Saturday, twelve buggies and fourteen requests
The club owns or leases twelve buggies. On a dry Saturday in summer, fourteen people want one. Six members hold medical passes that give them priority. Two of the buggies were not put on charge last night. One has a flat tyre that someone mentioned yesterday.
Buggy requests are made when booking a tee time, by phone, or on the day at the counter. They are written in a buggy book, which does not know the tee sheet. The first group goes out at eight and the same buggy is also promised to a group at 12.30, when it will be back with half a battery.
Why buggy clashes keep happening
The buggy book and the tee sheet are separate. Staff have to match times by eye, and the length of a round, especially on a busy day, is not something a book allows for.
Course rules change with the weather. On a wet morning buggies may be restricted or banned, and the book does not know that until someone at the counter explains it to a disappointed member.
Medical passes are sensitive. They are usually held in a file in the office, which the pro shop cannot easily check on a Saturday. So staff either ask awkward questions or take people's word for it.
What that costs
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Buggies double-booked | Members kept waiting on the first tee |
| Charging from memory | Buggies running flat on the back nine |
| Faults mentioned in passing | Unsafe or broken buggies sent out |
| Medical priority hard to check | Awkward conversations at the counter |
| No usage record | Weak basis for fleet decisions |
Whether a buggy is fit to use, and who qualifies for a medical pass, are decisions for the club and its own procedures. We make the information easy to see.
How we tie buggies to the tee sheet
- Buggy requests are made alongside a tee booking, online or at the counter, and linked to that booking.
- The system checks the fleet: which buggies are free for the length of a round from that time, with a buffer for charging that the club sets.
- Medical pass holders are recorded with the expiry date the club gives, and their requests are prioritised under your rules. Staff see a simple 'pass valid' marker, not medical details.
- When course rules restrict buggies, requests for that day are flagged and affected members get a message, with medical pass holders told separately what applies to them.
- Staff mark each buggy out, back and on charge from a tablet in the buggy store. Faults are logged with a photo and the buggy is marked off the road until cleared.
- Buggy hire fees are added to the member's or visitor's booking, so payment is taken with the green fee or at the counter from the same record.
Some tee sheet systems include buggy booking. If yours does, we look at why it is not used before building anything alongside it.
A busy Saturday, managed
The morning list shows twelve buggies, two booked twice in the day with a charging gap, and one marked off the road because of the tyre. Medical pass holders have theirs reserved. When rain closes the course to buggies at eleven, those with afternoon requests get a message before they set off.
- Buggy requests linked to tee times
- Charging and faults tracked per buggy
- Medical passes checked without awkward questions
- Fees collected with the booking
Signs your buggy fleet needs this
- Buggies are booked in a separate book from the tee sheet.
- Members sometimes wait on the tee for a buggy that is still out.
- Buggies run flat or go out with known faults.
- Medical passes are kept in a file the pro shop cannot check.
- Buggy restrictions are explained at the counter, not in advance.