davidy233
Tour Rookie
This 100% is the main cause of slow play in my experience
Slow Play - The Real Reason(s).....
- Thread starter rob_golf1
- Start date
This 100% is the main cause of slow play in my experience
Stuey01
Journeyman Pro
I'm pretty sure you're joking, but there may be something in this. I don't think it actually contributes to slow play, you are waiting after all. But it definitely can upset the rythm of a game, which can be perceived as pace of play, if you have a big hitter chasing up the back of a group of short knockers.
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
We have recently started 10 minute intervals but as I keep telling people, it makes no difference if you tee off early (which is against the rules). We have a marshall, he calls you down as soon as the green is clear, often early.
hacker_al
Club Champion
We have a few individuals who are notoriously slow at our club. In comps if they're drawn together they can lose two holes by the 7th! Played with a couple of them and tried as politely as possible to gee them up but they genuinely seem baffled as to how the group ahead has managed to get away from them.
I don't want to run round the course but 4 hours is more than enough for me. Where these guys are concerned the cause is simply being ready to play.
I don't want to run round the course but 4 hours is more than enough for me. Where these guys are concerned the cause is simply being ready to play.
HawkeyeMS
Ryder Cup Winner
We have a group that goes out early Saturday mornings. Watching them amble down the fairway is like watching kids football in slow motion. All go to one ball, wait for it to be hit, all go to next ball etc etc. It's very frustrating and they have been told many times they need to speed up but it makes no difference
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
I think a lot is down to folk’s perception and expectation of the pace of play. Almost as if they expect pace to never be slow and use things like etiquette as a get out of jail card to explain their expectations or tell us what it was like back in the day or that me & my mate can go round in xyz, almost as if there’s never circumstances that make slow play if not acceptable then at least inevitable
Pace is like your handicap...
People deliberately do things to manage and reduce their handicap but generally don’t take any measures (except bitching or saying speed up!) neither do they have any meaningful plan to manage pace.. which I suppose is not so weird because for the most part scorecards don’t have a place to write down your pace!
Pace is like your handicap...
- As you stand on the 1st tee you’ll have a hope of how this round will compare to your expectation to handicap/pace
- Any variation to point one and it’ll often effect how you play the next hole/s (positively & negatively)
- Yes you can play to your desired handicap/pace... but it’ll only happen once every half a dozen rounds or so
- You’ll be lucky to set a PB for your handicap/pace once a season
- Just because you’re playing to your handicap/pace it doesn’t follow the field are too
- The club and course can be set up to aid or destroy your quest to play to your handicap/pace
- Your mental approach will play a big part in how you deal with your performance relative to your handicap/pace during the round
People deliberately do things to manage and reduce their handicap but generally don’t take any measures (except bitching or saying speed up!) neither do they have any meaningful plan to manage pace.. which I suppose is not so weird because for the most part scorecards don’t have a place to write down your pace!
Ethan
Money List Winner
I think it is a mixture of:
(a) people with overcomplicated practice and set up routines (You can't blame Rory for that, he is pretty brisk)
(b) people who are not ready to play when they should be
(c) people who don't leave their bag/carts in the right place then spend ages fiddling around marking cards and putting clubs away when they should be clearing the green
(d) people who don't let other groups through when they should
(a) people with overcomplicated practice and set up routines (You can't blame Rory for that, he is pretty brisk)
(b) people who are not ready to play when they should be
(c) people who don't leave their bag/carts in the right place then spend ages fiddling around marking cards and putting clubs away when they should be clearing the green
(d) people who don't let other groups through when they should
mhwgc
Assistant Pro
Agree with all of these but it's also a case of keeping up with the group in front not 'just staying ahead of the group behind' !!!
