Clubs which don't honour a Visiting Captain

DoctaDee

A friend of mine was lucky enough to be bestowed the captaincy of his golf club last year. We'd been making plans for a wanderlust of golf throughout the country, but were stopped in our tracks in a few places when setting up an itinerary.

1. The European Club
2. The Old Head of Kinsale
3. The course near Newcastle Co. Down

Just set me thinking whether you guys can add any other clubs to this unwanted list of shame, as it beggars belief that the highest office within our local clubs can go unrecognised by some of the most elite courses in Ireland .. cheers

Sandwlch

I salute the 3 clubs you mention for having the cojones to decline to 'honour' captains.

big_drive

What do you mean by honour? A free round is it?

s8n

Meh.....your mate is captain....so what!

DoctaDee

Sorry ladies, didn't realise I'd touched a nerve there. Were just 4 lads trying to get out and see a few of the top courses, with him copin a freebie. I'll let yiz back to yer smoking jackets and pipes ..

f22

Fair play to them, whatever 'honour' they expect should be left at their own club gates.

s8n

f22 wrote: »

Fair play to them, whatever 'honour' they expect should be left at their own club gates.

Totally agree.

Corkblowin

DoctaDee wrote: »

Sorry ladies, didn't realise I'd touched a nerve there. Were just 4 lads trying to get out and see a few of the top courses, with him copin a freebie. I'll let yiz back to yer smoking jackets and pipes ..

Nope - most of us just believe in paying our way. The captaincy is to help run the club, not to blag a few freebies elsewhere.

thegen

Not sure why everyone up in arms. It is a long standing tradition that visiting captains do not pay a green fee. I think that is what OP was alluding to. Might be wrong, if so OP can correct me.

Corkblowin

thegen wrote: »

Not sure why everyone up in arms. It is a long standing tradition that visiting captains do not pay a green fee. I think that is what OP was alluding to. Might be wrong, if so OP can correct me.

For me its more the sense of entitlement than anything else. Planning a 'wanderlust' based on freebies surely wasn't the intention of the tradition?

I'm sure the OP's club can simply revoke the 'privilege' for the captains of those clubs if they're so outraged by it.

thegen

Corkblowin wrote: »

For me its more the sense of entitlement than anything else. Its still 4 months before this guys term starts and he's already looking for freebies?

I thought it was last year he was talking about. Anyway it's not a bad tradition. I know my club never take a green fee from a visiting Captain.

Sandwlch

thegen wrote: »

I thought it was last year he was talking about. Anyway it's not a bad tradition. I know my club never take a green fee from a visiting Captain.

And most clubs observe it. But you must respect those who choose not to.

The issues for me with the OP are that :
- he is complaining and naming clubs as if they are in the wrong and his pal is entitled to free games
- the OP's captain is abusing the original tradition; that if a captain had an outing or reason to be playing another club, he would not be charged. It was not so that he could plan a tour of the clubs of Ireland (picking off some of the most famous and/or expensive) to abuse his privilege. Some of the clubs that are still granting it to him would probably decline to facilitate him if they were aware what he is at.

k.p.h

You just happen to mention to very selective courses in The European Club and Old Head, pretty predictable in all fairness. I think its quite possible that both courses are competing for the most expensive green fees in the country (and possibly deserving). Not the type of courses to be throwing freebies around. If they were you could be sure of about 300+ green fees a year to captains.!

I'v nothing against the "honoring" captains tradition but tough titties if they say no, only another couple of hundred courses to choose from.

curly from cork

I wonder is it an GUI/ ILGU tradition ? If so that may explain the OH. Not sure if the other two courses mentioned are affliated. I ve been fortunate enough to have played EC and I have to say I found them to be generous and welcoming, reducing green fees and accepted out of date vouchers. Maybe sometimes its the way you ask ?

d2ww

OP, I'm sure that Slievenamon, Dublin Mountain and Sillogue would have been only delighted to honour your Captain. What club was he captain of btw?

mr.mickels

d2ww wrote: »

OP, I'm sure that Slievenamon, Dublin Mountain and Sillogue would have been only delighted to honour your Captain. What club was he captain of btw?

As far as I know it applies to current (2011) captains. Most clubs do give free green fees to visiting GUI captains, not sure why some got their knickers in a twist over it. I think PGA pros also get free green fees, if a club chooses to honour it, I think current club presidents also have the same luxury.

stockdam

I thought it applied to current Captains only but even then not all clubs waived green fees. I also think that assistant pros get free rounds at some/most clubs.

Myksyk

It applies to current captains. I think presidents may also get free or at least reduced fees. PGA pros also go free. However, it is obviously up to individual courses if they apply it. I think its a good idea myself but wouldn't be for abusing it. I just back from a club weekend in Killarney and our captain did not mention it to them.

DoctaDee

thegen wrote: »

Not sure why everyone up in arms. It is a long standing tradition that visiting captains do not pay a green fee. I think that is what OP was alluding to. Might be wrong, if so OP can correct me.

Yep brother that's all I was asking ... there's nothing snobbish about it .. we paid our way and in fairness to my mate he wanted to share the expense of the green fees 4 ways .. don't know where the jock itch is comin from some posters

As it turned out we chipped together for a day in Old Head, played Fota and Castlemartyr while there. Played European on a reduced fee and the little gem of Coolattin. So you can let yer children out to play, us bandits are finished raping and pillaging and holding the top courses to ransom

blue note

A friend of mine in college was the DCU golf club captain and used his captains privilages to the max. I said good luck to him.

Trampas

Whatever about the captain getting a freebie people tagging along shouldn't

DoctaDee

Trampas wrote: »

Whatever about the captain getting a freebie people tagging along shouldn't

... we weren't .. had no intention of. We were handing over our hard earned like everyone else does. Ta

Johnny_Fontane

Old head of kinsale are not part of the GUI for a start.

Gophur

blue note wrote: »

A friend of mine in college was the DCU golf club captain and used his captains privileges to the max. I said good luck to him.

There is no such club as DCU Golf Club.

What privileges can you be referring to?

blue note

Gophur wrote: »

There is no such club as DCU Golf Club.

What privileges can you be referring to?

He wrangled a fair few free rounds out of it anyway.

He and another friend of mine also used all of the €4 joining fees to buy themselves a few nice jumpers. I did mind that.

Gophur

blue note wrote: »

He wrangled a fair few free rounds out of it anyway.

...........

Out of what? An imaginary Golf Club?

stockdam

Gophur wrote: »

Out of what? An imaginary Golf Club?

Probably a golf society. I was the Captain of one but golf clubs do not "recognise" the Captains.

xgtdec

If your a captain of a golf club you shouldnt have time to be touring and playing golf

DoctaDee

xgtdec wrote: »

If your a captain of a golf club you shouldnt have time to be touring and playing golf

A very well thought out reply..... kin hell

k.p.h

Gophur wrote: »

Out of what? An imaginary Golf Club?

I'm liking this idea .. Keep going ..