Is 3 hours too long for 9 holes?

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One Planer

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Stupid question, Of course it is!

But that's what it took today!!

Now, I'm not one for a rant, but todays antics have really Pi$$ed me off.

We (My dad and myself) Tee'd off at 2.50pm. The group in the front had just holed out on the 1st (360 yd par 4) and were making their way to the second tee. As we made out way up the 1st you could see there was "very little go" about them by the speed they walked, selected clubs, pre shot routines etc and we said to ourselves let just see how we go.

By the 3rd we were waiting on the tee (par 4). Once they were out of range we proceeded to tee off. We were waiting again for a few minutes at our ball waiting to play while they made their way to the green. As soon as the green was clear we played on and made our way to the green. The group in front were stood on the 4th tee box having a chat so, we assumed, they were going to let us play through.

As we were putting out, they decided to tee off.

Now please bear in mind there was only 1 group in front of them, about 2 holes in advance of them, so it's not like they were being held up by a group in front.

Waiting on the 6th tee my dad timed the slowest of the 3 balls players time it too play. From start of pre-shot routine to striking the ball took 1 minute 20!! His pre shot routine was a cross between Keegan Bradley and Bubba Watson, constant walking to and from the ball (a'la' Bradley), back and forth, then setting the club only to remove and look up again (a' la Watson) for him to hen duff it 20 yards up the fairway to go through it all again.

On the 7th tee we were stood for 10 minutes waiting for them to play and clear a par 3. We were finishing our approch to the 6th green when they tee'd off and we STILL had to wait 10 minutes on the 7th tee.

Pretty much the same story for 8 and 9 so we decided to call it a day.

I bumped into one of the board members on the practice area just getting ready to go and advised him he'd best leave it a while. When he asked why, I asked him to follow me to the 10th tee box.

We watched them up the 10th and back down the 11th (10th 370ish par 4, 11th 301 par 4), which runs back toward the club house. 30 MINUTES!! later still no sign of them on the 11th green.

I highlighted to him the point of slow play and lack of being let through regardless of us having to wait on every single too for anything up to 15 minutes despite there being no group in front of them and the fact my father and I felt like our round had been ruined, hence us leaving the course.

He asked me to leave our details with him (both mine and me fathers mobile numbers) and he would call us later on. His words to me, them still not having arrived on the 11th green were "If both holes were 600+ par 5's I could understand" so he seemed to sympathize with our situation.

I'm sat here awaiting his call, although I may be wasting my time, but still, sat here waiting

I wouldn't have minded so much but we couldn't play our usual time yesterday due to heavy fog that didn't clear until lunch, so I was really looking forward to 18 today, instead of walking off angry and frustrated after 9 holes.

Sorry for the rant but I had to get this off my chest.
 
I would be interested to hear the outcome of this. You have raised a legitimate complaint, the board member has witnessed the problem so there is no denying it happened and so there is no excuse not to take action. Sadly alot of these situations are just brushed under the rug as club officials are worried about offending and losing members.
 
I am not one of these that like to play speed Golf by any means cant see any fun whatsoever in wanting to get round as quick as is humanely possible but 3 hours for a twoball on 9 holes is very slow by any stretch so you have my sympathy. It all depends on who the offenders are if it turns out they are long standing members that are part of the in crowd then there is not a hope in hell of owt getting done just like there wont be anything done if the a newbies that have plenty of cash to throw around. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you
 
I think it'd be nice of the course in question to give you and your dad another chance to play free of charge at a time to suit you. You pains your money and were let down.

Unfortunately for the course it wasn't directly them that let you down for 4 ignorant golfers who were blissfully unaware of their surroundings or he etiquette of the game!

I play at a 9 hole course. It's 3 hours maximum for me starting at my front door and finishing there - Drive to the course, kit up play and drive home again. 3 hours on the course is ridiculous!
 
I presume Gareth is still waiting on that call and the cynic in me wonders if it was a polite way of looking interested and then thinking "thank god it weren't me". Disappointing if the committee man doesn't act and worth taking it further. I'm afraid I'd have at least asked the question about playing through at some point.
 
As a two ball, two hours ten is not unreasonable. For 18 holes!

I also am waiting for the phone. I also am not expecting it to ring. Ignorant bunch of ex captains jumped onto a closed tee yesterday, and then held the Saturday swindle up horribly. They are arrogant so and so's who think they can turn up and play whenever they want. Trick is, we get enough bad press without problems like this. They caused us to be slow, so we get it in the neck. The pro said he wold deal with it. Yeah, like turfing them off the course isn't dealing with it. What's he going to do? Send a strongly worded memo?
 
In_The_Rough said:
2 hr 10 mins bloody hell mate that is going some. I would be letting you through I think. No way me and my partner would get round anywhere near that quick.
Click to expand...

