Key takeaways
- A shotgun sends every hole live at once, so fairway robots need holds, not hope.
- USGA Clarification 5.3a/2 allows Committee-assigned starting holes across the course.
- One group per hole caps a field near 72 players before double-loading.
- Starters and monitors share one hold sheet tied to hole numbers, not vague areas.
- Document each charity template so next year’s map edits take minutes, not days.
What changes on fairways when the horn blows
A shotgun start is a starting arrangement, not a scoring format. The Committee assigns each group to a starting hole and every group begins at the same signal. Clarification 5.3a/2 in the Rules of Golf names this directly: in a shotgun start, the Committee may assign each group a different hole to start on.
For turf teams, that means all eighteen fairways become active at once instead of peeling off from a single first tee. Overnight fairway mowing robots that were finishing a quiet loop can suddenly share corridors with carts, walkers, and range balls if holds were not set.
Superintendents who run charity events, member-guest mornings, or corporate outings need a hold plan as routine as pin sheets. The robot is another player on the card until starters release the route.
How many groups fit, and why that matters for robots
Course operators often describe the clean math first: one four-player group on each of eighteen holes equals seventy-two golfers in a single wave. When fields grow, selected holes take a second group labeled 1A and 1B, with the B group starting only after the A group is safely away.
That pattern can push a single morning wave toward roughly one hundred forty-four players on paper, though many facilities cap lower when short par threes queue. Panther Valley Golf and similar tournament guides note that double-loading is approximate within a doubled hole even when starts are simultaneous across the course.
Your hold sheet should list every assigned starting hole, including A and B rows, because a robot clearing hole seven may still conflict with a B group staged on hole ten. Treat the published assignment table as the source of truth, not memory from last year’s outing.
Build the hold calendar before you touch polygons
Pull the confirmed shotgun time first. Senior tournament starter guides commonly list 7:00, 7:30, or 8:00 a.m. horns, with starters arriving at least an hour early to handle arriving foursomes. Back your robot release time off that horn, not off when the shop crew clocks in.
Mark a hard stop for autonomous fairway passes on any hole that hosts a starting tee, a forward tee, or a closest-to-the-pin setup on a par three. Those greens see foot traffic and stake placement that robots should never cross.
Share a one-page hold calendar with starters, rangers, and the overnight monitor. Columns should read hole number, A or B wave, earliest cart allowed, and robot status (running, hold, or complete). If the sheet lives only in the superintendent’s head, the first cart wins the argument.
Polygon locks versus full fleet shutdown
Full shutdown is the blunt tool: every fairway polygon pauses until the last group clears hole eighteen. It works for small staffs but wastes hours on the back nine when play has already passed.
Smarter programs lock only starting corridors and adjacent landing zones, then leave open polygons on holes where play has wrapped. That requires accurate geofences and a monitor who watches the live map, not just the charging dock.
Leave a buffer strip wide enough for a mis-hit drive and a cart turning on dew. Starters should know which holes still show a blinking hold icon on the shop monitor so they can answer member questions without calling the mechanic.
Double-loaded holes and the second wave
When 10B follows 10A, the fairway is not free just because the A group teed off. B groups often assemble on the same tee box while A is still within range. Your hold should extend until the starter radios clear, not until the robot software guesses traffic is gone.
Starter instruction sheets for double-loaded events alternate front and back nine assignments so traffic spreads instead of stacking on one par three. Mirror that logic in robot holds: if hole three is skipped for a B assignment because it is a short par three, keep hole three in hold longer than a straight par four.
After the horn, monitors should watch crossing routes where groups wrap from hole eighteen toward hole one. A robot finishing a loop on hole one fairway collides with tournament pace if wraps are not timed.
Charity templates you can reuse every season
Save the prior year PDF: starting hole order, A/B labels, closest-to-the-pin holes, and forward tee sheets. Tournament chairs rarely rewrite the whole package; they tweak sponsor signs and breakfast times.
Import that list into your robot software as named hold profiles, for example Member Guest Spring or Foundation Fall. Profiles should pre-lock the same corridors so a new assistant superintendent does not rebuild geofences at midnight.
Photograph stake and sign placement after setup. A moved forward tee marker changes where carts queue, which changes where a robot should not enter even if the digital map still looks correct.
Morning monitor checklist after the shotgun
Confirm each unit cleared starting corridors before the horn, then verify chargers picked up on schedule. A unit stuck mid-fairway during the horn becomes a pace and safety conversation within minutes.
Walk or ride the holes that hosted A and B pairs. Tire tracks through a damp landing zone tell you to widen holds next time or shift the approach path to a drier panel.
Log release times per hole when play allows robots back on turf. Those timestamps justify staffing decisions when the board asks why fairway height jumped after a busy Saturday.
Where integrator support fits without slowing starters
Service Robot Co. stays vendor neutral on fairway hardware, then helps teams document hold profiles, buy or lease financing, mapping updates, and RoboCare coverage through one contact. The superintendent still owns the agronomy call on when turf is firm enough to resume.
Before your first charity shotgun with robots live, run a table-top drill with starters: horn time, hold sheet, and who texts the monitor to release hole twelve. Integrators can export map versions after the event so next year starts from a tagged file, not a guess.
If a hold fails because a polygon was too tight, adjust the map after play, not during the horn. Starters need predictable answers when a member asks why a mower sat on the tree line.
