HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
They are going to get worse. Couple of new members have joined their merry band
Slow Play - The Real Reason(s).....
- Thread starter rob_golf1
- Start date
They are going to get worse. Couple of new members have joined their merry band
GB72
Money List Winner
I really think it would help if clubs did more to join up smaller groups. Our place is largely 4 balls at weekends and the course is busy so 2 balls and lone golfers are going to have a slow round. I would be happy to see a rule of no groups smalller than a 3 ball between 8 and 10 at weekends or 9 of our 27 holes resreved for smaller groups
Curls
Journeyman Pro
Of course I'd love to get round in 3 hours. I've been round ours in a little over 2 hours as a 2 ball with a 24 h/c, so it's nonsense to talk numbers, but I'm about to blow your collective minds.....
I had a playing lesson with the pro at our place and this issue came up, he said I'm a very quick player and it may be to my detriment. But you know what he said that stuck with me?
"You know who isn't concerned about slow play? A slow player."
I'll give that a second to sink in.
You know those guys ahead who are ambling about, not ready to take their shot, no intention of letting you through, what they all have in common is they don't care. They have absolutely no interest in you or your game, couldn't care less if you're being held up or drop dead, they are playing their own game at their own pace and see no reason to change this behaviour.
A sign in the clubhouse will have no effect.
Mentioning it to them casually that they might speed up will have no effect.
Roaring at them to get out of the fairway will have no effect, other than to allow them the high moral ground to scold you for being ignorant.
Penalising them shots might have an effect, in many cases it won't, in all cases it's too hard to police.
The only way to deal with slow play, according to the pro, is to accept before you go to the course that it's a medal Saturday and it'll probably take you the best part of 5 hours to get around. Have nothing in your schedule that means that you'll be stressed about finishing at a certain time. If you're a two-ball and the bases are loaded, make a 4 ball. Accept that the slow players are going to hold everything up and have no consideration and just adapt to a slower pace of play that means taking as much time as you need over your shot. Of course its no reason not to observe etiquette yourself, if you lose a ball and its gonna be a search, lose a hole or there's an obviously much quicker/smaller group behind let them through. They may only be held up by the idiots ahead but its the right thing to do.
He said when he was playing for money rounds would often take 6 hours. It drove some guys crazy, and they generally didn't finish in the prizes. Once you accept what you cannot change, you will enter a new Zen-like state.
Trust me, it's changed my golf for the better, give it a try this weekend, say to yourself "this round will take 5 hours", then if you finish early its a bonus. Madness? Well, in a way, but if you cant change someone elses behaviour you can only change how you chose to deal with it.
I had a playing lesson with the pro at our place and this issue came up, he said I'm a very quick player and it may be to my detriment. But you know what he said that stuck with me?
"You know who isn't concerned about slow play? A slow player."
I'll give that a second to sink in.
You know those guys ahead who are ambling about, not ready to take their shot, no intention of letting you through, what they all have in common is they don't care. They have absolutely no interest in you or your game, couldn't care less if you're being held up or drop dead, they are playing their own game at their own pace and see no reason to change this behaviour.
A sign in the clubhouse will have no effect.
Mentioning it to them casually that they might speed up will have no effect.
Roaring at them to get out of the fairway will have no effect, other than to allow them the high moral ground to scold you for being ignorant.
Penalising them shots might have an effect, in many cases it won't, in all cases it's too hard to police.
The only way to deal with slow play, according to the pro, is to accept before you go to the course that it's a medal Saturday and it'll probably take you the best part of 5 hours to get around. Have nothing in your schedule that means that you'll be stressed about finishing at a certain time. If you're a two-ball and the bases are loaded, make a 4 ball. Accept that the slow players are going to hold everything up and have no consideration and just adapt to a slower pace of play that means taking as much time as you need over your shot. Of course its no reason not to observe etiquette yourself, if you lose a ball and its gonna be a search, lose a hole or there's an obviously much quicker/smaller group behind let them through. They may only be held up by the idiots ahead but its the right thing to do.
He said when he was playing for money rounds would often take 6 hours. It drove some guys crazy, and they generally didn't finish in the prizes. Once you accept what you cannot change, you will enter a new Zen-like state.
Trust me, it's changed my golf for the better, give it a try this weekend, say to yourself "this round will take 5 hours", then if you finish early its a bonus. Madness? Well, in a way, but if you cant change someone elses behaviour you can only change how you chose to deal with it.
davidy233
Tour Rookie
Of course I'd love to get round in 3 hours. I've been round ours in a little over 2 hours as a 2 ball with a 24 h/c, so it's nonsense to talk numbers, but I'm about to blow your collective minds.....
