And the penalty for slow play was...

[Slab]

Cos you can never have enough threads on slow play I thought I'd start another

And the penalty for slow play was...

So what penalties or repercussions do you know have actually been handed out at your club in recent years?

Group forced to stand aside to let following group through
Group forced to skip a hole to catch up
Individual/s hit with shot penalty
Banned from x comps
Forced to tee off in last group
Something else

What does your course actually do (not threaten) for slow play in social or comp games?

 

[brendy]

Absolutely nothing. Its never anyones fault.

 

[patricks148]

Cos you can never have enough threads on slow play I thought I'd start another

And the penalty for slow play was...

So what penalties or repercussions do you know have actually been handed out at your club in recent years?

Group forced to stand aside to let following group through
Group forced to skip a hole to catch up
Individual/s hit with shot penalty
Banned from x comps
Forced to tee off in last group
Something else

What does your course actually do (not threaten) for slow play in social or comp games?

We have been putting start and finish times on our medal cards. The MHS Know there are a handful of guys who are very slow and block the course up, i think the intention is if it happens again they will be told they have to go out last.

If that will actually be enforced is another matter.

 

[farfaeforfar]

Ours does nothing for slow play.

However if you tea off before or after your given tee time you are penalised two strokes on the first. Further to this it's at the managing secretary's and/or committee discretion to exclude you from that particular competition.........

 

[Lord Tyrion]

We have been putting start and finish times on our medal cards. The MHS Know there are a handful of guys who are very slow and block the course up, i think the intention is if it happens again they will be told they have to go out last.

I think this is a really good idea and simple to do. Does it help speed people up generally or after being aware initially has it been normal service resumed?

 

[IanG]

We have card for visitors with expected time to completion printed on each hole - some of the members could do with the same!
For the first time this year we also have a ranger whose role is to ensure the pace of play is maintained. I'll be interested to see how that works out - I haven't played enough midweek myself to know if it has helped. He has the authority to require people to leave the course if they are too slow.

We also log the time to completion for each group and publicise in the hallway the monthly average round times for visitors and members.

I do have some sympathy for our visitors, if they're on a once-in-a-lifetime visit to play in Scotland, have paid full whack for a visitors fee (which keeps my subs down), they understandably don't want to feel rushed round the course.

 

[Beezerk]

However if you tea off before or after your given tee time you are penalised two strokes on the first. Further to this it's at the managing secretary's and/or committee discretion to exclude you from that particular competition.........

Blimey, our Pro is like "yeah there's an empty slot before you so just head off when you're ready".

 

[GB72]

We have a number of open competitions that are pairs staplefords. After a serious slow down in play for some of these rounds the club now reserves the right to insist that groups pick up their ball on any hole and move on to the next one if they are deemed to be holding up the course. Bit unfair on some as it could be the other pair slowing up proceedings but something had to be done as we were getting 5 hour plus rounds on a course the normally has even slow rounds completed in 4 hours on a medal day.

 

[patricks148]

I think this is a really good idea and simple to do. Does it help speed people up generally or after being aware initially has it been normal service resumed?

not sped up the couple i know that were told this, they won't have it they are slow TBH. one of them lost 4 holes on the group in front and they were a two ball, the group in front were a 3 and had to record a 40 min time difference

 

[duncan mackie]

not sped up the couple i know that were told this, they won't have it they are slow TBH. one of them lost 4 holes on the group in front and they were a two ball, the group in front were a 3 and had to record a 40 min time difference

Within clubs and especially competitions, this is the crux of the problem.

The people who are sensitive to the pace of play, and their impact on others on the course, end up running around concerned about their 'times' when established and known causes continue oblivious to the reality of their play.

Operation of a pace of play policy with a view to applying penalties in a club competition is extremely difficult. The rules are very explicit and require significant active management. Definitely not recommended.

This is not just a golf issue - at the average bridge event it's the same ...

 

[Slab]

Only a small number of replies but so far no course/club actually doles out any penalties or sanctions (a few threaten it) so clubs don't feel like they have an issue or not one they can address anyway

Given the R&A survey that slow play isn't an issue for most golfers is it just us forumers who have a problem?

Is it because we read that its slow so many times it must be true, when maybe its the same guy/s telling the same tale/s over and over

 

[Smiffy]

As mentioned on another thread, I endured a 5hr 10min round on Wednesday. We were a fourball playing behind a 3, and on that basis were told we wouldn't be held up too much.
Jeez, I've heard that some Tectonic plates move quicker.

 

[upsidedown]

In NZ we had drawn comps and all the slow players were at the back of the field .

 

[super hans]

I must be spoiled at my home course. I walked off the 18th on Wednesday complaining that we took 3h 45m for our round (its usually 3h 20m)

 

[Break90]

No penalties at my club, but a saturday medal round teeing off at lunchtime rarely takes more than 3.5 hours, never more than 4.

 

[3puttmaster]

My club has plenty of staff going around monitoring play but I have to say that the problem gets considerably worse when we enter the summer months. The reason for this is that the policy is to obviously cut the fairways; these are generally 25-30 yards wide. Then a strip of semi-rough about 5 yards wide is cut which is about 2 inches long and you can find your ball fine. However, after that, the grass is left to grow. In a nutshell, it is jungle material with no hope of finding your ball. Without a doubt it is this that slows play right down with golfers searching endlessly for balls throughout their round.

As we know, some golfers don't play provisionals, some won't wave the group behind through and the problem just goes on and on. Despite the club being asked to keep the longer stuff to a manageable length it never is and for handicap club golfers or visitors it is a problem which is easily overcome. But, the club won't listen and hence, the 5 hour round is common place.

To say it's frustrating is putting it mildly.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My club does nothing. There again, for the most part we get round even in medals in four hours or less

 

[garyinderry]

Guy in front of me tonight was playing in a 2 ball. one guy kept walking on up the fairway leaving his partner.

I didn't catch on as I was mucking about hitting a few balls and chipping etc.

It was only when I was on the 5th green that I noticed one of them was taking an absolute age over the ball.

I decided tomwqtch him and he did the same with his irons shots. at times he was just staring at the ball. It was comical.

35seconds I timed him standing over a drive later.

Complete Muppet.

 

[3565]

The R&A survey has found out that the Great British Isles are the quickest golfers in the world. Averaging if I remember correctly 3hrs 54mins. But the issue of slow play has to start at the top, the main tours. Whilst they take an age to play and nothing is done about it, then it isn't going to filter down to us mere mortals. The pros level are all similar unlike your monthly medal, It's a tall order for the club to start imposing penalties because of the fact that you have different skill levels of golf and physical abilities.