The Timetable rules allow you to restrict the booking opportunities for certain persons, and to set specific times or courses; PC CADDIE will automatically identify and execute them.
In order to define these automatic constraints you have to be able to answer to two fundamental questions:
1. WHO IS ALLOWED to book, when, how, and how often, and who is NOT ALLOWED to make bookings?
2. WHEN and FOR WHOM different greenfee prices apply?
Constraint examples from practice:
Every 30 minutes the tee time can only be reserved by members
Only 1 tee time is possible on weekends
Golfers can only be booked once per tee time
Golfers can only be booked once every four hours
So you can exclude groups of people, set time constraints and numerical limits, and define rules for a better, color-coded view of the local timetable.
You can define the Timetable rules/booking restrictions under the menu entry Timetable/Configure Timetable-Rules or in Timetable using the key combination Ctrl + F11
You can display only the timetable rules for the area opened in the timetable by placing a check-mark here.
Rules with color information can be shown in the timetable.
An account area can also be assigned to the timetable. In this example the account is area SALES. The articles for the price rules are fetched from this account area.
Rules with a gray background are currently inactive. These are either valid in the past or the future, or have been ticked-off in the rule (click on rule, click on edit below and on the bottom left select temporarily deactivate this rule). This is especially useful when rules are only used sporadically.
Rules are queried using the waterfall principle, i.e. from top to bottom. Create the most important rules first, because the first rule that fits will be used. The rules can be shifted with the Up and Down buttons.
You can test a new or an updated rule. Read the description below.
The timetable rules are queried for the online modules every 1 hour and saved online. If you have changed something in this window that should apply immediately, then the rules must be adjusted manually using the
Clubmanager in the Tee times menu, under Timetable Rules.
To be noted
Now we will explain simple filter functions for a better understanding on how to create Timetable rules. The following principles must be observed.
Always follow the principle: The timetable rules are always referring to a „Restriction“ or an „Interdiction“ - which applies for a certain group, for a certain time,… The name must be descriptive enough so that the group or the user understands what the rule is about- also for the PC CADDIE://online bookings.
Divide the rules in smaller groups and analyze each „Interdiction“ individually from time to time.
Please note that for the price/article assignment, the higher a rule is in the list, the higher priority it has.
It might help to sketch a classification scheme in order to make sure you remember everything.
Click on New (F9), to create a new rule:
Filter + Time | When and for whom applies the rule?
We now show how to use the individual fields of this function, starting with the tab Filter + Time:
Name Use a short and illustrative name for the rule (the interdiction). This must be meaningful enough for the customer to understand what it is even for the
PC CADDIE://online bookings.
Persons Determine the group of people for your filter. You can select an existing group from the list, or define a new group of people by clicking the
Define button. \\
The “neutral” rule in our example is intended for “all persons”.
At the same time, you must specify here whether the player is checked with the rule and the person filter (which makes sense for handicap rules) or „only“ the person making the booking, i.e. the person logged in (this option is selected, for example, if guests are not allowed to book themselves, but you want to allow a member to book a guest player).
Days Decide on which days the rule must be active. Activate those days by clicking on the particular boxes.
We selected all the days of the week in our example.
Holidays The button
Enter holidays allows you to set the holidays.
It is important that holidays are entered in the order of their dates. You have the following options:
Option 1 means „it does not apply to holidays“. The second option means the rule also applies to all holidays. Option 3 can be better understood with the Sunday example: the rule does not apply if the Sunday is also a public holiday (because the „Holiday“ box was not checked); however, this does not apply to all the holidays, this is why Options 1 and 2 are not enough in this case. Option 4 is useful for setting rules that
only apply when
Monday (for example) is a holiday, allowing you to define special rules for Easter or Whit Mondays.
Time Specify the time in which the rule will be active.
In this case, the rule counts for the whole day, so you can leave this field empty.
- Duration Here you can enter a specified duration for the rule. Enter breaks to ensure the booking window. (For example, reservations for guests are available only for full hours, etc.)
Valid from/to If a rule is not generally admitted but only during particular times of the year, here is the place to define those times.
Effective from Here you can define, for example, the start time for blocking an action (for example if short-term bookings with a pro can only be made by phone).
Nullified from Here you can define, for example, the ending time for blocking the bookings (for example, if the start times can be booked 5 days in advance, but only from 8 a.m.).
Valid for Here you can define if a rule is only valid for a certain kind of bookings.
