(Sorry this has been done to death) The solution to slow play is slow play

[Birchy]

Too many players give it the "I'm not a slow player" despite being painfully slow.

All the literature out there telling chompers that a pre shot routine is key and don't hit until you feel ready etc doesn't help. Back away and start again if required :angry:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm a member at Merrist Wood, it's a long course. Our rounds are usually 4.5 hrs. There is a pace of play sign on the tenth which says 2 ball 2hrs05 4 ball 2hr15 I think it is. That's just how long it takes. 5 hrs is very easily acheived when the course gets a bit backed up. The pace isn't slow, it's just the way it is. I think most people on the forum would hate our course from the sound of it!

If you're still moving then it doesn't always feel that long. However waiting on every shot, and especially on the tee becomes a drag, especially in the cold or the wet. I've played your course and to be honest have no idea how long we took as a four ball but we never felt it was an age.

 

[freddielong]

Walton Hall in Warrington (a decent muni) would be a good 5 and a half hours on a hot day weekend in the Summer.... People know the score before they go and enjoy it.

You can do 36 in that time

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Bit confused (not dificult) all you folks saying 5hrs is the norm on a muni is that mid morning to mid afternoon? The OP said they were the 3rd group off! Surely it shouldn't take that long at any course with such an early tee off time?

 

[PJ87]

see what the OP is saying and agree to an extent. When my dad and I play I always get frustrated by slow play in front but he says just slow down.. hold back a bit so we arent on their backs and we will enjoy our round more.. Have to admit it works..

if your not getting played through and cant speed up the group in front just go with it

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Bit confused (not dificult) all you folks saying 5hrs is the norm on a muni is that mid morning to mid afternoon? The OP said they were the 3rd group off! Surely it shouldn't take that long at any course with such an early tee off time?

It depends on the groups ahead I guess. I play in a roll up and there is a group that go out about 30 minutes before us. On;y about 3 x 4 balls but so painfully slow our first 4 ball usually catches them by the 4th or 5th and we then wait and concertina up behind. They are told about it regularly and have been reported by nothing ever changes and the club simply won't do anything about it and don't see it as an issue even though they're setting the pace for the morning play

 

[Qwerty]

Bit confused (not dificult) all you folks saying 5hrs is the norm on a muni is that mid morning to mid afternoon? The OP said they were the 3rd group off! Surely it shouldn't take that long at any course with such an early tee off time?

It shouldn't do but they copped for a group of Choppers in front who took 1/2 hour to play the first. In my experience Theres nothing unusual about that on a Muni.

We sometimes used to play Heaton Park at 5:00am and pay when we'd finished just to get round in a reasonable time. To be fair though I think we were pretty slow back then, I know I was.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It shouldn't do but they copped for a group of Choppers in front who took 1/2 hour to play the first. In my experience Theres nothing unusual about that on a Muni.

We sometimes used to play Heaton Park at 5:00am and pay when we'd finished just to get round in a reasonable time. To be fair though I think we were pretty slow back then, I know I was.

Think I'd have said something on the second or third!!!!

 

[t0m]

I have always been told walk fast play slow.

 

[PJ87]

Think I'd have said something on the second or third!!!!

we played our first society day other week.. now bear in mind 25 of us showed up.. 3 groups of 3 and 4 groups of 4.. all tee times reserved..

anyways I was in the last group.. this group behind (4 ball) went off to play other holes as they were getting held up in their eyes.. then group of 2 behind appeared (of course going to be faster) they were 2 ladies playing a match apparently.. I decided to be polite go to them whilst we were teeing off and explain we were part of a 25 society and that otherwise we would let them through.. they agreed and then said it was the clubs fault for scheduling a match so close to a society. All cool I thought. Then they proceeded to tell 2 groups in front of us to "speed it up" even though we were all waiting for each group fair way to fairway.. never got more than 1 hole from 2 groups in front. they then asked TWICE if they could weave through.. we told them no.

stupidest thing was they had other 2 ball matches behind them.. whats wrong with making a 4 ball and enjoying your day more? idiots

 

[Qwerty]

Walton Hall in Warrington (a decent muni) would be a good 5 and a half hours on a hot day weekend in the Summer.... People know the score before they go and enjoy it.

