Slow Play

[Parmo]

I don't like the fact we are now setting subconscience times for peoples games, some courses are longer than others, some courses are more hilly than others etc.. You can not say a 3hr round with a fourball is natural on a 6500 yard course, if so you must be running it. The quickest I have done mine is 2 3/4 hrs on a 5250 yarder and that was a clear track all the way, the longest was about 4 1/2hrs due to the course being busy and a playing partner that was never ready and wouldnt shut up.

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Hi,
Should have put it in the post at the start but on my course the quickest we got round in a medal last year was 4.35 the slowest was 5.30, I think there should be stricter times for a game 4.20 max for a 4 ball 3.50 for a 3 max time that is. I don't like to run around the course but like to play at a reasonable pace and keep moving not wait over each shot.
Mike

 

[Macster]

Rarely more than 3hrs 40 for a 4 ball at my place, socially.
Medal's can creep up, but I expect that so dont get wound up about it.

Smell the grass, listen to the birds, whats the rush ?

yes, occasionally, getting held up by someone apparently oblivious to you waiting on every shot behind, can be very annoying, but its not very often for me.

This may not be the case generally, but in my experience, those that rush like hell/play quickly, call it what you want, are fella's that wonder why the hell their H/C just isnt ever coming down.

A reasonable amount of attention to detail is acceptable to me.

:-/

 

[Twire]

But did he walk quickly to compensate?

The trouble is with that is that it's not just him who has to sprint between shots to make up time, it's his playing partners to. This was my point, playing partners rushing to make up for others slow play.

I think 6 practice swings is rather excessive. What would happen if 2, 3 or even 4 of the group were taking 6 practice swings....thats 24 swings without a ball being hit.

I have a pre shot routeen like most people..stand behind the ball pick a target, take a practice swing, walk to the ball, take stance then hit it. 30-40 seconds max.

The slow fella I used to play with could talk for England, he would chat away place his ball on tee walk off still chatting walk back on put his glove on go through his routeen and then finaly hit the ball. After 5 or 6 holes, it then seems like he's doing it in slow motion....I just want to screem at him "JUST HIT THE FRIGGIN BALL". All I would ask of him was to be ready when it's his turn to play.

 

[Robobum]

We had a competition pace of play schedule put in place at our course and each medal group was given the schedule prior to play and asked to put their finishing time on the card at the end.

There is, generally, no real problem from our members regarding slow play at the club but it did focus the minds of the few who are regarded as "leisurely"

Mike j - that is an awful long time to be out on the course, I am presuming that your medals are 3 balls?? If so they need shooting for the 4hr 35....and as for the 5hr+......

 

[Timberbonce]

Personally i would prefer to be held up a little than to have to run round and feel pushed. I'm in no way a slow player its just that i love my golf so much that i look forward to it all week for it to be over for another week in a mere 2 and a half hours would leave me feeling wholey un satisfied.
I would dearly love to play more than once a week but i like many, many others have a young family and i have to share the time between the 2.
So i'm sure this is the reason for some of the more leisurley times put in.
The thought of harsh maximum time being enforce terrifies me.

 

[ricardodaintino]

I've never been injured by slow players up front but impatient people behind sometimes make stupid dangerous decisions out of frustration. See previous thread about golfball flying overhead!

I'm not sure there is an answer.

 

[USER1999]

It is the usual answer really, keep up with the game infront. Not many of us have the priviledge of being first out, so we are normally following someone. If there is no gap in front of you, inherently, you must be playing at the correct pace for the course, what ever that is.

 

[Herbie]

I don't like the fact we are now setting subconscience times for peoples games, some courses are longer than others, some courses are more hilly than others etc.. You can not say a 3hr round with a fourball is natural on a 6500 yard course, if so you must be running it. The quickest I have done mine is 2 3/4 hrs on a 5250 yarder and that was a clear track all the way, the longest was about 4 1/2hrs due to the course being busy and a playing partner that was never ready and wouldnt shut up.

I dont think anyone is addressing the subconscious Parmo, I think its just general observations and opinions, but we are only talking about a 5 mile walk knocking balls about after all, you should be able to comfortably walk 5 miles in 2 hrs or less, its more what golfers do in between walking that determines how quick they do it. there are very few courses out there that are over 5 miles in walked distance, many are nearer 4 miles and some are much less. 3 hrs on a 6500 yd course is determined by how long you take to play and what your walking pace is, if you get on with things and walk in a healthy manner 3 hrs with no one in your way is easy parmo, not difficult or outrageous to suggest. Much of the lost time is unnoticed by many a golfer, the chats about shots/golf kit/praise etc at the wrong time though brief adds up is one example.

 

[Herbie]

I've never been injured by slow players up front but impatient people behind sometimes make stupid dangerous decisions out of frustration. See previous thread about golfball flying overhead!

I'm not sure there is an answer.

