Slow play........ What's the solution?

[woody69]

Couple of highlighted points.....

Agree on the first point, the stop/start factor seems to determine if a round is fast or slow. I've played slow competition rounds but kept moving so you don't notice it, only when you walk off the 18th do you realise how long it took.

Don't agree that calling up on par 3's solves anything, it just moves the congestion forward onto the next tee.

It will speed up the round though. If you arrive at a par 3 and are forced to wait 10 minutes whilst the group in front putts out, then take your shots it will take longer than if you arrive on the tee, get allowed to play up and when you get to the green putt. You're not waiting those 10 minutes for starters so you have saved time there. You may have a bit of a wait at the next tee if the others are still in range for their 2nd shots but the time will be less than simply allowing groups to congregate on a tee. It's been proven on simulations that allowing players to play up to a par 3 speeds up the overall time to play that hole. That's just logical right?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Solution = Education of the best way to go around a course , where a buggy or trolley is parked , when to make your score card , being ready when it's your turn , being willing to play ready golf and having an awareness that there is more than just you on a golf course.

Also realise when there are quicker groups on the course , if you are losing ground then realise it's your responsibility to make up ground or let others through.

Slow play is an issue with golf and it's an issue that cause concern and problems with all golfers - its not just trolley or buggy users or seniors or high HC or low HC or ladies or juniors - have witnessed slow play from many people of a variety of age and ability

Also players trying to rush around a golf course in itself can cause just as many issues

All well and good but so many golfers are stuck in their ways and simply won't change.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

All well and good but so many golfers are stuck in their ways and simply won't change.

Seemed that way today when i was stuck behind a 4 ball of seniors in buggies, 5 holes they watched me walk onto the tee behind them then wait as they went looking for their balls 40 yards off line without once offering to let me through then on the 9th they departed after standing on the green adding up their cards.

What can be done about this kind of behavior, very little i guess just four old people stuck in their ways.......

 

[drdel]

One day, but I fear not for a while we'll realise that the time for a game of Golf depends upon too many factors for there to be a standard time. There is always going to be a wide deviation from the average because of; External factors
weather, time of year, sun position, length of grass (fairways and rough, course difficulty, and Golfers who are people and not Clones. e.g. fitness, eye/hand coordination, age, etc etc.

Then there is the reason a golfer is playing on a particular day, competition, leisure, mild exercise, practise, etc. etc.

Just to add further confusion, the sad fact is, as I said before, Slow and Fast are relative terms so someone's Slow round might be quite brisk for someone else !!

If you want to be quick or get a cardio workout go running or swimming or to the gym and leave us considerate players in peace.

I'm with Slime on this. low handicappers spend ages cause they think they can put like Jordan Speith and drive like Dusting Johnston, end up loosing balls. The there's the old farts like myself who are still pretending.

But hey its always a subject for a good argument - but there ain't a real answer.

 

[Grant85]

For a sport that sees players disqualified from tournaments, and losing potentially millions in prize money, for a minor infraction where clearly no advantage was gained the game has no one to blame but itself for the current situation.

The rules are written down and where a time limit is breached, even by a second, a 1 stroke penalty should be applied immediately.

This would solve the problem over night. Allow caddies to use GPS devices to save time on yardages & all of a sudden we'd be watching pros get round most events in 3 hours.

this would filter down to the amature game and all of a sudden 18 handicappers would not be taking 90 seconds to line up 10 foot putts.

 

[Grant85]

Also, I guess moving to a culture of 'ready golf' wouldn't be a bad idea.

But it this would have to be promoted by clubs, and would speed things up noticeably.

 

[Hobbit]

Also, I guess moving to a culture of 'ready golf' wouldn't be a bad idea.

But it this would have to be promoted by clubs, and would speed things up noticeably.

But applying ready golf only masks the symptom, it doesn't cure it.

 

[Imurg]

I liked that the card for the local assistant pro comp held yesterday at my place had a time on the card against each hole by which the player had to complete the hole. So the 12:57pm start time group had on their card that the 1st had to be completed by 13:14pm and so on - with the 18th to be completed by 17:22pm

Which is, fundamentally, OK until you take factors such as being held up by the group in front, losing balls etc etc...
You have to know why a round has taken "too long" - simply spending 5 minutes looking for a ball on 9 holes adds 45 minutes to a round.
The number of times, during a round, that using a trolley leads to an extra few seconds probably adds up to less than a couple of minutes - no proof but its not as big a deal as some are making out.
Whilst not condoning slow play - believe me, I hate it as much as anyone - Golf takes time, it just does. There are few courses where you can get round in less than 3 hours as a 3 ball, many will take 4 or more. I played solo last evening, took me 2 hours - I doubt it could be done much quicker. If a round today takes 3 hours 30 but tomorrow it takes 4 hours 10 - is it really thatbig a thing? 40 minutes.2 and a bit minutes a hole........
Slow play is a pain though and those playing slowly should let faster groups through. But many are oblivious to what's going on around them - in life as well as on the course.! Some people seem to think that letting a group through is an account to their Manhood
Education is the only way to speed things up, either through seminars at clubs or Marshalls on the course.
If the round is flowing, does it really matter if it takes 3 hours 30 or 4 hours..?

 

[Smiffy]

I used to run a large society and was obviously fully aware of the problems of slow play. Had enough people moan at me about it over the years.
At the start of every meeting I used to beg and plead with players to keep the pace of play up, and always asked them to pick their ball up if they couldn't score on a hole.
I even used to get the scorecards in advance, and write it along the top of each one, highlighting it with a bright yellow highlighting pen!!
I lost count of the number of cards I used to check after games with 10's (or worse) marked against holes.
Which part of "pick up if you can't score" did the thickos concerned not understand????????
And the over riding response I got if I questioned it???
"I've paid my green fee, I want to play all of my shots"
And they were the people either moaning about slow play, or denying that they themselves were slow.
I gave up in the end.