All thee options is needed only if you work with the PC CADDIE hotel module.
Temporarily disable this rule Deactivate the rules, don't delete them - just in case you will need them again one day.
Article | When and for what article applies the rule?
You can select the article targeted by a rule defined as previously described using the tab Article.
Exceptions:
You can specify the group of persons for which the exception apply in the article description - (Article automatic processes). The basic settings apply if there are no exceptions defined.
Case study: All guests pay a specified greenfee price on weekends and public holidays. Exception: guests with the status Interested party pay no greenfee during the weekend, but they do pay a fee on holidays.
The green fee article for this looks like this:
The exceptions can be defined using the Automatic button.
All guests pay the set price on weekdays.
This type of rule is used for the automatic allocation of articles in a given time-frame. This can be very practical in day-to-day business, because the article is automatically included in the booking when the reservation is created. Thus, only the green fee has to be printed and/or collected on the match day.
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It makes sense to set up this rule with articles that contain several sub-articles, that is, you enter an article in the Article tab and define the exceptions in the article itself. An article with or without a subsequent booking is also conceivable here.
Booking restrictions | What limitations are there?
The Booking restriction functionality offered by PC CADDIE facilitates the automation of limitations using the timetable rules.
Pre-bookable Define here how many days in advance a certain group can make reservations (set in the Filter+Time tab).
For Swiss golf courses: the pre-booking must be complemented in separate rules, so that this information can be factored into golfsuisse.
For other golf courses: the pre-booking is set using the
PC CADDIE://online Club manager for members and guests.
Within a Tee time The value indicates how many times a person may register for the same tee time (for example, to reserve for a friend)
Maximum handicap difference in flight The best and worst players may differ in their handicaps by a maximum of this value.
Maximum handicap class 6 Here you can define that a maximum of the entered number of games in handicap class 6 can be booked per flight. :!:Attention: the check of this rule only works if a player with a high handicap wants to be added to the already booked players. If several players of class 6 want to register in a booking process, this cannot be intercepted.
Total bookable slots You can use this field to specify how many people are allowed to play in the flight. For example, you can define that only flights for 2 or 3 golfers can be booked during a certain period of time per day.
Maximum handicap total in flight The sum of the handicap of all the golfers in the group cannot exceed this amount.
Note additional information when separating players The
Flight separation for tournaments (also called blacklist - additional information that is stored with players who are not allowed to be placed in a flight) can be queried with this option for the tee time bookings.
In the period
- Count from the day of booking: This counts the bookings/holes from the day of booking. This is useful, for example, if a customer wants a maximum of X bookings allowed in the next 14 days or, , or a maximum of 10 bookings in 365 days.
- Calculate +/- days individually: Starting from the day the reservation is made (NOT from the day for which the reservation is made), X days are counted individually in both future and past.
- Calculate +/- days together: This means, for example, that for three days and for the reservation made on Monday PC CADDIE counts the combination of +/- 3 days: Sa., Su., Mo. / Su., Mo., tu. / Mo., Tu., We
- From Monday on / before the appointment (calendar week): This counts the bookings in one calendar week. You can define that only X bookings can be made between Monday and Sunday (or from the day of the following options for a calendar week).
…for X days (including the starting day) Enter the number of days for which the invoice, as entered under point 8, should apply. (for example, max 1 booking within 7 days max)
only include the days of the rule This is an important option so that only the bookings/holes of the days on which the rule is also valid are calculated.
Maximum X bookings / holes (This point belongs to point 12.)
Maximum occupied days together with 3., use this field to define a booking restriction applying to individual bookings, the maximum number of holes (for example, max. 36 holes can be played in 7 days) or a maximum of occupied days (for example, one may make as many bookings as he wants, but they all must be on the same day).
When you set up a booking restriction with respect to a maximum number of holes, it is imperative that the relevant
Timetable areas and the number of holes are specified.
Also check in this area If the booking restriction applies to the entire
system, enter here the areas in which PC CADDIE should search for bookings and count them. \\
Please only check this box if the rule is to apply across the board.
Minimum time interval between bookings Define here the minimum time interval between tee times.
This may differ depending on the course (9 holes or 18 holes), so you may need 2 rules.
Ignore past bookings when checking Bookings that are in the past at the time of booking are ignored. So you can, for example, create a rule that only allows 1 booking per day, but still gives the player the option to book another tee time for the same day after starting or finishing the round.
