Needing a credit card to make a tee time

[smilin assassin]

I'm sorry but this is the most annoying thing to me when calling to make a tee time. I understand the "concept" of it but with all of the fraud and credit card numbers being stolen, I hate to have it out there somewhere that I have no control of who sees it.

 

Am I alone on this?? I would love to hear from people that work in the industry to hear their insight on this and how they handle someone wanting to make a tee time but does not want to give out there CC.

 

Cheers

[Break81]

I agree it stinks. I guess though there are people who will book tee times all over town, then later choose which one they and their buddies want to play. The local city courses do not ask here so much, just the middle to high end tracks.

[sompin2do]

It is frustrating but I think in most cases it's a way for the course to protect themselves from people booking a time and not showing up. At my regular course you can cancel without penalty up to 1/2 day prior. After that you risk the card being charged and having a shop credit for the round(s).

[jdhallissey]

I understand the point they are trying to make with it but I had to cancel morning of a round due to a family issue. The course tried to charge me, it went onto my CC and it sucked because it took a week of fighting to get it cleared. Just make sure when you do leave a CC that it is on a card that likes you. Amex is a card that loves me so I have no issue when it comes to stuff like this.

[mukster]

This is the standard operating procedure in the lower mainland, British Columbia.

[larrybud]

Rarely do I have a course ask for it over the phone any more. Online tee times occasionally ask for it, and I have a CC # specifically used for online transactions.

However, if any course ever tried to charge me I would definitely fight the charge.

[Break81]

Lots of the courses that do ask have your name and city stored after the first time (not the credit card) and seem to not always ask if you tend to show up. They must have a way to tag the flakes and know who usually shows up.

[Greenie]

Most of the courses I play only require it if you make the tee time online. If you call the course they don't ask for it. I'll look online at the times and then call the course and book it. For the ones that do require a CC I have one that I never use that I give them. If I get a bill from it I know something is charged I didn't authorize. I don't like throwing my CC number out there like that either. I've tried the line" I don't give it out" on some courses that require it and they will tell me I can't book a time with them without one.
Another thing I don't like. I am the one that books the tee times in my group. I don't like being held accountable for everyone in my group if there are no shows. It's never been a problem with my regular foursome but sometimes I will play in a larger group of 12 players. I refuse to set that group up because there is always a no show.
As far as CC fraud goes. The only way to prevent it is not to have a CC at all. A friend on mine never uses a CC but he has one for emergencies. He got a letter from the CC co saying if he didn't use it they we going to cancel it. He used it at a local restaurant here in MD.. A few weeks later he got a call from the CC co saying he had $2500 worth of charges on it from purchases at a Best Buy in Texas. They wanted to know if he had made the purchases. Here is someone that used his card once and got burned.

[Wriggles]

[quote name='Greenie' timestamp='1381463271' post='7985235']
Most of the courses I play only require it if you make the tee time online. If you call the course they don't ask for it. I'll look online at the times and then call the course and book it. For the ones that do require a CC I have one that I never use that I give them. If I get a bill from it I know something is charged I didn't authorize. I don't like throwing my CC number out there like that either. I've tried the line" I don't give it out" on some courses that require it and they will tell me I can't book a time with them without one.
Another thing I don't like. I am the one that books the tee times in my group. I don't like being held accountable for everyone in my group if there are no shows. It's never been a problem with my regular foursome but sometimes I will play in a larger group of 12 players. I refuse to set that group up because there is always a no show.
As far as CC fraud goes. The only way to prevent it is not to have a CC at all. A friend on mine never uses a CC but he has one for emergencies. He got a letter from the CC co saying if he didn't use it they we going to cancel it. He used it at a local restaurant here in MD.. A few weeks later he got a call from the CC co saying he had $2500 worth of charges on it from purchases at a Best Buy in Texas. They wanted to know if he had made the purchases. Here is someone that used his card once and got burned.
[/quote]

You're absolutely correct about rarely used cards. I used to have 4 at max. Didn't really use much, so I cancelled 2 when they started charging fees. The third, I used to buy some tax software online from a national company. Got a letter from the card company a month later, confirming a email update. Never gave the company an email. Called the company, cancelled card, new card sent. Never got the card, called, and was told that I was not me. The personal questions, etc. were changed, and my address was changed. It seemed my new address was 2,000 miles away. Referred to the fraud department, where I was sent a ton of stuff to fill out, notarized statements, copies of driver's license, etc. No fraudulent transactions were made to my account, but I had to prove I was me. Had to contact credit report bureaus, etc. I did not lose money on the situation, but it still cost me time, postage, incidental costs. What bull!

I only have one active card at present. I only use it for large purchases that I repay the following month. As far as tee time nonsense, those courses can have themselves.

I weep for the young people. Credit card and other fraud can only get much worse.

P.S. When reporting the fraud to the credit bureaus, I talked to a foreign person I could hardly understand, and he made a more concerted attempt to sell me some kind of fee charged protection than handle my problem.