I had a playing lesson with the pro at our place and this issue came up, he said I'm a very quick player and it may be to my detriment. But you know what he said that stuck with me?
"You know who isn't concerned about slow play? A slow player."
I'll give that a second to sink in.
You know those guys ahead who are ambling about, not ready to take their shot, no intention of letting you through, what they all have in common is they don't care. They have absolutely no interest in you or your game, couldn't care less if you're being held up or drop dead, they are playing their own game at their own pace and see no reason to change this behaviour.
A sign in the clubhouse will have no effect.
Mentioning it to them casually that they might speed up will have no effect.
Roaring at them to get out of the fairway will have no effect, other than to allow them the high moral ground to scold you for being ignorant.
Penalising them shots might have an effect, in many cases it won't, in all cases it's too hard to police.
The only way to deal with slow play, according to the pro, is to accept before you go to the course that it's a medal Saturday and it'll probably take you the best part of 5 hours to get around. Have nothing in your schedule that means that you'll be stressed about finishing at a certain time. If you're a two-ball and the bases are loaded, make a 4 ball. Accept that the slow players are going to hold everything up and have no consideration and just adapt to a slower pace of play that means taking as much time as you need over your shot. Of course its no reason not to observe etiquette yourself, if you lose a ball and its gonna be a search, lose a hole or there's an obviously much quicker/smaller group behind let them through. They may only be held up by the idiots ahead but its the right thing to do.
He said when he was playing for money rounds would often take 6 hours. It drove some guys crazy, and they generally didn't finish in the prizes. Once you accept what you cannot change, you will enter a new Zen-like state.
Trust me, it's changed my golf for the better, give it a try this weekend, say to yourself "this round will take 5 hours", then if you finish early its a bonus. Madness? Well, in a way, but if you cant change someone elses behaviour you can only change how you chose to deal with it.
An awful lot of truth there, there's no point in slow play ruining your thinking - mind you I wouldn't be anywhere near a course if it's going to take five hours to play a medal
North Berwick have the right idea
IanG
Tour Rookie
Not that that sign really makes any difference
Our club master monitors the stats for round times and they get put up in the changing rooms every week for the week before. They hardly change from week to week, 3:40-ish for members' groups and 4.15-ish for visitor's groups. I think this shows that you really remember the bad rounds and tend to under-remember the rounds where the pace of play was not too bad.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Ah yes a sign, that'll sort it
Sorry but sticking a sign in the window is paying lip-service to the problem. (a we've done our bit attitude) Their scorecard doesn't even have elapsed time noted on it for players to check against
Edit: Just read Ian's post which paints a different picture to the sign
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we have started recording finish times in medals since last week. we have a couple of guys who are painfully slow, and this is supposed to give prof so someone can have an official word. the other week the group behind lost 3 holes on us, this contained one of the slow guys. its not like either are spaying balls around one has come down from 10 to 6 this year... its the 15 practice swings thats the problem.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
Hope it works
Midweek went out as a 3-ball and realised after we would have been round in under 3:30 if we hadn't been slowed over the closing holes and one of our group had never swung a club till the 1st tee
Normally expect 4:30 for a weekend and anything different is a bonus
Curls
Journeyman Pro
Depends on what time you go out really, there's a spin up that goes out in 4 balls and is generally 20-strong, it follows plenty other 4 balls that chose that time of the morning, there's an assertion that because there are so many 4 balls on the course no one is allowed through. You get in the middle or behind that and it can take 4.5 with ease. The thing is as much as it's an annoyance that my place is so busy, if it wasn't, they probably wouldn't be open for business. As it is they're only keeping their heads above water. A quieter course may mean no course, and it's too nice a track for that to happen. So I suck it up and try to pace myself. All too often I'd rush a putt so that the group behind could approach, only to stand for the next 3 minutes on the tee waiting. Definitely in a better place now.
davidy233
Tour Rookie
Time I was going out would make no difference - If rounds were five hours at my place I'd be joining somewhere else - loads of nice golf clubs for about the same money in my area
Curls
Journeyman Pro
That's fair enough and there's plenty choice around here too but I love the track and socially it's a great spot where a lone golfer like me can always find someone sound to head out with and have a laugh with in the busy clubhouse after, I've made a fair few friends down there so can't see myself packing up any time soon.
