Slow play fine

[Swinglowandslow]

Last time I played, was alone doing a few holes carrying 4 clubs.
Came to a point where fairway of one hole meets fairway of another, and two ladies and a gentleman were playing. Their balls neatly in the fairway. Mine could have been one of them , but even when asked if they were sure they were their balls, they didn’t check.! ( the balls they walked to were theirs because they were white, I suppose )
Anyway, both ladies hit their balls further along the fairway. About 50 yds.
Still , they had paid their money no doubt.

Regular, good players who stay in the fairway a lot , with excellent to reasonable handicaps should realise that golf courses today have players on them of wildly different abilities and knowledge.
Call out time wasting , yes…. But that isn’t what only causes slow play….these days.

 

[Slab]

Many clubs will have an ‘expected time’ to complete a round, not sure how many of those clubs change that time up/down based on field composition, weather, season, course condition, format of play, playing ability, course set-up, tee spacing etc. It’s probably unnecessary to do it day-to-day but to never change it through the year just means it’s a token time

So as a guess I’d say it’s just a very general estimate to show it was considered at one time

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I played in an open last week, same one as @rudebhoy that had recommended time to complete at various points around the course. I think we were 20 minutes behind the first marker, 30 minutes behind halfway and just under an hour behind at the end, a painful 4hrs 45 for a course that was fairly standard in length with no big walks between holes. We were held up all the way around, the starter held everyone to the correct time so not his fault. I was cursing the group infront until I realised they were also being held up. We did not know which was the problem group.

I like those 'advised times' markers but if nothing happens when you don't hit those times...............

 

[Doon frae Troon]

This is the absolute ticket to slow play.

Have a pager style device on the bag that checks in every 3 holes (example) at the 4th you’ll be notified you are losing pace, at the 7th if you haven’t caught up it notifies a course Marshall. By the 10th tee you’re getting told to pull your finger out.

Times should be realistic, obviously depending on course and if it was a medal etc.

2 balls - 3.5 hours max
3 balls - 4.0 hours max
4 balls - 4.5 hours max

If you are on time as a 4 ball and you are holding up a fast 3 ball without letting them through, it would be instantly visible to the club and a Marshall can insist you stand aside.

But… I stand by my statement that just because you are in a rush shouldn’t mean everyone else has to rush to suit you as a player.

I need to be in London Saturday by 2, if I go out at my normal time I’ll be finished by 11.30 max and it’s doable at a push, but I wouldn’t expect to drag my group around solely for me despite going out at 7.45. So if there is room I’ll play 9 holes, if not I’ll play Sunday afternoon.

In the 1990's our last monthly golf team meeting of the year had the last 30mins dedicated to 'the future'.
I recall wafting the thought of a CCTV camera and sound mike on every third tee.
Save lots of money on starters and rangers [approx 5 employed then for two courses]
Downside was that some oik would probably steal them the first week.

 

[Orikoru]

Back on the original topic though - whenever I see penalties have been awarded for slow play it only seems to be in the women's game. Is that my imagination? I can't recall a time when a significant male player was given one. They get 'put on the clock' but that is all. Do the authorities feel the backlash would be too much if they did it to a male player?

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Back on the original topic though - whenever I see penalties have been awarded for slow play it only seems to be in the women's game. Is that my imagination? I can't recall a time when a significant male player was given one. They get 'put on the clock' but that is all. Do the authorities feel the backlash would be too much if they did it to a male player?

They do penalise players across the main tours and many do go on the clock but that’s when they make up time

As we saw on Sunday when the leader was put on the clock and within two holes made up the time


Think LIV slapped a penalty on someone

But there also will be some truth in that they allow the whole field at times to be slow

 

[3 jabber]

Yes they can!
So somebody who can’t walk to fast and no buggies avaliable is excluded from playing ?

No, they just make sure they don't fart about. Go straight to the ball, be ready to play soon as it is their turn (or ready golf). Most slow play is people not being ready or faffing about, you can make up for slow walking by saving time in other areas.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Yes they can!
So somebody who can’t walk to fast and no buggies avaliable is excluded from playing ?

No one should take 6 hours going around a golf course

 

[Backache]

Back on the original topic though - whenever I see penalties have been awarded for slow play it only seems to be in the women's game. Is that my imagination? I can't recall a time when a significant male player was given one. They get 'put on the clock' but that is all. Do the authorities feel the backlash would be too much if they did it to a male player?

I believe on the PGA tour they do penalise players for slow play, however the penalties are financial and not published.