Include reference bookings for the person making the booking This not only counts the bookings of the player but also all bookings made by the player as a booking person for other players. So you can, for example, specify that a person cannot book more than 1 flight per day. For this example 4 bookings per day would have to be checked.
Rules for a certain period of time: you can ensure that the rules include the start and end dates, which are entered in the Filter + Time tab and which generally applies to the rule. In order for this to work, you usually have to enter this in the Representation tab under „Special“: LIMITDATFT
Visualization| How does a rule look like?
Use this dialog to define how a rule looks like. You can find here the answer to the following questions:
Should there be a warning sign?
If yes, which one?
Is the rule a general one, or does it only apply to specific booking processes?
Should it be represented using colors in the timetable? etc.
1. Warning Here you can define whether and when you want to receive a warning if this rule applies.
No bookings can be made if the warning is enabled; the person making the booking will receive the customer information stored in the Identifier field or under Point 8.
Be brief and clear.
You must select no warning regarding the filters for all the settings made in the tab Booking restrictions, otherwise the rule will be blocking without further examination - even if only the filter applies(for example, All Persons).
- Warning about persons that do not match: This will block all people who do not match the person filter defined under Filter + Time.
- Warning about people who match the filter: This will block all persons who are defined in the person filter under Filter + Time.
- Always warn when the time frame is right: This allows you to block all bookings, regardless of what is defined in the person filter under Filter + Time. You need this option, for example, to approve bookings 5 days before the appointment from 8 a.m. To do this, the rule would have to be set as described under Filter + Time Point 9.
2. Color Choose a color for the background of a rule. This can also be shown in the timetable and facilitates an overview thanks to the additional optical support (for example, members' tee times can be highlighted). These colors are not transferred to the PC CADDIE://online Services.
3. Special PC CADDIE:online function This means that the rules can also be visualized using special inputs. The advantage is that you can directly see what may or may not be allowed. A few examples can be found on this page.
- The setting with the red color blocks all bookings, regardless of what was entered in the other tabs or what person filter was selected:
- The yellow setting blocks the entire flight as soon as a booking has been made. This setting is often used for bookings with golf pros, if you want to allow one person to book a lesson for themselves and someone else, but no other person can add to bookings that have already been made::
- The settings marked with green are not blocking, but are intended for informative rules. For example, you can use this to specify that you are offering special prices at certain times or that maintenance work is currently being carried out on the site:
- With the exception of the last option, the settings marked with gray color always apply to the whole day and no bookings can be made. This setting is needed, for example, if you allow the viewing of the tee times for the back 9 holes, but they cannot be booked.
4. This rule applies to the following booking type You can decide here the booking methods for which the rule applies (only online, only on site, both, etc.)
5. Override only with special rights When this option is enabled, this rule cannot be ignored by local staff with basic access, and prevents the booking. Employees must have supervisor or full access rights to make a reservation in spite of such a rule.
6. Use from the booking day The rule applies from the day of booking for the next X days: for example, for the next 3 days → Day 1 to 3 / for tomorrow → Day 1 to 1.
7. Special Here you can enter special commands that cannot be entered using the standard settings. PC CADDIE makes the distinction between the following commands:
- FAREA:0901 Automatic follow-up bookings will be made at the required time in a booking area different than the normal follow-up area (adjustments possible). 0901 represents an abbreviation in the timetable. For example, if the holes 10-18 are blocked on Monday, the follow-up booking should be made on a 9-hole course.
- MAXPR:2 or MAXPR:1 A maximum of 2 players with course permission may be booked for a game.
- MAXC6:2 A maximum of 2 players with handicap class 6 may be booked for a game.
There are no adjustments allowed, this is about fix rules.
8. Customer information during blocking Please only fill-out this field if the Identifier field is too short. Otherwise there may be the case that the search for certain rules may take too long - for example, which rule applies for an online booking.
PC CADDIE://online rules: a few practical examples for point 3
*M Can be booked by members only! |
From the point of view of the online database, the registered person must be a club member in order to be able to book. |
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*D Booking deactivated - without text display |
The times that cannot be booked are displayed in gray and without any information. The text is not visible. |
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*L displays the text: 'Can be booked only on-site!' |
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*$ Show as offer/discount with rule name (special offer) |
Although this setting informs, it does not block the booking. Please pay particular attention to the name here. |
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Areas | For what booking areas applies the rule?
You can set the timetable areas for which the rule applies in the tab Areas:
You can set for which course/trainer the rule applies under the tab Areas.
