how slow is too slow

[full_throttle]

Attempted without succes to play the first medal of the year this morning. one of the fourball didn't show, i had seen him in the carpark earlier, it turned out he went out in the group in front. Anyway I digress, after three holes the group in front were almost a full hole behind, and as we finished the fifth the clock was 1hr 20 further on than when we started, not a good sign, and my game showed how unhappy and frustrated I was, gets to the sixth green and the seventh was completely clear with the group in front on the tee, for some reason they were taking an age to move from the tee box, turns out one of them was on the tee using his mobile, so 1hr 35 and 6 holes later my glove and ball go into the bag and I return home absolutly fuming.

What would you do in this situation?

 

[fundy]

Its way way too slow but because its a medal, at least at my place I couldnt walk in (I get a warning and then a ban in future).

Personally Id approach the group in front and ask why they think its ok to make a phone call on the golf course and hold you up, why havent they invited you through. If that had no joy Id make it known afterwards what had happened and make a complaint.

And then I'd do what I did at the back end of last year at our place and write a letter to the club and committee explaining my distress at the pace of play especially in comps at weekends and make a number of recommendations as to how to improve things

 

[MKDave]

I walked off yesterday after 10 holes because the play was so slow, the marshall was doing nothing and the lager louts in front refused to let me and my 'buddy' through.

To be fair it shouldn't happen but it does so I always just get on with it being slow or walk off.

 

[Sponge1980]

Last year I played in a 36 hole open with a guy who is renowened as a slow player. The 1st round wasnt too bad and we kept up with play, I shot a 71 and was 1 off the lead. When we went out in the 2nd round he was unbearable, after 11 holes we had lost 4 holes on the group in front. I lost the will to live and ended up with a shocking score. On one hole it took him over 30 seconds to replace his ball after marking it. The thing is if you say anything to him you run the risk of a smack, he's done it before. I still did though.

 

[swanny32]

I have recently started playing with a new member at my place, he's only really just taken up the game properly and is a definite 28 handicapper but it's not the quality of his golf that makes him slow, it's his pre shot routine, he takes an absolute age, especially for both chipping and putting. Played last weekend with him, there was only 3 of us and the course was absolutely empty, 4 hours 45 minutes it took us to get round. He's now handed in his 3 cards so will have his handicap within the next week or two and is talking about playing in some competitions.....I don't think his speed will go down too well with some of the regulars so need to think of a nice way of saying to him to hold off entering some competitions.

We had a two hole head start on a group yesterday, and by the end of the 3rd they were waiting for us to get off the green, although that's partly because we let a couple of ladies through. We couldn't really let them through as there was a couple of 4 balls behind them as well so ended up holding them up until about the 10th when I and daveyck2k made a point of mentioning that we needed to speed up, we were also quite generous with the gimmes.

Slow play doesn't really bother me as such, if the course is empty then I'm easy and won't let it bother me, what bothers me is knowing that it's going to upset the group behind when the course is busy, but how do you let a group through when there is a group or two behind them as well?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Personally Id approach the group in front and ask why they think its ok to make a phone call on the golf course and hold you up, why havent they invited you through. If that had no joy Id make it known afterwards what had happened and make a complaint.

And then I'd do what I did at the back end of last year at our place and write a letter to the club and committee explaining my distress at the pace of play especially in comps at weekends and make a number of recommendations as to how to improve things

Spot on. If the group are that far behind there is no reason not to let you through. We operate a similar policy to some others in that you can be in hot water for walking off without a good reason and slow play isn't considered as such. If you get no joy I'd make it vocally known in earshot of any of thepwers that be in the clubhouse and follow it up in writing. If no-one complains then most clubs won't face up to it being an issue

 

[Hobbit]

Why did the starter let the guy in front change groups? And I guess you weren't asked if it was ok. Depends how serious you want to be over your gripe. Complain to the comps committee. Have a word with your starter/pro for changing the groups. Have a word with the guy who switched groups. Complain to the group in front for their slow play. Alternatively, and sorry for sounding harsh, do nowt apart from whinge on here.

