“ If you get one group behind by five minutes , the whole damn thing just gets worse .”
— William Knox Stacy , M . D . the cart , walk up , offer a friendly greeting but be firm . I had a spreadsheet for both 90-degree and cart-path-only play based on departure time . By sharing the data I ’ d say ‘ this is our expectation and where you need to be .’ That meant we didn ’ t have to get into an argument .”
Playing through ? “ We generally resisted it unless there was visible room ahead .”
One immutable truth Stacy learned early on was that “ women golfers do not play slowly .” In fact , he says , “ Most of them play fast .”
THE STARTER AS PROBLEM SOLVER When a foursome had a 10 a . m . tee time and only three out of four appeared , Stacy would announce , “ You bought the 10 a . m . tee time . In about four minutes it will be gone . Start now and we ’ ll bring your player out to you .” If you get one group behind by five minutes ,” he observes , “ the whole damn thing just gets worse .
“ We got a lot of walkups . And we accommodated them because invariably they ’ d return and ultimately bring somebody with them . You just needed to be careful where you put them .” As a rule , Independence did not , as many private clubs do , maintain starter times — purposely reserved open spaces — that may provide flexibility , accommodate slow play or special circumstances .
“ With an alert starter and good marshal we could get almost any walkup paired and on the course . I ’ d write the color of the shirt and hat of the walkup , give him some balls and then walk the tee line assessing who might be a good complement . Then I ’ d make introductions . Nine times out of 10 they ’ d shake hands and go .” Frost delay solution ? Shotgun start . “ The groundskeeper usually knows how long it will take to make the course playable . If we ’ d be four holes short we ’ d take the first group , place them on the fourth
Starters and marshals were also often required to be jacks of all trades . Stacy can recount tales of insufficient water in the ladies ’ restroom , inoperative carts on the course , improper driving , tree ramming by a 9-year-old , on-course cart malfunction , dog-walkers and even occasional non-paying trespassers .
A good marshal works with the starter to keep a four-hour round from creeping towards five .
hole and start all four groups simultaneously . You might have some crunch time when they came around but we could always deal with that ,” he says . Big outings ? Be prepared . “ Big ones are very profitable , but you have to have a first-class operation if you are going to ask people to pay a lot of money . Normally we ’ d have four starters / marshals working sometimes before dawn , i . e .: getting carts ready with signage , placing ad signs , preparing shag bags , assignment sheets , cart numbers , helping lost souls , etc .”
Starters and marshals were also often required to be jacks of all trades . Stacy can recount tales of insufficient water in the ladies ’ restroom , inoperative carts on the course , improper driving , tree ramming by a 9-year-old , on-course cart malfunction , dog-walkers and even occasional non-paying trespassers . Once he even received a homeowner complaint regarding a golfer urinating on her bushes .
Stacy is retired now , but of his days in the kingdom , he says , “ I had a good time . I played a lot of golf and made a whole new group of friends .”
What ’ s not to like ?
vsga . org J ULY / A UGUST 2018 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 25