GCW Rant

[delc]

Some fair points in there, however, I still can't see anything happening. I can't imagine a lot of the more senior generation at my place be willing to take a handset out with them so they can be tracked!

As a senior golfer myself, I would be quite happy to carry a tracker, just to prove we are not slow. Rounds of golf during the week, when most of the players are retired folk, are always much quicker than when the weekend warriors come out to play at our club. But then we are of a generation when three to three-and-a-half hour rounds were normal, and less influenced by the lengthy pre shot routines of the tour pros, as seen on TV! The only answer in my opinion is to add penalty shots to any group, amateur or professional, that takes more than four hours to complete a round of competition/tournament golf!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It is simply not the sort of thing that needs a big campaign, it needs a decent member of staff at your club to ensure golfers play at the speed most deem reasonable
hashtagging and liking this on social media is a pointless exercise that is simply an excuse to self promote

I'm not sure why you are going on about hashtags and likes etc as it has zero relevance

Again if it was as simple as you suggest why don't clubs do it that way - because it's not that simple by a long way

 

[chrisd]

Simple solution- do an 18 hole Stableford combined with a 10k race!

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Some fair points in there, however, I still can't see anything happening. I can't imagine a lot of the more senior generation at my place be willing to take a handset out with them so they can be tracked!

Slow play isn't the sole preserve of older golfers, my regular PP and I are seniors and would expect to play a 3 ball medal in 3.5 hours, we often play with a young kiddy of about 30, our round then extends to 4 hours plus, he;s a good golfer but makes Kegan Bradley look like a whippet.

 

[woody69]

Oh look, another slow play discussion.... Zzzzzz

 

[delc]

Slow play isn't the sole preserve of older golfers, my regular PP and I are seniors and would expect to play a 3 ball medal in 3.5 hours, we often play with a young kiddy of about 30, our round then extends to 4 hours plus, he;s a good golfer but makes Kegan Bradley look like a whippet.

Yes I concur with that. Weekend medals at our club can take over 5 hours. They are so slow that I lose my swing and my will to live. Fortunately I rarely play at weekends.

 

[jmf1488]

My club introduced 10 minute gaps between tee times and a computer to sign in and out that monitors how long you took in your round. A 4ball of 4 young gentlemen still lost 2 holes on the group infront 2 saturdays ago. They werent even looking for lots of balls.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

Slow play isn't the sole preserve of older golfers, my regular PP and I are seniors and would expect to play a 3 ball medal in 3.5 hours, we often play with a young kiddy of about 30, our round then extends to 4 hours plus, he;s a good golfer but makes Kegan Bradley look like a whippet.

At no point did I say it was the preserve of older golfers. I mentioned that the senior golfers at MY club wouldn't like to have a device attached to them tracking pace.

My personal opinion on the subject is that a lot is made of it, but I don't find it is a particular issue. Weekend golf is likely to take 4.5 hours, with a half way hut stop, and when I play this evening, we'll probably go round in 3/3.5 hours. It's just one of those things.

 

[Capella]

My club introduced 10 minute gaps between tee times and a computer to sign in and out that monitors how long you took in your round. A 4ball of 4 young gentlemen still lost 2 holes on the group infront 2 saturdays ago. They werent even looking for lots of balls.

How much time did they take, though? so were they really slow or did the group(s) in front just move faster than average?

 

[jmf1488]

How much time did they take, though? so were they really slow or did the group(s) in front just move faster than average?

My course is a bit on the shorter side. We normally get 4 of us round in 3 hours 30 minutes on a saturday. This took an extra 45mins or so ontop of that. I think we clocked 4 hours 35 mins on my phone. It doesnt seem like a very long round but standing about waiting to hit every shot really throws your game.

 

[delc]

At no point did I say it was the preserve of older golfers. I mentioned that the senior golfers at MY club wouldn't like to have a device attached to them tracking pace.

My personal opinion on the subject is that a lot is made of it, but I don't find it is a particular issue. Weekend golf is likely to take 4.5 hours, with a half way hut stop, and when I play this evening, we'll probably go round in 3/3.5 hours. It's just one of those things.

So why can't we always take 3/3.5 hours to play a round of golf? I will reiterate my point that if we don't do something about the extreme slowness of the tour pros, then nothing will improve, because younger and more impressionable golfers tend to copy their intermiable pre-shot routines etc!

 

[bobmac]

Some people like playing fast, others dont and sometimes cant.
Who has the right to tell someone how fast they should play?

The time a round of golf takes will be determined by the slowest player/group, a bit like a car journey.
Put a tractor out first, followed by a Fiesta with an mitsubishi evo bringing up the rear and it will end in tears. Put the evo at the front and the tractor at the back and everyone's happy.

If this was adopted by clubs that have problems with slow play, it must help. Players who want to run round can and those who prefer to take their time can.

 

[Marshy77]

Am I the only person getting pee'd off with this constant " slow play " stuff. It takes just shy of 4 hours to play a 3 ball comp at my place and the same for a 4bbb. We rarely experience 5 hour rounds but there are always some who want to run round!

If you don't have time to play at a steady pace and have to get round quickly to get home that's your problem, not mine, don't expect the other players in front to jog between shots just so you can keep HID happy or spend longer at the bar!

Totally agree with this. Granted I've only played in 3 comps at my place now but haven't experienced any slow play at all yet infact the only slow play I've experienced is on hotel courses or courses that have offered Groupon style deals

 

[Lambchops]

So why can't we always take 3/3.5 hours to play a round of golf? I will reiterate my point that if we don't do something about the extreme slowness of the tour pros, then nothing will improve, because younger and more impressionable golfers tend to copy their intermiable pre-shot routines etc!

Bang on - my mate and I like to be first out on a Sunday morning and we can rattle round in <3 - played a comp last weekend and it took 4.5 - the waiting for the group ahead doesn't half kill your game

 

[fundy]

Some people like playing fast, others dont and sometimes cant.
Who has the right to tell someone how fast they should play?

The time a round of golf takes will be determined by the slowest player/group, a bit like a car journey.
Put a tractor out first, followed by a Fiesta with an mitsubishi evo bringing up the rear and it will end in tears. Put the evo at the front and the tractor at the back and everyone's happy.

If this was adopted by clubs that have problems with slow play, it must help. Players who want to run round can and those who prefer to take their time can.

so someone who often works nights and likes a late tee time should have to suffer a really slow round because of the lack of etiquette of a handful of people in front of him? not everyone has the freedom to choose to play early!

 

[Hacker Khan]

So why can't we always take 3/3.5 hours to play a round of golf? I will reiterate my point that if we don't do something about the extreme slowness of the tour pros, then nothing will improve, because younger and more impressionable golfers tend to copy their intermiable pre-shot routines etc!

So you watched the Masters Drive, Putt and Chip challenge as well? Jeez, talk about slow. Yes it's great that a 10 year old can lag a put close on Augusta greens from 20 feet, but don't take 2 minutes doing so.

I played a round on my own last night and did 18 holes in 1 hour 55, probably could have shaved another 10 mins off it if I was really going for it. But I did leave the flag in when I was putting, so if the etiquette police are watching I am so very sorry for destroying the whole fabric of the game.

 

[Beezerk]

Put a tractor out first, followed by a Fiesta with an mitsubishi evo bringing up the rear and it will end in tears.

That's right, because the chav in the Evo will be undertaking on the hard shoulder

 

[bobmac]

so someone who often works nights and likes a late tee time should have to suffer a really slow round because of the lack of etiquette of a handful of people in front of him? not everyone has the freedom to choose to play early!

What time do you finish a night shift?

I did say its not always a lack of ettiquette, some people just cant walk fast

 

[Deleted member 15344]

What time do you finish a night shift?

I did say its not always a lack of ettiquette, some people just cant walk fast

But the etiquette problem is them not letting people through that they are obviously holding up - we have people that can't physically walk quicker - no problems with the problem comes though when that person who can't walk quicker doesn't understand that others can walk quicker and they are being stuck behind him

 

[Deleted member 16999]

So why can't we always take 3/3.5 hours to play a round of golf? I will reiterate my point that if we don't do something about the extreme slowness of the tour pros, then nothing will improve, because younger and more impressionable golfers tend to copy their intermiable pre-shot routines etc!

Rubbish, the difference is shear numbers at weekends.