A counter argument to the Slow Play one!
- Thread starter Foxholer
- Start date
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
More about walk, don't ride....which I believe is pretty accepted around here for those that have a simple choice.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Blocked to link, whats it all about?
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
As posted in #2 - that's all.
ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
I completely agree that golf is a slow game, but not so slow that we should spend half our time waiting for other groups to clear.
As long as your general overall pace of your game keeps groups moving around the course then no issue is caused.
As long as your general overall pace of your game keeps groups moving around the course then no issue is caused.
Grant85
Head Pro
Basically saying take your time and smell the flowers.
It's a lot of nonsense as he seems to suggest the average time for a round has always been 4 hours.
There might be a good few places bringing that average down, but the day you end up playing somewhere that increases the average, it becomes a long and much less enjoyable day.
No doubt there's quite a few 'pay and play' courses that were built in the 80s / 90s on the wrong side of the 4 hour mark They might be attached to a hotel or health club and have the following features;
* a set of 'black' tees miles back that no one ever plays, that were put in because you need to have a set of tees nudging 7,200 yards (this increases the walk time between holes)
* even the yellow tees are 6,800 yards, and that's a lot of golf for some people
* plenty of 'no go' areas either side of the fairway. At a members club these might be cut back a few times a year, but here they don't want to spend the time / machinery on it and they have gotten to the stage it would be a huge job to tend the area
* water in play on as many holes as possible. Ponds / open ditches / burns, if they are anywhere near the hole they are made sure the routing has them fully in play
* very inexpensive green fees because there are no members, and save for the 2 or 3 days per year it's hired out for some corporate or charity day, you can pretty much get on at 10 minutes notice
* adverts everywhere offering a 'points based membership' and 'a challenging golfing experience for players of all abilities' as well as 'USGA greens'
* no doubt a lot of trees that were planted as the course was being layed out and some are now mature and encroaching on play
* a high number of non-regular golfers playing it (possibly off the wrong set of tees) looking for balls on most holes and taking absolutely ages to get round.
* cart paths, but very few working golf carts available and most players walking, despite it being close to a 10 mile walk all the way round
The problem is that this is the golf courses that 'would be regular players' end up playing that might get to the point of joining a club. They might even do the points based membership. But get put off by the odd bank holiday or Saturday morning round that takes them 5 hours. They end up knackered and barely remembering the 2 good holes they had on the front 9 once they were warmed up.
It's a lot of nonsense as he seems to suggest the average time for a round has always been 4 hours.
There might be a good few places bringing that average down, but the day you end up playing somewhere that increases the average, it becomes a long and much less enjoyable day.
No doubt there's quite a few 'pay and play' courses that were built in the 80s / 90s on the wrong side of the 4 hour mark They might be attached to a hotel or health club and have the following features;
* a set of 'black' tees miles back that no one ever plays, that were put in because you need to have a set of tees nudging 7,200 yards (this increases the walk time between holes)
* even the yellow tees are 6,800 yards, and that's a lot of golf for some people
* plenty of 'no go' areas either side of the fairway. At a members club these might be cut back a few times a year, but here they don't want to spend the time / machinery on it and they have gotten to the stage it would be a huge job to tend the area
* water in play on as many holes as possible. Ponds / open ditches / burns, if they are anywhere near the hole they are made sure the routing has them fully in play
* very inexpensive green fees because there are no members, and save for the 2 or 3 days per year it's hired out for some corporate or charity day, you can pretty much get on at 10 minutes notice
* adverts everywhere offering a 'points based membership' and 'a challenging golfing experience for players of all abilities' as well as 'USGA greens'
* no doubt a lot of trees that were planted as the course was being layed out and some are now mature and encroaching on play
* a high number of non-regular golfers playing it (possibly off the wrong set of tees) looking for balls on most holes and taking absolutely ages to get round.
* cart paths, but very few working golf carts available and most players walking, despite it being close to a 10 mile walk all the way round
The problem is that this is the golf courses that 'would be regular players' end up playing that might get to the point of joining a club. They might even do the points based membership. But get put off by the odd bank holiday or Saturday morning round that takes them 5 hours. They end up knackered and barely remembering the 2 good holes they had on the front 9 once they were warmed up.
ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
1. People should play of the right Abiliteeâ„¢
2. The course estate needs to be of a manageable size so rough can be managed appropriately, especially under trees.
chrisd
Major Champion
Played Saturday in a comp as a 2 ball, 4 hours behind a 3 ball where on most tees one of the 3, different one each time, only managed to nob it of the tee box. Slow in front of them too but never got to go through.
Played Sunday as a 4bbb, barely saw another group as most regulars played Saturday - 3.5 hours, I know which round I enjoyed most ðŸ‘
Played Sunday as a 4bbb, barely saw another group as most regulars played Saturday - 3.5 hours, I know which round I enjoyed most ðŸ‘
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
chrisd
Major Champion
I'm calling typo on this
Just happened to be true, well at least to the 16th when torrential rain caused us to walk in and it may not have been a different one EACH time but it was two of them on the 1st 😣
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
But how could you be 4 hours behind that group and still see them teeing off? Your course layout must be like spaghetti junction
r0wly86
Head Pro
as with all pace of play arguments it all comes down to relative speed not absolute. Of course you can take your time and enjoy being outside as long as you aren't holding up another group who are relatively playing faster, let them through. That's all we can ask
chrisd
Major Champion
But how could you be 4 hours behind that group and still see them teeing off? Your course layout must be like spaghetti junction
Stuck behind them from the 1st
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Ok I think I just cracked the code
The round took you 4 hours and you were directly behind the 3 ball? Jeez, I read it that you started 4 hours behind a 3ball !
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
having been playing for 45 years on a wide range of courses (in the UK) in everything from large golf events to a single enjoying the walk I really don't think this statement to be anything like the nonsense you suggest.
It's completely irrelevant how long the course takes you to play - it's you, or your group, relative to all the other groups playing that course at that time that can impact your enjoyment.
Water (with the fairway mown to the edge) adds next to nothing to speed of play. Narrow semi strips with lots of clover in featureless areas of 4" 'rough' are a complete killer in comparison, as is any penalty area with the possibility of finding the ball either in, or outside, it. That's 3min (which means at least 5, probably 7 in reality, because people don't like losing balls, have to play a provisional which may or may not need finding itself...and people who should otherwise have been playing their shots get involved as well). Gorse and heather should obviously be removed from all courses as they represent a significant risk to those racing round...
Crazyface
Tour Winner
Most seem to whizz round at my place but we were behind two dawdlers two weeks ago and for the first time EVER I had to have a word. Then blow me, we got stuck behind three dawdlers last week, so I had a bit of a loud whinge and they sped up. I'm not a fast player and like a stroll, but OMG these were one step forward two steps back!!!
HamiltonGuy
Active member
Fire one over their head if they are too slow... always gets them conversing about it