Foxholer
Blackballed
That's not a very good way to 'monitor' the problem, though it may, over the course of many rounds, indicate/confirm the likely offenders. I wouldn't be happy to be deemed slow having been in a group that lost 2 balls on the 18th, having been up the backsides of the (slow) group in front for 17 holes, but 'sprinted' up the last!
An improvement would be to note the time of completion of every 6 or even 3 holes. And putting the 'standard' time for each hole somewhere plainly in view would help too.
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Played on Tuesday with someone I'd fortunately managed to avoid until now! Very long routine before shots of debating which club, more than one practice swing and a running commentary afterwards as to what went wrong/right etc etc. On the greens it was a nightmare as she stalked EVERY putt from EVERY angle. I did politely suggest we needed to get a move on as we'd lost a hole by the 5th but to no avail. What really got to me was that she'd walk to her putt at the other side of the green then walk back to remove the pin then walk back to assess it from behind the ball then walk back to asses it from behind the hole etc etc. Lag the putt and then do the whole process again. It drove me nutso - seriously nutso and my nudging and hints about slow play fell on deaf ears. We weren't pushed by the group behind but that isn't the point...not that she'd agree with that.
Probably one of the most frustrating rounds of golf in my life...
Probably one of the most frustrating rounds of golf in my life...
FairwayDodger
Money List Winner
I find the worst scenario for a "quick, considerate" player is to be grouped with one if the "slow, don't care" mob.
They carry on at their own funereal pace while you get quicker and quicker and end up ruining your game.
They carry on at their own funereal pace while you get quicker and quicker and end up ruining your game.
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
EXACTLY...every flipping time!
Pathetic Shark
Tour Rookie
Crucifixion would work. Find the slowest player in the club and nail them to a cross by the first tee. A bit like the sign at the first tee at Bethpage Black but simply closer to home for the average player. Nail them up I say, nail some sense in to them.
Edit - OK maybe Health & Safety may have a slight problem with this suggestion.
Edit - OK maybe Health & Safety may have a slight problem with this suggestion.
19thagain
Head Pro
Having just enjoyed a round of golf with the Senior members of my club, 36 of them, I read the foregoing with a degree of astonishment - lost time by putting on wet gear before hitting the shot instead of the time taken had he played first, etc!
We played four and had a wee dram - played to ninth and had coffee and roll. Joined by two ball following and offered the tee but they elected for coffee and a dram instead. No hold ups behind - so we, suitably refreshed, tackled the second nine .... Oh, and a wee dram at the fifteenth!
Time taken? Who cares!
Scores .... Circa mid seventies average but off the yellows.
Level of enjoyment ..... very high!
I contrast that with the mental view of some of the offerings on this thread and I see .... spikes - the running type, on feet, frown on the face waiting for ANYONE ahead to dare hesitate - no alfresco pee, lost ball, two shots in a bunker, three putts , or a report of slow play to the council.
Get a life and enjoy this wonderful game we have been blessed with!
We played four and had a wee dram - played to ninth and had coffee and roll. Joined by two ball following and offered the tee but they elected for coffee and a dram instead. No hold ups behind - so we, suitably refreshed, tackled the second nine .... Oh, and a wee dram at the fifteenth!
Time taken? Who cares!
Scores .... Circa mid seventies average but off the yellows.
Level of enjoyment ..... very high!
I contrast that with the mental view of some of the offerings on this thread and I see .... spikes - the running type, on feet, frown on the face waiting for ANYONE ahead to dare hesitate - no alfresco pee, lost ball, two shots in a bunker, three putts , or a report of slow play to the council.
Get a life and enjoy this wonderful game we have been blessed with!
Foxholer
Blackballed
Now that (the bit in bold) is scary!
AmandaJR
Money List Winner
Agreed. They lost a hole plus on us until the 16th when we saw them on the tee behind us. We were 3rd group out and I spent most of the time checking back to see if we were holding up the whole field...playing partners were oblivious!
Gazboy
Assistant Pro
I was under the impression that it was bad etiquette & somewhat unwise to stand closer to the pin that the ball being addressed? If I'm wrong on the etiquette please correct me, but I still think within reason it is silly to stand closer to the pin incase of a mis-hit and the ball leaves the club face in an unexpected trajectory & towards the other players. I worry enough about the ground staff in the line of fire without adding to the number of fleshy targets.
That said we are not slow and more than able to keep up with the group infront (more often than not we're faster), and very conscious of our surroundings- tbh I worry about it too much and I just go to pieces on a busy course.
