Booking a tee time and arriving at an unfamiliar course: step by step
What to ask when booking, how early to arrive, what happens at the desk, and how to play a course you have never seen. The complete run-through.
In this article
For anyone playing without club membership, this is a recurring moment: you want a round at a course you have never visited. It raises more questions than the round itself. The answer: it works roughly the same everywhere, and with forty minutes' margin and three questions asked in advance, nothing will surprise you.
In short: book ahead online or by phone, ask about handicap limits and dress code, arrive forty minutes before your tee time, check in at the desk with your digital federation card, and be on the first tee five to ten minutes early.
Booking
Almost every course wants a reservation. Where you book varies: their own website, a booking platform, or by phone. Three things to settle for an unfamiliar course: is there a handicap limit, since some courses admit only players below a certain handicap to the main course? What is the dress code? And are there restrictions that day, such as competitions, maintenance, temporary greens or closed holes?
Arriving
Arrive forty minutes early. That covers parking, unloading, checking in, the toilet, a few putts and a calm walk to the first tee. Arrive tight and you skip the warm-up, which is exactly where the first three holes go wrong.
At the desk you give your name and tee time, show your card or app, pay the green fee, receive a scorecard and hear the day's particulars. That last part is the most important of the conversation. You may ask anything: where the first tee is, whether there is a practice area, and whether local rules apply.
Before you tee off
Go to the practice green first, even for five minutes: on an unfamiliar course you have no idea how fast the greens are, and that is the most useful information available to you for free. Be on the tee five to ten minutes early, or your slot may be given away. And check which tees are in use.
Playing an unfamiliar course
Follow the signs to the next tee, because walking from green to the wrong tee is the most common mistake. Check the scorecard for what lies over the crest, since blind shots are the biggest source of lost balls. And play more conservatively than usual: you do not know the hazards, so aim at the wide part of the fairway and the middle of the green.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be a member to play somewhere? No. As a green-fee player with a valid registration you are welcome at virtually every Dutch course.
What if I am late? Call as early as you can. Sometimes they can move you; sometimes the slot is gone.
Does such a round count towards my handicap? Only if registered in advance as qualifying and certified by a marker.
At Zalm Golf you play on varying courses with your NGF registration, with 15 percent off at 27 partner courses and no commitment anywhere.