Sports_Fanatic
Assistant Pro
It could just be me, but I find a lot of people are very slow walkers. I don't need a sprint but I like to walk with a bit of purpose to my ball, hopefully whilst enjoying a conversation. If I'm not paying attention then I find I've picked up my bag, set off down the fairway, then look up to find I'm already 20 yards ahead of others.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
The bag placement round the green has been blown completely out of proportion as a cause of slow play and serves as an example of how its used to define slow play when incorrect placement is rarely witnessed
There is no time to be saved or lost unless you place your bag opposite to both your point of entry and/or point of exit (it doesn’t matter which you use)
There is no time to be saved or lost unless you place your bag opposite to both your point of entry and/or point of exit (it doesn’t matter which you use)
Fyldewhite
Tour Winner
Some of it is due to the social side. Dawdling around a tee while PP finishes the story he was telling between holes. Chatting when walking from tee to ball having a knock on effect with club selection taking longer etc.
Overall though it's a combination of everything that's been said and for me, the biggest things are simply not being ready when it's your turn to play and unnecessary marking of balls on the putting green. End of the day, it's obvious when you are losing ground so notice this and catch up!! So many say "we'll never catch up with a two ball" without considering that in front of the two ball is another four ball!!
Edit: Forgot to mention.....electric trolleys are probably a massive factor too. Much faffing about with headcovers when not actually moving, having to go round greens, not going in long grass or rough ground etc. Not criticising them or people who use them (I do sometimes) but it is a big overhead if all 4 in a fourball are using them.
Overall though it's a combination of everything that's been said and for me, the biggest things are simply not being ready when it's your turn to play and unnecessary marking of balls on the putting green. End of the day, it's obvious when you are losing ground so notice this and catch up!! So many say "we'll never catch up with a two ball" without considering that in front of the two ball is another four ball!!
Edit: Forgot to mention.....electric trolleys are probably a massive factor too. Much faffing about with headcovers when not actually moving, having to go round greens, not going in long grass or rough ground etc. Not criticising them or people who use them (I do sometimes) but it is a big overhead if all 4 in a fourball are using them.
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cookelad
Tour Winner
I was playing a threeball not long ago where I often found myself stood alone on the tee, as the guys in my group where still on the previous green marking the cards!
People just need to be ready when it's their turn, was playing with a fella the other day with an extended preshot routine luckily he was also useless judging when it was his turn so often began his routine as another in the group was hitting! Another example is the pro's, it really annoys me when I see the pro's, in 3balls, the first guy to putt stalks his putt from 360* discusses it with caddy, couple of practice swings another look, sets up, looks at the hole, then finally hits it, then the 2nd guy to go does exactly the same thing, and finally the 3rd, why aren't they doing their green reading and quietly having their caddy discussions at the same time?
People just need to be ready when it's their turn, was playing with a fella the other day with an extended preshot routine luckily he was also useless judging when it was his turn so often began his routine as another in the group was hitting! Another example is the pro's, it really annoys me when I see the pro's, in 3balls, the first guy to putt stalks his putt from 360* discusses it with caddy, couple of practice swings another look, sets up, looks at the hole, then finally hits it, then the 2nd guy to go does exactly the same thing, and finally the 3rd, why aren't they doing their green reading and quietly having their caddy discussions at the same time?
duncan mackie
Money List Winner
without doubt this is a bigger overall issue than most realise, and it's not really the big hitter chasing up the group in front; if anything it's the perceived delays to the playing partners.
the majority of my summer golf is matches, many senior ones. I point that out because it brings issues about order of play that simply don't exist outside matchplay ie you just let/ask etc others to play if they wish to. If I'm waiting on a tee of fairway then everyone's waiting, inc those who know they can never get close to the players or green.
Basically you get completely out of sync with the groups around you on any hole over 400 yds - and we only have 2 par 4s that are less than 400 yds (and one of those has a water carry and effectively an island green so groups are all over the place on that anyway!)
Right now it's not too bad because others are hitting their lifetime best drives - 150 carry/100 roll, and can chip and run from 200
Anyone watching such groups progress round the course will perceive a lot of apparent slow play issues!
lack of understanding on letting faster groups though.
i often hear," sorry lads its the group in front" ( no one in front of the group in front) the group in front is not your concern really, if you have a faster group behind you, just let them though.
i often hear," sorry lads its the group in front" ( no one in front of the group in front) the group in front is not your concern really, if you have a faster group behind you, just let them though.
pogle
Head Pro
This is one of the major culprits in my opinion. Slow play will not be addressed until people realise that their priority is golf, and they can fit in a bit of chat on occasion, rather than a chat with a bit of golf thrown in.
