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Do you like golfing with strangers?

I am a Starter/Ranger at a Premier Golf Course. And yes we will pair a single with a 3 some. Speeds things up. We start daily 175-240 Golfers in a day teeing off every 9 minutes. Need to keep the pace of play. We are really busy. Guys get pissed if they try to tee off to soon and I stop them. (Kindly). They have to understand the timing. I always thought I was a bad golfer. Until Last year when I started as a starter/ranger. I quickly found out I am not as bad as I think I am.
I did starter/ranger at a nice course in College. We did that volume too, and on a day with 240 trying to get around, double teed, a group getting 5 minutes off pace can really screw things up. Of course the slow group is pissed at you for riding their ass but they aren't nearly as pissed as the guy 7 groups behind who's on a 5:45 pace... when that happens in the morning group it's a real CF for the afternoon. We would actually make groups skip holes to get them back on pace. At $150 per round they weren't always thrilled about that...
 
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I did starter/ranger at a nice course in College. We did that volume too, and on a day with 240 trying to get around, double teed, a group getting 5 minutes off pace can really screw things up. Of course the slow group is pissed at you for riding their ass but they aren't nearly as pissed as the guy 7 groups behind who's on a 5:45 pace... when that happens in the morning group it's a real CF for the afternoon. We would actually make groups skip holes to get them back on pace. At $150 per round they weren't always thrilled about that...
You are exactly right! Also guys will go in and eat at the turn and it really screws things up. I tell them to call in an order when they tee off on 8 and pick it up on the way by. You can be a bad golfer and still keep pace of play. But like you said just one group can really screw things up.
 
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I like it. Don't mind in the least. Never had a "bad" pairing.

I've met some pretty interesting people on the golf course.

E.g. one time I got paired with a guy who kept alluding to his daughter being an actress. Normally when someone's kid is an actress they're really just a waitress looking for work so I wasn't going to pry. But after 8 holes or so he kept dropping it so I asked if I might have seen anything she was in. He listed several, one of which was Varsity blues. Then it got funny...

"Guess which one she was"
"Was she the one on the washing machine?"
"Uh yeah, that didn't bother her mother as much as the whipped cream bikini"

Varsity+Blues.jpg
Not quite as "interesting" as yours but a coworker and I were paired up with a couple of older gentlemen one time while playing in Salt Lake City. Turns out it was the former Utah Jazz coach Frand Layden who was then the team's GM. The other guy was former golfer Payne Stewart's cousin or brother, Jim Stewart. Frank was a very funny man.
 
You are exactly right! Also guys will go in and eat at the turn and it really screws things up. I tell them to call in an order when they too off on 8 and pick it up on the way by. You can be a bad golfer and still keep pace of play. But like you said just one group can really screw things up.
Exactly! Our snack bar at the turn was off the beaten path so we'd say follow me from the 9th and take them right past on a separate path.
 
No.

But then again, not a huge fan of golfing with friends, or even by myself for that matter.
 
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I've had both good and bad experiences through the years, but the vast majority of time I've enjoyed myself & had a good time. I'm comfortable playing with players of about any skill level; I'm good enough to be fine playing with great players, but I'm not at all bothered playing with guys who are lousy.
One of my funnier experiences was before a tournament I play in every year; at the time I was playing a lot & my handicap index bounced around just below or just above 1. A lot of my friends would go over the Friday before the weekend tournament to get in a practice round; I never did, but this time managed to slide out Friday morning. Called the clubhouse, talked to the pro (who'd become a friend) & told him I was headed over & asked if he could fine me someone to play with. I get there, talk to the pro, & he tells me my other three are out by the putting green. One of them, he says, is a high school kid who has some talent, and when possible he tries to pair the kid up with good players so he can get a better understanding of how good players work/think their way around the course.
First tee, the kid smokes a drive down the center; hits a long iron on the green for an eagle putt. Second hole is a par 3 & he hits a sweeeeeeet 6 iron that eats up the flag. As we're driving away from the tee, I comment to the guy I'm riding with that the kid has a really nice swing & looks like he can play. He responds, "Oh you don't know Matthew? He just finished his junior year in high school; he's won our club championship every year since he was in 8th grade. He's already committed to play for the university of florida - he's one of the best junior players in the country."
At the turn, the club pro sees me, smiles & says "so what do you think of Matthew's game?" I replied, I think I'll be watching him on TV some day.
It was Matt Every, who's won a few PGA events.
 
I've had both good and bad experiences through the years, but the vast majority of time I've enjoyed myself & had a good time. I'm comfortable playing with players of about any skill level; I'm good enough to be fine playing with great players, but I'm not at all bothered playing with guys who are lousy.
One of my funnier experiences was before a tournament I play in every year; at the time I was playing a lot & my handicap index bounced around just below or just above 1. A lot of my friends would go over the Friday before the weekend tournament to get in a practice round; I never did, but this time managed to slide out Friday morning. Called the clubhouse, talked to the pro (who'd become a friend) & told him I was headed over & asked if he could fine me someone to play with. I get there, talk to the pro, & he tells me my other three are out by the putting green. One of them, he says, is a high school kid who has some talent, and when possible he tries to pair the kid up with good players so he can get a better understanding of how good players work/think their way around the course.
First tee, the kid smokes a drive down the center; hits a long iron on the green for an eagle putt. Second hole is a par 3 & he hits a sweeeeeeet 6 iron that eats up the flag. As we're driving away from the tee, I comment to the guy I'm riding with that the kid has a really nice swing & looks like he can play. He responds, "Oh you don't know Matthew? He just finished his junior year in high school; he's won our club championship every year since he was in 8th grade. He's already committed to play for the university of florida - he's one of the best junior players in the country."
At the turn, the club pro sees me, smiles & says "so what do you think of Matthew's game?" I replied, I think I'll be watching him on TV some day.
It was Matt Every, who's won a few PGA events.

Now that is a CSB.
 
You are exactly right! Also guys will go in and eat at the turn and it really screws things up. I tell them to call in an order when they tee off on 8 and pick it up on the way by. You can be a bad golfer and still keep pace of play. But like you said just one group can really screw things up.
Case in point I was a Ranger today. 226 golfers of all skill levels. And Cart Path only. Soon a 2 hour round starts creeping up to 2 .5 very frustrating. Also the beer cart girl helps in slowing play down. Especially if she is a young hottie.
 
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