[Exactice808]

One of the great tricks I learned from a smart business person was getting a limited credit card if you are concerned about fraud. I know this may not be totally related to your topic but some what relevant.

What I mean is that he had a bunch of Credit Cards and pretty much had 1 card that was "Unlimited", BUT!!! He also had 1 credit card that he fought tooth and nail to keep the card max at $500 (they would always call to upgrade but he would always fight to keep it low). He only used this card for instances where he was not comfortable about giving his info out where a fraud could be highly possible (Random people over the phone, Internet purchase that he wasnt sure about etc etc). He was prepared to eat $500 but not $10,000+ that some people have maxed out limits at.

So I know this is not direct to your question but if you are stuck using a CC and this is under any situation btw not just golf, look into getting a card with an extremely low limit so if there is a fraud, it wont be so bad compared to a card with $10k, $50k $100k like some members have on here!

[jdl]

I don't mind using a CC # to hold a tee time, but the courses that try and charge you for 4 greens fees if only 3 players show up are out of their minds.

[smilin assassin]

Great input. So yesterday I get to the work and call back. ( I called on my way in and was not going to pull my wallet out while driving) So this time I get the Pro on the phone and was all prepared to give my CC and he just pulls me up in the system and gives me the tee time and says- you're all set. If you need to cancel just call as soon as you can...go figure

I must say the one guy I spoke with the first time for this example is a grumpy SOB all the time and never even says hi in the pro shop. I took the wife there for lunch, walked around the pro shop browsing and he never said hello. We had to say hello first. The course could have had a sale if he was friendly or at least asked if we needed any help with anything. I decided to leave my wallet in my pocket that day.

[bruinsPATSirish]

[quote name='smilin assassin' timestamp='1381457769' post='7984821']
I'm sorry but this is the most annoying thing to me when calling to make a tee time. I understand the "concept" of it but with all of the fraud and credit card numbers being stolen, I hate to have it out there somewhere that I have no control of who sees it.

Am I alone on this?? I would love to hear from people that work in the industry to hear their insight on this and how they handle someone wanting to make a tee time but does not want to give out there CC.

Cheers
[/quote]

Keeps people from no showing tee times when someone else could have played in that slot. If you don't want to leave your credit card for the reservation then sorry, you can show up the day of play and hope we have a spot available. Simple as that.

[moose557]

Unfortunately one of my credit cards is absolutely maxed out and any charges will be denied,so that is the card I always give when I make tee times.

[Dizz]

I remember when you used to be able to pump gas before you paid too.

Seriously though I'm surprised people don't get this... why is it so hard to make a tee time and stick to it? I certainly understand the family issues and last minute things you have to take care of come up but every course has "those guys" that always make tee times and then no show. It's kind of a big deal when they do those things on weekend mornings (or anytime for that matter)... golf courses are not cheap to run and the nicer the course is with conditions, scenery, pro shop, etc obviously the more it cost to run the place. If greens fees are $75, your 4-some no showing is $300 every 8-10 minutes. That money certainly goes a LONG way to making things run the way they are supposed to be run. This is especially so when the course is good and well run and the tee times would just as easily be sold to someone else if the Johnson group didn't call and then not show up. If people continually did that to your business it would be a big deal right? This kind of stuff never hits home until its your money or its in the business/field you run or work at... The course I work at does not do this (sometimes I think we should) unless it's a large group that we would create a contract for anyway that is signed by the customer.

My post was not directed at any one person in this thread but would anyone else be OK with it being done to them if they were the course owner or the guy paying the bills? It doesn't even have to be golf... you have customers sign up for a service and then decide last second they don't want it done so now your schedule is free and you lost the ability to make money those times.

[bruinsPATSirish]

I guess you just have to be on the other side of the counter to understand the necessity of it, especially now with the industry being where it is financially. We are fortunate to have enough business to be able turn players away if they don't want to play by our rules, but not all courses can turn down play.

[502 to Right]

I don't like it. But I completely get it and don't complain when I have to provide a number. Thankfully the 3 courses I play the most don't require them but those courses also get stiffed quite a bit by no shows. I guess it's only a matter of time until they require them too.

[HighSpeedScene]

Not sure why it wouldn't be OK - you are asking them to set aside a revenue generating asset for you that they can't sell to anyone else. You can't make reservations at a hotel without giving a cc, which is pretty similar.

I don't love it, but if I ran a busy public course, I would do the same.

[deadsolid...shank]

It was interesting last week. I booked a time in colorado and had to give her my number. When i checked in and went to pay, I told her to just charge it to the card I used to make the time. She told me they don't keep the number. Is that not the norm or is the request for a number just a ploy to help ensure people will show up for their scheduled time?

[HighSpeedScene]

[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1381554276' post='7990627']
It was interesting last week. I booked a time in colorado and had to give her my number. When i checked in and went to pay, I told her to just charge it to the card I used to make the time. She told me they don't keep the number. Is that not the norm or is the request for a number just a ploy to help ensure people will show up for their scheduled time?
[/quote]

Funny. Maybe? Although I know some courses around here DO charge for no-shows, including if you reserve 4 and show up with 3. There is one course that does that even if they get a single paired up with your 3-some. Never happened to me, but happened to a friend.

