Is It Really Slow Play?

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Agree with everything you say upto the point below
"And as you are the group that has been let through you will most likely have a clear hole in front of you, so your objective must be to catch up the group in front"
Why start chasing a group, if you play normally that should be sufficient, it's not my responsibility to try and speed up to the possible detriment of my game if the group in front of me was slow,

The point I make about catching up is simply that though I wouldn't necessarily expect to have to catch up the group in front, you should be able to make up ground on the group ahead. You will have nobody on the hole ahead of you - the group in front has and therefore you should be faster than them and should be able catch them up playing at a good pace - besides it's important to be clearing away from the group that has just let you through to minimise delay in the round behind.

 

[Sir Scoop-A-Lot]

I think the way forward is for new golfers to have a basic lesson on how to behave I a course.

* walking straight to their ball from the tee shot, not to each other's to keep the chatter going

* leaving your bag near the exit of that whole to the next or at least near the pin so they can collect it quickly

* marking the card on the way to the next tee / or after you have played the following tee shot

There are loads but these type of things speed play up hugely. A lot of golfers think because they have joined a course/ have a handicap / have been playing a while they don't have to think about stuff like this.

As an example my laser is out my bag and My glove is on before I'm even at my ball, I already know what the wind is doing. Bag down, zap, club selected and I'm in preshot mode.

I completely agree with this! My first couple of rounds at my first club were so embarrassing as I'd never been given these pointers. I think all new golfers should be given an etiquette guide and a free lesson upon joining (a bit like a gym introduction).

 

[ScienceBoy]

I generally avoid slow by being organised and ready but I always wonder if my methodical and deliberate pre shot routine is slow or not. It does result in a decent shot, I very rarely duff, if I do it's safe and usually followed by a good shot. In fact if I break from my routine, that's when I take extra strokes.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I generally avoid slow by being organised and ready but I always wonder if my methodical and deliberate pre shot routine is slow or not. It does result in a decent shot, I very rarely duff, if I do it's safe and usually followed by a good shot. In fact if I break from my routine, that's when I take extra strokes.

I am brisk throughout the round - but like you I have one area where I follow a very deliberate pre-shot routine that some might find irritating or deem slow. That's over my putting.

I used to rush and not pay attention to my shorter putts - 2-4ft let's say - and I missed far far too many. So now I use exactly the same routine for every putt - 18" to 18' and beyond. Careful reading of the line - just from behind - so no wandering all over the place; take stance and three practice swings. Step forward and place feet together; carefully place putter head behind the ball; widen stance to putt address position; take a few glances along the line of the putt. And stroke. Every putt. Might be deemed OTT and 'slow' but I am afraid I am sticking to it as it works - and in the scheme of my general racing about the place I owe myself that time.

 

[3565]

Will you all quit on the slow play........ It's official.....

Golfers in Great Britain & Ireland are the fastest players in the world, according to the findings of a ‘Pace of Play’ survey carried out by the R&A.
It found that golfers in GB&I require an average of three hours and 44 minutes to play an 18-hole round of golf. That’s ten minutes faster than golfers in Continental Europe, 15 minutes faster than players in North America and almost 25 minutes faster than players in Australasia and Latin America. The average time for a round of golf anywhere in the world, meanwhile, has been calculated at three hours and 56 minutes.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I am methodical over all my shots, I believe I should be allowed this time if it keeps my scores to bogeys or better and keeps the ball in easy to find lies. I just hope others see it the same way!

 

[Oddsocks]

I completely agree with this! My first couple of rounds at my first club were so embarrassing as I'd never been given these pointers. I think all new golfers should be given an etiquette guide and a free lesson upon joining (a bit like a gym introduction).

Exactly, even if it's £30 and you get a card to say you have done it, when moving courses you should be asked " have you got your course etiquette card, if not it's a compulsory fee to complete this with out pro/assist pro "

You could do 3/4 players with the guidance of the pro over a 4/5 hole loop which would be enough, even if it was over 9 holes it would be 120.00 revenue for 90 mins

The long term effect could be beneficial to the game nationally.