Rooter
Money List Winner
What do people think of a concept i have seen, that instead of countback in a comp, the person that completed their round the fastest will win.
I personally think there are too many variables to make this fair, but it is being thrown out there as an idea.
I think if the players on tour were put on the clock more and penalised shots rather than money, it would increase the talking points of slow play and slowly filter down to our level...
I personally think there are too many variables to make this fair, but it is being thrown out there as an idea.
I think if the players on tour were put on the clock more and penalised shots rather than money, it would increase the talking points of slow play and slowly filter down to our level...
drdel
Tour Rookie
Golf is a SPORT ! Its played by a wide section of people who have considerably different physical capabilities and who are playing for social, fitness and a load of other reasons. Expecting all groups to play in roughly to same time is unreal - if you ain't got time to enjoy your this sport find another and stop whingeing about something that's inherent because one person's view of slow is, from another person's capabilities, quick.
I often play 9 holes solo and frequently catch other groups who are slower, so what - I am enjoying myself so occasionally I'll drop another ball and play against myself - big deal; it just means I take 20 -30 minutes longer; so spend less time over coffee - I don't play when I don't have the time !!
There's a misconception about the time saved letting groups through. Sometimes in our four-ball we let a 2-ball or faster group through - this slows play even more as you then wait for them to play through and clear enough distance for us to play our shots. This means the 'group' behind has probably also now caught up - should we let them through too ??
Any statistical analysis would show that the combination of number of players, age, physiology, skill variation, playing conditions, length of 'rough', Par, SI, weather, etc. will lead to a wide range of times (averaging 10 to 15 minutes) to play a hole. Multiply this by 18 and the consequences are easily a 30 -40 minute average deviation on a 220 minute activity.
Enjoy your game and concentrate on your shots don't try to run the lives of others?
Of course technology might have the answer. We could fit a set of Variable Speed cameras on the courses to regulate speed like we do on the M25, fine slow players by the hole and then you'd all be happy.
I often play 9 holes solo and frequently catch other groups who are slower, so what - I am enjoying myself so occasionally I'll drop another ball and play against myself - big deal; it just means I take 20 -30 minutes longer; so spend less time over coffee - I don't play when I don't have the time !!
There's a misconception about the time saved letting groups through. Sometimes in our four-ball we let a 2-ball or faster group through - this slows play even more as you then wait for them to play through and clear enough distance for us to play our shots. This means the 'group' behind has probably also now caught up - should we let them through too ??
Any statistical analysis would show that the combination of number of players, age, physiology, skill variation, playing conditions, length of 'rough', Par, SI, weather, etc. will lead to a wide range of times (averaging 10 to 15 minutes) to play a hole. Multiply this by 18 and the consequences are easily a 30 -40 minute average deviation on a 220 minute activity.
Enjoy your game and concentrate on your shots don't try to run the lives of others?
Of course technology might have the answer. We could fit a set of Variable Speed cameras on the courses to regulate speed like we do on the M25, fine slow players by the hole and then you'd all be happy.
a sports that has etiquette as part the fabric of the game. you let faster players though pure and simple. if you are happy to hold up a two ball, just because it might slow you down for a couple of mins, despite the two ball having to wait on every shot while behind you.
you are part of the problem
brysoni23
Assistant Pro
I take this back, I caught up to a 3 ball and my casual round at my own pace turned into a waiting game
they didn't even let me pass.
Foxholer
Blackballed
a sports that has etiquette as part the fabric of the game. you let faster players though pure and simple. if you are happy to hold up a two ball, just because it might slow you down for a couple of mins, despite the two ball having to wait on every shot while behind you.
you are part of the problem
However, if it's a 2-ball on a course almost completely full of 4-balls (except for another 2-ball 2 holes behind the first) all proceeding at a 'good pace', who exactly is the 'problem'?! I've even seen a Single meandering around mid-morning on a Saturday! He got lucky that we were a 3-ball and invited him to join us!
