Slow play Hurts Your Scoring

[Foxholer]

I'm not going to argue with you again.
...

I'm not 'arguing', simply pointing out some of the (im)practicalities involved - that you perhaps 'don't want to hear'.
Certainly streaming comps (at least the first groups) would improve (some) member attitudes.

It still doesn't solve the issue of slow groups in Swindles though - something that Homer agrees/admits is a known problem.
And with WHS, it's likely that the relationship between Competitions and casual round days will change somewhat.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

There's a difference between slow play and walking slow.

Slow walkers are usually old boys who hit it 150 yards straight. They rarely lose balls.

It's the 3minute pre shot routine, marking their card in the middle of the green, following their mates to look for a ball on the other side of the fairway of where their ball is types that i get vexed about.

 

[AliMc]

Don't know if this happens anywhere else but i've noticed numerous times when we have been playing behind slower groups that all of a sudden when they reach the last 2 or 3 holes they miraculously seem to get a second wind and speed up, it's almost like they think that if they are seen to be finishing well in front of the group behind it makes everything ok despite the fact that they have caused the whole course to jam up behind them ?

 

[Foxholer]

Don't know if this happens anywhere else but i've noticed numerous times when we have been playing behind slower groups that all of a sudden when they reach the last 2 or 3 holes they miraculously seem to get a second wind and speed up, it's almost like they think that if they are seen to be finishing well in front of the group behind it makes everything ok despite the fact that they have caused the whole course to jam up behind them ?

Or perhaps they weren't the slow group - as it was the one 3 or more holes ahead that was slow.
That's why marshals are the best way to manage pace of play.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Or perhaps they weren't the slow group - as it was the one 3 or more holes ahead that was slow.
That's why marshals are the best way to manage pace of play.

How many courses have marshalls? That is perhaps worthy of a thread in itself but I am not sure if I have ever seen any. Possibly at Gleneagles but they may just have been staff going somewhere. Are they really a thing at members courses?

 

[Foxholer]

How many courses have marshalls? That is perhaps worthy of a thread in itself but I am not sure if I have ever seen any. Possibly at Gleneagles but they may just have been staff going somewhere. Are they really a thing at members courses?

2 Courses/Clubs I've been a member of have/had them. At least, on day's I've played.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

2 Courses/Clubs I've been a member of have/had them. At least, on day's I've played.

Posh clubs?

 

[Foxholer]

1 a 'Resort' club
The other simply a great commercial one - that I'm happy to travel 40 miles to play at.

 

[Slab]

How many courses have marshalls? That is perhaps worthy of a thread in itself but I am not sure if I have ever seen any. Possibly at Gleneagles but they may just have been staff going somewhere. Are they really a thing at members courses?

Usually there's someone acting as marshall most days round here but the GPS buggys are handy for telling players what their pace is like.
Colour coded warnings come up on screen. The yellow ones come up when you fall 4 mins behind pace and red messages start at 7 minute mark (regardless of how close you are to the group in front, you could be on the same tee box and you’d still get warned

I’ve no idea how often the pace of play is updated or what the full criteria/formula is for setting that days pace (and of course its not much good if players don’t react to the messages) but at least the pace is known and shared

 

[clubchamp98]

The normal rules would still apply for calling quicker groups through.



You mean to force them to play faster?

In my opinion, the main problem is slow golfers forcing faster players to wait on every shot.
Been there, seen it, done it.
My solution is to let the faster players start in front of slower players so never the twain shall meet.

In an ideal world I agree with you .
But people have jobs ,kids and lots of other things to do.
So must play later.

Putting slow golfers out last is not the answer imo.
It dosnt adress why they are slow.
But most clubs don’t want a confrontation incase it hurts someone’s feelings,( very easy these days.

 

[bobmac]

In an ideal world I agree with you .
But people have jobs ,kids and lots of other things to do.
So must play later.

Putting slow golfers out last is not the answer imo.
It dosnt adress why they are slow.
But most clubs don’t want a confrontation incase it hurts someone’s feelings,( very easy these days.

People have always had jobs, kids and lots of other things to do, but they can still play later if they choose, but If the slow players aren't out first, they may not be held up at all.
The system I am suggesting is based on choice.

NO-ONE IS FORCING ANYONE TO TEE OFF AT A CERTAIN TIME.

