Slow play moaners

[patricks148]

That's very impressive. Did you have lessons?

no i didn't start getting lesons till i was off 9 and lower. wish i had though, i guy i played with when i first joind a club in Sneck got lessons from the start and he was down to 5 within a couple of years.... he gave up though with frustration of how hard it was to get lower than that

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

My place is not the hardest of courses but it is not easy and has quite a few more challenging tee shots - with some having a quite long carry over heather and other trouble to the fairway (let's say 13 out of 18 holes). This makes it very difficult for the absolute beginner - and in truth we would not advise a player to play in a comp (from the back tees) until they can regularly carry a drive - I guess - about 120-140yds...and keep it fairly straight. There is just no fun (for anyone) continually hunting for golf balls and the player racking up 7s, 8s and more. Our forward tees reduce the problem - but still not straightforward.

 

[sussexhacker]

It’s not hard to play golf in a reasonable time
I went round a windy and very steep Seaford head in 2 hours and 15 minutes today carrying and I didn’t rush anything in fact I shot my personal best round

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

It’s not hard to play golf in a reasonable time
I went round a windy and very steep Seaford head in 2 hours and 15 minutes today carrying and I didn’t rush anything in fact I shot my personal best round

How old are you, though?
Were you playing alone?
Did you have to play through groups?

If my friends and I were required to play our round in two hours and fifteen minutes, we'd have to give up golf.
And the game's not growing.

 

[sussexhacker]

25
Played on my own for the last 6 holes
Played through 1 fourball

I’m not saying everyone should be playing in 2 hours 15 but 4 hours in a buggy is criminal

Me and my brother play twilight with a buggy sometimes in the summer at a local course and we get 36 in after 4pm

 

[Deleted member 23344]

In a social round, ready golf is a must ... there is no valid excuse not to ... playing otherwise is an outmoded tradition.

 

[Orikoru]

It’s not hard to play golf in a reasonable time
I went round a windy and very steep Seaford head in 2 hours and 15 minutes today carrying and I didn’t rush anything in fact I shot my personal best round

Which was?

 

[sussexhacker]

94

 

[HomerJSimpson]

First out in the comp at 8.00. Playing as a fourball off the yellows (which were in reality only 5-10 yards from the whites) and round in 3 1/2 hours and we had a two hole gap on the next group. As other groups came in, moaning about slow play, they instinctively blamed us as the first group for setting the pace. Soon got put in their place. Seems some people expect to whisk round in a competition, in four balls, and can't so lash out and look to blame others. From experience, sometimes the problem lies closer to home. How can the second group lose two holes and effectively stagnate the whole course?

 

[dronfield]

First out in the comp at 8.00. Playing as a fourball off the yellows (which were in reality only 5-10 yards from the whites) and round in 3 1/2 hours and we had a two hole gap on the next group. As other groups came in, moaning about slow play, they instinctively blamed us as the first group for setting the pace. Soon got put in their place. Seems some people expect to whisk round in a competition, in four balls, and can't so lash out and look to blame others. From experience, sometimes the problem lies closer to home. How can the second group lose two holes and effectively stagnate the whole course?

We had a similar issue last year in a comp when one of the early groups lost 3 holes on the group in front of them, resulting in a log jam on the course. As a result, one of my pp walked in after 12 holes and made a complaint in the pro shop.
When challenged by the pro, the offending group apologised and said that one of them had just come out of hospital and couldnt walk very quickly - why then put yourselves down for an early tee time, on a Sat comp in middle of summer?! Completely thoughtless and selfish.

 

[williamalex1]

First out in the comp at 8.00. Playing as a fourball off the yellows (which were in reality only 5-10 yards from the whites) and round in 3 1/2 hours and we had a two hole gap on the next group. As other groups came in, moaning about slow play, they instinctively blamed us as the first group for setting the pace. Soon got put in their place. Seems some people expect to whisk round in a competition, in four balls, and can't so lash out and look to blame others. From experience, sometimes the problem lies closer to home. How can the second group lose two holes and effectively stagnate the whole course?

We tried having players put their start and finish time on the cards. It highlighted approximately !! what time the gap/ problem started, but nothing was ever done.
TBH I'm not sure what can really be done, can a committee actually tell members they can't play at a certain time because they're judged to be too slow. ???

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We tried having players put their start and finish time on the cards. It highlighted approximately !! what time the gap/ problem started, but nothing was ever done.
TBH I'm not sure what can really be done, can a committee actually tell members they can't play at a certain time because they're judged to be too slow. ???