 

[full_throttle]

spoke to a commitee member this afternoon, he spoke to the group concerned earlier, so I guess when he started they were only half way round, I have to put in a letter of complaint to the committee.

We don't have a starter, just turn up when your due and then tee of on time, it appears one of the fourball in front was ill so thats why one of my original 4 moved ahead, without any of our knowledge.

 

[Essex_Stu]

Slow play is so frustrating. Played in the annual Charity Captain vs Secretary match on friday. Shotgun start we started on the 16th the group in front the 18th. By the 2nd we had caught the group infront and that was with me constantly looking for my ball on the right side of the course. By the 3rd they had lost 2 holes on the group in front. On the 8th I saw our pro and commented to him about the slow play. He had a word on the 9th with them to let us through so seeing them standing there on the 10th tee we thought they were going to, did they hell!. 13 minutes we waited on the 10th tee for them to move off. One of the blokes is a nightmare all the time and has had several complaints about him. He's not a particularly slow player but he just doesn't shut up and actually get on with hitting the ball. Altogether a 5 and a half hour round for matchplay!

 

[Smiffy]

Played in a medal yesterday...played in 3's and the group in front of us were so bloody slow. You'd have thought they were playing the Masters. Held up on every single tee, eventually got round to the 8th and they were searching for a ball in the heather. They carried on looking for a while, eventually realised we were there and let us through. We then proceeded to get round fairly quickly, and by the time we walked off the 18th they had fallen at least two, maybe three holes behind.
Went into the clubhouse, changed shoes, got stuff back in the car and headed up to the bar for a drink. Got served, looked out of the clubhouse window and they were just coming up the 18th.
Knobs.

 

[JustOne]

I can tolerate 5hrs in a comp (100 players holing everything and looking for lost balls) I actually expect it, so it helps stop me getting stressed about it. Anything less is a bonus, last one was 4hrs.

 

[PPE]

I can tolerate 5hrs in a comp (100 players holing everything and looking for lost balls) I actually expect it, so it helps stop me getting stressed about it. Anything less is a bonus, last one was 4hrs.

I'm with you here chap. I do actually take my time, but dont take the Pi** by looking at my putt from 3 angles etc.

My friend and I can take up to 5hrs for a round, but that is for two reasons:-
1. There is nobody behind us
2. We take two balls off the tee sometimes!

Obviously if there is anybody behind us we dont take two balls and if we are holding them up wave them through. It amazes me how quickly some people do play, but hey-ho we're all different.

In your situation, I would certainly not have walked off the course no matter how frustrated it made me. Yes, it was wrong for him to be on his mobile and to be holding you up but its not the end of the world, just have a worrd in his 'shell like' at the end of the round.

 

[barrybridges]

There are often several problems at play, however.

Many times I've been held up by slow play, but the group in front won't play us through because they consider themselves to be 'held up' by the group in front of them.

There have been many times when I've been in the same position; someone chomping up our backsides during the round, but we're unable to play our approach shots as the group in front are still on the green.

I'm going to say something pretty controversial here but I think the solution lies in dividing players into two groups: those who play golf in a sporting capacity, and those who play golf as a social exercise.

What I mean by that is that so many times I've been on a golf course to be stuck behind some very elderly players who can barely hit their tee shots 100 yards - all arms, no swing, just duffing the ball tap-tap-tap up the fairway. They regularly go round in 120+ strokes, and for them it's quite clear that golf is a past-time, not a sport.

I think that if you can syphon off those who play golf as a 'past-time' to dedicate times of day and leave the course open to people who play it as a sport the rest of the time, that will help.

Other thoughts:

Ban single players, pair them up with others.

Clearer signage on cards to show how far obstacles are in the distance; often groups wait to tee off 'just in case they hit the group in front' even though there is virtually no chance of them doing so.

More obvious markers in the distance too - so that you can see where the group in front are. At my local course the 1st pin is behind a mound so you can't see whether the group in front are on the green or short (in which case you can definitely reach them).

Improve signage telling people where they should leave their trolleys.


