Does your club allow fourball card marking?

[ManinBlack]

There are a number of groups in our club who play early & all mark cards, having a mini competition amongst themselves. There are no gimmies & everyone holes out on every hole where they can score. Some groups are old & move slowly anyway but they still insist on playing in fours, which makes matters worse. They hold up the rest of the course but if you ask the ones you're behind to come through they just say "no, there's nowhere for you to go". They consider that they are playing at an acceptable pace because they are right behind the group in front, who are also playing incredibly slowly.

No club competition medal or Stableford competitions are played in fourballs, for obvious reasons. I have no objection to people marking cards, but only as long as the don't hold up the rest of the course.

anyone else have this problem?

 

[Deleted member 16999]

All our Comps are in 4 Balls and comps take priority over non-comp 1-4 balls, so if this happens at our place they would move over or not be allowed to go off in front of the comp.

Our Comps first Tee off is at 7am, anyone wanting to play earlier but not in the comp are normally way ahead.

 

[Fish]

We're all mainly fourballs, in our roll ups, comps the whole 9 yards.

As for not letting anyone through, it's not their place to say there's nowhere to go, if there holding up a faster group behind they should be giving way to them, I'd report them after an initial friendly reminder about etiquette but if it fell on deaf ears, then it would be a letter to the committee with names supplied.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

We have no rules on not playing in fourballs, althoughbeing honest I don't see much pace of play difference between a 3 and 4 ball. Irrespective of numbers, if the group behind you is playing faster they should be let through. Sadly though I do hear the same comment " they have nowhere to go" from time to time, but that just shows the selfishness of that group.
On the opposite side, I wouldnt want to be at a club that restricts the number who can play in a group.

 

[2blue]

Only 3-balls in Comps at our place @ 10 min intervals & with 'Ready-golf' encouraged the slow-play issues have greatly reduced. Do those 4-balls adopt 'Ready-golf'.... if not get the Committee on it .... good luck with it :thup:

 

[Dasit]

Book the tee time before the slow 4 balls :thup:

All our comps are 3 ball and I am thankful for it.

With the halfway house and the obligation to stop there, never see a round below 4 hours

 

[Hobbit]

If its a start sheet to book tee times, and not a competition sheet, you're stuck with it. As to there attitude to not letting anyone through, as wrong as it is how do you go about changing their mentality without getting too formal? I daresay there's some sort of hierarchy within the group, i.e. a main organiser, you can have a word with.

Equally, how much slower is much slower? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VxkltwS9g0

Older players will, usually, be slower players. Why can't they play at their pace, providing it isn't ridiculously slow? There's got to be some live and let live...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

No issues about them marking cards but I'd have a huge issue with their stubborn refusal to let faster moving groups through. That needs reporting and something done about for the good of the majority

 

[HawkeyeMS]

If you're asking whether the club allows 4-balls playing bounce games to mark a card, then I would be surprised if any club had a rule that forbade it.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Are you just saying that you have a roll up who play in fourballs every week and play it with everything putted out etc ?

That seems to me to how most club roll ups work - the only variation being gimmies etc

The only problem is their pace of play - the simple answer is directly tackle them about it first , if no satisfactory answer then go to Committee

 

[Hobbit]

Or is it singles playing in 4's that's the problem?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you're asking whether the club allows 4-balls playing bounce games to mark a card, then I would be surprised if any club had a rule that forbade it.

Doesn't it remind you of the group that went out on a Saturday. You'll be unsurprised to know nothing has changed and every ball is searched for, every putt holed out and a course stacking up behind. They still won't let anyone through.

 

[Billysboots]

I was a member at Kibworth GC for many years and found this problem with some of the senior members. They would play in roll ups on a Thursday morning and would play informal competitions amongst themselves.

They used this as an excuse for appalling etiquette and slow play. I recall playing with a friend one morning and being denied the opportunity to play through an excruciatingly slow 4-ball who claimed their "competition" meant they had priority. When it was pointed out to them that they had lost two holes on the group ahead, and that their roll up had no priority over anyone, despite them playing for tea and tea cakes, they stood aside.

Sorry, but if it's not a recognised club competition or match, then I don't care if cards are being marked. The fact someone is marking a card off their own back is no excuse for poor etiquette.