SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
for me - approximately - a 2-ball taking longer than 3hrs15mins; a 4-ball taken longer than 4hrs15mins.
Slow play and the effect on your game.
- Thread starter GreiginFife
- Start date
for me - approximately - a 2-ball taking longer than 3hrs15mins; a 4-ball taken longer than 4hrs15mins.
Slime
Tour Winner
Does that include beginners, poor players, anyone having a shocking round, really senior players etc., etc.?
Slime.
upsidedown
Tour Winner
Seniors Open at Swindon today and I kid you not but 3 hours to play the first 8 holes 
Playing 4BBB and we scraped 14 points for fist nine but then pace picked up and we had 19 on the back, with myself shouting level par, not bad for first visit to the course.
5 hours 25 was our final time .
Playing 4BBB and we scraped 14 points for fist nine but then pace picked up and we had 19 on the back, with myself shouting level par, not bad for first visit to the course.5 hours 25 was our final time .
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
We have 21 4-balls going off on 9am shotgun start tomorrow, this means it'll be slower than I prefer to play and I accept my spot in the field knowing this, it also means I don't agree to meet the wife/pick up kids or whatever else at 1 o'clock and then I don't act like a demented ejit because no ones letting our group through and hopefully I just enjoy my game and try to score the best I can
S
Snelly
Guest
Put me in charge and I would sort it out in a year.
If i had a magic wand, I would do this with a concerted, co-ordinated effort by administrators, professionals, tv companies and club members to re-educate the unenlightened of the golfing family. To include: guidelines on how long a round should take, how to ensure the optimum route around the course is taken and what constitutes a reasonable amount of time to hit a shot. The overriding aim being to hammer home the message that when it is your honour, hit the ball. Don't wait until it is your turn and then start your "process".
How long should a round take? Let's start with the main professional tours - a 2 ball in a professional tournament must be done in 3 hours 15 mins. A 3 ball in 3.45. If you don't finish within that time you get a 1 shot penalty. Problem solved - they would miraculously speed up and the scores would be unaffected. Give every player a motion sensing device like a fitbit (could be part of their tournament badge) so that the culprits in a 3 ball can be easily identified and dealt with.
This would filter down to the masses pretty quickly and set a proper standard of how long a game should take with the message being continually reinforced by the golf manufacturers and associated sporting media.
Jimaroid
Journeyman Pro
How can you have a blanket time limit on a round of golf when some courses are less than a 4 mile walk and others can be a 7 mile walk?
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
I have one of these on Sunday morning and I find that pace of play is usually good - because slow play by a group becomes obvious and no-one wants to be blamed by the rest of the field for a slow round.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Yeah we've actually had more info about pace of play than the event itself so hopefully <fingers crossed smiley>
MadAdey
Money List Winner
I can't see how a time limit can just be picked from the air. Some course have a bit of a walk between some off the holes, some course you walk off then green and straight onto the next tee.
Played on course last week that was 5500 yards long and every tee was close to the previous green. Played my normal place yesterday that 6900 yards long and on several of theholes the next tee is between 40-60 yards away.
A lot of factors have an influence on the time a round takes. Standard of the average player, weather, type of competition, players age etc etc and those things will change from course to course.
Slime
Tour Winner
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
5.10 round at Orsett on Wednesday. Waited over every shot.
And every time we stepped onto the next tee, one bloke in the group in front, (yes YOU in the yellow shirt!!), was about 100 yards away looking around in the bushes and undergrowth on the right of the fairway.
On every hole.
Which wound me up.
No end.
It shouldn't have done.
But it did
No wonder I played crap
:angry:
And every time we stepped onto the next tee, one bloke in the group in front, (yes YOU in the yellow shirt!!), was about 100 yards away looking around in the bushes and undergrowth on the right of the fairway.
On every hole.
Which wound me up.
No end.
It shouldn't have done.
But it did
No wonder I played crap
:angry:
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
This is the reason why many folk [inc me] are turning their backs on golf and taking up sports that are not so time consuming.
When you are behind four waddling overweight, selfish, med/high handicap, fluorescent golfers pushing caravans on wheels with their PSR's, distance measuring, plumb bobbing, constant re-marking ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC ETC....................
MadAdey
Money List Winner
Playing with a young lad on Thursday who had the 10 minute pre shot routine. He would tee his ball up, then go behind it and make sure it is lined up straight, then adjust it and re-check. Then was the practice swings with a pause at the top to check hand and club position. Then a couple of full swings. Then stand up to the ball and do a couple of short takeaways and back to the ball. Finally he would recheck his alignment and hit the damn thing. It was 50/50 wether it flew long and straight or missed the fairway by 20 yards.