The list from the tab Areas is NOT comprehensive, as opposed to the one presented in the following screenshot. The areas listed in the tab Booking restrictions are rarely ticked:
Test the booking rules
Test the rules thoroughly. You can access the main dialog of the timetable rules via the menu entry Timetable/Configure Timetable-Rules. Select the rule you want to test and press the Test button.
Define the person, date and time for the desired booking and test your configuration. PC CADDIE shows you all the enabled rules. Although the items in brackets apply during the selected period, there is no warning and they impose no limitations to this person/booking. The items without parentheses would lead to a warning.
This warning can be displayed in the timetable as well when a relevant entry is made, depending on the Description tab.
Make sure you use a significant name for the rule and you provide the relevant information.
Use Booking on to make it look like the „X“ day is really important for you.
Synchronize booking rules online
In order for newly created time table rules to be activated immediately for online bookings, they must be compared in the club manager. To do this, click on the link on your info desktop:
then go to tee times:
and synchronize the online timetable rules with the local ones:
Example from practice
Only 1 booking within 5 hours
Create a new rule
Enter a clear description: Player can only be booked once within 5 hours
Booking restriction tab: Minimum time interval between bookings: 5 hours
Areas tab: select areas for which the rule should apply
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Enter special rates
Highlight special pricing models or daily specials in the timetable. Also visible online and bookable for your guests, upon request.
Create a new rule
Enter a clear description: Sunrise green fee for only 30€ instead of 50€
Filter + time tab: define the times and dates when the display should be made.
Presentation tab: select the special function „$ display as offer/discount with rule description“
Areas tab: select areas for which the rule should apply
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Informative rules, for example for maintenance days
Make sure that everyone who made a boking is informed about the upcoming work
Create a new rule
Enter a clear description: maintenance day
Filter + time tab: define the times and dates when the display should be made.
Presentation tab: select the special function „*I Display rule name as information“
Areas tab: select areas for which the rule should apply
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Only reservation by phone are possible 4 hours before the actual time
This rule is very practical especially for freelance trainers, so that a customer is not booking one training hour with 10 minutes notice, while the trainer is taking his lunch knowing that he has no appointments.
Create new rule
Enter a relevant description: *K Late booking only by telephone
Misunderstanding: 4 h before the actual time
The *K ensures that this is also shown on-line. Alternative, you can also use *T for booking only by telephone.
Tab Filter + Time: Rule applies from: On the day of the appointment - -4:00 h
That corresponds to the formula FROM:-0,-4:00, which can be entered under special in the tab Presentation.
Areas tab: select areas for which the rule should apply
Presentation tab: mark Always warn when the time frame fits.
Presentation tab: please assign a color.
In the local timetable it looks like this, so the secretariat is also informed:
And the PC CADDIE://online view:
Winter rule for the course
Has it snow, or there are simply no start times during the winter? Then the following timetable rule is recommended.
You can create a new rule under Timetable/Timetable-Rule.
Enter the text *- Winter rule under Description
Only applies for the time-frame
from… to…
In the
Display tab, select the option
Timetable visible, but no booking can be made
Now go to PC CADDIE://online Club manager at Tee times. You can upload here the rule under Load the rules from the local PC CADDIE System.
You can also publish a text like the following via Text from the PC CADDIE://online Club manager as well:
Dear member, dear guest
At the moment, you cannot book a start time. FYI, you can still see the availability. Please contact us at +49 1234 567890 for your questions and concerns about the most beautiful game in the world; we are happy to personally assist you.
Your Sonnenschein Golfclub Team
This is how it looks like in PC CADDIE://online - one can see the availability (morning frost can be inserted through blocking)), but no reservations can be made.
This rule can serve as example for other rules, for example when no start time booking is possible during the week. The customers can see the availability and find out when they can play.
Trainer not available
With a similar rule as previously described and using the symbol *K and an appropriate text in the Rule -Description, you can quickly and easily block any bookings for a coach for a certain period.
Limit number of bookings per account
Use the following rule if you want to limit the number of bookings per user:
Here is defined that a maximum of 2 bookings can be made on the current day (within +/- 0 days):
There is a “flight separation„ for the tournaments' start lists. Read the „Order“ section! You can activate the same feature for the timetable:
Create a rule by clicking on „New“. You can use the standard settings and only enter the following in the „Display“ tab under Special: FTCHK
The following message appears:
With fixed tee times - "Golfing with social distancing"
Corona measures in the club
Our tee time system allows you to organize organize the game in the event that the golf courses open, subject to official requirements. Filter restrictions in the tee time system can be used to automate the fact that only a specified number of players are in flight at specified intervals on the course - without any personal contact.