Ricardo, are there really golfers out there who deliberately want to hit another person just to make a silly point?
Ive seen the very slowest of golfers do exactly the same things when frustrated (almost always by accident)and in 30 yrs Ive been hit or nearly hit from all directions but never in 30 yrs or more from behind, that event is often down to a simple misread of distance ahead of a player or simply a player creaming one for the very first time in their lives, so I dont understand the point you are trying to make.

 

[viscount17]

Mike j - I don't think you can put a time limit on a medal, at least not until the PGA do, and enforce it. Not knowing the standard of your medal 3-balls it's hard to say if those times really are outrageous - how much was taken up with hit ball, can't find it, walk back, play again, lose another one?

herb, yes they do exist, too many really. Oh they will never 'intend' to hit you, they 'didn't think it would go that far'. I've even had impatient sods driving buggies onto the tee when it's patently obvious that the whole course is backed up. Courses fault that, sell all the tickets you can and let everyone sort themselves out.

 

[Fore]

Courses fault that, sell all the tickets you can and let everyone sort themselves out.

Agree entirely with that. Well said Viscount 17.
As i have posted before, i do not think they leave enough of a gap and should have varying gaps depending on the number of players going off together.

I had to have a word with somone behind a few weeks back about hitting the green while we were still on it. They did apologise but i was angry i must admit. I kicked his ball off the green into the rough!!

I felt bad about that afterwards though, as i try not to get that worked up about things. Glad he did not see it!

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Hi,
Its not just my 4 ball thats slow if there was no one in front of us we would be round in around 4 hours a reasonable pace its this general thing that i think has crept in that a round of golf should take almost 5 hours my dad told me that in his day it used to be about 3, I don't think it is walking pace or looking for balls as our course is wide open and there is no rough to loose a ball in so i think its the chats the long pre shot routines and guys not being ready to play when its there go, when we play in the evening during the summer we play who ever is ready to hit hits speeds up play no end example would be if someone is thru the green and someone is short let the person who is short go even if its not his honour rather than wait for the other guy walk round the green and then hit.
Mike

 

[vig]

Don't you think it takes longer cos the courses are longer now?.

I couldn't walk 6500 yds as quick as 5000, so playing golf on longer courses = more shots = more stops= more fatigue = 4hrs+

 

[Herbie]

Don't you think it takes longer cos the courses are longer now?.

I couldn't walk 6500 yds as quick as 5000, so playing golf on longer courses = more shots = more stops= more fatigue = 4hrs+

Sorry but I dont know you Vig so dont know your level of fitness but 8,800 yds is 5 miles, the average walking pace is around 2.5 to 3mph so Im not sure I understand the formula for time you just posted. The time issue for me is never about distance its nearly always about the time taken other than putting one foot in front of the other.

 

[Herbie]

Mike j - I don't think you can put a time limit on a medal, at least not until the PGA do, and enforce it. Not knowing the standard of your medal 3-balls it's hard to say if those times really are outrageous - how much was taken up with hit ball, can't find it, walk back, play again, lose another one?

herb, yes they do exist, too many really. Oh they will never 'intend' to hit you, they 'didn't think it would go that far'. I've even had impatient sods driving buggies onto the tee when it's patently obvious that the whole course is backed up. Courses fault that, sell all the tickets you can and let everyone sort themselves out.

I have just had a thought about this as to why I have not experienced this issue the way others have. Maybe its because my pace never puts me in the position of frustrating those following.

 

[vig]

Perhaps what I meant wasn't clear.
I wasn't advocating 4hr+ rounds or indicating I take that. Just generalising that the longer modern courses take longer to walk as they are....... well longer and therefore, should take more shots and that will also take longer
Hope that makes sense

 

[Herbie]

Perhaps what I meant wasn't clear.
I wasn't advocating 4hr+ rounds or indicating I take that. Just generalising that the longer modern courses take longer to walk as they are....... well longer and therefore, should take more shots and that will also take longer
Hope that makes sense

yep! perfect vig, thankyou.

 

[Imurg]

You've got to take into account the standard of the players as well.

With no disrespect to 28 handicappers -really! - but a medal at my club last year saw 3 28'ers drawn together and going out 1st. Now 3 28'ers are, by definition, going to take longer then 3 9'ers. The basic fact that they have to take more shots means they are going to take longer.

If you've got a player in your group who drives into the rough every time, plays a provisional and then spends his 5 minutes finding his ball then you are looking at a 5 hour+ round. Needlessly high rough doesn't help either.

So you can sprint between shots and still take an age to play this game sometimes. As long as you are letting faster groups through then there should not be a problem. Yes, your round may take 6 hours but you don't need to let everyone else's take that long.

I was re-reading the Slow Play experiment in GM the other day. Didn't the 2 ball take almost the same time as the 4 ball?

 

[Herbie]

The ultimate solution for those 'pushers','chasers' and downright impatient golfers.