[Walter123]

Originally Posted by steamdogman

I do sir beg your pardon. I am very offended by your calling an ambassador LAZY. Being an ambassador is a very tough job in that you do not have a lot of power to say a lot to the golfers about speeding up.

You may think that because there is a whole hole open in front of the group ahead of you. There are a lot of things to consider!

What time did that group start? Many times the groups ahead of them might be faster or got out earlier than their allotted tee times. It is the ambassadors job to monitor pace of play. They have a time chart to go by and even though there is a hole open in front if they are on or even close to the pace of play schedule, they are on time.

Perhaps your group is made up of better golfers. Remember not everyone here in The Villages has a 10 or under handicap. Most of the players on the Executive Trail are either beginners or have a higher handicap. REMEMBER handicap has nothing to do with who gets to play golf here in The Villages!

Please re-read my comment. I said two holes were open and I saw it from the beginning. You weren't there, I was. The ambassadors do a couple of things well and that is provide water and sand, fix divots on the tee boxes, and pick up broken tees. As far as moving play along they are worthless. Like you said. they don't have a lot of power. Tough job? I don't think so. They are out for a paid afternoon ride IMO. Sorry, but I call it as I see it.

[dillywho]

Originally Posted by Walter123

Please re-read my comment. I said two holes were open and I saw it from the beginning. You weren't there, I was. The ambassadors do a couple of things well and that is provide water and sand, fix divots on the tee boxes, and pick up broken tees. As far as moving play along they are worthless. Like you said. they don't have a lot of power. Tough job? I don't think so. They are out for a paid afternoon ride IMO. Sorry, but I call it as I see it.

I would think that the proper thing for you or anyone who has a problem with how the ambassadors do or don't do their jobs would be to contact the Recreation Department and voice your concerns there. Perhaps they could give anyone with an issue with the ambassadors a better understanding of what they expect their employees to do or not do and how they are to do it. They are hired to do a job the way their employer instructs them to do it, not the golfers.

As for two holes being open, perhaps the golfers at that scheduled time did not show and nobody else was waiting and then you showed up for yours at your assigned time. Why not ask the starter about the situation? We have teed off when there was nobody in sight and then somewhere down the course caught up with another group. If someone came up behind us and saw two holes open, they might think the same thing as you did. Please keep in mind that things are not always as they appear.

[dillywho]

Originally Posted by Walter123

Please re-read my comment. I said two holes were open and I saw it from the beginning. You weren't there, I was. The ambassadors do a couple of things well and that is provide water and sand, fix divots on the tee boxes, and pick up broken tees. As far as moving play along they are worthless. Like you said. they don't have a lot of power. Tough job? I don't think so. They are out for a paid afternoon ride IMO. Sorry, but I call it as I see it.

If golfers would fix their own divots, pick up their broken tees, rake their traps properly, and repair ball marks on the greens the ambassadors wouldn't have to do it. (One male golfer even said that he didn't have to rake the traps because that was the ambassador's job!) Play would also go faster if golfers would not leisurely leave the green, would post scores at the next hole, and replace head covers enroute to the next hole or after arrival. At least, that is how I was taught to play (golf etiquette).

Unfortunately, women are notorious for having to finish a conversation before getting out to hit when they get to the tee box (or ANY shot) and then try to decide which club they want to hit after they do. Likewise, they also want to finish their conversation before moving on to the next hole. Men sometimes like to look like they are really better than they are with all they go through. Sorry, Green Jackets are reserved for The Masters Tournament and lengthy conversation is for the 19th hole.

[Walter123]

Originally Posted by dillywho

I would think that the proper thing for you or anyone who has a problem with how the ambassadors do or don't do their jobs would be to contact the Recreation Department and voice your concerns there. Perhaps they could give anyone with an issue with the ambassadors a better understanding of what they expect their employees to do or not do and how they are to do it. They are hired to do a job the way their employer instructs them to do it, not the golfers.

As for two holes being open, perhaps the golfers at that scheduled time did not show and nobody else was waiting and then you showed up for yours at your assigned time. Why not ask the starter about the situation? We have teed off when there was nobody in sight and then somewhere down the course caught up with another group. If someone came up behind us and saw two holes open, they might think the same thing as you did. Please keep in mind that things are not always as they appear.

