Ann Arbor Golf Course
I know we are only a little over a week away from the home opener with Western, and I still can't believe that the new rules at the golf course haven't been refined.
I find it confusing that the changes are meant to improve safety. Having to put up a canopy behind your car takes away 9 feet from both sides of the laneway. If safety was the issue, wouldn't it be wiser to put the canopies besides the car, thus keeping the roadway clear? We have been tailgating on the golf course for almost 20 years. We drive from Toronto to the games and have forged relationships over the years with our neighbours. We know we can't park where pilon lady has laid out her pilons, or where pickup truck guy says "you can't park here, I have parked here for decades", dude your not even thirty? But I digress. That was the way the golf course was and that was how it worked. Let people decide whom they choice to park beside, not some yellow vested guy who wanted to land jets at the airport with his pointer chose for you.
Ann Arbor Golf Course, come clean, the issue isn't about safety. It is about cramming as many cars as possible into the place as you can. I can see them measuring the distance between doors, and telling people you need to be closer. Eventually they will have everyone park so close together that you won't even be able to get out of your car.
Solution? Charge the people who have canopies a little extra ($10) and give them the freedom to put them beside the car. That way you increased revenues, improved safety and made your customer happy. Remember we are your customer.
I find it confusing that the changes are meant to improve safety. Having to put up a canopy behind your car takes away 9 feet from both sides of the laneway. If safety was the issue, wouldn't it be wiser to put the canopies besides the car, thus keeping the roadway clear? We have been tailgating on the golf course for almost 20 years. We drive from Toronto to the games and have forged relationships over the years with our neighbours. We know we can't park where pilon lady has laid out her pilons, or where pickup truck guy says "you can't park here, I have parked here for decades", dude your not even thirty? But I digress. That was the way the golf course was and that was how it worked. Let people decide whom they choice to park beside, not some yellow vested guy who wanted to land jets at the airport with his pointer chose for you.
Ann Arbor Golf Course, come clean, the issue isn't about safety. It is about cramming as many cars as possible into the place as you can. I can see them measuring the distance between doors, and telling people you need to be closer. Eventually they will have everyone park so close together that you won't even be able to get out of your car.
Solution? Charge the people who have canopies a little extra ($10) and give them the freedom to put them beside the car. That way you increased revenues, improved safety and made your customer happy. Remember we are your customer.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 AM ^
Even if several of our mgoblog peers suggest it isn't solely about the Benjamins, so what?
The reality is, if you're paying a premium, your expectations for what is allowed/what you get goes up, too.
Several of us have commented that we don't park at AAG&O, and honestly, to my eye, the amenities aren't all that. I park a reasonable walking distance away...$10 per game. I get a place in an asphalt lot, access to an indoor bathroom, a place for kidlets to play. (I know, there are some who eschew children at football/tailgate, but to each their own. I don't slam people for their choice, don't rag on mine. But I digress.) Parking at AAG&O, you get a pretty parking place, porta-johns (or convenient foliage), extremely close to the stadium, and you HAD the ability to save a spot or park in a corner that WAS all your own. For those people, that was a reasonable trade-off. Losing some of that, well, the bloom is off the rose, isn't it?
I agree with the OP, it's kinda sad that the powers that be came up with a fairly abrupt and draconian response to the once-in-a-blue-moon issue, and chose not to take any user input to come to a reasonable solution that all parties would have been pleased with.
Maybe 2010?
August 28th, 2009 at 11:47 AM ^
Great Diary, I don't think we bitched about this enough last time.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:47 AM ^
Granted you sound a bit more seasoned in the do’s and don’t of parking on the golf course than I, but in the times I’ve parked there I’ve just ignored the “flaggers” and headed to the area I wanted to park. Most of the personnel flagging people in and around aren’t of the mindset to really put up too much of a fight; at least based on my experience. I usually head towards the tree line so I have the trees as a barrier for my canopy and plenty of room to spread out. I can attest that last year we were forced to move our gear from beside our car to behind it though, but still successfully saved a space for our friends. Granted if you get in line early outside the gates so you can pull in between 8:00-8:30 you can usually maneuver to any area you want due to the lack of parked cars etc, but for the fans coming in 11:00 and on things start to pile up and it’s hard to cut across here or weave over there. All in all I agree with you calling out the course and reminding them that the customer is always right, but I doubt the effectiveness of charging another $10 for the canopies as people will just lie about it like they do about being a smoker on their insurance. Granted canopy users could be issued a different colored ticket or something, but I doubt the course is going to invest in the labor to walk around and track this.
August 28th, 2009 at 12:00 PM ^
I just like the idea of being able to save a spot for late-arriving compatriots.
Just because we didn't arrive bumper to bumper doesn't meant that we cant' head to the back of the course where nobody is (at least right away) and save a spot.
Safety can be an issue, but to me it seems simply making sure there are escape routes and that nobody parks on them would get the same result.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:19 PM ^
All they had to do was give us the first half hour to get to our spot. After that then pack everyone in around us. My spot was in the ditch (Ditch Crowd) in between the umtailgate.com group and Threet's parents spot across the aisle. It was perfect in the trees for convenient bathroom coverage and the fairway through the trees to play some pickup football. Ill be lining up at 7:30 sept 5th and hopefully thats where they start parking us. As for the safety issue they had the canopy rules for years but they never enforced them and thats their own fault for letting it get that bad.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:21 PM ^
Me and my father have parked directly across from the Golf Course east side entrance(I think thats it) at the Salvation Army store parking lot for the past 15 years. I believe its only 25-30 dollars and you can get a good spot right along the tracks and have plenty of room for canopy's and such. And all's you have to do is cross the street and you'll be right at the golf course. Its a very convenient and nice spot.
Anyone else know what I'm talking about and have parked there before?
August 28th, 2009 at 4:27 PM ^
Me and my father have been parking across the street from the East side entrance of the golf course(I believe its the east side) at the Salvation Army store parking lot for the past 15 years. Its only $25-30 to park and if you get there around 8-9 you can get a great spot right on the train tracks and have plenty of room to set up your canopy's chairs and even a corn hole set. And its very convenient since you only have to walk across the street and you'll be at the golf course.
Anyone else know what I'm talking about and have parked there before?
August 28th, 2009 at 8:56 PM ^
We park in the Mr. Stadium lot, which is just a short distance down the tracks from where you park. We walk through there on the way to the stadium. It seems like a cool place to tailgate - pretty rowdy at times. A couple years ago while walking through there we saw a ND fan puking his guts out right in the middle of the parking lot. His friends, and 2 AA police officers, were standing there watching. My brother and I just looked at each other and started laughing. It was classic.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
Sorry for the double post, I've been a long time reader and that was my first post.
August 28th, 2009 at 9:27 PM ^
Funny as the Athletic Department just sent out an email blast this afternoon entitled "Increased Parking on UM Golf Course"
August 29th, 2009 at 9:32 PM ^
Anybody know what time the golf course will be opening saturday morning??
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