Pay and play courses could charge more if you didn't have a course etiquette card...

It's not about screwing money out of people, but if there are educated about slow play and etiquette at the same time as courses making revenue it's a win win , all for the cost of 6 prov1's

 

[Slab]

Exactly, even if it's £30 and you get a card to say you have done it, when moving courses you should be asked " have you got your course etiquette card, if not it's a compulsory fee to complete this with out pro/assist pro "

You could do 3/4 players with the guidance of the pro over a 4/5 hole loop which would be enough, even if it was over 9 holes it would be 120.00 revenue for 90 mins

The long term effect could be beneficial to the game nationally.

Pay and play courses could charge more if you didn't have a course etiquette card...

It's not about screwing money out of people, but if there are educated about slow play and etiquette at the same time as courses making revenue it's a win win , all for the cost of 6 prov1's

I don't like disagreeing without an alternative solution but in the case of player etiquette & slow pace I don't have one... but I doubt the above is the answer

Like road users just because you've had a lesson does not mean that once the instructor is gone you're all set, typically you'll do what you want anyway re pace & etiquette, just like we have slow & fast drivers, and all types of good and bad road etiquette... none of whom were taught poor driving pace/road etiquette during their lessons/test

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It's a funny thing. Some days I've walked off the course and felt like I've been out there ages and come in less than four hours later. Other times I've felt we've kept moving at a good pace and it's taken much longer. There are issues with slow play and we have some groups that are notoriously slow (even though they have a different opinion)

 

[Simbo]

The witch hunt of "slow play" continues!
Some people are quicker than others, doesn't matter what they are doing, whether it be reading the paper or playing golf.
70% of people in the R and A study said slow play wasn't a problem yet topics like this are on here continually.
For every one person who wants to run round the course and be back in the clubhouse in 3.5 hours there is another who enjoys having a non stressful walk round the course having a chat with friends that he sees once a week. Both pay the same money, and neither should be harassing the other, for every ying there's a yang.
An apprentice at my work took up golf in January this year and took out a membership at my club, he was out in all weathers and was totally addicted, I played a few rounds with him and he was wild with the clubs, to put it nicely, but he loved it and was enjoying himself. Great to see. Fast forward to the better weather and the course becomes a bit more busy, I hadn't seen him around for a while so I went to see him at work to find out why. He told me since the course had become more busy he had found golf, a hobby and supposedly and enjoyable passtime had become more stressful than going to work, he felt embarrassed and harassed everytime he went down, he played one medal and said he won't be playing another, the guys he played with were more interested in the time it took them to get round, they hardly helped him to look for his ball when he hit it everywhere and at the point where they were walking about on a green while he was still halfway down the fairway he ended up so stressed out he just walked in.
"Slow play" will never go away.

 

[Smiffy]

I very rarely duff, if I do it's safe and usually followed by a good shot.

I really can't work out why your handicap is so high

 

[MadAdey]

At my club the line I am hearing more and more is 'I only get to play once a week, I pay the same as everyone else and I am not being rushed'.

My biggest issue at weekends is the group sizes that go out. The course at weekends is in a large majority, 3 or 4 balls. You then get the odd 2 ball or even lone golfer who want to speed round and expect to play through the entire field on a busy course. That slow up everyone and only actually benefits one group. Yesterday I was playing in a mixed 4 ball match and the last group out. We had a lone golfer waiting on the tee to go off as soon as we finished and the tee re-opened. When I pointed out the situation, he was convinced that he would be allowed to play through 8 groups in a club match but finally decided to play a different loop of holes first after I had explained that this was unlikely to occur. On a busy weekend it is unreasonable for a smaller group to expect to play through but they are often the ones in the bar afterwards complaining about pace of play.

We have 3 loops of 9 and I have often suggested that one loop of 9 be reserved for smaller groups but so far no dice on that one.

this has as always bugged the hell out of me. You get a 2-ball of low handicap players trying to go out at the weekend and still expect to fly round in under 3 hours. I've got news for you, it's the weekend and you have all standards of player on the course in 4-balls. Your not going to get waived through because the course is full and you definatly have to expect a 4 hour round.