He asked me how I keep hitting long and straight, so I told him. I tee it up with blank part of the ball facing up. Go about 6-8 foot behind to pick a mark infront of the ball to line up with, a quick swing to settle down and then I address the ball and hit it. I said that I do not see the point in all this f@@@@@@ about with a long winded pre shot routine. Next tee he cut all the crap out and just hit it, much to his amazement he hit a really good one.
He asked me how I keep hitting long and straight, so I told him. I tee it up with blank part of the ball facing up. Go about 6-8 foot behind to pick a mark infront of the ball to line up with, a quick swing to settle down and then I address the ball and hit it. I said that I do not see the point in all this f@@@@@@ about with a long winded pre shot routine. Next tee he cut all the crap out and just hit it, much to his amazement he hit a really good one.
S
Snelly
Guest
Well said.
I agree completely. So many more things I would rather do that play golf slowly.
I can see my future golf games being just with mates and only at times when I can get round the course at a decent lick. Shame really.
S
Snelly
Guest
ChrisB0210
Assistant Pro
I tend to play better when my group can play at a reasonable pace rather than having to hang around on every tee. That said, I've played a couple of rounds with one of our members who is known for his quick pace of play and each time I've played quite well.
I think it boils down to two things at my club:
1. Tee time spacing. All our members know that the layout of our first 3 holes doesn't really aid a reasonable pace of play, yet the spacing is the same for all comps. A couple of extra minutes between groups would definitely help ease this issue.
2. We have a predominantly older membership, many of whom simply can't move as quickly as they used to or, in some cases, feel seniority allows them to take as much time as they wish.
I'm not convinced you can do too much about the second without causing offence and potentially losing long standing members. That said, we do sign in for our rounds and I'm told score entry is the signing out. If data is available then the worse culprits should be spoken too, but in a positive way to encourage them to speed up.
I think it boils down to two things at my club:
1. Tee time spacing. All our members know that the layout of our first 3 holes doesn't really aid a reasonable pace of play, yet the spacing is the same for all comps. A couple of extra minutes between groups would definitely help ease this issue.
2. We have a predominantly older membership, many of whom simply can't move as quickly as they used to or, in some cases, feel seniority allows them to take as much time as they wish.
I'm not convinced you can do too much about the second without causing offence and potentially losing long standing members. That said, we do sign in for our rounds and I'm told score entry is the signing out. If data is available then the worse culprits should be spoken too, but in a positive way to encourage them to speed up.
Leereed
Head Pro
Between our group seen many a good round destroyed by slow play.a few weeks ago my pp was something like 4 under handicap after 14.then grinds to a holt waiting several minutes for every shot,he then drops 8 shots in 3 holes.It just spoils any rhythm you had.
Today on our 11th par 3 all four looking for someone's ball(bear in mind rough is 3ft deep)after 5 mins other 3 walk back 50 yards to play there's.... Why not play there shot THEN go look...
Not in comp all off yellows..
Today on our 11th par 3 all four looking for someone's ball(bear in mind rough is 3ft deep)after 5 mins other 3 walk back 50 yards to play there's.... Why not play there shot THEN go look...
Not in comp all off yellows..
Slime
Tour Winner
Woah there
.I wasn't intending to tread on anyone's toes back there.
I apologise for being a high handicapper who can't fly around a course in a time that suits everybody and sometimes has to look for my ball.
Serious question, how would you sort me out in a year?
Slime.
Woah there
I wasn't intending to tread on anyone's toes back there.
I apologise for being a high handicapper who can't fly around a course in a time that suits everybody and sometimes has to look for my ball.
Serious question, how would you sort me out in a year?
Slime.
Think you touched a raw nerve. Perhaps he's touchy he can't rule golf and sort it out in a year according to Snelly's Law. That and it can't be done
Slime
Tour Winner
I don't get the opportunity to play golf as often as most on here, so, when I do play, I don't want to rush.
I'll take my time & enjoy my surroundings and the company I'm with and not give a toss whether the round takes three hours or five hours.
I will, obviously, let faster players through before continuing my amble around the course.
We're here for a good time, not for a long time, and golf courses are amongst my favourite places to be and for that reason I'll defend my right to play at my own pace so long as it allows others to play at their preferred pace.
Slime.
I'll take my time & enjoy my surroundings and the company I'm with and not give a toss whether the round takes three hours or five hours.
I will, obviously, let faster players through before continuing my amble around the course.
We're here for a good time, not for a long time, and golf courses are amongst my favourite places to be and for that reason I'll defend my right to play at my own pace so long as it allows others to play at their preferred pace.
Slime.
