How to stop slow play

[Deleted Member 1156]

I haven't missed the point, the point to me is one mans slow is another mans fast. Whether it 3/4 or 5 hours round. Some will be slower than others and everyone pays the same money. Why should it be the slow ones that have to speed up and not the fast ones to slow down.

I can think of several reasons including demand for tee times on some courses (lower capacity per day if rounds take longer) and 36 hole competitions not being completed in daylight.

If you think 5+ hour rounds are acceptable then I think you are selfish.

 

[Simbo]

I don't think 5 hour rounds are acceptable, when the 2 lads walked off last night at the 14th we were around 3 hours to there, our round if completed would have been circa 4 hours. yet we were rushing about all over the place and there were still a group cracking right at our heels all the time.
Letting faster groups through is fine if there's holes for them to gou

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

My love of golf - rekindled yesterday by a lovely relaxing 4hr 4ball individual stableford around North Hants in the sunshine - would be killed stone dead were I to have to accept normal pace of play for a four ball round being up to 6hrs.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I don't think 5 hour rounds are acceptable, when the 2 lads walked off last night at the 14th we were around 3 hours to there, our round if completed would have been circa 4 hours. yet we were rushing about all over the place and there were still a group cracking right at our heels all the time.
Letting faster groups through is fine if there's holes for them to gou

I don't think anyone would have an issue with a 4hr round (for a 3 or 4ball), if they did then they have unrealistic expectations.

 

[Wilson]

I don't think 5 hour rounds are acceptable, when the 2 lads walked off last night at the 14th we were around 3 hours to there, our round if completed would have been circa 4 hours. yet we were rushing about all over the place and there were still a group cracking right at our heels all the time.
Letting faster groups through is fine if there's holes for them to gou

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you've lost a hole, your FC's are hitting it all over the place - why not stop rushing and let the group behind through?

 

[Smiffy]

Played on Tuesday in a Seniors Open at Chartham Park in Sussex.
In threeballs. Our group was lucky as we were 1st group off the 10th.
We didn't rush at all, nice and leisurely, but we must have pulled at least 3, maybe 4 holes ahead of the group in front by the time we got to the 7th....
Despite Dave Neal having to strip off and go swimming for his golf clubs and bag/trolley, we didn't clap eyes on them at all.
Don't know what the muppets were up to.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I haven't missed the point, the point to me is one mans slow is another mans fast. Whether it 3/4 or 5 hours round. Some will be slower than others and everyone pays the same money. Why should it be the slow ones that have to speed up and not the fast ones to slow down.

It's got nothing to do with money - it's got all to do with consideration for other players behind you.

 

[2blue]

This.... This is what I am panicking about!! I am a high handicapper and try and be as quick as possible, but I feel sometimes I'm rushing to make sure I don't hold people back. It stresses the fook out of me.

Thankfully the group I have been playing with are top lads; but I catch myself looking back all the bloody time and if i see a group behind us catch up I'm forever worried about slowing them down and inevitably my game goes to pot.

Man up I hear you say......maybe I do but I find my best golf is on an evening with a couple of members who kindly let me join them as I rock up to the first tee box and we play a relaxed but well paced 9 holes +

I think you've possibly found your answer Scoobie... 9 hole Golf Competitions where you can maintain a H/cap & work at improving without the pressure of 18 holes..... you will know when you are ready to move up to 18. If your Club doesn't run then ask 'Why?'

 

[2blue]

I haven't missed the point, the point to me is one mans slow is another mans fast. Whether it 3/4 or 5 hours round. Some will be slower than others and everyone pays the same money. Why should it be the slow ones that have to speed up and not the fast ones to slow down.

You're certainly missing something..... but we certainly aren't.... I expect all the Meet organisers have noted your names so, should attend one, you can make-up the last group together so you can have your fun & we can be finished & off home without delay.

Neither, just let faster groups through.

Aye, Karen.... simply put :thup:

 

[Simbo]

I don't think anyone would have an issue with a 4hr round (for a 3 or 4ball), if they did then they have unrealistic expectations.

That's kinda the point in trying to make, doesn't matter how fast you go there's always someone wanting to go faster, hence the clubhouse chat of "so and so is slow, I shot 90 but that doesn't matter it took me x amount of time to get round"

 

[Simbo]

You're certainly missing something..... but we certainly aren't.... I expect all the Meet organisers have noted your names so, should attend one, you can make-up the last group together so you can have your fun & we can be finished & off home without delay.


Aye, Karen.... simply put :thup:

What a stupid thing to say for an adult!

 

[3565]

Good post mate, I agree.

