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

[ScienceBoy]

Courses are too long and not cut low enough under trees and off line enough to make finding balls easy.

There should be more shorter length tee options and thought on ensuring rough height is suitable.

Also 18 holes is too many, 12, 9 and 6 hole courses and cards should be available as well as competitions.

Those options alone are not enough, education on pace is required too.

I do firmly believe offering well thought out and catered for shorter alternatives is the way to go. 12 holes to me does seem like the ideal...

 

[Crawfy]

The pro games needs addressing as it is a benchmark for amateurs (Keegan Bradley-like pre shot routines, stopping to check wind direction every 30secs, 3 club changes per shot)

A start of season education process for new and existing members may help to draw attention to the quick wins which will save everyone time

Play 'ready' golf in bounce games
Leave bag in correct place at green
Know your limitations (don't wait for a green 250yd away to clear if you only hit 150y)
Be ready on the tee
Mark cards as you walk
Not all balls need to be marked and replaced in bounce games

Not rocket science

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We have some that go out before our roll up group on a Saturday that are notoriously slow and stubbornly refuse to let anyone through regardless. We've raised it with them, and with the club and nothing has changed. If the club aren't prepared to help, bearing in mind as the first large group out, they dictate the pace of the course for the day, then what hope is there

 

[FairwayDodger]

Anyone who is thinking the problem that creates slow play between carrying and electric needs to come down from the clouds,there are 50 things that are worse imo.

Absolutely

 

[Curls]

I think the answer is quite simple but wouldn't be liked. Banning 4 balls at busy times. Our club champs, Captains days etc are run in 3 balls and the average is about 4 hours. Get behind a spin up Saturday morning and you could easily be looking at 5.

The club probably won't enforce it, the spin ups like to have side wagers on 4 ball games. I understand many prefer 4 balls, so I'm not saying the should be banned across the board, but perhaps on a Medal morning between say 8 and 11.

Anyway if that isn't possible then the best cure for slow play is to try to not let it affect your game. As bad as a 5 hour round is, if you've just amassed 23 points you'll be rightly hacked off. Play well and score 40 and you might feel a bit better. So just accept that it's slow, try not to let the ignorance of the group ahead drag you down, and settle into a slower paced game. Might save your blood pressure if nothing else

 

[chillicon]

Anyone who is thinking the problem that creates slow play between carrying and electric needs to come down from the clouds,there are 50 things that are worse imo.

Don't think anyone was suggesting it is the only issue. It isn't. But it does contribute. Obviously trolley users are going to disagree, because they don't want to feel like they are part of the problem. They are.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There's no cure for Numpties I'm afraid!

There is though - we should tell the worst offenders to get on with it and to stop faffing about.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Absolutely

I never suggested that Trolleys are the (main) cause of slow play - they are one contributory factor - where perhaps someone who doesn't fail on another aspect of slow play makes up for it here. But when all combined x 4 players in a group we get to the situation we are in.

I think we must try and identify all aspects of playing today that can contribute to slow play and define a Slow Player. Then each ask ourselves to honestly identify our similarities with the Slow Player. We are not to be interested in where we differ from that Slow Player because where we find differences we let ourselves off the hook as that being evidence that we can't be a Slow Player.

I think we golfers are all slow in some aspect(s )of our play, but we are a bit like the alcoholic drinker in denial who says he can't be an alcoholic as he doesn't add whisky to his cornflakes in the morning - whilst wilfully ignoring the fact that he has half a bottle afterwards to wash them down.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

The pro at my old muni had the answer.
Double the green fee with a 50% rebate to those completing their round in under 4 hours.

Might lead to a few murders on the golf course though.

 

[FairwayDodger]

I never suggested that Trolleys are the (main) cause of slow play - they are one contributory factor - where perhaps someone who doesn't fail on another aspect of slow play makes up for it here. But when all combined x 4 players in a group we get to the situation we are in.

I think we must try and identify all aspects of playing today that can contribute to slow play and define a Slow Player. Then each ask ourselves to honestly identify our similarities with the Slow Player. We are not to be interested in where we differ from that Slow Player because where we find differences we let ourselves off the hook as that being evidence that we can't be a Slow Player.

I think we golfers are all slow in some aspect(s )of our play, but we are a bit like the alcoholic drinker in denial who says he can't be an alcoholic as he doesn't add whisky to his cornflakes in the morning - whilst wilfully ignoring the fact that he has half a bottle afterwards to wash them down.

Absolutely!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

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

 

[FairwayDodger]

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 had that the 1st had to be completed by 13:14pm and so on - with the 18th to be completed by 17:22pm

They tend to have that in the "bigger" amateur events as well and it really does force you to think about your pace of play. I've been in a group "on the clock" and it is not fun.

