S....l...o....w P..........l.........a..............y

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

I it just me? Is the game of golf slowly grinding to a complete stop?
It seems that almost every round I play I am subjected to some idiot agonising over, and analysing every shot, pacing the greens and searching for that hidden borrow. Yesterday at the 5th I thought the fourball in front had fossilised.
I am frustrated, no, I am completely pissed off. It is time the game's governing body did something about the morons who cause the snail like pace that has become endemic in this wonderful game.
Tiger Woods has been castigated for his extra marital misdemeanours and the "damage it has done to golf", who cares,it is nothing compared to the damage that he and his fellow pros have caused through slow play. At last year's Masters, Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker took five hours and 10 minutes to complete a two-ball. As Mark Reason of The Telegraph commented
“They could have crosssed the channel and had lunch in Paris in less time”.
A round of golf for four on an 18-hole course should take between three and three-and-a-half hours, no more. The sluggishness of the professional game is seeping into the psyche of the handicap golfer and it has to stop. I don’t know, when was the last booking, or red card or whatever the ruling bodies hand out for slow play. I cannot remember a pro golfer ever being fined, suspended or otherwise for dawdling and I know it has never happened at my club.
Please, Everybody.. Get to the turn in less than 2 hours and finish in less than 4 and we will all be much happier.

 

[birdieman]

Understand your frustrations. There are some exceptions I think - e.g.-

I like to play quite quickly, on Tuesday took a half day off work and played in the afternoon at my home club, a 2 round comp, first 3 ball out. We took 2 hrs 45 mins round which was refreshing, I really enjoyed it and got back home nice and sharp. Normally a 3 ball is 3.5 hrs at our club.

I played Castle Stuart on Saturday as a 4ball, none of whom had never played the course. We played steadily and didn't hold anyone up and weren't held up ourselves and we took 4 hrs 35 mins to get round. Sure we could have gone quicker but it wasn't a race, it was a day to be savoured.

Have played Kingsbarns as a 2 ball and taken over 4hours. These long technical courses take some time to get round without playing slowly.

The journo saying 3.5 hrs tops for any 4ball on any 18 hole course is a bit out of touch I think.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

3.5 hrs is quite rapid for a 4 ball.
I don't mind if it takes 4 hrs for a 4 ball.

However, when following a 2 ball and it takes 4 hrs (like last weekend), then I get annoyed.

 

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

we took 4 hrs 35 mins to get round. Sure we could have gone quicker but it wasn't a race, it was a day to be savoured.

What about the poor buggers behind you!!!!

 

[ThatsMeInTheTrees]

While i understand your what your saying and yes some people could play alot faster, i think alot of the slow play i have been stuck behind is because people new to the game take awhile. I am sure that when i started playing i held up some people but that just how it works i would hate to discourage people from taking up this great game for fear that they might hold people up and not being sure about letting people play thru.

however having said that i must say with there now being hundreds of videos going on about the importance of a pre-shot rotuine then yeah its gonna get slow with some people adding over a minute per hole to do this then you are looking at and extra 30mins just from that.

 

[USER1999]

Slow play is hard to define really. If I am waiting on every shot, then any time is too slow. If I play round in 4 1/2 hours, without getting held up, that is fine.

To me, the pro's do take too long, and it is spreading into everyday golf. There is no point in agonising over the line of a putt from 40 ft, and then leaving it 10ft short. You would get a better result if you walked up and whacked it.

Same in other sports though. Tennis is getting slower, with players bouncing the ball 30 times before serving, and using a towel after every rally.

Over rates in cricket are way slower too.

May be it in amateur weekend sport it is because the current generation is so unfit that it takes ages to waddle round.

Stupidly long pre shot routines don't help either.

 

[birdieman]

If you read my post I said we didn't hold anyone up, all groups were playing an even steady pace. It's a long course and it's difficult, raking bunkers 40 yards wide takes time . If you want a look at a strokesaver to see bunkering round a green etc what;s wrong with that. I dare say if we all went back we would be a bit quicker as we'd be more familiar with what clubs to hit etc.

 

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

Bah Humbug... If you get to six shots on a hole pick up the ball. If you get to ten retire to the bar! You know it makes sense

 

[Pro_V_wan_kenobi]

May be it in amateur weekend sport it is because the current generation is so unfit that it takes ages to waddle round.

Very good observation!

