What's the fair way to resolve this dilemma?

[G50]

This is not a big deal, but one of those little things that to me present interesting choices.

Imagine you are the tour director for a large (PGA) Junior golf league.

Kids sign up for tournaments a month in advance, on line. The fields fill up fairly fast, so not all kids that sign up can play. The rule is "first come first served." This is easy to track b/c the time and date that each kid signs up is recorded and shown as public information.

A bunch of kids sign up. The tee times and pairings are made and emailed out 2 weeks ahead of the tournament. A parent notices that his kid isn't in the tournament. The website shows that the excluded kid signed up earlier than 4 of the other players in the tournament.

The parent calls you. You look into it. It is clear that the excluded kid signed up before the others, and was only excluded because of a manual computer entry error by someone on your staff.

So, that's the dilemma: 2 kids for one spot. One is in the tournament because of an error, the other excluded because of it.

On the one hand, the rules are "first come first served." The tournament is 2 weeks away, and you can correct the error by removing the kid who was included only because of the error, and including the one who was excluded.

On the other hand, you have already sent out the tee times and pairings, and you'd now have to contact the parents of the kid who you put in the tournament, to tell them they were mistakenly put in ahead of a kid who signed up before them. You'd have to tell that parent that even though you sent out an email showing the tee times, and your kid was included, you have to now pull him because of the error.

How would you resolve this?

(I'm curious as to what you think, not because it's a big deal, but because I was surprised at the decision that was made. The answer seems fairly obvious to me, but maybe I'm wrong or biased. Also, I won't say which one was my son to keep it neutral).

[Seahawk]

Add three. Work in another foursome. Not that hard.

[Head416]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Add three. Work in another foursome. Not that hard.

That's what I was thinking.

[cashflyer]

Cancel the tournament, but send everyone a trophy.
It's the only way to be sure that nobody gets his/her feelings hurt.

[A930Rocket]

+2

add three. Work in another foursome. Not that hard.

[Burnin' oil]

"First come, first served."

Seems pretty straight-forward to me. The kid that was first gets to play and the other loses what he didn't rightly have.

[G50]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Add three. Work in another foursome. Not that hard.

For a variety of reasons, that's not an option. More players or tee times cannot be added.

[G50]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

Cancel the tournament, but send everyone a trophy.
It's the only way to be sure that nobody gets his/her feelings hurt.

LOL. I see you've never been involved in Jr. Golf!

What you are describing works for Little League or Soccer (both of which my son has done).

The attitude in competitive golf, even at the Jr. level, is 180 degrees the opposite.

[Head416]

I would try to find a way to include them both, if possible, just because I'm a nice guy. Failing that, the one that should have been denied gets denied so the one that registered first can play. First come, first served. He was first.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Burnin' oil

"First come, first served."

Seems pretty straight-forward to me. The kid that was first gets to play and the other loses what he didn't rightly have.

Certainly the right answer if the kid being dropped (this is, after all, Junior PGA) parents won't lawyer-up and cause a maelstrom easily avoided.

Where's my trophy?

[Amail]

Give the first kid his berth and offer free guaranteed entry into the next tournament for the kid getting bumped.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Paul's response is best! Add another foursome, let them start behind the 18th, every set gets a rest period waiting between 18 and 1.

Or follow the rules, inform both sets of parents of the mistake, and include the excluded player.

Question: Is it allowed for players who have signed up to show and see if anyone fails to show? Standbys if you will?

[nostatic]

Plant illegal drugs on the player who got in, then disqualify him/her, thus opening up a spot for the one that got snubbed.

You guys don't think outside the box. Is the player's mom hot?

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Plant illegal drugs on the player who got in, then disqualify him/her, thus opening up a spot for the one that got snubbed.

Dude if music doesn't work out for you, you've got a future in politics.

[Burnin' oil]

Don't plant the drugs on the kid who "got in." Too obvious. Pick some other kid in the tourney, maybe some fat kid.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Send e-mails to all the kids saying that golf is for sissies and (to quote George Carlin) "about as exciting as watching flies f**k"). Send them an enrollment form for Pop Warner and turn 'em into real men.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Dude if music doesn't work out for you, you've got a future in politics.

Or law enforcement

[nota]

land mines

[911boost]

How old are these "kids"?

While you may not like hearig it, your staff screwed up. Be a man and call the parents of the kid that is getting bumped and explain that to them. There really is no other answer.

Unless like Todd said, the kids mom is hot, then that causes a wrinkle.

[genrex]

[QUOTE] already sent out the tee times and pairings.


The last pairing gets an added player, and is now a threesome.

No big deal. It's happened before in the history of the world.

_