My last club called it a start sheet, not a comp sheet, for the same reason. If there were spare slots on the day, and you didn’t want to play in the comp, you could still book the slot.
A long, slow story
- Thread starter Golfnut1957
- Start date
My last club called it a start sheet, not a comp sheet, for the same reason. If there were spare slots on the day, and you didn’t want to play in the comp, you could still book the slot.
Golfnut1957
Newbie
I probably should have said "mainly about" as you are correct and there were two issues yesterday.
The comp in question was a 3-person team event and was an invitational that wasn't getting any support. The comp's committee had sent two emails out during the past couple of weeks begging people to enter and to a point it worked as the entries went up from a handful to 31 teams. This was enough for them to not go through with their threat to cancel the event.
In the past when a whole day has been put aside for events that have started with only a small field the comp has been compressed, and the course opened up for general play at the earliest opportunity. That they didn't do that yesterday smacks of the members being punished for not supporting them. I will be asking why it was closed all day when the opportunity arises.
On a similar note we as a club do have a particularly crowded diary, in fact during the summer there is barely a Saturday goes by when there isn't some form of comp or visiting party. Next Saturday the course is closed all day for the County Junior Girls, the following Friday, closed all day for a charity, the following Saturday the Mixed Pairs Foursomes, although to be fair that one isn't all day, but this trend continues through to the end of August.
I spoke to the chair of the comp's committee about this last year, and he told me that this year would be different. He was right, it's worse.
Bdill93
Undisputed King of FOMO
What does this guy do to be so slow? Like 10 practise swings per shot and a fag every 2 minutes? 
sunshine
Well-known member
Maybe Mr Slow deliberately chose a tee time at the back of the field, where he can go out with his mates and have a good natter on the way round without holding up anyone else. Maybe the other two players were just out for fun and banter and don't care about winning the competition.
If he's caused a problem for the competiton organisers than that's a different issue, and the committee has the ability to do something about it.
If he's caused a problem for the competiton organisers than that's a different issue, and the committee has the ability to do something about it.
Jigger
Club Champion
We have a set of older folk who love being out in the sun wandering around the golf course with golf getting in the way. They play casually for 9 holes after 3pm doing no harm to anyone. This in my opinion is the perfect slot for such golf and don’t believe anyone has the right to argue against it. I would however expect competitions to be managed enough to restrict play to a guided 4hr time and action taken if the culprit of slow play is obvious in your case.
We are privileged enough to have two courses and I play just after 9 in comps mainly so the pace is usually around 3:45 as a 3 or 4 ball. If we don’t want to play in the comp, we’ll mix it up with the societies which can be slower but we’d be ringing the clubhouse if it was 5:30 and asking for someone to come out.
In general though I don’t subscribe to people’s opinion of getting around in 3hrs. In most those cases it’s decent golfers not getting into trouble on shorter courses. I’m a 17 handicap and the highest in my group and we get around efficiently for the length of our courses. A lot of people don’t acknowledge the length or difficulty of the course when playing some places. Or the fact that it is an open sport for anyone to access. Everyone has seen hackers on courses and if you don’t have the time, play 9 holes.
We are privileged enough to have two courses and I play just after 9 in comps mainly so the pace is usually around 3:45 as a 3 or 4 ball. If we don’t want to play in the comp, we’ll mix it up with the societies which can be slower but we’d be ringing the clubhouse if it was 5:30 and asking for someone to come out.
In general though I don’t subscribe to people’s opinion of getting around in 3hrs. In most those cases it’s decent golfers not getting into trouble on shorter courses. I’m a 17 handicap and the highest in my group and we get around efficiently for the length of our courses. A lot of people don’t acknowledge the length or difficulty of the course when playing some places. Or the fact that it is an open sport for anyone to access. Everyone has seen hackers on courses and if you don’t have the time, play 9 holes.
Golfnut1957
Newbie
I'm absolutely certain that he went out when he did so he could play at his own pace, and consequently the only person that will have been inconvenienced will have been the member of the comp's committee who had to stay there all evening until he came in so that he could publish the result.
As I stated before, I can't for the life of me understand how under the circumstances presented anyone could take five and a half hours to play 18 holes. I know that he is known for using a line on his ball and meticulously lining up each and every putt. I have seen him using a range finder from 30 yards, measuring a chip shot, but none of that adds up to five and a half hours.
For the record he is 7.2 HI and if practise reflected handicap he would be scratch.
If he takes an extra 30secs a shot he adds around 40mins to a round. It’s not hard to increase round time by up to an hour… lengthy pre-shot routine, especially if he stalks his puts from all angles.
PJ87
Journeyman Pro
Felt like an eternity following a slow group yesterday
Putts took forever it was like it was the putt for the masters
Ready golf? What's that.. didn't walk to their balls until the next had played .
Finished putting waiting by the green doing their scores rather than on next tee
I find it's all abilities Aswell you can be awful but quick
Barking_Mad
Well-known member
Plot twist: his wife is an abusive alcoholic and he hates going home.
Jigger
Club Champion
I once played with a guy who used a range finder to measure his putt. Sounds like you club should be reducing comp slots and taking action at the same time. Dread to think what his playing partner thought and I’m surprised people still join him.
To be clear I was talking casual rounds earlier. I do believe that comps should be a reasonable pace for you course.
LincolnShep
Head Pro
or... his wife passed away several years ago. He doesn't like to talk about it and doesn't want sympathy, but he hates going home to an empty house.
sunshine
Well-known member
It's easy to take 5+ hours. You just stand on the tee chatting to your mates for 5 minutes before you hit, tell long stories as you walk around, you all walk around in a group and follow each other ball to ball instead of going to your own ball, spend 10 minutes looking in the rough, long pause in the halfway hut, take some videos and selfies, etc
It's actually quite possible to play quick golf but take 5 hours being sociable.
oleinone
Active member
I think the last word should be selfish.
Captain_Black.
Well-known member
I play with a slow player sometimes
He knows he's slow, he takes ages to hit his shot, then he sprints away down the fairway, often forgetting he wasn't the last to play.
His putting is the same, slow.
I find it unfair as it tends to pressure his playing partners to be quicker to make up for this guys slow play in the knowledge that the group is holding up following groups.
Some players just seem oblivious to their surroundings & their obligation to others.
Sure, it's not a race, but by the same token I gins slow play monotonous & boring.
He knows he's slow, he takes ages to hit his shot, then he sprints away down the fairway, often forgetting he wasn't the last to play.
His putting is the same, slow.
I find it unfair as it tends to pressure his playing partners to be quicker to make up for this guys slow play in the knowledge that the group is holding up following groups.
Some players just seem oblivious to their surroundings & their obligation to others.
Sure, it's not a race, but by the same token I gins slow play monotonous & boring.
I’m not shy in telling the group I’m in we’re losing ground if it becomes obvious over a couple of holes. And if that doesn’t work I have told a player he either keeps up or gets left behind, “your choice.” I’ve also felt the ire of the group I was in when I said we’re calling the group behind through. We all have the capability to get the group we’re in to pick up the pace if needs be. It doesn’t have to be left to the comps committee - that’s a cop out.
