Dando
Q-School Graduate
So if we ban fat people from playing, slow golf will be a thing of the past
Slow play…….
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So if we ban fat people from playing, slow golf will be a thing of the past
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
According to Doon frae Troon, yes.
bobmac
Major Champion
Who decides the timings?
First time I'd played with the guy and I was new to the others in the group as well, they all knew each other through seniors golf. I don't think it would have been a good way to introduce myself ?
. I know there is an element of cop out in that but it is an awkward subject at the best of times but to new people..............Myself and the other 2 just played at our pace and left him to catch up. Ready golf at its finest to neutralise to an extent the 4th. We book via brs so I will avoid him going forward, although I accept that in itself will not change his behaviour. I'm afraid he didn't fit the FBI profile. He was very 'regular ', not hefty around the middle at all. Was he the exception or is the theory in doubt ?
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
Don't think the theory ever had much credence to be honest, your experience only proves what a load of cobblers the theory was.
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
The club does.
I think we all knew that ?Don't think the theory ever had much credence to be honest, your experience only proves what a load of cobblers the theory was.
Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
I'm sure all but one of us did
, but as one of the FB's slighted, I just thought I'd highlight the stupidity of it. Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Calm down and read what I said
PS is carrying too much timber another way of saying overweight
Pants
Challenge Tour Pro
If I recall correctly, when we were allowed back on course after Covid, most courses that I played had 10 minute intervals between tee times. Rarely, if ever, did we experience a "slow" round. Generally we teed off just as the group in front were clearing the green and it usually remained thus throughout the round. In general, 2 balls were, on average, taking about 10 mins per hole give or take, 3 balls about 12 mins and 4 balls about 13 mins.
As soon as that was reduced to 7 or 8 mins between tee times, slower rounds became evident. After all, a minor hiccup of a couple of minutes searching then delays the whole field behind. And no. Immediately calling the group behind through does not necessarily speed things up. It can delay the field behind even more.
As soon as that was reduced to 7 or 8 mins between tee times, slower rounds became evident. After all, a minor hiccup of a couple of minutes searching then delays the whole field behind. And no. Immediately calling the group behind through does not necessarily speed things up. It can delay the field behind even more.
Backsticks
Assistant Pro
This was the case, for two distinct reasons, one real, one perceived.
Rounds were truly quicker for many, as the bigger spacings, allow for some concertina of th field behind a slow group. A slow group on the 9th will slow you from the first if groups have small time gaps. Move that to 10 minutes, and there is 15 or 20 minutes scope for the field to bunch up so they can keep their faster pace up for longer, and so lose less time overall.
The other is only perception. Most people do not time their round to the minute, nor truly know what the time is for a slow or fast round. Other than the occasional nightmare where they are waiting on every shot behind an exceptionally slow group and the round time is heading for 5 hours. But many feel a round is 'slow' or 'fast' according to the number of times, and length of time of the worst incidences, that they were waiting looking on at the group ahead of them. Golfers are often not speaking of time absolutely. But their perception of how long the group ahead held them up - independent of the actual pace of play.
So the 10 minute gaps had a big improvement in players feeling of whether their time was being wasted by groups slower than themselves.
Going back the decades, yes, golf rounds were faster, for a variety of reason, and there really is no solution to 'slow play'. The world of golf has chosen to play slowly. For three reasons, one of which is the effect noted by Pants : there are more golfers, and more courses are packed tightly with groups to maximise players, revenue, demand for tee time. The second is the time spent on a shot by most golfers. This has happened since TV golf set a culture of deliberate, procedural, repeatable process before playing ones shot, no matter what handicap. And the variety of techniques and technologies involved (yes lasers included - it doesnt matter how quick you are with it, plenty take a minute, and there is no way it is as quick as a GPS. Distance markers - they didnt exist either (banned until not that long ago) and you just had to pick a club, hit, and hope), aligning lines on balls (utterly pointless as previously demonstrated, and time for it to be outlawed), people marking all putts is a modern, pro influenced habit, and no end of nonsense around reading greens. Its 10, 20, 30 seconds here or there. But it all adds up. And the third is the length and design of golf courses. They are longer. They have more trees, bunkers and assorted hazards. Many many courses of the average golfer were far simpler in design in the past. And easier to play.
Golfers, as a whole have chosen to spend longer on the golf course. No point complaining about it !
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Blue in Munich
Crocked Professional Yeti Impersonator
We have kept the 10 minute spacing in the summer since Covid regulations were lifted as it runs smoother and there is enough room to do it, and everything starts from the 1st tee, apart from the first 90 minutes of the day when you can book 9 holes from the 10th.
When the clocks go for the winter we go back to 8 minutes and a two tee start as it apparently provides more tee times, despite the fact that the rounds take longer.
Ian_George
Active member
Calling the group behind through if there is a minor hold-up achieves nothing wrt improving overall pace of play! It only works where a group is consistently slower than those behind and then only for the groups it is able to let through! A more effective, if unpleasant, 'solution' is (being required) to skip playing a hole to catch up position! If the entire field is slow, it indicates tee time gaps are too small!
Ian_George
Active member
2-tee starts work as long as the last group off the 10 doesn't delay the 1st off the 1st AND can complete their round. Thus a limited number (9) and the 9-hole limitation in Summer. In winter, a full 18 round off the 1st has a smaller window of start times in order to start in the light (1st group out) and end in the light (last 18 hole group), but a 9-hole round (the back 9 for 10th tee starters) can start later. The 10 minute Summer v 8 minute Winter gap has always puzzled me! Winter golfers seem to be simply happy to have a round of any sort, whereas they are unhappy with the inevitable 'delays' of a crowded course in Summer!
sunshine
Well-known member
I played with a chubster a few weeks ago, he was pretty quick on his pre shot routine, but walking pace so slow. It was a bit awkward because it felt polite and sociable to walk off the tee with him and then amble up the fairway. On one hole I walked on at my pace because my ball was in the rough, 250 yard walk and I was almost 100 yards ahead already. This adds way more time than lasers and extra practice swings.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
If they really did go round in 2 hours donkey's year ago, then it HAS to be the case that they just took zero time over shots. Guess the yardage, grab a club (with only about 6 to choose from) and pelt it. Nowadays people will spend a little longer. We have the capability to get a correct yardage, so we do it. We have more clubs to choose from, so we'll spend another 10 seconds deciding which is the right one to use. Maybe we even care more about the outcome than the golfers of 50-60 years ago.
sunshine
Well-known member
Old Tom could finish 18 holes, work a full shift down t'mine, carry the coal back to Edinburgh, and be back in St Andrews by tea time for another 18 holes.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
I do wonder how much 'nostalgia' tinted specs influence the memory of round times from yesteryear
Course at 5500 yards, tees next to greens and just a couple of 16 year olds running round because their dinner was at 5pm on a summers day with no comp on etc
A bit like the day you got a 280 drive on a bone dry fairway and howling wind and saying that's how far you drive a ball just because it happened once or twice
Course at 5500 yards, tees next to greens and just a couple of 16 year olds running round because their dinner was at 5pm on a summers day with no comp on etc
A bit like the day you got a 280 drive on a bone dry fairway and howling wind and saying that's how far you drive a ball just because it happened once or twice
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
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