Surely the temptation would be to fabricate the end time and even if several groups had the same end time, would anyone really look into why. What would be interesting would be if you had to put your card into an old fashioned style punch clock by the 1st tee (which validates your entry into the comp) and then punch out on the 18th. That could throw up some interesting facts!

 

[williamalex1]

Surely the temptation would be to fabricate the end time and even if several groups had the same end time, would anyone really look into why. What would be interesting would be if you had to put your card into an old fashioned style punch clock by the 1st tee (which validates your entry into the comp) and then punch out on the 18th. That could throw up some interesting facts!

It highlighted approx. what groups were causing the problem, but the council didn't or couldn't do anything concrete except maybe say - you guys lose a hole or two and are too slow on occasions, hurry up please.
Are clubs allowed tell members they're not allowed to play at certain times because we think you are playing too slow. ?
BTW It's not always old guys that hold the course up .

 

[Imurg]

As has been said before...you need to know why they're taking the length of time they are, why they're losing 2 holes..
It could simply be that they've had to search for a ball or two and at the time the group behind weren't in a position to be let through
A couple of stray shots from one group and 4 good ones from the one behind and all, of a sudden the gap is closed, reverse it and you've got a gap opening.
And with the 3 minute search time it's becoming harder to let a group through because by the time they've teed off you're playing your provisional or walking on.
It's not as simple as looking at a set time.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

As has been said before...you need to know why they're taking the length of time they are, why they're losing 2 holes..
It could simply be that they've had to search for a ball or two and at the time the group behind weren't in a position to be let through
A couple of stray shots from one group and 4 good ones from the one behind and all, of a sudden the gap is closed, reverse it and you've got a gap opening.
And with the 3 minute search time it's becoming harder to let a group through because by the time they've teed off you're playing your provisional or walking on.
It's not as simple as looking at a set time.

We had opened up almost a hole gap by the time we teed off the 3rd.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The flaw with writing start and end times, I largely agree with the idea, is that if you are being held up by the group in front then your time looks bad through no fault of your own. What it does do is show the first group to hold up everyone else. Potentially good information as long as the cards are judged in order.

 

[Imurg]

We had opened up almost a hole gap by the time we teed off the 3rd.

What was the reason.
They could have been just slow but equally, especially with your first hole being a par 3, they cant start until you finish the hole. You're on the next tee, hit good shots and move on.
One of the group behind goes OB or I to that bundu on the left..finish the hole and you're already playing your second shots.
Another OB and they're still on the tee when you get to the green (par5?) - there's your 1 hole gap and they're not playing slowly, just badly.
And they won't have held anyone up at that point either....
It's too easy to just say " they lost 2 holes so they must be slow"
The fact that they'd lost almost a hole after 2 but only 2 holes after 18 suggests they weren't that slow just that 1 or more in the group were having a bad day

 

[Deleted member 15344]

On IG when you close a comp gives out the time it takes people the play round by using the start time and the time someone puts their card into the system - it’s not an exact science but over time you can get a pattern especially if someone is rumoured to be slow

 

[HomerJSimpson]

What was the reason.
They could have been just slow but equally, especially with your first hole being a par 3, they cant start until you finish the hole. You're on the next tee, hit good shots and move on.
One of the group behind goes OB or I to that bundu on the left..finish the hole and you're already playing your second shots.
Another OB and they're still on the tee when you get to the green (par5?) - there's your 1 hole gap and they're not playing slowly, just badly.
And they won't have held anyone up at that point either....
It's too easy to just say " they lost 2 holes so they must be slow"
The fact that they'd lost almost a hole after 2 but only 2 holes after 18 suggests they weren't that slow just that 1 or more in the group were having a bad day

I totally agree with you. My point was, groups were coming in moaning about it being slow (despite most being on or around 4 hours as fourballs) as as the first group out set the blame directly with us as pace setters. Not quite so vocal when we pointed out how far ahead we are. Just shows that where slow play is concerned people can see it as a black and white case where as you say there can be a host of factors involved

 

[williamalex1]

The flaw with writing start and end times, I largely agree with the idea, is that if you are being held up by the group in front then your time looks bad through no fault of your own. What it does do is show the first group to hold up everyone else. Potentially good information as long as the cards are judged in order.

That's why I said approximately identified the groups, there could've been games getting waved through, or losing a few of balls over the last couple of holes.
The answer is a marshal [ preferably a crabbit old git ] whizzing around in a buggy whooshing them on, if they lose a hole tell them to stand aside and let the faster game through.