Slow play…….

[Mandofred]

it's not a race.

If I hop in the car to drive to a town 50 miles away....speed limit is 60mph.....and because of traffic I can only drive at 30mph (especially if it's just one car holding everybody up, and not letting faster traffic through)....I'm not going to be very happy.

4 hours and a bit under is not racing. 4.5hrs for a round is slow.....just plain slow. No good reason for it in almost all cases.

 

[Oddsocks]

it's not a race.

Correct, but likewise 5 hour rounds standing about are not fun either.

 

[Backache]

I don't think the reintroduction of capital punishment for rounds over 3.5 hours is an unreasonable first step.

 

[Newnsy]

Been reading the thread after a 2.5hr front nine today(comp 3balls) we weren’t trying to rush and get up close behind the group in front, but after going to pick up a couple of bacon sarnies and coffees we still had to wait on the 10th tee. I decided it was time to pick up our pace a little.
We were let though on the 14th and finished 2 holes ahead of them by the end of the round.
I don’t care if people are slow as long as they are aware and if the lose a hole on the group infront invite you through at a sensible point.

 

[Slab]

Maybe instead of 'buying' 18 holes with a tee time booking or green fee, we actually 'buy' an amount of time, say 4 hours (a bit like renting a tennis court or snooker table)

That way whether you can play 18, 15 or even 20+ holes you know exactly when you'll finish

 

[D-S]

As a amte of mine said, nearly as bad as being held up and waiting on every shot is having a group pushing you behind - just let them through as soon as possible and everyone is happy.

 

[Captain_Black.]

Played today behind a group of 3x young (ish) lads who looked quite good players the way they were striking the ball.
I'd say they were all single figure golfers, but were playing like they were competing for a few million at a Major.
Ohh my god were they slow.
They didn't seem to care who they held up & they just took forever to hit a shot or putt.
It was painful, I had to walk off after nine as it was destroying my game & put me in a really bad mood.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Thought that speed of play at H4H Hayling was good. IIRC my group was bang on 4hrs for a 4 ball playing individual Stableford - and that felt a good speed.

 

[PaulHab]

I don't think this has been specifically mentioned so far: obviously marking scorecards on the green is a no-no (actually hardly ever see it happen), but it's what happens on arrival at the next tee which is important. Usually out come all the pens/pencils, but whoever is to play first must get straight on to the tee and drive. Despite agreeing with 'ready golf' I favour the 'honour' on the tee so there is no doubt about who is responsible for driving first and marking their card while the others are driving. One problem is that many keep their card on their trolley, which may be parked well away from some tees. But think where pros keep their card!

As with so many slow play issues, it's awareness of 'time and motion', which some players, usually amblers as well, will never have.

 

[Oddsocks]

Not so much my current course but “ the honour” was only in match play. Shortest hitter first was the rule to keep up with the group in front. This only changed if the shorter hitter was one of the holes after a long walk or steep track to the tee as the duffers could be a bit short of breath

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Simple answer to OP.
Many people today are overweight and many others are unfit and slouch around a golf course.
Look at a 1970's football crowd and look at a 2022 football crowd........quite a few hundred tons different.
Simple answer is today's golfers walk much slower and faddle around with stuff than 1960's to 1990's golfers.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I don't know. You always get the old boys who say in their day a four-ball would get round in 2.5 hours or something daft, and I just don't see how it's possible unless they were on rollerskates. To me a four-ball at a decent length course takes 4 hours. That's just how long it takes. My course is short so with my normal three-ball we can get round in 3 hours, provided there's no one in front of us, which is often the case if we play in the afternoon. But for the majority I would think 4-ball 4 hours, 3-ball 3.5 hours, 2-ball 3 hours.

My weekend four ball in the 1960's to 1980 seldom went over 3 hours.
!990 went to 3.5 hours 2000 to 4 hours 2010 4.5 hours. I stopped playing before it went any higher.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Simple answer to OP.
Many people today are overweight and many others are unfit and slouch around a golf course.
Look at a 1970's football crowd and look at a 2022 football crowd........quite a few hundred tons different.
Simple answer is today's golfers walk much slower and faddle around with stuff than 1960's to 1990's golfers.

Exactly my observation - I will look at the group ahead if we are being held up and I often can’t imagine walking as slow as them. Plus the faffing about happens for a multitude of reasons but only actually has an impact on others if those doing the faffing have little or no self-awareness of their actions, or if they do they don‘t care about the impact on others.

I shouldn’t have to tell a playing companion to get on with it, as I wait until he has finished his current joke, funny storey or observation on life, golf, the club, the course - but I do. Or I will pointedly say such as ‘I’ll go then’.?

 

[Blue in Munich]

Simple answer to OP.
Many people today are overweight and many others are unfit and slouch around a golf course.
Look at a 1970's football crowd and look at a 2022 football crowd........quite a few hundred tons different.
Simple answer is today's golfers walk much slower and faddle around with stuff than 1960's to 1990's golfers.

Utter judgemental bollocks; I’m carrying too much timber as is another one of my playing partners, but that doesn’t stop us getting round in 2.45 as the first two ball out. Would have been even quicker if we hadn’t had to wait for the halfway hut to open because we were too early.

 

[Imurg]

Utter judgemental bollocks; I’m carrying too much timber as is another one of my playing partners, but that doesn’t stop us getting round in 2.45 as the first two ball out. Would have been even quicker if we hadn’t had to wait for the halfway hut to open because we were too early.

Don't forget, Blue, we like a good old generalisation on the Forum...don't leave home without one....

 

[fundy]

Utter judgemental bollocks; I’m carrying too much timber as is another one of my playing partners, but that doesn’t stop us getting round in 2.45 as the first two ball out. Would have been even quicker if we hadn’t had to wait for the halfway hut to open because we were too early.

better carrying a bit of extra timber than a mighty chip on ones shoulder

 

[Backsticks]

better carrying a bit of extra timber than a mighty chip on ones shoulder

And excessive baggage wont delay anything like the accumulated ticks of the pros routines, that repeated 90 times a round, adds up to half an hour.
Think I am exaggerating ? 20 seconds of aligning a ball, using a laser, standing astride a putt line, or whatever. For the average hacker, that adds up to 30 minutes.

 

[Mandofred]

If the average hacker wasn't using a laser or watch, they'd be standing there looking at the 100 yd marker.....then the 150 marker.....then frying their brain trying to decide where in-between the two markers they actually are. You don't have to guess with a laser/watch, if you are half way decent using one it's faster..... and the result is more accurate.

 

[Oddsocks]

Utter judgemental bollocks; I’m carrying too much timber as is another one of my playing partners, but that doesn’t stop us getting round in 2.45 as the first two ball out. Would have been even quicker if we hadn’t had to wait for the halfway hut to open because we were too early.

Can’t believe you had the nerve to hold the entire field up just because of the half way house, what is this world coming to ?

 

[AussieKB]

4 of us played yesterday in under 4 hours in a four hours, we had a few lost balls as well.

Played 4some champs recently and we were allowed to use carts, first group off and went round 2.20 in the morning
and 1.55 in the afternoon......plus we won so a great day.