We don't mess about. We are fit, don't lose many balls, know the course, and play at a decent lick. Oddly, we never feel like we are rushing. Just walk up, and whack it. On a good day, I'll break 80, and matt will break 75. In two hours ten. Why can't golf be like this always?
 
This is why every course should have a course marshall, who can be summoned by phone, to view a situation and sort it, there and then.

I have no problem with slow play, as long as they let you through at the first opportunity

Fragger

( I dont hang about)
 
Semi-update:

The competition sec has phoned (The chap I saw on the practice area)

He spoke to his playing partners and they tee'd off on the 10th, so to keep an eye on this group. They were only playing a few holes post work so had no objections. His group Tee'd off at 6.00pm and had caught this group by the 14th, and from what I can gather, suffered the same hold up's as we did.

He has told me that following the round, the members of this group were confronted in the clubhouse regarding this. Of course they flat out denied it, until the comp sec told them of his position within the club and that he, and his group, had been following their groups progress since the 10th.

They have been warned as to their future conduct, with any more reports of this group causing slow play and not allowing faster moving groups through will result in suspension for a period to be agreed by the comittee.

He has also apologised on behalf of the club to myself and my dad and has sent an official letter along with 2 green free vouchers as a good will gesture.

I'm happy our club has taken this kind of line regarding slow play and hope it sets an example to others.

As for asking to be let through. Personally, I find it bad manners to ask. I have always thought it is the responsibility of the group to keep up with the group in front. In this case with there being no group in front, they should have the good sense to see the group behind is faster moving and allow us/them through.

If I'm wrong I'm happy to be corrected.
 
murphthemog said:
We don't mess about. We are fit, don't lose many balls, know the course, and play at a decent lick. Oddly, we never feel like we are rushing. Just walk up, and whack it. On a good day, I'll break 80, and matt will break 75. In two hours ten. Why can't golf be like this always?
Click to expand...

Because I cant break 80 and my mate cant break 90 is why Golf cant always be like this:) We are fit as well we have to be to go into some of the places where our balls end up:D still good on you for it not something that is going to happen very soon for us though. My Dad struggles to break 100 and myself and him and 2 other chaps are playing the Forest of Arden in April 2 hour 10 might see us though 5 holes if were lucky from what I have heard about that place.
 
I think this is great that the club are talking action if it helps these folks pick up their pace a bit, they clearly need it

Although, I don’t understand why you didn’t play through on the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] tee? The guys waited (for something) & didn’t tee off until you were putting out (it’s a normal circumstance when letting another group through to have both groups tee off together and your group scoots up the fairway) but for some reason both groups chose not to do this! (seems there would have been sufficient time for both groups to be on the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] tee together given the noted time taken for pre-shots routines)

With a 10-15 minutes wait on several occasions I’d have thought both groups must have been on tee’s together if not certainly in close proximity to each other on more than one occasion

I know you’ve said you didn’t ask thinking it bad manners but could there have been just a touch of holding these guys conduct in contempt and potentially then not worthy of sufficient standing for you to ask to play through?

I think it’s perhaps the commitment to the additional 30+ minutes you wasted (i.e. not playing golf) watching them play two holes that makes me wonder why, with such concern for the pace of play that you couldn’t bring yourselves to politely ask to play though?
 
I consider myself to be well mannered on the golf course. I'll quite happily let somebody else through if I think we might be holding them up, and will always play through if somebody offers. And I always, (without exception), say "thank you"............ but unfortunately these four gits would have got some "Smiffy love" by about the fourth hole. I would have been very polite initially, but if they had refused there would have been a few fecks in there for good measure.
Had this at Copthorne once. Myself and three mates paid a green fee and caught a fourball up at the 3rd. They were poncing around, knew we were waiting on the tee but carried on. Two or three holes later we were getting fed up so as we parked our bags by the green one of my mates approached them on the next tee and asked, politely, if we could possibly play through on the next hole as we were obviously a lot, lot quicker than them.
I heard one of the old farts say "you are not members so you're not coming through".
That was a red rag to a bull. Needless to say, after a heated debate we managed to persuade them otherwise. Toe rags.
 
Holding people up is something I am very mindful of, even though I am not a slow player and will let faster groups through if I am holding them up provide the group in front of me aren't holding mew up. I was subject to being held up myself last week, but a word from my partner and they let us though with no fuss.

At the end of the day, its common courtesy and good manners to let people through.
 
Slow play is one thing that turns me off the golf course big time, however i do agree that if the group in front is not allowing you through and dont ask to go through, how do they now you want to play through, (thats too many throughs but hopefully you get my drift), i play practice at my course as a single golfer and using it as a practice to drop an extra ball when the course is quiet, i regularly let people through, likewise some will say they dont want to only playing a couple of holes etc.

It is not being impolite to ask to play through, it is impolite howver not to be let through when you are being held up.

glad it was sorted.
 
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