Slow players can go out first if they want but they will have to play to the time allowed and they probably wont enjoy it. So the following week they will CHOOSE to play later.
If sprinters choose to go out first/early, they will have to get up earlier.
For this to work, people have to choose and not be told.

It doesn't address why they are slow.

The 'why' is irrelevant.
If they are paid up members and want to play slowly that's their choice, my system creates tee times when they can do that.

A tractor is driving along a single lane road, followed by a Ford Fiesta and a Bugatti Veyron, nobody's going to be very happy. Let the Veyron go first, followed by the Fiesta and the tractor out last. Everyone is happy.

But no, nobody is willing to try something new, something different at the risk of upsetting the few tractors who spoil it for everyone else.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Slow play normally kills my scoring, as I lose the will to play/concentrate, so tend to them just swing as fast as I can as a bit of a laugh.

I have got better at pacing myself over the last couple of years but still not great tbh.

Hence why I tend to play first thing or last thing.

 

[LincolnShep]

What do folks reckon the % of GM forum members is that would be considered slow players ?
its probably about 50% of the forum

I guarantee that 50% of the forum are slower than average.

 

[Pants]

One thing overlooked is the spacing of tee times imo. Clubs seem to want to pack the course as much as possible with 7 or 8 minute gaps. No wonder holdups occur!

During lockdown once golf was allowed, courses that I played had 10 min gaps and we were almost never held up or held up others. It generally worked out that one group teed off as the group in front were on the green, putting out. With playing a hole, walking green to tee, 4 people teeing off, on average each hole took about 12/13 minutes to play - best part of 4 hours which, in my view, is acceptable. OK, it's not fast but it isn't slow either. Reading through this thread it seems to be average and why should "average speed" golfers (the majority) be made to feel pariahs by those who want to rush around the course? Chill out and smell the roses

I've played in many different societies over the years and we found a way to deal with the slow players. We just left them behind They soon got the message

 

[Foxholer]

There's a difference between slow play and walking slow.

Slow walkers are usually old boys who hit it 150 yards straight. They rarely lose balls.

It's the 3minute pre shot routine, marking their card in the middle of the green, following their mates to look for a ball on the other side of the fairway of where their ball is types that i get vexed about.

It doesn't actually matter WHY they are slow - except perhaps to those they play with who aren't slow. It's the fact that they take more time than necessary to play a round that's important. So I'm a fan of the streaming/speed slots like Bobmac suggests for comps, given adjustments to make it 'fair'.
In normal play, usual rules should always apply - and, preferably, followers should actually be called through earlier.
I'd be interested in exactly how the swindle @HomerJSimpson is in does 'self manage' the slow players he acknowledges exist in his group.

 

[phillarrow]

The way I see it, there are two separate issues with slow play - Playing WITH slow players and playing BEHIND slow players.

When playing BEHIND slow players, I don't mind how slow they play, as long as they let people through. The issue here is not the slow play itself, it's people who are too selfish to let faster players through when they have clearly lost time on the groups ahead of them. Personally, these are the people who ruin a day's golf for me and it's the issue of not letting others through that should be tackled in my opinion.

When playing WITH slow players I tend to try to ignore them, allow myself to get distracted by being out in the fresh air and the lovely views, then focus on my own shots when the time comes. I try not to let it bother me and it doesn't affect my game at all...until we are clearly losing time on the groups ahead and holding up groups behind. When that happens, I have no qualms about telling the other players that we need to get a move on or let them through, otherwise the 'guilt' that our group is a problem makes me rush my own game and ruins the round for me.

 

[Foxholer]

...The issue here is not the slow play itself, it's people who are too selfish to let faster players through when they have clearly lost time on the groups ahead of them...

How do you define the italicised bit?

 

[phillarrow]

How do you define the italicised bit?

As far as I'm aware, that's defined in the rules of most clubs isn't it? I've always defined it as losing an entire hole. That's not something I've just decided upon though, I was brought up that this is the 'rule'?

 

[Foxholer]

As far as I'm aware, that's defined in the rules of most clubs isn't it? I've always defined it as losing an entire hole. That's not something I've just decided upon though, I was brought up that this is the 'rule'?

That's good then. My experience is that very many folk think that, even if the group in front is merely 'out of position', they should be let through! In fact, in many, if not most, courses it's likely that the group being held up (the general gripe) are unlikely to be able to tell how far the 'slow' group are behind the one in front.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

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