Letting people pass

[robinthehood]

My advice would be, if you play at peak time on your own or even in a 2, expect to be in for the long haul as it seems everyone talks a good game about allowing others to play through, but the reality is a lot different.
I'll only play at quiet times as a one and even then you catch up with people wont let you by, in those cases just walk to the next tee, preferably along the hole being played

 

[hovis]

My advice would be, if you play at peak time on your own or even in a 2, expect to be in for the long haul as it seems everyone talks a good game about allowing others to play through, but the reality is a lot different.
I'll only play at quiet times as a one and even then you catch up with people wont let you by, in those cases just walk to the next tee, preferably along the hole being played

I can't argue with this. I exclusively play as a two ball. When it's busy we either try to add onto another two ball or accept its going to be a long round. I also decline any offer off being let through if there is no hope in sight

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The assumption in all this is that the tractor is going to let the van and the sports car through, when its been obvious for some time that its not going to let the bus through.
Why would it suddenly change strategy..?
I would be more than a little annoyed if, having been held up for many holes, the group I let through get let through immediately.

Because we don't know where the tractor is going...indeed my experience of tractors on local country roads is that they tend to turn off the road pretty prompt.

And so when I get behind a tractor or join a queue behind one I will just sit there and wait - knowing that the wait is unlikely to be long as the tractor will disappear shortly. And if a car behind me tries to pass - and in the end I let it - well that's done. It can then sit behind the tractor or not as it chooses. It's nothing to do with me. And if it gets past the tractor and disappears into the distance - again - so be it. Nothing to do with me.

Will my journey take longer or shorter because I let that car pass me? I have no idea - as I had no precise knowledge of how long my journey was actually going to take before I let it pass, and likewise no idea after I let it pass. So if I am likely to feel better and have a more relaxed drive after letting that car pass me, then that's what I'll do.

 

[Leftie]

What annoys me though is that BF and I plus 2 mates have had this ruddy great tractor tight up our backsides for ages. He's so high up in his cab that he can see that the road in front is vehicles nose to tail with cars, lorries, the odd bus but he still won't back off. Given an open road, we would be away from him in a shot making an immediate gap for someone behind us to fill from behind the (now) relatively slow tractor......

 

[Mandofred]

I mentioned this topic to my wife....I think she may have had a better analogy. Bank Holiday weekend and you are driving to the beach in the middle of the worst of it......You will get to the beach, eventually. Just relax and try to avoid heart attacks.

 

[sunshine]

What is the right way about this. Should the people in front offer the person behind through if there playing faster and are solo or should the person behind ask to get passed ?
Just played this morning and from holes 4-9 i was right behind a 3 ball all older men 60/70. They had no intention of letting me pass and at the 9th i just jumped onto the 11th. My feeling is the people in front should offer you through.

The reality is that some people think that letting another group through is an attack on their manhood. Especially older generations in my experience.

 

[Imurg]

Because we don't know where the tractor is going...indeed my experience of tractors on local country roads is that they tend to turn off the road pretty prompt.

And so when I get behind a tractor or join a queue behind one I will just sit there and wait - knowing that the wait is unlikely to be long as the tractor will disappear shortly. And if a car behind me tries to pass - and in the end I let it - well that's done. It can then sit behind the tractor or not as it chooses. It's nothing to do with me. And if it gets past the tractor and disappears into the distance - again - so be it. Nothing to do with me.

Will my journey take longer or shorter because I let that car pass me? I have no idea - as I had no precise knowledge of how long my journey was actually going to take before I let it pass, and likewise no idea after I let it pass. So if I am likely to feel better and have a more relaxed drive after letting that car pass me, then that's what I'll do.

Well this tractor isn't....he's not letting anyone through for what ever reason...
Somits going to be a slow old trip down the country lane.....so to speak.

 

[Slab]

Some tractors are slower than others

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Well this tractor isn't....he's not letting anyone through for what ever reason...
Somits going to be a slow old trip down the country lane.....so to speak.

And if a slow tractor is what is going to determine the duration of everyone's round, then that mine might or might not be 5mins longer due to me letting someone through isn't a big deal. It's only 5mins within a plus/minus '15min' window of uncertainty around the eventual duration of my round.

 

[Imurg]

And if a slow tractor is what is going to determine the duration of everyone's round, then that mine might or might not be 5mins longer due to me letting someone through isn't a big deal. It's only 5mins within a plus/minus '15min' window of uncertainty around the eventual duration of my round.

