Slow play and the effect on your game.

[GreiginFife]

Played in a twilight medal last night, was fairly quiet but not desd. My PP and I were last out by some distance (50 minutes according to the starter) and so should have been fairly quick round. Now our course isnt long and 9 holes as a 2 ball should be no more than 1hr 30min if its busy.
Level par through 5, we caught the two in front on the 6th tee. We then waited 15 minutes to tee off on 6, and then pretty much had a 10 minute wait for each shot thereafter. Eventually taking just over 1hr 20min to play the last 4 holes (40 mins to play the first 5).
Scoring... double on 6,7 and 9 with a triple on 8 thrown in.
Lost all rhythm that I had through 5 and the momentum just vanished.
The frustration of watching someone drive the ball 200 yards and then wait for a gredn to clear 230yrds away was also too much. They also waited for the green fo clear before teeing off on a 496yrd par 4....
I tried to have a word but both just blanked us.

I dropped 9 shots in 4 holes once we hit slow play. How does constant waiting affect your game?

 

[JustOne]

Never bothered me.... just hit the ball when it's my turn.

Obviously I'd prefer all rounds to be of a reasonable pace but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

 

[FairwayDodger]

As long as the weather's semi-decent I don't let being held up bother me, no point getting annoyed so I just try and enjoy being out in the fresh air.

The one time slow play really does affect my game is when one or more of my playing partners is slow, I can't help speeding up myself to try and move our group along. I'm conscious of that now, though, so try not to rush my shots.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Annoys the hell out of me and sad to say it would affect me as it affected you. I get annoyed by the fact people are inconsiderate and that starts to rumble. Easy to say switch off, harder to do. I can manage it for a few holes but after a while it starts to grate.

 

[Curls]

I get the same effect OP. I don't mind if its a long round as long as I'm aware beforehand and its a constantly slow pace, but starting quick and running into traffic is usually a prelude to disaster. Don't beat yourself up.

The best advice regards slow play I've ever heard is that you should remove all thoughts of getting the group ahead to speed up or let you through. You are trying to effect a change that you have no control over. If they're slow, inconsiderate, or the bases are loaded, they wont care you're there. So the only thing you can effect is your reaction to the slow play. Easier said than done but sound advice I'd say.

 

[patricks148]

Played in a twilight medal last night, was fairly quiet but not desd. My PP and I were last out by some distance (50 minutes according to the starter) and so should have been fairly quick round. Now our course isnt long and 9 holes as a 2 ball should be no more than 1hr 30min if its busy.
Level par through 5, we caught the two in front on the 6th tee. We then waited 15 minutes to tee off on 6, and then pretty much had a 10 minute wait for each shot thereafter. Eventually taking just over 1hr 20min to play the last 4 holes (40 mins to play the first 5).
Scoring... double on 6,7 and 9 with a triple on 8 thrown in.
Lost all rhythm that I had through 5 and the momentum just vanished.
The frustration of watching someone drive the ball 200 yards and then wait for a gredn to clear 230yrds away was also too much. They also waited for the green fo clear before teeing off on a 496yrd par 4....
I tried to have a word but both just blanked us.

I dropped 9 shots in 4 holes once we hit slow play. How does constant waiting affect your game?

Painful stuff Greig, this annoys the hell out of me, my perfect pace is just being able to walk to the ball and hit it. if these guys where that slow, i would have tried more than once if they had lost ground on the group in front.

 

[Region3]

Never bothered me.... just hit the ball when it's my turn.

Obviously I'd prefer all rounds to be of a reasonable pace but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

This ^

I will add that while you are waiting, don't stand there next to your ball with a club in your hand.

Talk about footie, beer, anything but golf.

 

[Imurg]

It depends on how I'm playing
If I'm playing badly then it is root cause for the bad play - full stop..!
If I'm playing OK I tend to just go with the flow...

 

[ScienceBoy]

I have never been bothered that much by slow rounds, I have scored as many good and bad as faster ones.

The biggest issue for me has always been abrupt changes in pace, suddenly speeding up or slowing down like your example still knocks my rhythm.

 

[FairwayDodger]

It depends on how I'm playing
If I'm playing badly then it is root cause for the bad play - full stop..!
If I'm playing OK I tend to just go with the flow...

Actually.... yeah, that's about the truth of it!

 

[louise_a]

Depends on if I let it get to me or not, if I do let it get to me I get tensed up and play badly, if I just shrug then it doesn't normally affect my game.

 

[garyinderry]

Maybe they might get the message if you ..

 

[Snelly]

I can't play decent golf when waiting for every shot. I cannot get past the fact that quite simply, I would rather be somewhere else.

I find it a reminder to how selfish people can be, how some people are so gullible to believe golf should take that long and it sends me into a general decline.