Only works if you have officials out there checking and enforcing it though.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The pro games needs addressing as it is a benchmark for amateurs (Keegan Bradley-like pre shot routines, stopping to check wind direction every 30secs, 3 club changes per shot)

A start of season education process for new and existing members may help to draw attention to the quick wins which will save everyone time

Play 'ready' golf in bounce games
Leave bag in correct place at green
Know your limitations (don't wait for a green 250yd away to clear if you only hit 150y)
Be ready on the tee
Mark cards as you walk
Not all balls need to be marked and replaced in bounce games

Not rocket science

BiB - and if you are on the green don't be pee'd off and indulge in turning and glaring if a ball rolls up and on that was clearly struck from a long way out.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

They tend to have that in the "bigger" amateur events as well and it really does force you to think about your pace of play. I've been in a group "on the clock" and it is not fun.

Only works if you have officials out there checking and enforcing it though.

Except that you could enforce that you have to enter your finish time on the card or in the scoring system so that groups can be checked retrospectively and players common to slow rounds identified. Besides if you knew that at any point you could be asked on your progress against the card you'd maybe be more inclined to get a move on - and your partners would have something to chide you with if your group was falling behind time. Maybe?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

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

 

[Hobbit]

A machine gun aimed down the 14th fairway, that's start firing at 4pm on a comp day. If you're not past it by then, you're too slow. But at least the slow ones won't be out the next week....... providing the greens staff have cleared away the bodies.

(Huge tongue in cheek smiley for all those that take life too seriously)

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

They tend to have that in the "bigger" amateur events as well and it really does force you to think about your pace of play. I've been in a group "on the clock" and it is not fun.

Only works if you have officials out there checking and enforcing it though.

I had it too in a national competition, only takes 1 person to drag the group down. My initial reaction was anger towards the slow guy and I started rushing my shots a bit while he just carried on the same

 

[FairwayDodger]

I had it too in a national competition, only takes 1 person to drag the group down. My initial reaction was anger towards the slow guy and I started rushing my shots a bit while he just carried on the same

Yeah. In the same comp this year I was reminding my group to keep the pace of play up but I'm generally the one that ends up rushing while the slow player is oblivious.

The year we were on the clock was a wee bit unfair, actually. We'd been held up for most of the first 12 holes or so, waiting on every hole. The group ahead were getting hassled by the marshalls all the way and finally got their act together at the same time as two of us lost balls on the same hole. We'd have been well ahead of our time had we not been held up but were already behind schedule due to the delays, lost a hole thanks to ten mins searching for balls and were under the cosh right away.

 

[woody69]

I don't really understand threads like this. The difference between "slow" play and "quick" is marginal on each hole over 18 of them.

Play every hole in 10 minutes and you'll be done in 3 hours. Play every hole in 15 minutes and it's 4.5 hours. Being 'slow' is all about perception. If you are waiting on every tee and it takes 4 hours you're moaning it's slow. If you don't wait and it still takes 4 hours to some that's fine.

Course layout and tee times are the biggest contributors to slower rounds of golf. Being ready to play, PSR, leaving bags the other side of the green etc are only minor contributing factors. People don't usually behave the same way at every hole so just because someone left their bag the wrong side meaning it takes them 10 seconds longer to be clear of the green doesn't mean they will do it on every hole.

At our course we have a short par 4, par 3, then big dog leg par 4, which some take on then a long walk to the 10th. All these factors means groups often concertina up in this area and if someone loses a ball then you get people waiting and people moaning of slow play. Add the half-way house into the mix and suddenly the 4 hour round is 4.5+

There are simple improvements that can be made, such as allowing groups behind to play up on par 3's if they are on the tee whilst you are putting and also when you let a quicker group through, you don't simply stop and let them play, you play up with them to lessen the impact further down the field.

Ultimately as long as I am drifting along keeping up with the group in front though and not being forced to wait for greens to clear etc then I'm happy whether the golf takes 3.5 hours (very rare) or 4.5 hours.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I don't really understand threads like this. The difference between "slow" play and "quick" is marginal on each hole over 18 of them.

Play every hole in 10 minutes and you'll be done in 3 hours. Play every hole in 15 minutes and it's 4.5 hours. Being 'slow' is all about perception. If you are waiting on every tee and it takes 4 hours you're moaning it's slow. If you don't wait and it still takes 4 hours to some that's fine.

Course layout and tee times are the biggest contributors to slower rounds of golf. Being ready to play, PSR, leaving bags the other side of the green etc are only minor contributing factors. People don't usually behave the same way at every hole so just because someone left their bag the wrong side meaning it takes them 10 seconds longer to be clear of the green doesn't mean they will do it on every hole.

At our course we have a short par 4, par 3, then big dog leg par 4, which some take on then a long walk to the 10th. All these factors means groups often concertina up in this area and if someone loses a ball then you get people waiting and people moaning of slow play. Add the half-way house into the mix and suddenly the 4 hour round is 4.5+

There are simple improvements that can be made, such as allowing groups behind to play up on par 3's if they are on the tee whilst you are putting and also when you let a quicker group through, you don't simply stop and let them play, you play up with them to lessen the impact further down the field.

Ultimately as long as I am drifting along keeping up with the group in front though and not being forced to wait for greens to clear etc then I'm happy whether the golf takes 3.5 hours (very rare) or 4.5 hours.

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.