[SadTrombone]

I picked up a prepaid card. Left about $3 on it. I use that one.

[hauss]

Our local TPC course asks for a CC if you book online but allows you to pay separate at the desk. I don't have a problem leaving it, if I make a tee time and don't cancel it in a reasonable amount of time, I should be out something. Not the courses fault I didn't get out of bed.

[SurfDuffer]

There is one course I play occasionally that asks for a credit card when you make a phone t-time. I politely tell them that I do not give out that information. Only had them balk once and I went on to explain that if it was that big of an issue I'll go play somewhere else and they got over it real fast. Around here courses want and need your business. If you don't want to give a credit card just tell them.

[Greenie]

[quote name='jdl' timestamp='1381520621' post='7988327']
I don't mind using a CC # to hold a tee time, but the courses that try and charge you for 4 greens fees if only 3 players show up are out of their minds.
[/quote]

I was making a tee time once for 12 at a course that charges you for every no show. They made a strict point to let me know that my card would be charged for anything less than 12. I booked the times and I gave them my card number. I said that is for me only. Then I said I'll make sure everyone knows the times I made and they can call in and they can give you their names and CC numbers for them because I am not going to be responsible for 11 other guys some of which I don't even know. The person laughed and said I couldn't do that. I said oh well I'll take my business elsewhere. I understand why courses need to do this but really? do they expect one person to hold the bill just because they are making the time. I have no problem being charged if I don't show up. I do have a problem being charged for others just because I was the one that booked the time.Courses that are going to charge for every no show should allow every person to call in and supply their own CC.

I totally agree with you. I have reliable friends. Friends that always show up. If for some reason something came up and one of them couldn't make it and I was charged for them I know they would pay me for it. I also know that would probably be the end of them commiting to any round until the last minute in fear of something coming up again and them being out more money. It's already hard to get my one friend to commit when we try and jump on the golfnow hot deal early. He has a 97 yr. mother and he always says I don't know what the next day is going to bring with her. He has never missed a round but when it comes to the possibility of being out for a round he is slow to say count me in and waits until the night before to commit. By then it is to late to grab a deal.
What I really hate is when my friends friends want to join in. That is when the real problem comes into play. Who is going to be responsible if they don't show up and I am charged since I make the tee times? I totally avoid making the tee time when friends of friends join in. Even if I am not charged I hate making times and having my friends friends not show because I feel I gave the course my word I am showing up with four.

[SurfDuffer]

[quote name='Greenie' timestamp='1381586365' post='7991379']
What I really hate is when my friends friends want to join in. That is when the real problem comes into play. Who is going to be responsible if they don't show up and I am charged since I make the tee times? I totally avoid making the tee time when friends of friends join in. Even if I am not charged I hate making times and having my friends friends not show because I feel I gave the course my word I am showing up with four.
[/quote]

You hit on one of the things I really do hate about this game. I hate un-reliable people. Its one of the reasons I primarily play late evenings when I can have the course to myself and why I go as a single and let them put we with any random group that needs a 4th.

[Dizz]

Everyone is always OK with these situations until they're the one out the cash. There is always a "stick it to the business" attitude pretty much everywhere you look.

[richard t]

I go to the bank once a month and buy a $200.00 Visa Gift Card. Bank charges no interest,fees etc. if you are a customer. When I need to 'dish out' over the phone I use it for stuff- reservations, small purchases etc. Some one steals the number and hurray for them. Love to see their face when' it runs out' fast.Seems like everywhere you go today you get, 'can we have a card number.' Sure, help yourself.

[buckeyefl]

I see we have some non business owners or people unfamiliar with the business here.

You know that beautiful course you play in Florida every winter that asks for a cc? Well they take in 2/3 of their moneyf or the year (whichhelps keep the course in great ccondition) during a very short window and every joker who no shows or doesn't bring his full group is money lost because those spots can be filled.

So let's say 10 foursomes a day show up one guy short at $100 a person.
Now multiply that times 7 days.
Then multiply that by 12-16 weeks.
Now add in food drink and potential sales lost on goods.
Now pretend you own or are responsible for the business staying afloat and having enough money to keep up the standards customers expect.

Is it so hard to cancel a tee time or make an adjustment to it 24-48 hours in advance?

As some have mentioned just have a small limit cc for such things just to be safe.

[cpriceAP2]

I give them a CC number, they may not be in the correct order, but I give them one. They never pre run it and I've never had anyplace say there was an issue. Stops them from charging me for canceling though.

[SadTrombone]

[quote name='cpriceAP2' timestamp='1381627188' post='7993269']
I give them a CC number, they may not be in the correct order, but I give them one. They never pre run it and I've never had anyplace say there was an issue. Stops them from charging me for canceling though.
[/quote]

I lol'd.