dialects and smoking away - this is a driving range, not kopitiam?

There are other users sharing the same space?  Wonders if they talk so loudly when teeing off...

bro, those noisy chaps r regulars there. although i know them, i never go 2nd floor even i can get free beer.  too much smoke!

It's an executive course. This new booking arrangement is not good. I will not want to drive there twice just to make a booking and then play. I prefer the walk in and then wait your turn.

wow. if i have not seen this thread, i will heading there tomorrow, trying to do a walk-in like what i used to do !

This is a place where i can go for a short game with a couple of buddies, without the need to travel far (i stay rather near). With this new implementation, it simply turns us off....

If they convert it to an online booking, then it'll be different !