Here you will find examples of settings that can be made using the timetable rules. These examples can be combined with one another. We recommend that you create your own rule for each restriction or measure.
Please contact our support hotline if you need assistance.
Define timetable rules/booking restrictions in PC CADDIE under the menu item Define timetable/Timetable rules or directly in the timetable using the key combination Ctrl + F11.
Allow a maximum of two players per flight
In the conference call between the Chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states on October 28, 2020, the parties involved made various resolutions to “fight the SARS-Cov2 pandemic”, which also have an impact on golf courses in Germany. For the game of golf as an individual sport, thie means that you can play alone, in pairs, or with your own household.
Please clarify how you will deal with existing bookings. There are certainly already bookings with 4 people who do not come from the same household.
Remember that newly created rules must be syncronized in the club manager so that they are directly valid online! The description is available in the above section Synchronize booking rules online
In order to limit the number of people within a flight, please create the rule as follows:
„Filter+Time“ tab:
Rule description: choose a clear description, for example „Max. 2 people per booking CORONA“
Person filter: All persons (neutral)
Days and time: Every day, including public holidays
Time: 00:00 to 24:00
Only valid: here you specify the period for which the rule should apply
„Booking restrictions“ tab:
„Presentation“ tab:
Select the special PC CADDIE://online function „*I Display rule name as information
„Areas“ tab:
* Select the timetable areas for which this rule should apply. In our example: all golf courses.
====Block tee time after booking ====
The following rule allows you to block a tee time for further bookings. For example, it would be possible
that someone can book a tee time online only for themselves or with a friend, but afterwards nobody else can book the same time.
„Filter+Time“ tab:
* Rule description: choose a clear description, for example „Block tee time after booking“
* Person filter: All persons (neutral)
* Days and time: Every day, including public holidays
* Time: 00:00 to 24:00
„Presentation“ tab:
* Select the special PC CADDIE://online function: select the „*S“ option here: „Complete blocking of the time as soon as a player is booked“.
* Customer information when blocked: enter the customer information that should be displayed in the event of a block.
„Areas“ tab:
* Select the timetable areas for which this rule should apply. In our example: all golf courses.
==== Two tee times break between the flights ====
In this example we assume that you want to set start times from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in 10-minute intervals, but with pauses between the flights.
If you assign other times and/or use a different time grid, simply make the necessary adjustments in your rule.
„After a booked tee time, pause for two tee times (20 minutes)“.
To do this, create a new rule that forbids starting between the permitted times :
„Filter+Time“ tab:
* Rule description: choose a clear description, for example „10 minutes tee time, 20 minutes break“
* Person filter: All persons (neutral)
* Days and time: Every day, including public holidays
* Time: 08:10 to 24:00 (10 minutes from the start of your first tee time)
* Duration: 20 minutes - Break: 10 minutes
„Presentation“ tab:
* Warning: select „Always warn when the time frame matches“
* Customer information when blocked: enter the customer information that should be displayed in the event of a block.
„Areas“ tab:
* Select the timetable areas for which this rule should apply. In our example: all golf courses.
==== Members only ====
If only your members are allowed to book tee times, create a new rule as follows:
„Filter+Time“ tab:
* Rule description: choose a clear description, for example „Members only“
* Person filter: All members
* Days and time: Every day, including public holidays
* Time: 00:00 to 24:00
„Presentation“ tab:
* Warning: select „Warn of persons don't match“
* Select the special PC CADDIE://online function: „Only members can book“
* Customer information when blocked: enter the customer information that should be displayed in the event of a block; for example: „Tee times only for members“.
„Areas“ tab:**
* Select the timetable areas for which this rule should apply. In our example: all golf courses.
==== Booking allowed only once per day====
The most important things for this rule:
If you want to create a rule that allows a maximum of one booking on one day, there must be a 0 (zero) for the days and a 1 for bookings. If you enter 1 for days, then the day before and after would be also be checked (today +1 = tomorrow)..
====Booking allowed only once a day - only with subsequent booking settings ====
The most important things for this rule:
In clubs that alternatively offer 9 or 18 holes (with the option of subsequent bookings): 2×9 holes are booked, if 18 holes are played, i.e., 2 bookings must then be „thought“ for 18 holes: