how long is too long for a game of golf?

[Deleted member 15344]

So you want a 2 ball to be slower than a 3 ball?

25% of 4 Hr 10 is around 32 mins so that's a three ball at 3 HR 38 ish and he says a 2 ball at 3 HR 15 ?

Most rounds of 4 balls I see now if medal are around 4 1/2 to 5 hours - a 3 ball around 3 1/2 to 4 hours

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The longest waits always seem to be while you wait for the group ahead to clear the green before you play your approach shot, or tee shot on a Par-3. These days there seems to be so much faffing around on the greens, with players looking at their putts from every angle, marking, replacing and then lining up their ball, before lots of practice strokes and finally striking the putt. If it finishes beyond tap in range, then the whole ritual is repeated. All copied from what is seen on televised pro tour events?

My suggestions for speeding up play on the greens.
1) Make the hole a bit bigger.
2) Remove the penalty for hitting the flagstick when in the hole, which would remove the necessity of attending, removing and replacing the pin.
3) Encourage players not to mark their balls unless on another players line.

Haven't you already mentioned these in the thread ?

 

[bluewolf]

25% of 4 Hr 10 is around 32 mins

really? I don't have any of those posh letters after my name, but I'd suggest that 25% of 4hours 10 minutes might just be 62 minutes and 30 seconds.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

really? I don't have any of those posh letters after my name, but I'd suggest that 25% of 4hours 10 minutes might just be 62 minutes and 30 seconds.

Sorry you are right - humble apologies was working from 2 hours ten for some reason - ignore my last

I'm thick - I must change to vote UKIP

 

[bluewolf]

Sorry you are right - humble apologies was working from 2 hours ten for some reason - ignore my last

I'm thick - I must change to vote UKIP

Lol :thup:

 

[delc]

Haven't you already mentioned these in the thread ?

Not exactly in these terms, and worth a refresh anyway!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Not exactly in these terms, and worth a refresh anyway!

That would certainly get a different answer if asked forum wide

They will not increase the size of the holes - simple as that

 

[North Mimms]

The longest waits always seem to be while you wait for the group ahead to clear the green before you play your approach shot, or tee shot on a Par-3. These days there seems to be so much faffing around on the greens, with players looking at their putts from every angle, marking, replacing and then lining up their ball, before lots of practice strokes and finally striking the putt. If it finishes beyond tap in range, then the whole ritual is repeated. All copied from what is seen on televised pro tour events?

My suggestions for speeding up play on the greens.
1) Make the hole a bit bigger.
2) Remove the penalty for hitting the flagstick when in the hole, which would remove the necessity of attending, removing and replacing the pin.
3) Encourage players not to mark their balls unless on another players line.

You've played with me and may have noticed that I always mark and line up my ball.
Why should I be discouraged from doing that whilst others instead take 3 practice putt swishes?
Or 2 full practice swings before every shot?

Wherever possible, i am lining up the ball while others are stalking their putt.

There are plenty of ways that people "waste time" during a round.

As long as I remain the fastest walker in my group - as I invariably am- I'll continue to mark my ball before putting, thanks

 

[delc]

You've played with me and may have noticed that I always mark and line up my ball.
Why should I be discouraged from doing that whilst others instead take 3 practice putt swishes?
Or 2 full practice swings before every shot?

Wherever possible, i am lining up the ball while others are stalking their putt.

There are plenty of ways that people "waste time" during a round.

As long as I remain the fastest walker in my group - as I invariably am- I'll continue to mark my ball before putting, thanks

I also use an alignment line on my ball to line up the putt, but I don't faff around like some players do on the green. I start looking at the green as I walk up to it, as it is often easier to see slopes from a distance, and I use the time while other players are putting or chipping to read the line of my putt, as long as I can do so without distracting them. All things that can speed up play.

 

[Smiffy]

The biggest frustration to me is when somebody putts up to about a foot and then marks their ball!
Ask if it's ok to do so and then knock it in for Gods sake.

 

[Foxholer]

....
There are plenty of ways that people "waste time" during a round.

As long as I remain the fastest walker in my group - as I invariably am- I'll continue to mark my ball before putting, thanks

Absolutely agree! I've had this 'discussion', with an ex-Captain who took nearly 100 shots - including half a dozen 3-putts - and crawled around, in a swindle a long time ago.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Is slow play really going to change at your local club on a Saturday morning? Clubs aren't doing enough, mindsets of established members are too entrenched to change, and they will continue to waste and fritter time away as they are doing now. That is the bitter truth and sadly I don't see anything changing soon

 

[dufferman]

We should re-name this thread the roundabout thread.

For every "golf shouldn't be so slow" I ask this: Show me the rule where it says that.

If it's so easy for slow golfers to speed up, why don't faster golfers slow down?

If golf at the monthly medal on a Saturday morning is too slow, don't play it.

If your course is full of miserable old men who "take 100 shots" to get round (why is that a problem??) - join a club that only accepts 18 handicappers or better.

If young members take too much time over a putt just like the pros, maybe become a player on the PGA tour yourself and show them how it's done.

My point is, there's always two sides to the coin. You argue for, there's a counter argument. The ONLY thing we all know is, slow play happens, so the less people complain and the more people deal with it, everyone would enjoy the game more!

 

[MadAdey]

We should re-name this thread the roundabout thread.

For every "golf shouldn't be so slow" I ask this: Show me the rule where it says that.

If it's so easy for slow golfers to speed up, why don't faster golfers slow down?

If golf at the monthly medal on a Saturday morning is too slow, don't play it.

If your course is full of miserable old men who "take 100 shots" to get round (why is that a problem??) - join a club that only accepts 18 handicappers or better.

If young members take too much time over a putt just like the pros, maybe become a player on the PGA tour yourself and show them how it's done.

My point is, there's always two sides to the coin. You argue for, there's a counter argument. The ONLY thing we all know is, slow play happens, so the less people complain and the more people deal with it, everyone would enjoy the game more!

:thup: Amen to that!

You know what the problem is on the course? People that when it is busy they still try and get round in 3 hours. They still rush down the fairway and think by standing over their ball with a look of disgust at the group on the gene it will make the round go quicker. They Are probably the same people that tailgate you in heavy traffic thinking it will help everyone get there faster, no it just causes phantom traffic jams, probably causes the same on the course too.

 

[richy]

We should re-name this thread the roundabout thread.

For every "golf shouldn't be so slow" I ask this: Show me the rule where it says that.

If it's so easy for slow golfers to speed up, why don't faster golfers slow down?

If golf at the monthly medal on a Saturday morning is too slow, don't play it.

If your course is full of miserable old men who "take 100 shots" to get round (why is that a problem??) - join a club that only accepts 18 handicappers or better.

If young members take too much time over a putt just like the pros, maybe become a player on the PGA tour yourself and show them how it's done.

My point is, there's always two sides to the coin. You argue for, there's a counter argument. The ONLY thing we all know is, slow play happens, so the less people complain and the more people deal with it, everyone would enjoy the game more!

Yeah that's definitely the thing do.

Instead of trying to get to the route causes of slow play we should just put all our efforts into learning to accept it.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

We should re-name this thread the roundabout thread.

For every "golf shouldn't be so slow" I ask this: Show me the rule where it says that.

If it's so easy for slow golfers to speed up, why don't faster golfers slow down?

If golf at the monthly medal on a Saturday morning is too slow, don't play it.

If your course is full of miserable old men who "take 100 shots" to get round (why is that a problem??) - join a club that only accepts 18 handicappers or better.

If young members take too much time over a putt just like the pros, maybe become a player on the PGA tour yourself and show them how it's done.

My point is, there's always two sides to the coin. You argue for, there's a counter argument. The ONLY thing we all know is, slow play happens, so the less people complain and the more people deal with it, everyone would enjoy the game more!

Sorry but slow play spoils people's enjoyment of golf

There is imo a difference between slow play and a slow round - a round can flow but take 5 hours or you can be held up for 5 hours

The answer isn't - deal with it , it's find out why people were having to wait on each shot and change that reason

We recently told a member he can only play in a medal before 11 if he goes in a buggy because his slow play was causing major issues

He isn't happy about it but he was unwilling to understand that he was losing holes every time he played and was a major reason for delays on the course

Sometimes people just need to be told

 

[delc]

Yeah that's definitely the thing do.

Instead of trying to get to the route causes of slow play we should just put all our efforts into learning to accept it.

But many people have busy lives and family commitments. Not everyone wants to spend 5 hours on a golf course, and waiting 5 or 10 minutes to play every shot is frankly tedious. It is perfectly possible to play a round of golf in 3 1/2 hours or less without rushing, even as a four-ball, as long as players get on with it and don't faff around like the tour pros!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

But many people have busy lives and family commitments. Not everyone wants to spend 5 hours on a golf course, and waiting 5 or 10 minutes to play every shot is frankly tedious. It is perfectly possible to play a round of golf in 3 1/2 hours or less without rushing, even as a four-ball, as long as players get on with it and don't faff around like the tour pros!

Richly was being sarcastic

 

[North Mimms]

I'm not that corncerned about what people "do" during their game, be it practice swings or lining up putts, as long as someone in the group is doing something.
What I hate is seeing 4 people walk off a green to the neighbouring tee, then stand there. And stand. No-one teeing off.

I've been in a 4 ball behind and all 4 of us have played our shots and walked to the green in the same time as 4 players have taken to all tee off. It's not like there's a major club selection decision going on- it's Driver or the club you use instead of driver, just as it is EVERY time you play that hole!

 

[delc]

I'm not that corncerned about what people "do" during their game, be it practice swings or lining up putts, as long as someone in the group is doing something.
What I hate is seeing 4 people walk off a green to the neighbouring tee, then stand there. And stand. No-one teeing off.

I've been in a 4 ball behind and all 4 of us have played our shots and walked to the green in the same time as 4 players have taken to all tee off. It's not like there's a major club selection decision going on- it's Driver or the club you use instead of driver, just as it is EVERY time you play that hole!

Don't think I have ever seen players just standing on the tee doing nothing, unless they are waiting for the group ahead to get out of range!