Is that including 1/2 hour at the legendary Butty Van

 

[FairwayDodger]

we played our first society day other week.. now bear in mind 25 of us showed up.. 3 groups of 3 and 4 groups of 4.. all tee times reserved..

anyways I was in the last group.. this group behind (4 ball) went off to play other holes as they were getting held up in their eyes.. then group of 2 behind appeared (of course going to be faster) they were 2 ladies playing a match apparently.. I decided to be polite go to them whilst we were teeing off and explain we were part of a 25 society and that otherwise we would let them through.. they agreed and then said it was the clubs fault for scheduling a match so close to a society. All cool I thought. Then they proceeded to tell 2 groups in front of us to "speed it up" even though we were all waiting for each group fair way to fairway.. never got more than 1 hole from 2 groups in front. they then asked TWICE if they could weave through.. we told them no.

stupidest thing was they had other 2 ball matches behind them.. whats wrong with making a 4 ball and enjoying your day more? idiots

That's a bit harsh. I know if I was playing a match I wouldn't want a couple of hangers on joining us. Sounds like a no win situation all round although the fact there were only two of them, while maybe explaining their faster speed, is not a reason to refuse to let them through.

 

[PJ87]

That's a bit harsh. I know if I was playing a match I wouldn't want a couple of hangers on joining us. Sounds like a no win situation all round although the fact there were only two of them, while maybe explaining their faster speed, is not a reason to refuse to let them through.

We refused to let them through because we were literally a group of 25 (don't normally let people into a society booking) and the group in front of us we were waiting for them to play their second shot on every hole whilst they were waiting for the group in front to clear the green so was going as fast as possible.

Plus the groups behind were all member matches. Could easily just team up to slow the play down and enjoy more.

 

[Karl102]

Is that including 1/2 hour at the legendary Butty Van

At least!!!! Sausage and bacon Special !!!

 

[patricks148]

We refused to let them through because we were literally a group of 25 (don't normally let people into a society booking) and the group in front of us we were waiting for them to play their second shot on every hole whilst they were waiting for the group in front to clear the green so was going as fast as possible.

Plus the groups behind were all member matches. Could easily just team up to slow the play down and enjoy more.

what absolute rubbish, have you never heard of allowing faster groups through???

if you are having a match why would you team up!!!! how about you learning some etiquette?

 

[PJ87]

It's called common sense? Only would be a suggestion because then they would naturally slow down. Wouldn't be waiting for us so much so in turn wouldn't be as frustrated.

Yes let faster groups through but hardly ever let through a society specially when you are back to back the whole way. If you are keeping pace with the group in front and are having to wait yourself letting them through will not solve the issue. Plus we played ready golf the entire time so we didn't add to the issue.

etiquette? At least I was polite enough to explain what was in front and say "otherwise we would let you through but we are all back to back so there isn't room" to which they excepted at first it was just one of them that kept asking after we politely told them.

Im not a DJ I don't do requests. If someone asks repeatedly after I've taken time to explain the situation why the heck would I then let them through? Whole group agreed and at the end we finished in under 4 hours for a 4 ball in a society so that's hardly slow

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

That is not allowed at my club or the one I was at before. Once you call a group up you have given the hole over to them and you are not allowed to play until they are out of range or finish the hole

what's not allowed - two groups playing towards the one hole at the same time - and coordinating their play to enable a group to play through whilst minimising the delay for the group letting through - and following groups? That's daft - and I don't see how on earth or why on earth your club would not allow it, it doesn't actually cause any issues whatsoever.

 

[Fish]

I had a player from my own B-team standing on the 11th tee shout across at my 4-ball as we crossed the bridge coming off our 12th green walking towards the 13th tee moaning that it took them 2.5hrs to get to the turn and pointed out we had too big a gap from the group in front, which was not the case!

