Mark
Thank you for completely failing to read what I wrote in the context of the posts that came before it, specifically your ‘letter’ and the contributions from Mr Carlton and Mr Chaplin.
You have it completely wrong.
Any chip on my shoulder is not derived at private members clubs. I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life managing such a place. Although the term is misleading. As private to me means exactly that. My point, whether you agree with it or not is not aimed at a staff member. It’s on the policy and the shitty letter and responses in this thread. Golf Clubs are in the service industry. Hiding behind faux privacy whilst looking for commercial revenue and taking umbrage for the scrutiny this naturally brings on attitudes and absolutist policies is frankly naive.
Poor service is poor service. And in my opinion and his, this fellow, an overseas visitor, in unfortunate circumstances was shown no help, no discretion, no concession. All he gets is references to Pine Valley, Seminole and Cal Club. The chip on the shoulder is yours rather than mine. These places at least are genuinely private, and don’t look to overseas visitors to subsidise their subscriptions, whilst at the same time being prickly to the same paying customers highlighting what they perceive as poor service.
They paid their money, you rely on their money. Suck it up or improve. Or live with the feedback. Or be a genuinely private members club.
You have a waiting list now. Perhaps you’ll always have a waiting list, lord knows it’s a great course. But then lots of places had waiting lists. Lots of places displayed the same indifferent arrogance to their customers, thinking the well would never run dry.
You can’t say yes to everyone all the time of course. Nor should you beat them up with examples of courses in their vast homeland they have nothing to do with. Dress it up how you like. The message is clear. You can play ours. We can’t play yours and your letter shows that rankles and would go some way to explaining the poor treatment of someone in difficult circumstances.
I think people in Garland’s position travelling half way across the world, deserve better. It’s common decency. Yes the airline lost the luggage. You can’t control that. You control how you dealt with the situation. In my opinion, based on this thread, you dealt with how a lot of golf clubs deal with it. A complacent shrug. And look at the thread,People loved it, references to Old Tom, make the game great again etc.
Sorry to repeat myself, even Muirfield have spare jackets on hand rather than boost sales for the most profitable Pro shop in Scotland. It doesn’t mean capitulating. It means doing what you practicably can.