Just a tip...
Gentlemen.....if you are playing in a Stableford competition and you cannot score on a hole, please pick up and assist your playing partners in completing the hole.
You will be amazed at how much quicker you will get round.
Trust me.
I'm never wrong

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Just a tip...
Gentlemen.....if you are playing in a Stableford competition and you cannot score on a hole, please pick up and assist your playing partners in completing the hole.
You will be amazed at how much quicker you will get round.
Trust me.
I'm never wrong

I would add to this when you have already used 25 shots on the 12th hole in a medal and your getting .1 there is very little point still hitting a provisional each time you may of lost your ball. Just N/R and give others a chance....

 

[chellie]

I would add to this when you have already used 25 shots on the 12th hole in a medal and your getting .1 there is very little point still hitting a provisional each time you may of lost your ball. Just N/R and give others a chance....

Do men actually do that........

 

[Smiffy]

Do men actually do that........

Some do.
I've seen them hit 5 off the tee on a par 5 where they're not shotting before.
I expect some women do as well

 

[chellie]

Some do.
I've seen them hit 5 off the tee on a par 5 where they're not shotting before.
I expect some women do as well

Don't think any of them do at ours as we'd probably be lined up and shot

 

[Slab]

Would like to think all clubs have used something like this from the USGA

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

quick question. When did folks start marking a putting alignment line on their ball?

From back then (25yrs ago) I just don't recall players doing that and then fiddling about getting their ball alignment line perfectly as they want it on every putt. Maybe players have always done this - but I certainly notice it more and more these days

And some players are obsessive about it. Decide their line; meticulously getting their ball 'lined up'; standing up; changing their mind on the line or deciding ball isn't 'quite right' so going back to ball etc. Because once they get into the habit then I can see it would be off putting for the player if the line wasn't exactly as they want it.

It's just another of these things that I really think we just don't need to do - useful in practice but taking onto the course as some do...just a pain and another contributor to slow play

When I putt I don't bother at all with aligning any aspect of the ball with my line of putt. I just stick the ball down as it comes out of my hand. And that's it. Nothing to worry about other than the putt.

 

[pokerjoke]

quick question. When did folks start marking a putting alignment line on their ball?

From back then (25yrs ago) I just don't recall players doing that and then fiddling about getting their ball alignment line perfectly as they want it on every putt. Maybe players have always done this - but I certainly notice it more and more these days

And some players are obsessive about it. Decide their line; meticulously getting their ball 'lined up'; standing up; changing their mind on the line or deciding ball isn't 'quite right' so going back to ball etc. Because once they get into the habit then I can see it would be off putting for the player if the line wasn't exactly as they want it.

It's just another of these things that I really think we just don't need to do - useful in practice but taking onto the course as some do...just a pain and another contributor to slow play

When I putt I don't bother at all with aligning any aspect of the ball with my line of putt. I just stick the ball down as it comes out of my hand. And that's it. Nothing to worry about other than the putt.

This is me as I do struggle slightly with alignment of putts.
However I am faster at other things so I feel I deserve the time to line up my putts.

 

[Rooter]

This is me as I do struggle slightly with alignment of putts.
However I am faster at other things so I feel I deserve the time to line up my putts.

me too, i have an eye dominance, so when i stand over a putt even if i have lined it up from behind, it looks wrong to me. I have to trust the alignment mark or i miss. It does not slow up play though!! well not for me anyway!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm just thinking it's a relatively recent development that has been adopted by loads of players - though I'm sure someone will tell me it was commonplace 25yrs.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I think we all need to look at our own play honestly, and recognise and accept where by our actions and play we could contribute to slow rounds. If we examine our play for simply the most obvious causes of slow play - all well known and laid out here - we may well conclude that we do not contribute to slow rounds because we are not guilty of any of these obvious faults.

But I suggest that every one of us does something that in certain combinations and with others could well be a factor. Mine is that I use my putting routine for all putts - including 18"ers. Now that will be seen by some of my PPs as being unnecessary and a contributor to slow play - so I must accept that and I must be mindful of it if my group is slow - and ask myself honestly - what part am I playing in the slow pace of play?

Matthew 7:3-5

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

 

[User62651]

Carrying is horrible and ruins your clothes and your back and even if you took 30 seconds longer per hole that's only 9 minutes per round so isn't the solution.
Too much fuss over nothing, if you don't want to take as long play fewer holes or get yourself out early in the draw or find another interest that takes an hour or two. Nobody goes out in comps thinking I'm going to go as slow as I can, they go at the pace they can. Just needs good manners to let faster groups through...end of.
If a good player needs to pace out a yardage or look at a putt from different sides in order to keep to a low handicap or an older players is having trouble in the rough then so be it, that process takes time and that's part of the game. The course is a big factor in terms of length and difficulty in determining how long a game takes.
Got asked to speed up at Carnoustie by a marshall, yet we had players in front and behind and couldn't go any faster even if we wanted - had never played the course so unfamiliarity adds time and it was quite annoying having some busybody rush you through when you've come a long way and paid a lot of money. Marshalls are not required at club level. 10 minute tee times is a good idea. Maybe 9 hole comps for busier people should be introduced.
When I'm retired, if I'm spared, I like the idea of leisurely 4ball rounds taking all morning with no rush. The old boys (and girls) have earned it.