Maybe it would be a useful - or at least interesting - exercise for clubs to ask players to come back to the clubhouse to record their round times for, say, a month - to see what the average round time is on that course? Or simply having a box on the scorecard for 'finish time' so that people can see how long their round took - it might make them think about speeding up in the future?

 

[USER1999]

Maybe it would be a useful - or at least interesting - exercise for clubs to ask players to come back to the clubhouse to record their round times for, say, a month - to see what the average round time is on that course? Or simply having a box on the scorecard for 'finish time' so that people can see how long their round took - it might make them think about speeding up in the future?

Our score cards have a start time, and a finish time on them, which people are supposed to fill in for comps. Most don't, and for those of us that do, no notice is taken of it.

 

[MadAdey]

I think if you are playing in the medal then you have to accept that it is going to be slow, especially if you are later out in the day so the course is full. It only takes a 3-ball of players having to look for balls all the time as it is a medal and you need to finish every hole. 4 1/2 hours I can accept on a day like this so roughly 1 1/2 hours for every 6 holes. But I know where you are coming from and it is really bloody annoying when you are in a group of good golfers that are moving at a decent pace, to then keep getting your rhythm messed up by the course being slow.

My advice is to slow your own game up and take a little bit more time over everything, that should then stop you getting into the situation where you are standing around on tee boxes having to wait all the time.

 

[GreiginFife]

As I found yesterday being behind three 4 ball groups (Just me +1) too slow was when I could stand on the 5th tee and smoke a cigarette, eat a full Twix and drink a bottle of Lucozade before being able to tee off. The three groups in front were stopping at each tee to chat and compare scores. Needless to say I complained to the Sec when I got round and they were part of a society outing that "won't be back" apparently. So seems that I wasn't the only one to complain.
Not a great prep for my first qualifying medal next Saturday as working all week late so won't get out for a knock before then.

 

[Swingalot]

Played in the medal yesterday, went round in 4hrs and felt it was a little slow but not too bad. One thing I would hate more than someone in my group who spent too long preapring for a shot is those who see golf as a race and the time they get round is more important than the score on their card.

 

[Sir Slicealot]

I can handle being held up by the group in front (to a certain extent), it's when the group behind get held up (as it did today), thats when it starts affecting me, because i try to go quicker to not hinder them, but in reality can't because i'm being held up myself. I never play well when faced with those situations.

 

[SGC001]

Our score cards have a start time, and a finish time on them, which people are supposed to fill in for comps. Most don't, and for those of us that do, no notice is taken of it.

An old club of mine did something like that. If none of a group put down the finish time it was taken as a late time i.e. finsihing out of position. 3 of these and you get put at the back of the field for a month, they might take notice then.

It's not nice been in a 3 behind a slow 4 especially when one of those 4 should've been with you. I'm sure that been in a 3 didn't help.

I don't think you should change your tee time laid down without permission (dq). Were they up with play? If not they should have let you through.

 

[joma1108]

I was playing at Duff House Royal last Thursday night and this is a stunning course in the very north of scotland near Banff, i was a single golfer as was on business and there were two ladies teeing off, the course was empty until around the 8th or 9th from what i could see.

as i was in no hurry i was playing an extra ball every once in a while or dropping a ball to take an extra putt on the green.

Despite going quite slow as A. i didnt know the course and B. as it was quiet was using this as a session to practice my swing (albeit not hitting any more balls)

It was noticeable that the ladies in front were not moving at pace and actually stopping to chat whilst i was waiting to play shots to the green, again not too fussed as wasnt in a hurry.
by the 7th i was beginning to get a little annoyed as it was 2 hours to this point, i then began to notice that on every green they were walking to 20 or 30 yards to the next tee after they made it to the green even if they were only a few yards from the green at that point, they were then having a conflab on the green before putting out, then standing at the edge of the green to mark their card.

I had a word with them in passing asking if i could be let through and this was met with a "were not going slow" rather than antagonise the situation i said no you are correct but im going fast.

I was then met with we are members so we have the courtesy of the course.

What do you say to that.

nearly 5 hours to play a round on a course that is empty...completely spoiled my round at a superb course.