Another round of slow play

[Deleted member 18121]

Just a little whinge if I may, feel free to share your pain also.

Played at 9am on Saturday morning in a 4 ball friendly game. The 4 ball in front were teeing off pretty much on time and as they were leaving the tee box a guy who was due to tee of behind us remarked "they're playing a swindle competition, that'll be a slow round"..... and so it started.

Standing on tees and fairways the whole way round waiting whilst all 4 players looked for lost balls, while 3 of them watched intently whilst the one playing their shot went through their pre shot routine, only to then go to their ball and select their club and then start their pre-shot routine.

The course marshall came out whilst we were on the 14th as someone in a group must have complained about how slow the round was....he acknowledged that it was nothing to do with us but the 4 members in the swindle comp had lost 2 FULL HOLES by this point.

I don't know who these members were but the marshall seemed intimidated by them and didn't even have a word with them.

5 hours 15 minutes.....wow.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Did you ask to play through?

 

[Deleted member 18121]

Did you ask to play through?

yes.

 

[Stuey01]

That is poor. I expect Saturday morning to be slow, but 5hr15 is taking the mickey. And the Marshall came out but did nothing? What's the point in the Marshall then?

 

[Deleted member 18121]

That is poor. I expect Saturday morning to be slow, but 5hr15 is taking the mickey. And the Marshall came out but did nothing? What's the point in the Marshall then?

Exactly. I think he came out and first went to the group that complained (about 3-4 groups behind us) and then chatted to the group behind us and me on the way back to the clubhouse....but just walked past the group causing the slow play and said nothing.

I've only been a member there for 6 weeks or so, but may have to make a complaint.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Just a little whinge if I may, feel free to share your pain also.

Played at 9am on Saturday morning in a 4 ball friendly game. The 4 ball in front were teeing off pretty much on time and as they were leaving the tee box a guy who was due to tee of behind us remarked "they're playing a swindle competition, that'll be a slow round"..... and so it started.

Standing on tees and fairways the whole way round waiting whilst all 4 players looked for lost balls, while 3 of them watched intently whilst the one playing their shot went through their pre shot routine, only to then go to their ball and select their club and then start their pre-shot routine.

The course marshall came out whilst we were on the 14th as someone in a group must have complained about how slow the round was....he acknowledged that it was nothing to do with us but the 4 members in the swindle comp had lost 2 FULL HOLES by this point.

I don't know who these members were but the marshall seemed intimidated by them and didn't even have a word with them.

5 hours 15 minutes.....wow.

We have a group that goes out first thing Saturday mornings that are just like this. All walk to one ball, watch player hit shot, go to next ball etc etc. During the summer they go out about an hour before us so we only catch them up occasionally but as the days get shorter we will be catching them up early on the back nine I should think. To top it off, I am told they play every round as medal so no pickups, no gimme's.

They have been told several times but it makes no difference.

 

[Khamelion]

Three of us got stuck behind a fourball that were playng slower that continental drift the other day, it was painful, after 7 holes we got sick, walked down to the 17th and played the last two.

I ice melted quicker than these guys moved.

 

[Foxholer]

We have a group that goes out first thing Saturday mornings that are just like this. All walk to one ball, watch player hit shot, go to next ball etc etc. During the summer they go out about an hour before us so we only catch them up occasionally but as the days get shorter we will be catching them up early on the back nine I should think. To top it off, I am told they play every round as medal so no pickups, no gimme's.

They have been told several times but it makes no difference.

Until something is done about it, then nothing will happen. Marshals should tell them to get a move on early enough to act as warning, then tell them to either let folk through or walk directly to the next hole.

Of course, Marshal needs to be 'armed' with the course timing info so that it can be shown that they are unacceptably behind schedule. And he also needs the support of the course management. It only needs to happen twice - if that - and the problem will be sorted - even if it means going out in 3-balls rather than in 4s.

Our Roll-Up group got the message across to a Swindle that had a couple of slow groups they stuck at the back. We simply slotted in front of one of the slow groups a couple of times at a convenient point - playing the course in a slightly different order to normal.
Marshals and other players had been intimidated by those groups in the past - even after being told by club management to let others through. It only took 2 instances of that for a change of mindset.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I play the same place as Hawkeye and we don't have marshalls. It has been brought to their attention both jovially, a bit more bluntly and even in the 19th to try and embarrass them (not a move I agree with and I wasn't there when it happened). I'm prepared to see how it plays out when the shorter days come around but I am tempted to give them fair warning and then put it writing