Golf seems to be no longer a game where the score counts but how long it takes you to get round. Have the R and A forgotten the results of the survey they done on slow play??? Where 70% of players didn't think it was a problem. Ones man slow is another mans fast and the minirity that want to play fast seem to keep shouting from the rooftops about it.
Played the medal last night with 2 young lads from work, generally the pace of play doesn't bother me but I realise if you're a hole down on the group in front you should move a bit quicker. 4 holes in and we were a hole down. the young lads, new members and both play from 20+ handicaps, hitting the ball everywhere. Gents we need to move a bit faster and try and catch the group in front. I actually seen one of the lads running a few times, rushing shots, making more mistakes,,taking more shots. Both ended up N/R by the 12th. One young lad said to me today he was so stressed he won't be playing anymore medals if that's how it's going to be. This isn't the first occasion iv had people say this.
If it keeps going the way it is it's only a matter of time before the whole scenario is flipped on its a head a no-one wants to play because they are racing round the course

Another good post and agree with. I've said this in the past that UK golfers are the fastest in round times then Europe if not the world, but the speed freaks still bang on about slow play. I'm not suggesting that 5 hour rounds is acceptable like on the Tours but it starts at the top to filter down. I can't control others, only myself and my group and if we fall behind I will try and get a move on or let others through. But like you said, golf is how many shots and not how many minutes it takes you.

You you start at one and finish at 18, and what ever the time it takes in between is the pace for that round.

 

[Simbo]

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you've lost a hole, your FC's are hitting it all over the place - why not stop rushing and let the group behind through?

2 reasons really, we weren't really slow, we weren't over the allocated time for the 4 holes. There really wasn't that much space for the group behind to go. The hole we lost was a par 3 and I thought with a gentle nudge we could quite easily have made the ground up which we did but led to the lads stressing, rushing and running about. When we did catch them they were quite a quick group of good players and I could see the lads continually hurrying trying to keep up with them. Cue a no enjoyment round for them.

 

[patricks148]

2 reasons really, we weren't really slow, we weren't over the allocated time for the 4 holes. There really wasn't that much space for the group behind to go. The hole we lost was a par 3 and I thought with a gentle nudge we could quite easily have made the ground up which we did but led to the lads stressing, rushing and running about. When we did catch them they were quite a quick group of good players and I could see the lads continually hurrying trying to keep up with them. Cue a no enjoyment round for them.

There is no shame it letting the group behind though. i see this all the time guys start rushing, when all they need to do is let the faster group though simple as

 

[pendodave]

I'm not sure that golf clubs do enough.

Looking for balls takes a lot longer than people leaving trolleys on the wrong side of greens. Just reduce the rough, cut down semi so that the top of the ball is clearly visible and clear out undergrowth. These would all help enormously. Sometimes I think greenkeepers have a perverse pride in their course being 'difficult'.

Greens are often too fast. Every extra putt is important.

Try some sort of starting arrangment (different tees, or blocks of time) when 2 and 4 balls are separated.

These would improve everyone's speed about the course. Asking individual golfers to change their behaviour is never going to speed up that many (and probably the ones who already at least partially aware of their responsibilities).

 

[pendodave]

As a follow up to my previous post...

I played in a fourball last week at an away club (not naming and shaming my own!)

We were all competent golfers, yet we lost 8 balls between us and had to poke about for a few more. Now we weren't searching for the full 5 mins, as noone was particularly fussed, but potentially that is 40 minutes of ball searching time. Madness. From memory, most were lost pretty close to either fairways or greens.

Slightly more significant than my new Jason Day styled pre shot I think.....

 

[2blue]

What a stupid thing to say for an adult!

I think we are beginning to see that folk like yersel are part of the problem & one of the reasons its so difficult to solve since however simply we describe a solution you are unable to accept it. By the way.... what's the next GM meet you're booked on?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Slow play isn't about determining a specific time a fourball etc should go around a golf course

Slow play is people being unable to keep up with the pace of play for the day and not taking others on the course into consideration - by that I mean holding groups up when it's clear they can be let through

If a group want to go around slower than everyone else and take their time then they need to ensure they are aware of others on the course or even play at a time in the day when they are free to take their time

We have done a lot of communication and work with regards slow play and so far over the last couple of months it has made a massive improvement - slower players have been made aware of what's expected of them in regards pace of play and some are now playing later in the day. We have also implemented a ready golf policy including in comps where applicable

 

[Simbo]

I think we are beginning to see that folk like yersel are part of the problem & one of the reasons its so difficult to solve since however simply we describe a solution you are unable to accept it. By the way.... what's the next GM meet you're booked on?

My name is 2blue and I am 5.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

2 reasons really, we weren't really slow, we weren't over the allocated time for the 4 holes. There really wasn't that much space for the group behind to go. The hole we lost was a par 3 and I thought with a gentle nudge we could quite easily have made the ground up which we did but led to the lads stressing, rushing and running about. When we did catch them they were quite a quick group of good players and I could see the lads continually hurrying trying to keep up with them. Cue a no enjoyment round for them.

Then just let the group behind through instead of rushing to keep up.