But what is the purpose in letting a group through that you know will not make any further headway due to the pace of play.?
What are you going to gain, what are they going to gain?
The course is full and slow
The group behind have played faster in order to catch you up..
Will they be able to continue at that pace once they pass you?
If the answer is no then why let them through in the first place?

 

[Whereditgo]

But what is the purpose in letting a group through that you know will not make any further headway due to the pace of play.?
What are you going to gain, what are they going to gain?
The course is full and slow
The group behind have played faster in order to catch you up..
Will they be able to continue at that pace once they pass you?
If the answer is no then why let them through in the first place?

But not necessarily faster than your group would be be playing if you were not being held up!

A couple of weeks ago our regular four ball tee'd off in front of a two ball, we steadily left them behind until we caught up to the back of a society, at which point the two ball were more than two holes behind us. When they caught us up, as we were now stuck behind a number of fourballs and we had no realistic expectation of being let through the group in front unless they had a serious delay looking for a lost ball which didn't happen, they expected us to let them through.
We politely declined their request.

 

[PJ87]

The reality is that some people think that letting another group through is an attack on their manhood. Especially older generations in my experience.

My mate and I played a 2 Ball at my course in the summer just as it had fully opened

We caught a 4 ball on the 11th . Par 3.. they stopped on the tee and waited for us...soon as we got there they moved away? Like they were teasing us

Between 12 and 13 there is a long walk and they had 2 buggies so we thought that's alright get them out way as we will take longer to get there

Low and behold on 13th we walked up the hill got to top and they just threw club in their buggies and whizzed off

On 16 the marshal caught us and said apologise for those they did say they would let you through If you got close ... I said much closer and the 2m rule would have been broken

Some people no matter how often their reminded or picked up on will never learn

Just went on booking system looked at names and thought avoid them in future

 

[Mandofred]

But what is the purpose in letting a group through that you know will not make any further headway due to the pace of play.?
What are you going to gain, what are they going to gain?
The course is full and slow
The group behind have played faster in order to catch you up..
Will they be able to continue at that pace once they pass you?
If the answer is no then why let them through in the first place?

Because of the mysterious world of....etiquette.

 

[Mandofred]

But not necessarily faster than your group would be be playing if you were not being held up!

A couple of weeks ago our regular four ball tee'd off in front of a two ball, we steadily left them behind until we caught up to the back of a society, at which point the two ball were more than two holes behind us. When they caught us up, as we were now stuck behind a number of fourballs and we had no realistic expectation of being let through the group in front unless they had a serious delay looking for a lost ball which didn't happen, they expected us to let them through.
We politely declined their request.

You get an "atta boy" from me for this.

 

[robinthehood]

But not necessarily faster than your group would be be playing if you were not being held up!

A couple of weeks ago our regular four ball tee'd off in front of a two ball, we steadily left them behind until we caught up to the back of a society, at which point the two ball were more than two holes behind us. When they caught us up, as we were now stuck behind a number of fourballs and we had no realistic expectation of being let through the group in front unless they had a serious delay looking for a lost ball which didn't happen, they expected us to let them through.
We politely declined their request.

This is the sort of behaviour that makes it slow for us all.

 

[Mandofred]

This is the sort of behaviour that makes it slow for us all.

Not sure which behaviour you are talking about. The slow society golfers? The slow 2 ball that finally caught up...and then asked to go through(you know, because they are a 2 ball with special privileges)? The four ball that were doing all they could to play faster but couldn't....but didn't let the 2 ball go through?

 

[3offTheTee]

How many times has it been said you you when you have caught a group up? “ We would let you through but there is nowhere to go!”

 

[Whereditgo]

Not sure which behaviour you are talking about. The slow society golfers? The slow 2 ball that finally caught up...and then asked to go through(you know, because they are a 2 ball with special privileges)? The four ball that were doing all they could to play faster but couldn't....but didn't let the 2 ball go through?

Society groups are very often slow, for a variety of reasons, not knowing the course, maybe they play for ££££ and don't give gimme's etc, (some of the slowest rounds I have ever played have been on forum meets) and they generally want to stick together if they can. I don't have any issue with that and accept that if we come up to the back of a society group then generally you're not getting let through.

 

[Whereditgo]

How many times has it been said you you when you have caught a group up? “ We would let you through but there is nowhere to go!”

And if the course is clearly rammed full in front of them, I would thank them and acknowledge it's just going to be a bit slower from here on in.

 

[Maninblack4612]

We need another Forum category "Subjects which have been flogged to death on which there is nothing new to say"