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Old Course Singles Daily Draw replaces queuing all night

BagBoy
This situation creates more doubt for the truly committed. Each day there are about 14 slots during prime season. There will be well over 100 signing up every day. So about a 14% chance to play. Versus sleeping out after being there early and having a near 100% chance of playing. @MWard
 
GolfTravelDude said:
This situation creates more doubt for the truly committed. Each day there are about 14 slots during prime season. There will be well over 100 signing up every day. So about a 14% chance to play. Versus sleeping out after being there early and having a near 100% chance of playing. @MWard
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But, at least there's a chance...
 
War Eagle said:
But, at least there's a chance...
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For those that make the trip to play on the basis of balloting with the last resort of the walk up line. This new system sucks. I have had the pleasure of playing the Old 6 times. 4 of those plays was via that walk up line. My hit ratio via that walk up line was 4 out of 4.
 
GolfTravelDude said:
For those that make the trip to play on the basis of balloting with the last resort of the walk up line. This new system sucks. I have had the pleasure of playing the Old 6 times. 4 of those plays was via that walk up line. My hit ratio via that walk up line was 4 out of 4.
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Hmm, well, this change sucks.
 
GolfTravelDude said:
This situation creates more doubt for the truly committed. Each day there are about 14 slots during prime season. There will be well over 100 signing up every day. So about a 14% chance to play. Versus sleeping out after being there early and having a near 100% chance of playing. @MWard
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This is exactly what I was wondering. I mean, I appreciate the fact that hopeful players wouldn’t have to camp out all night, but I think this new system will greatly decrease the odds of getting on.
 
YukonLiving said:
This is exactly what I was wondering. I mean, I appreciate the fact that hopeful players wouldn’t have to camp out all night, but I think this new system will greatly decrease the odds of getting on.
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Couple points. Getting advance tee time for Old is the backbone of the advantaged golf tour operators. They overcharge quite a bit. They also advise that you can go and play other places yet still ballot the Old and ultimately walk on if all else fails. The marketing pitches won't change and they will herald this more gentlemanly way to play it. As the Old has put forth rate increases of 25% or so each of the past two years, this new policy plays into a policy which will make it harder to play and ultimately even more costly.
 
not going to lie, standing in line, in the dark, on those grounds, chatting with golfers from all over the world was one experience I’m glad I had.
 
ddec said:
not going to lie, standing in line, in the dark, on those grounds, chatting with golfers from all over the world was one experience I’m glad I had.
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Showed my buddy this, we determined we’re just gonna sit out there anyway.
 
The better way to have done this was to replicate Bethpage. Their parking lot has an area which has numbered parking spaces. You show up and park in a spot which has the lowest number. Then at around 5am the facilitator shows up and spot by spot hands you bakery chits for how many are standing next to your vehicle. The one time I did that and slept in car I had advised my son to be there by 5am. He showed up at 4:45 and then when the facilitator stepped to my car which I had spot 7 and there were only 6 guaranteed spots for the Black and yet the dude in spot 5 was sleeping out to get a time at the Red. This was just prior to the Open being played in that monsoon 2009 that Lucas Glover won. I showed up and parked at 5pm night before. Had a grand time meeting everyone else parked before me and having dinner with a few Irishmen that loved hearing stories about the Irish courses I had visited.
 
MWard said:
Showed my buddy this, we determined we’re just gonna sit out there anyway.
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Any time a system changes from first come first serve to names in a hat with random draw....Well we all know how that works.
 
Not to beat this to death but....Of the 4 times I qued up and also had success, two of those times I had others with me with the knowledge that there were several openings for twosomes. As we were qued up early we knew we had the chance to grab a two. And we did. Now names in hat. What are chances two are picked for a twoball. Well if it is truly random, slim and none.
 
ddec said:
not going to lie, standing in line, in the dark, on those grounds, chatting with golfers from all over the world was one experience I’m glad I had.
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👆

and freezing my a$$ off the whole time, loving every minute of it
 
ddec said:
not going to lie, standing in line, in the dark, on those grounds, chatting with golfers from all over the world was one experience I’m glad I had.
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Sadly I never had the opportunity. Was planning to try my luck later this year or next guess thats out the window now.
 
This actually makes me want to enter when I’m there at the end of May now because I had no ability to camp out overnight. Means it if got lucky I could rental it up and experience it.

While I don’t prefer the method, for me 10% is better than 0%
 
ddec said:
not going to lie, standing in line, in the dark, on those grounds, chatting with golfers from all over the world was one experience I’m glad I had.
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Guys I have traveled with have been sharing emails about our experiences with this and saying just this. Glad we did this and have those memories.
 
I definitely do not like the odds this change presents. My luck is never good on draws. The walk up line was my only hope…
200.gif
 
MWard said:
Showed my buddy this, we determined we’re just gonna sit out there anyway.
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Strange I didn’t get that text
 
McLovin said:
👆

and freezing my a$$ off the whole time, loving every minute of it
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was so cold. One dude brought his comforter from the hotel. First I laughed, then I realized he was a genius.
 
Jman said:
This actually makes me want to enter when I’m there at the end of May now because I had no ability to camp out overnight. Means it if got lucky I could rental it up and experience it.

While I don’t prefer the method, for me 10% is better than 0%
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Same for me in July. Didn't want to waste a whole night potentially
 
This is the kind of tradition I hate to see go away. Yes it's more convenient than camping out, but if I ever got to go over there the camping out would be a big part of the story and experience.
 
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