Admittedly we had lost a hole up to the 6th quite quickly due to a 28 handicapper from the opposition club who we were playing against having a torrid time off the tee early doors, he had only just started playing and hadn't been to our club before and it can be very tough on a first visit, but as he settled and got rid of his anxiousness we eventually got that hole back, but, throughout that period the group behind very rarely waited or pushed us anyway.

Anyway, he got a few choice words shouted back at him from me and I was going to have a few more when I got in but my PP told me to let it slide. Our group was just over half a hole behind the group in front as we drove down the 13th (par 5) as we had to wait for the green to clear as we got to around the 150 marker! With my group walking off the 12th green and gobby on the 11th tee and with 2 groups in-between, the issue wasn't with us anymore, the group behind us were looking to approach the 12th green as we walked off it and the group behind them should have been on the 12th tee, but they weren't, they were halfway up the 11th, so it was that group that was holding the group with the big gob in it but he was just looking to vent off!

Now I accept that we had a problem very early in the round and sometimes groups behind who are affected sometimes don't all catch back up with play, but this retired banker (spelt with a W) was out of order IMO, especially as we're hosting guests from another club and visitors playing in 4-balls won't be quick!

I think this slow play topic now has become an excuse for those not playing well on any given day, I'm not saying it can't affect how we play at times and thus affect our enjoyment, because it can, especially when you're waiting on every shot, but it's a hot topic in all golf circles at present but with pick, clean & place on fairways and clean & drop in the rough because of muddy balls currently, all that extra time alone is going to add up longer than a typical summer 4-ball when you just walk up to the little fella and smack it again, factor in we were off the back sticks in soft damp conditions so little run on the fairways and it's all going to have an effect!

We shook hands on the 16th winning my match 3&2 and it took 4hrs 20mins so we didn't play the last 2 holes as the clubhouse was in sight, yes that was a bit long, but I think in the soft conditions, the standard and age of players and being off the back sticks, that kind of time is becoming the norm with a 4-ball!

 

[Slab]

We really are a weird bunch and I know the traffic analogy has been used before to compare to golf’s pace of play but since the topic is up again...

My daily commute typically is 50 minutes
The fastest it’s been is 28 minutes
The slowest is over 2 hours

The reason for the variance, in every case, is that something has changed. Be that time of journey, traffic volume, weather, unexpected incidents, type of day (public holiday etc) types of vehicles, road conditions and other events like road works + a host of other things

So the same ‘course’ often takes me longer/shorter than my typical duration and like most of you I kinda know before I set off how long it’s likely to take on any given trip but even then there’s unforeseen events to affect the overall time

Why then do so many golfers lose the ability to accept this logic when applying it to a round of golf and insist that every round should be a good-un (time wise) and then lose the plot (& their score) when they need to wait sometimes or the time taken doesn’t meet expectations even if it’s just 15 minutes extra?

• Would you really attempt to solve the traffic problems en-route to work (& who appointed you road captain anyway)
• Do you seriously get out of your car and head off across lanes to chastise someone about their behaviour
• Have you ever managed to successfully educate another road use on their etiquette and slow pace
• Have you ever managed to get speedy/lane changer driver to consider the impact of his actions to others
• Do you really care about how long it takes other drivers to get home or just your own time that bothers you
• Do you really toss a copy of the highway code to folks with the ‘show me where it says... ’
• Do you get home/work and regularly jump on a forum to complain about a lane changer, slow driver, an escorted load, bank holiday volumes, rain delays etc
• Do you follow slower drivers home to berate them as they park up
• Do you drive at your preferred normal pace regardless of other traffic and then complain because you can’t keep to that pace
• Do you tailgate in order to ‘force’ someone to speed up
• Has your typical commute stayed the same time for the same route than when you ‘played that course’ 30 years ago


Yes absolutely, something will need to be done if things are to improve on your commute but just ask yourself this, is it any of the above!

Consistent change & improvement will not come from a golfer playing a round just like it won’t come from a driver going off on one


Edit to add: And is the person/s behaviours described above, part of the solution or part of the problem!

 

[Smiffy]

My favourite seven words when waiting by the 1st tee, usually said by somebody waiting for the green to clear on the par 4 before teeing off who then proceeds to duff it 80 yards.....

"Going to be a slow round today"