 

[clubchamp98]

No, they just make sure they don't fart about. Go straight to the ball, be ready to play soon as it is their turn (or ready golf). Most slow play is people not being ready or faffing about, you can make up for slow walking by saving time in other areas.

Yes you can but the slow ones don’t that’s the problem.

 

[D-S]

I believe on the PGA tour they do penalise players for slow play, however the penalties are financial and not published.

They don’t seem to have done the trick though as they have had to reduce the field size just to get them round in the first two days.
Perhaps shots or even naming and shaming rather than just keeping it quiet might actually work.

 

[clubchamp98]

No one should take 6 hours going around a golf course

Yes that was a off the cuff time (insert your own acceptable timings )
But you get my point people can take their time as long as they like as long as it dosnt ruin anyone else’s game.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Yes that was a off the cuff time (insert your own acceptable timings )
But you get my point people can take their time as long as they like as long as it dosnt ruin anyone else’s game.

Yes but there will always be a cut off somewhere

We have had people that have been told to either use a buggy or play at the back of the field because they had issues keeping up with the group in front

 

[clubchamp98]

I believe on the PGA tour they do penalise players for slow play, however the penalties are financial and not published.

Should be shot penalties they would soon sort it.
Multi millionaires don’t even see fines the accountant sorts that out.

 

[clubchamp98]

Yes but there will always be a cut off somewhere

We have had people that have been told to either use a buggy or play at the back of the field because they had issues keeping up with the group in front

It’s a problem no dought.
But putting a time on it’s very difficult.
Ours seems to have put 4.15 hrs on comps but some think it’s a target not a max and if their inside that time they think they don’t have to call anyone through.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

No, they just make sure they don't fart about. Go straight to the ball, be ready to play soon as it is their turn (or ready golf). Most slow play is people not being ready or faffing about, you can make up for slow walking by saving time in other areas.

Certainly true of tour players, or good players, who get chased up, but not true these days on golf courses where anyone can “rock up”, pay their money with no questions asked.
And that is now the majority of courses I suggest, finances being what they are.
And it doesn’t help that people are playing off very big handicaps now.
A lot of the slow play I’ve seen has been because of lack of ability ( when playing in comps) or lack of that and/or knowledge of etiquette etc in the case of paying per round (newish) players.
I don’t think regulars in the weekly Sunday comps are the slow players.

 

[clubchamp98]

Certainly true of tour players, or good players, who get chased up, but not true these days on golf courses where anyone can “rock up”, pay their money with no questions asked.
And that is now the majority of courses I suggest, finances being what they are.
And it doesn’t help that people are playing off very big handicaps now.
A lot of the slow play I’ve seen has been because of lack of ability ( when playing in comps) or lack of that and/or knowledge of etiquette etc in the case of paying per round (newish) players.
I don’t think regulars in the weekly Sunday comps are the slow players.

I agree.
Except the last line.

We have several members who play in the comps who are slow ( not all seniors I might add)
We all know who they are but nothings been done for years.
There’s been a lot of complaints lately so watching this space to see if anything is done to sort it out.
My guess NO!

 

[chellie]

Certainly true of tour players, or good players, who get chased up, but not true these days on golf courses where anyone can “rock up”, pay their money with no questions asked.
And that is now the majority of courses I suggest, finances being what they are.
And it doesn’t help that people are playing off very big handicaps now.
A lot of the slow play I’ve seen has been because of lack of ability ( when playing in comps) or lack of that and/or knowledge of etiquette etc in the case of paying per round (newish) players.
I don’t think regulars in the weekly Sunday comps are the slow players.

They are at ours in both mens and womens comps. All handicaps as well.

 

[3 jabber]

Certainly true of tour players, or good players, who get chased up, but not true these days on golf courses where anyone can “rock up”, pay their money with no questions asked.
And that is now the majority of courses I suggest, finances being what they are.
And it doesn’t help that people are playing off very big handicaps now.
A lot of the slow play I’ve seen has been because of lack of ability ( when playing in comps) or lack of that and/or knowledge of etiquette etc in the case of paying per round (newish) players.
I don’t think regulars in the weekly Sunday comps are the slow players.

Not the case at my club. All new members have to do a playing in round where etiquette and basic rules knowledge is checked. If they are not up to standard then they don't get in. We have a long waiting list so we can afford to turn people away.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

Not the case at my club. All new members have to do a playing in round where etiquette and basic rules knowledge is checked. If they are not up to standard then they don't get in. We have a long waiting list so we can afford to turn people away.

Exactly, members clubs. But most clubs today I would suggest, invite or allow(, and some encourage and advertise for, )pay per round public. That’s when control isn’t possible.
Members only clubs can , of course, see that slow play is very much limited.