Hellooooooooooo.......They were , slow, slow and that's it. You make it sound like that couldn't happen here in The Villages.

[Walter123]

Originally Posted by dillywho

Unfortunately, women are notorious for having to finish a conversation before getting out to hit when they get to the tee box (or ANY shot) and then try to decide which club they want to hit after they do. Likewise, they also want to finish their conversation before moving on to the next hole. Men sometimes like to look like they are really better than they are with all they go through. Sorry, Green Jackets are reserved for The Masters Tournament and lengthy conversation is for the 19th hole.

Uh-Oh.....Now you've done it. How do you know this?

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by Walter123

Please re-read my comment. I said two holes were open and I saw it from the beginning. You weren't there, I was. The ambassadors do a couple of things well and that is provide water and sand, fix divots on the tee boxes, and pick up broken tees. As far as moving play along they are worthless. Like you said. they don't have a lot of power. Tough job? I don't think so. They are out for a paid afternoon ride IMO. Sorry, but I call it as I see it.

Please re-read Steamdogman's post. Every course has a time par. As long as a group is on time or nearly so, the ambassadors do not consider them slow. The presence of open hole(s) in front of them is not evidence they are behind time.

This time of year there are gaps built into the schedule to allow watering of the overseed during the day. This will create situations where there is space between groups that looks suspicious, but is not.

Nope, I'm not an ambassador. But I appreciate the work they do on the courses. Categorizing them as "lazy" or "out for a paid afternoon ride" is grossly unfair.

They are called ambassadors, not marshals for a reason.

[Bonny]

Wow, this thread is getting very rude sounding.
Remember everyone ! These are our golden years to have fun & enjoy life!
The ambassadors are just our friends and neighbors also enjoying life and doing the best they can at there job so everyone has enjoyable round of golf.
They have to be careful what they say and how they say it to the golfers. They take a lot of verbal abuse out there the minute they tell someone to speed up their pace of play.
Everyone always has to have someone to blame.
Let's cut them some slack, relax and enjoy our lives here in the beautiful Villages !

[Walter123]

Originally Posted by Bonny

Wow, this thread is getting very rude sounding.
Remember everyone ! These are our golden years to have fun & enjoy life!
The ambassadors are just our friends and neighbors also enjoying life and doing the best they can at there job so everyone has enjoyable round of golf.
They have to be careful what they say and how they say it to the golfers. They take a lot of verbal abuse out there the minute they tell someone to speed up their pace of play.
Everyone always has to have someone to blame.
Let's cut them some slack, relax and enjoy our lives here in the beautiful Villages !

Bonny, you are absolutely correct. I guess the best advice I can give myself and everyone else is to get to the next tee box and be ready to hit when the group ahead is leaving the green. Since I walk 95% of the time I can simply slow down a little if I see it getting backed up. Maybe take some pictures of wildlife, and no, I'm not being sarcastic. I realize that the ambassadors have no power when it comes to moving things along and I apologize for my lazy comment. I was just venting coming off a couple of very long rounds.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by Walter123

Bonny, you are absolutely correct. I guess the best advice I can give myself and everyone else is to get to the next tee box and be ready to hit when the group ahead is leaving the green. Since I walk 95% of the time I can simply slow down a little if I see it getting backed up. Maybe take some pictures of wildlife, and no, I'm not being sarcastic. I realize that the ambassadors have no power when it comes to moving things along and I apologize for my lazy comment. I was just venting coming off a couple of very long rounds.

This is a very nice post. I hope you have a great day !!

[steamdogman]

I happen to be an ambassador and starter on the executive courses. I do this job for one reason and no it is not the money! Having been in sales for many years I enjoy people. I enjoy the interactions that I have with the golfers both in the starter shack and on the course.

By and large the people who play the executive courses are out for a good time and may even get a par or two. Pace of play on executive courses can run anywhere from 1:30 to 2:30 hours per round.

The difficulty of the course pretty much determines the pace of play. Of course the caliber of the players comes into play as well.