The speed of play is one of the most prominent factors in my decision to play in an event / bounce game or not. If there is a strong chance that I will have to wait around between shots then I probably would not agree to play. It isn't much fun and there are loads of other things that I would rather be doing.

 

[3puttmaster]

Sadly, I have yet to play in a comp at my club where it has taken less than 4 hours and I've been a member there for 4 years; the average is 4 hrs 30 mins which is a disgrace in my opinion but I know it'll never change.

When I started playing in comps there it got to me really badly and I struggled waiting for what seemed like ages between shots. Now I know that the vast majority of members will be looking at putts from every angle and waiting for the green to clear on the par 5's when they're 300 yards away I walk slower and just take longer, enjoy the scenery and the company. Talking about anything but golf often helps.

It has become an irritant but unfortunately I really don't think we are going to see it getting better anytime soon. Until penalties are attributed to those who are slow then why would anyone who is taking an age to get around the course speed up? In the meantime, those of us who want to get round before it gets dark will have to just lump it!! :sbox:

 

[GreiginFife]

I can see where many respondants are coming from but I shohld point out that I want getting annoyed or angry about it. Ok I got frustrated a few times by their actions rather than the time. 10 minutes for every shot simply knocked me off rhythm and the momentum of 5 straight pars and playing well just ebbed away with each ticking moment.
I could not think about the game, I could talk about loose cars and fast women but ultimately would that regain me the momentum and focus I had?

I think its something I need to work on if its as simple as not thinking about it.

 

[londonlewis]

I was at Hoebridge a couple of years ago when the course was rammed full of 4-balls. The pace of play was seriously slow.
We were waiting on every hole for at least 10 minutes before being able to tee off. There was not a single course marshal in sight.

We tee off on the 7th, two balls down the fairway, 1 in the left rough, 1 in the right rough. We spend 5 minutes looking for the two in the rough (which we found) before playing out the hole.

Bang - course marshal appears on the 8th tee and tells us we are holding the course up.

I didn't hold my tongue and told the guy he had some gall blaming any slow play on us given their appalling decision to let so many groups out at such short intervals. The whole exchange left me really wound up and genuinely affected me for the next few holes. By the time I had calmed down, my score had gone to pot.

This is the only slow play incident that affects me, it is when we are accused of slow play not when slow play is an issue on the course. Weird, I know.

 

[ger147]

Played in a twilight medal last night, was fairly quiet but not desd. My PP and I were last out by some distance (50 minutes according to the starter) and so should have been fairly quick round. Now our course isnt long and 9 holes as a 2 ball should be no more than 1hr 30min if its busy.
Level par through 5, we caught the two in front on the 6th tee. We then waited 15 minutes to tee off on 6, and then pretty much had a 10 minute wait for each shot thereafter. Eventually taking just over 1hr 20min to play the last 4 holes (40 mins to play the first 5).
Scoring... double on 6,7 and 9 with a triple on 8 thrown in.
Lost all rhythm that I had through 5 and the momentum just vanished.
The frustration of watching someone drive the ball 200 yards and then wait for a gredn to clear 230yrds away was also too much. They also waited for the green fo clear before teeing off on a 496yrd par 4....
I tried to have a word but both just blanked us.

I dropped 9 shots in 4 holes once we hit slow play. How does constant waiting affect your game?

Doesn't bother me at all.

On Saturday just past, I played with 2 of the slowest players I've ever played with in the 1st round of the club champs qualifier. Long pre-shot routines, ages standing over the ball, ages to select a club then changes mind, mini bag service every time they put a club away before they start walking again etc. etc. etc. We were 4hrs 45 mins for a 3 ball medal (normal time is an hour less) and we let 2 groups play through during our round.....

I shot a comp PB, got a 1.2 shot h/cap cut and finished 2nd in my division.

 

[Fyldewhite]

Generally doesn't bother me but I do feel a bit unsettled when playing at a nice steady pace then suddenly hit a road block and have a 10 minute wait on the tee. Not a guaranteed bad drive......but if it is a bad drive I'll guarantee it was due to the wait

 

[garyinderry]

I've played quite a few courses in the north west and on Ireland. I havnt really been plagued by slow play all that much.

I get the impression, and I could be wrong that it seems to be worse in the south?

Is there any truth in that? Basing this from what I read on here.

 

[Siren]

It used to affect me quite a lot my game would go to pot after 2 or 3 holes of being held up. Then about 6/7 months ago a bulb went off in my head, theres nothing I can do to make them speed up, the only thing I am in control over is my own game. Weirdly enough I have played my best golf in my last 4+ hour rounds where I have been held up most of the way around.

Just enjoy the company of your playing partners, crack a few jokes and hoe its not raining.