5 ball on the course!!!!

sawtooth

sawtooth

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Today we were behind a 5 ball on our course I kid you not.

It got as far as the second hole before staff went out on the buggy and told them to split up. The minute the buggy disappeared they went back to playing the hole as a 5 ball!

We took matters into our own hands on the 3rd tee, we shouted over to them as they were walking over off the 2nd and this prompted the group to stand and wait for us to finish. They invited us to play through (which we did) but not before having a rather lively debate. They couldn't get it in their heads why we were complaining, "surely a 5 ball moves quicker than a 2 and a 3?" No. we emphatically told them it doesn't , and pointed out that its not the done thing.

After a couple more holes (presumably after further harassment from others on the course) they got the message and thankfully split up into 2 groups.

You have to bear in mind that its a public course that changes management in a week. I'm sure this wouldn't happen anywhere else:rolleyes:
 
sawtooth said:
Today we were behind a 5 ball on our course I kid you not.

It got as far as the second hole before staff went out on the buggy and told them to split up. The minute the buggy disappeared they went back to playing the hole as a 5 ball!

We took matters into our own hands on the 3rd tee, we shouted over to them as they were walking over off the 2nd and this prompted the group to stand and wait for us to finish. They invited us to play through (which we did) but not before having a rather lively debate. They couldn't get it in their heads why we were complaining, "surely a 5 ball moves quicker than a 2 and a 3?" No. we emphatically told them it doesn't , and pointed out that its not the done thing.

After a couple more holes (presumably after further harassment from others on the course) they got the message and thankfully split up into 2 groups.

You have to bear in mind that its a public course that changes management in a week. I'm sure this wouldn't happen anywhere else:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

About 3 years ago our Captain went out in a 5 ball - in a comp. :eek:
 
Played in an eight ball once on a Saturday afternoon with permission from the pro as it was late afternoon, we're told let people through in the unlikely event of anyone else turning up. No one did so it was all ok.
 
Blimey more common than I thought :o

Its obviously wrong to play 5 ball and we argued a toss that its slower to go around that way but thinking about it, would it really be slower? Than a 2 and a 3 ball? :mmm:
 
The only time I played the Old Course at St Andrews, we followed two groups of Japanese (presumably all friends) who joined up after a couple of holes to make a 6-ball! And boy they were slow! So it's not only muni courses, although I suppose St Andrews is a sort of muni! :)
 
delc said:
The only time I played the Old Course at St Andrews, we followed two groups of Japanese (presumably all friends) who joined up after a couple of holes to make a 6-ball! And boy they were slow! So it's not only muni courses, although I suppose St Andrews is a sort of muni! :)
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I always thought St Andrews was fully marshalled and that something like that couldn't happen?
 
As long as a 5 keeps up with play I cant see why its any issue. Its only when a group gets so large that it does slow the whole course down that it needs marshaling.
 
Played as a five ball several times.i think five ok players will be faster then a two and a three ball. not waiting for fairway and greens to clear.like already said if they don't slow play down I see no issue.afternoon knock yes. Sat morning comp then no.
 
I went out in a five-ball one evening after we'd had a longest drive comp at the club. It felt weird because it's nearly always a max of 4, but when you think about it there's no reason other than tradition that four is the most, and so long as you don't hold play up I see no problem with 5+ balls.
 
Leereed said:
Played as a five ball several times.i think five ok players will be faster then a two and a three ball. not waiting for fairway and greens to clear.like already said if they don't slow play down I see no issue.afternoon knock yes. Sat morning comp then no.
Click to expand...
Don't get that.:confused: A two ball will take say 3 hours, a three ball 3 1/2 hours, and I imagine a five ball four hours plus. Three ball tees off ten minutes after the two ball it will take 3 hours 40 minutes. Must be much quicker than a five ball surely ?

I have never seen a five ball at any of the clubs I have played at in the UK, though in France I have seen a 7 ball.:eek:
 
Leereed said:
Played as a five ball several times.i think five ok players will be faster then a two and a three ball. not waiting for fairway and greens to clear.like already said if they don't slow play down I see no issue.afternoon knock yes. Sat morning comp then no.
Click to expand...

Experience shows otherwise! Even a 4-ball is significantly slower than a 2-ball + 3-ball, even with the 10 min gap between them!
 
Our place would not have it at any price and there would be a right kick off if people didn't desist once having been shown the error of their ways.

We do however have the odd six-ball (really only a 3-ball) when needs must, these being in our monthly Winter Foursoms comp played as groups of 2 pairs when a two-ball team cries off for whatever reason, and as it's semi-shotgun start then there's nowhere to slot in a two-ball, plus they'd have to mark their own card.
 
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