Why Can't Golfers Get The Tee Times They Want

By: Kieran Clark | Mon 23 Jun 2025

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Golfers have many common frustrations that are regularly expressed, many relating to slow play, course conditions and the cost of green fees, but none of them grind your gears quite like being unable to secure the tee times that you would like.

Our time is precious and making the most of a club membership requires several rounds a week where possible, but the demand for those limited times on the course can make that a challenge, especially for those who don't have the opportunity to be flexible with their availability.

We recently surveyed the everyday golfers who are part of the Golfshake Community to gain a greater understanding of their relationship with the game and the problems they see with it - and tee time access is right at the summit.

Why Can't Golfers Get The Tee Times They Want?

Golfer Tee Times

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

But what explains this situation and why are younger golfers frustrated with the tee time options they have?

Our survey has presented a range of factors that contribute to the unrest.

Peak Time Pressure & Weekend Congestion

Logically, weekends are the busiest window for tee times where the demand is highest, which makes sense when you consider that many golfers are simply unable to play during the week due to work commitments.

This is further complicated by the fact that competitions are regularly scheduled for the weekend, not to mention reservations for societies, meaning that peak tee times become even more testing to secure unless you plan well in advance.

As one golfer noted: "Weekends are difficult to book. You have to book very early."

Booking System Frustrations

This leads us to the second dominant factor. Many of you are unhappy with the booking process deployed by some clubs and the systems themselves.

You are likely familiar with systems like BRS and HowDidiDo, which drew criticism for being a "fastest finger first" race when bookings go live. This has led to complaints that the booking process favours those early risers and not casual or working golfers.

Need For Advance Planning

This situation has led to many golfers planning - quite literally - months in advance to book their regular fourballs. Many of the respondents have reported that accessing tee times has required careful planning, often booking weeks beforehand.

Member Priority & Overcrowding

Clubs with a healthy, large membership are in a strong place, which was something that we saw increase during the pandemic era, but a consequence of that demand is that it becomes even more difficult to fit everyone in on the tee sheet. Having too many members sounds like a nice problem to have, but it's a real issue as it makes it harder for golfers to secure their preferred times.

Societies & Competitions Taking Times

We hinted at this earlier, but golfers had complaints that competitions, society days, and even corporate events often dominated prime slots, leaving limited tee time access for others. This once again demonstrates the balancing act that clubs have to address to ensure that everyone is satisfied without losing potential revenue.

Winter & Weather Constraints

Somehow fitting everyone onto the tee sheet is hard enough during the peak months of summer, but what about throughout autumn and winter when daylight hours are limited and the weather can often reduce playability? For those golfers who wish to play outside the peak season, the battle for tee times only becomes more intense, especially for visitors who often can't get access ahead of club members.

Retired Golfers Are Much Happier

We noted above that 92% of golfers over the age of 65 were happy with their tee time access, which underlines the advantage retired players have with regard to flexibility. This means that they can avoid jostling for those peak days and can book far easier during the week. It makes sense that this demographic of golfer will be far more content with their lot.

Access For Visitors & Non-Members

Conversely, non-members often face restricted tee times that are usually pushed into the afternoon or off-peak hours. Some would argue that members should be prioritised, which is probably a fair statement, but it doesn't make life easy for those golfers who either can't or don't wish to be members of a club.

One golfer commented: "Restrictions for non-members can be quite prohibitive."

Ultimately, while many golfers do manage to find tee times and are satisfied with the opportunities they have to play, especially those who can be the most flexible with both their availability and forward planning, frustration is growing particularly among younger golfers.

Booking systems, overcrowding, busy weekends and the perceived priority given to competitions and societies have meant that more golfers now face pressure to book weeks ahead which can make life as a club member a frustrating experience for some.

How this is addressed is unclear, perhaps it's unrealistic to expect it to work for everyone, but here is one process that could be a template for others to follow.

How Does a Golf Club Tee Time Booking System Work?

Golfshake Ambassador Matt Holbrook is the keenest of keen golfers and naturally wants to play as often as he possibly can, and he has described to us the tee time booking process that is used by his golf club.

Tee times can be booked SIX WEEKS in advance, with the booking window opening up at 19:20 each evening. Matt explains: "This used to be 6pm, but lots of people asked for it to be a bit later due to commuting home, sorting kids, etc. Summer months are usually OK to book, but times get snapped up for Saturday and Sundays quickly, so you do need one person to be online and waiting to book at that time."

Golfers also have the chance to book multiple rounds. "Players are usually only allowed six bookings at any one time, but during the summer months, to allow for knockout matches, this gets increased to 10. You are allowed to go over the 10, if you want to book an extra tee time that is available within the coming 24 hours."

Overall, Matt is a fan of the system, but there are clear positives and negatives. "Once you have a system of booking your preferred slot it works OK. Knowing when you are going to play is perfect once you have your time booked. With booking so far in advance, you can usually find a time closer to the day as and when people realise they can't actually play and will let you know via WhatsApp groups they are going to pull out.

"However, lots of people 'panic book' times in advance - for a Saturday in six weeks for example - and won't be 100% sure they can play. From time to time, people won't pull out and free up that space. Some people who don't know six weeks in advance when they might be able to play can end up missing out.

"Personally, I like the system as it suits me knowing when I can and can't play, but it's a bit tougher in the winter months when there is less daylight and fewer tee times."

There is likely no magic solution that will alleviate all of the concerns when it comes to tee times, but there is perhaps no greater challenge for golf clubs to ensure that they provide all of their members with satisfactory opportunities to play.

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