Look we are now in season if you are playing golf and think you are going to play fast, you had better wait until May.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by steamdogman

I happen to be an ambassador and starter on the executive courses. I do this job for one reason and no it is not the money! Having been in sales for many years I enjoy people. I enjoy the interactions that I have with the golfers both in the starter shack and on the course.
By and large the people who play the executive courses are out for a good time and may even get a par or two. Pace of play on executive courses can run anywhere from 1:30 to 2:30 hours per round.
The difficulty of the course pretty much determines the pace of play. Of course the caliber of the players comes into play as well.
Look we are now in season if you are playing golf and think you are going to play fast, you had better wait until May.

It's my understanding that Ambassadors are trained to be polite, friendly and inoffensive.
If someone was having a heart attack, I know they would help. But I sure wouldn't complain to them about pace of play.
I think they are Good Will Ambassadors, not Golf Police.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by Walter123

The ambassadors should do their job. Twice this week there were two holes open if front of the group ahead of us. The lazy ambassadors drove right past them without saying a word. I saw it both times and even asked one of them why she didn't speak to them and she ignored me completely. So there you go. Take as long as you like and don't worry about playing slow.

I have been told that on an executive course the ambassador cannot tell anyone to pick up the ball and move forward. I wish they could. I just think the slow pokes don’t know any better.

If I were king of everything I would tell beginners that executive golf is a form of golf not real golf. In executive golf if you don’t reach the drop zone move the ball to the drop zone. Eventually you will improve and no longer need to move it. From the drop zone you have 3 more chances to get it.
All too often I see a beginner try hit an almost impossible shot because “that’s the rule”.

The tee and the drop zone is like the Bunny Slope of skiing. I say move the ball to the “Bunny Slopes” until you have an “Intermediate” swing. No one learns how to hit out of the sand on the golf course. You learn on the practice sand traps.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by steamdogman

I happen to be an ambassador and starter on the executive courses. I do this job for one reason and no it is not the money! Having been in sales for many years I enjoy people. I enjoy the interactions that I have with the golfers both in the starter shack and on the course.

By and large the people who play the executive courses are out for a good time and may even get a par or two. Pace of play on executive courses can run anywhere from 1:30 to 2:30 hours per round.

The difficulty of the course pretty much determines the pace of play. Of course the caliber of the players comes into play as well.

Look we are now in season if you are playing golf and think you are going to play fast, you had better wait until May.

[from the time i wrote to the time it was posted, someone answered my question,,thank-you]

If the tee times are 9 minutes apart [81 minutes per round] and the round lasts 2:30 hours, how do the starters get everyone out on time or close to it? I think the golf staff does an amazing job. I think the courses, considering the amount of play, are in great shape.

[RErmer]

A few weeks ago while playing ladies day, the first group out was extremely slow (10+ minutes over pace of play), so we had plenty of time to chat with the ambassador. He told us that ambassadors talk to a slow group two times. If that doesn't result in a speed up, then the ambassador calls the outside course manager. The manager came out to talk to the slow group and the pace of play sped up immediately. Now, this is on championship, not exec course, so I don't know if the same thing happens on exec courses.

Ambassadors do what they can while being polite!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by legacyarts

Granted, I am new to this game. But isn't the point to have a good time, work on gradually improving your score and get out in the sun and fresh air. I fail to see why there is such an emphasis on moving thru the course as fast as you can. The last time I played, my partner was so obsessed with keeping a rapid pace that I couldn't concentrate on my shots and it wasn't fun. It was just stressful. I'm not advocating dallying around, but for goodness sake...if you're so interested in moving fast - go for a run! (That's a joke...don't yell at me!)

I am not going to yell at you. Well a little. Keep the pace of play. If you are not ready to hit when the group ahead of you vacates the green, you are probably not paying attention. Watch where your ball goes as well as other members of the foursome. Be planning your next shot, and if you are not sure take two or three clubs to the ball . You can enjoy golf and repair divots and rake traps but you have to be aware of what is happening. There is etiquette and rules in every game and golf is to me the most polite. You must play your game and think of others in your foursome and on the course that day.Find the rules for ready golf and follow them and everyone will love to play with you no matter how new you are.

Here is one of my favorite fellows reminding you to not horse around;

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...75853991BBC201