LOTTERY Q&A
What happens if people use someone's name to "block" a spot? I can see this getting abused.
Points are awarded to each individual in the original booking. If a member were to put “John Smith” in their tee time knowing full well that John Smith is not going to play the following week 2 things will happen. John will receive points regardless of whether he plays, and may receive additional points if the group does not cancel him before the 24 hour period. When Mr. Smith goes to put in his own lottery request, his “friends” have essentially penalized him and he becomes more and more unlikely to get his upcoming request. The lesson here is “Don’t do that to your fellow members/friends”.
Will we have this lottery all year?
Not necessarily. This is how we will start 2021. Just like in 2020, we made changes throughout the season to improve the access to the tee sheet. We will monitor and review the process over the next 4 weeks during this “emergency brake” period and if we need to make changes we will be ready to do so.
If I am interested in bringing out multiple guests (after noon), at what time of the day 3 days in advance should I contact the Pro Shop?
You will be able to contact the golf shop 3 days in advance as soon as it opens. This year’s guest policy is directly related to the new Covid screening protocols which we will share with you. We need to be able to accurately capture the contact information of each and every guest before they arrive on the property. To effectively do this, to start, we will only be accepting guest reservations over the phone. You will not be able to book guests through the online tee sheet.
How are the points allocated for a group? Total of all the group? The individual entering the booking.? If it is based on the total points in the group foursomes will be disadvantaged.
It is the average of all players in the group. In this way a group of 4 with an average of let’s say 8 points, is no different than an individual who has 8 points.
Can we cancel a time on line or does it take a phone call. A phone call would not work
You will be able to cancel lottery requests online. We had a technical issue which prevented this over the weekend, but should now be resolved.
For lottery submission Mon. Wed. & Fri. is there a deadline to have your request submitted? Also what time can you begin to submit your lottery request?
The deadline is 12:00 pm (noon). Tee sheets will show on the online calendar up to 14 days in advance, but we highly suggest you wait until closer to the deadline to limit the number of changes and/or cancellations you need to make. As well, this gives you a better handle on potential weather and/or course condition communication. There is NO advantage to putting a request in earlier than anyone else’s request. Here’s a tip: Set an alarm on your phone for Monday, Wednesday & Friday morning so you don’t forget to put in your request.
For members who are not eligible to submit lottery requests, such as those in categories with 4 day booking privileges, how is it possible for them to book tee times?
The lottery system was put in place solely to deal with the issue of “first come, first serve” that we saw in 2020 for our Platinum, Gold, Silver & Professional members. The lottery will not increase the number of times taken, it only helps to manage equality with the times that are booked within our 7 day categories. There really is no change to the booking procedures for Lifestyle & other catagories with 4 day privileges. You can continue to book your times through the standard tee sheet options. Of note, with the changes to guest bookings (only 3 days in advance) we actually anticipate an increase in available inventory for our members who have 4 day booking access.
I am asmatic and there have been mornings usually in July when I come to play early and still can’t breathe, spend 15 minutes on the range and go home indoors. Even if the high humidity is forecast the night before and I cancel then, which I have done in the past, I will get penalized. Not fair for people with health issues. How can you correct this as my puffer doesn’t help.
Situations such as the one described above would qualify as a medical issue where an exception can be made. This would be treated no different that a weather cancellation or extended frost delay. These situations are beyond your control. You would need to alert the golf shop staff however, so that they can delete you from the tee sheet, rather than cancel you.
Are we still going to have reservations for the driving range? I thought that was a really great idea and it really really helped so the driving range was available to everyone.
Yes. More infö on that is coming this week! Driving range appointments will be booked online same as last year.
Out of town guests... I have 3 guests that might attend (after noon as indicated)...is there any provision to booking that ahead of the 3 day window?
To start we will not be able to accommodate those requests. Our focus right now (especially during this 28 day lockdown where one the only activities is golf) is ensuring we provide tee times for our members first. We look forward to welcoming your guests and showcasing what Lookout Point has to offer soon!
Hi Dan, what time is the lottery done on those days? If I missed it the info I appologize.
We will be trying to complete the lottery on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays between 6-7pm. That said, as you can imagine there are a number of other variables that at any given time can delay that. For now, we can promise that the lottery will be completed prior to the golf shop closing on those days.
As a single golfer on a 5-day membership can I book just for myself or do I need to part of a group?
Last year we started the season by restricting single bookings. Another bonus to the lottery system is that singles are not restricted. If you put your name in as a single, the lottery will join you with an available single, twosome, or threesome in a similar time to your request.
I’ve been reviewing the tee sheets to prepare for booking my group. I didn’t play last year so I didn’t use the lottery system but the new process sounds fair. However, I noticed a glitch- I’m booking for April 20 am and when I click on that day it says to book on Tuesday, April 6, likewise booking for 22 it says book on the 8th which is 14 days in advance. The new lottery system says to book 7 days in advance on Wednesday’s & Friday’s for the following Tuesday and Thursday.
Just to reiterate as mentioned above, you can put a request in as early as 14 days in advance (however, for the reasons mentioned earlier we would strongly advise against that) but the lottery requests window will close a maximum of 7 days in advance. (6 days for Tuesdays & Thursdays & Sundays and 5 days for Saturdays)
I’m a Silver (5 day) but the lottery let me put a request in for Saturday April 10th. Does this mean I can play?
No. Lottery requests and lottery bookings are different. With our system there is no way to restrict an individual from making any request they wish. However, when the lottery is run individuals will ONLY be given a time within their category restrictions. A member who has entered a request outside of their restrictions will not be given a time and will not remain on a waitlist.
Clarification, After the lottery if a member books a time it’s 0 points for booking. Meaning the groups that uses the lottery system the least are more likely to get a time they want on the weekend.
That is correct. Points are only awarded to requests booked through the lottery system. An example may be a member who like to play in the evenings when there is little demand on the tee sheet. Depending on that individuals flexibility, they may find it more beneficial to wait until the lottery is completed and select from the available times after the fact.
I would imagine the large groups of 6 times will be very difficult to keep together especially as the season goes on and it will be quite un popular if they can’t play back to back.
There is a “Group Booking” option when you make your lottery requests. If you are part of a “group” of times the lottery will keep those bookings together. PLEASE NOTE: If the lottery cannot find room within the request window for the “large group” the entire group will not receive a time. The lottery will not break them down into individual bookings. Especially as we start this season with extremely limited food & beverage offerings we would encourage groups to start by booking either as single groups or smaller sized groups.
Will points be reset for the following season?
Points reset every 60 days continually. On day 61, points earned from day 1 bookings drop off the individuals allotment. This is very much something we will be reviewing as the season progresses. The 60 day guideline is a best practice that we have taken from many other Ontario clubs who have or are instituting a lottery.
Why are we the only club that has a lottery?
This simply isn’t true. Last week on a Golf Ontario call, 40 different private golf clubs were discussing tee sheet access and what procedures clubs would be putting in place. On that call, over 75% of those clubs are instituting some variation of a lottery system. That said, what works elsewhere does not mean it’s always the right decision for LPCC so we promise to continue to monitor and look for ways to improve our offering.
On behalf of the Professional Staff,
Dan Roud
PGA of Canada
Golf Shop Manager, Lookout Point Country Club