All old-timer golfers know, and the starting golfers learn relatively soon that tipping is sometimes required and sometimes expected at most golf courses.
There are many individuals to tip at the club.
But is it customary to tip golf instructors?
Here’s Whether It’s Customary To Tip Golf Instructors:
A tip to the golf instructor is always appreciated, but it is not customary. A golf instructor is a professional, just like a lawyer or doctor, who is already pocketing a reasonable amount and usually does not expect any tip. However, if the golf instructor has astounded your golf world, go on and give a tip as an appreciation. If the instructor made the extra effort and made an extra effort to help you and feel like you want to appreciate him with a tip, go for it.
However, some of the private clubs do not permit tipping. So, it would be a wise move to check with the club or member that invited you about the club’s tipping protocol. This will prevent any potential awkward happenings.
So, Who Should You Tip At A Golf Course?
So now that you know it is not customary to tip golf instructors let’s look at the golf-course gratuities you should tip.
If you are going to a golf club with many staff members, you have probably already planned to spend a considerable amount of cash.
However, in all the golf course staff listed that require a tip, the odds of having to tip all of them at a single golf event are very low.
The cart return staff and drop attendee are most likely the only individuals you will have to tip at a typical golf course, outside of drink and food.
1. Valet Parking
Valet parking is not common at golf courses, but some of the high-end resorts do provide it.
In this case, you should give tips similar to the restaurants that offer such a service.
If you have never experienced valet parking and are unsure of the tip to give, $3 to $5 is a good baseline amount.
2. Bag Drop
The golf course is similar to the hotel bellhop or airport skycap.
A bag drop attendees take your club from your car and place them on the golf cart at your arrival time.
The standard tip for the bag drop attendees is about $2 to $3 for each bag.
You can even make it $5 if you want to ensure they give you a hand after the round.
3. Starter
It is not necessary to tip the starter unless he or she is doing something special for you.
Many starters check you in at the first tee and announce it is your turn to tee off, so there is not much service involved.
However, if you stay at a golf club for a few days, you can tip the starter on arrival to keep you in check about the preferred tee times during the stay.
Such a service requires that you give the starter a good tip.
4. Cart Return
These individuals take your clubs off your cart after the round, clean your cart and return it to the cart garage.
They may also clean your clubs and drive you to your vehicle. $5 for each will be appreciated.
5. Caddie
When you go to a golf course, you will probably be accompanied by a caddie.
So, you are probably wondering how much tip you should provide as a tip.
Generally, the tip to give to a caddie is up to you and the service level you receive.
However, you should tip a caddie any amount from $20 to $50 per player after the golf round.
Caddie rates are sometimes established in advance, so you can consider asking the golf director or head pro the customary tip at the facility or club as they tend to change from one club to another.
But either way, the tip above the set fee is variable according to what you feel the caddie deserves.
You should not ask the caddies about the amount of tip as it puts them in an uncomfortable position, and they also tend to say a higher amount.
6. Forecaddies
You can consider giving a lesser amount than the scale if you work with a forecaddie working with multiple bags and not offering you complete treatment.
For example, a forecaddie does not carry a golf bag for a specific person, and one is usually assigned to a group of about four golfers.
Their job is to go ahead of the group, track everyone’s shots, and direct players around the golf course.
For a caddie, the tip should be closer to the $50 figure.
A forecaddie should receive a total tip of $50 to $100 from the entire group.
7. Ranger
At some time, you have a chance of meeting a ranger as he drives the cart to make sure everything is going on smoothly.
Giving a tip to the ranger is rarely necessary.
However, you can give a $5 tip on an excellent gesture such as arranging for the recovery of an out-of-place club.
How Much Should You Tip A Cart Girl?
As you can note, I did not refer to a cart person because it is rare that the person moving around the golf course is not a woman, and they are often relatively attractive.
Commonly known as the beer cart driver, a golf course beverage cart attendant provides snacks and drinks to golfers.
They drive around the golf course in a uniquely designed golf cart with coolers, refrigerators, and storage to keep the snacks and drinks cool.
There is no doubt that beautiful cart girls distributing drinks around the golf course, mostly to middle-aged men, sell more beer and drinks than the gentlemen.
And they certainly perform well in the tip department.
So, How Much Should You Tip The Cart Girl?
This all depends on what you are purchasing and the amount of service they will do for you. For instance, if you want the cart girl to place a six-pack of beer for you in a cooler, it will cost about $25, so giving a $5 tip will be reasonable. Also, if you want a soda and order a cup of ice to complement it, you can give her $5 and let her keep the change.
Some Additional Tipping Advice
1. Your Vehicle
In some golf clubs, cleaning your car is either required or complicated.
Here, some bucks are plenty to retrieve your vehicle, particularly if you are forced to clean it.
2. Locker Room
Another opportunity to give a tip happens in the locker room.
If you are visiting a nice resort or club, there is a likelihood that there is an actual locker room staff.
There are prominent tour pros without having a clue in the locker department.
However, if a locker room attendant is very committed to working for you, about a $5 tip will undoubtedly be suitable.
They ensure the place looks great all through, get you a guest locker and towels, and so on.
This also applies to the shoe service that cleans and polishes your shoes. $5 to $10 will certainly be a good tip.
This is more subjective because you are not giving a tip for a service that you already paid for. So, a minimum tip should be $5, and for more or better service, $10 is a perfect token.
Keep in mind that most of these golf staff guys get ignored by golfers, so it is not like they are earning a lot of cash at the end of the day.
So instead, you only do the proper thing by tipping them to give them a better golf experience.
Nevertheless, some of the private high-end golf clubs come with a no-cash policy on the golf club.
In such establishments, you aren’t required to tip anyone.
The member’s fees include getting these experiences, so if an employee refuses to take a tip, it is okay.
Conclusion
Do not be scared of going to a golf course by all the tips mentioned above.
As stated earlier, you are not expected to tip golf instructors unless you really feel you want to give a tip.
Also, the golfer’s odds of ever having to tip all the different workers at the golf course is very minute.
Actually, in the beginning, you won’t have to tip at most courses.