 

[Robobum]

Agree with Murph.

What exactly is TOO SLOW????

On a beautiful sunny day when you stroll round in 4.5 hrs never waiting unduly over shots, playing great golf in good company, time never seems to drag.

3hrs in a 2ball hacking it round in the rain with a knob of a partner is about 2 hrs 55mins longer than necessary.

For the OP to say 6 shots is too much pick up your ball is a little rich. Some may consider a handicap of 13 to be too much, pick up your ball and let the scratch players through!!

Slowing down and smelling the flowers might just help a lot of people's golf.

 

[19th]

I can appreciate the OP's original point re the knock on effect from the pro game to the club competition. I do think we sometimes fail to understand that a pro player is maybe trying to remain in a scoring region that will give him an invite to other comps, offering him the future chance of a large payday. This is not the case playing a medal round at your home club but some players seem to think it is.

However, if speed over the course is what is required, go out first - no probs!

If that is not possible, take up another sport as time for a round is dictated by the slowest player up front, accept it.

Just a thought, if the OP plays with similar handicapped players, in a four ball ahead of four scratch players, does their additional 52 shots get played without any holdup to the game behind?

I have played the six hour round in Spain, stood on the 4th tee at Carnoustie one hour after medal tee off time and also skipped round a course without holdups and I can say that I don't remember being unduly upset at any time.

 

[User 105]

This used to drive me absolutly nuts when I first started.

I used to play a lot as a 1 ball if I could get out of work early and try to get 18 in. And there's nothing worse than getting stuck behind a slow group, usually a society at our place, when you're on you're own.

Can't play through, can't join up.

Standing there over you're ball for 5 mins every shot just spoils the flow of a round.

I don't mind it so much if I'm with others, you can have a natter and a bit of a laugh.

 

[viscount17]

The OP needs to accept that for many the medal is just as important to them as a pro playing in a major; purely a matter of perspective.

You may not like it but it is a fact of life.

Anyway you always notice a long round more when things aren't going well.

 

[USER1999]

I was playing a medal once, and there was a lightening delay. No one went out for 2 hours. Most of those who had been on the course had given up and gone home. Eventually, it abated, and we were allowed out. We had one three ball in front of us, and then an empty course. Oh good, me thinks, we will get round in a sensible time.
Nope. 4 3/4 hours. The 3 in front dawdled about, often standing there doing nothing, no one playing, nothing. They never once thought of letting us through, as it was a medal.
I was livid. Still haven't played or spoken to any of them, and never will.

 

[Screwback]

Our fourball at nairn on Sunday bashed round in just under 3 Hours and we would have been quicker if it was not for the 2 ball infront of us. We still had a good game and was not rushing we just moved swiftly between shots and never mucked about over the ball. All this 5 hour rounds is poor...

 

[TRS30]

Slow play is hard to define really. If I am waiting on every shot, then any time is too slow. If I play round in 4 1/2 hours, without getting held up, that is fine.

To me, the pro's do take too long, and it is spreading into everyday golf. There is no point in agonising over the line of a putt from 40 ft, and then leaving it 10ft short. You would get a better result if you walked up and whacked it.

Same in other sports though. Tennis is getting slower, with players bouncing the ball 30 times before serving, and using a towel after every rally.

Over rates in cricket are way slower too.

May be it in amateur weekend sport it is because the current generation is so unfit that it takes ages to waddle round.

Stupidly long pre shot routines don't help either.

Agree with all of this.

 

[mansell]

I was livid. Still haven't played or spoken to any of them, and never will.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

I was out in a 4 yesterday and we went round in 3 hours 50 mins. It would have been faster but not one of us had a good round, all of us playing Catholic golf.

And we got DQ'd from the medal as we didn't realise there was a local rule that we can't play as a 4 in medals.

Bad times.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I was out in a 4 yesterday and we went round in 3 hours 50 mins. It would have been faster but not one of us had a good round, all of us playing Catholic golf.

And we got DQ'd from the medal as we didn't realise there was a local rule that we can't play as a 4 in medals.

Bad times.

You can't play as a 4-ball in medals, why ever not?

 

[pokerjoke]

Re: S....l...o....w P..........l.........a..............y

I never play golf if i havnt got enough time to enjoy the occasion,the worst type of golf is when you need to be somewhere else.IMO 4 hours is about right for a fourball.