The answer to slow play or a recipe for disaster?

[North Mimms]

Played at a US course today which had a sign in buggy promoting their new club app for mobile phones
Amongst the benefits...
"Play faster and avoid slow play".....waiting on the group in front of you? No problem, communicate directly with the course advisor. We'll fix it!

I can see this might work Stateside where they are fairly relaxed about pace of play, but here in UK?
90% of the groups on the course will have their phone out, demanding the ranger gets THEM ahead out of our way!

(Other benefits of app....order a beer and have it delivered to your foursome...)

 

[standrew]

(Other benefits of app....order a beer and have it delivered to your foursome...)

Eh that is pretty awesome. Americans could just use their guns to eliminate those who dont keep up.

They should have express golf.. certain times reserved for small relatively experienced groups only.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Played at a US course today which had a sign in buggy promoting their new club app for mobile phones
Amongst the benefits...
"Play faster and avoid slow play".....waiting on the group in front of you? No problem, communicate directly with the course advisor. We'll fix it!

I can see this might work Stateside where they are fairly relaxed about pace of play, but here in UK?
90% of the groups on the course will have their phone out, demanding the ranger gets THEM ahead out of our way!

(Other benefits of app....order a beer and have it delivered to your foursome...)

Not sure this would work over here but a good idea if all clubs had access to golf buggies.

 

[Foxholer]

Quite a few of the courses have GPS locators attached to the buggy so that the entire course can be monitored from 'base' and any issues sorted out - almost before anyone needs to phone.

US attitude to 'service' is quite different to the UK one in lots of areas!

 

[JCW]

Customer is king in the US of A

 

[Slab]

The buggy's we use have their position on the course sent back to clubhouse and the appropriate message pops up on screen

Things like xx minutes behind pace of play, please keep up with the group in front, please stay on cart path/1st cut (when fairway wet)

With a bit of fine tuning it can work but no point sending a x minutes behind, speed up message to 30 buggys if they are not the ones causing the delay

The slow group will also get a visit from course marshal who'll then monitor on-course while in contact with clubhouse but its all done through encouragement to speed up rather than threats (given that so much is resort courses)

Threats don't work

Edit: yeah and ordering drinks/snacks through the screen is cool

Other features like e-scorecards which are emailed to you on completion of the round, distance information/course guide etc but annoying thing is the pop up ads

 

[backwoodsman]

The buggy's we use have their position on the course sent back to clubhouse and the appropriate message pops up on screen

Things like xx minutes behind pace of play, please keep up with the group in front, please stay on cart path/1st cut (when fairway wet)

With a bit of fine tuning it can work but no point sending a x minutes behind, speed up message to 30 buggys if they are not the ones causing the delay

The slow group will also get a visit from course marshal who'll then monitor on-course while in contact with clubhouse but its all done through encouragement to speed up rather than threats (given that so much is resort courses)

Threats don't work

Edit: yeah and ordering drinks/snacks through the screen is cool

Other features like e-scorecards which are emailed to you on completion of the round, distance information/course guide etc but annoying thing is the pop up ads

Good grief! Big Brother lives... Obviously I don't like slow play, but there comes a point when one starts to wonder where the walk-hit-ball-walk-hit-ball game disappeared to?

 

[Slab]

Good grief! Big Brother lives... Obviously I don't like slow play, but there comes a point when one starts to wonder where the walk-hit-ball-walk-hit-ball game disappeared to?

Yeah I guess re-reading my post it might come over like that but a quick tap of the screen and any message is gone and it returns to course guide

Although its cool to see the big screen in the clubhouse with all the players positions plotted & moving as they play a round... tell me honestly you wouldn't like that feature in your clubhouse!

 

[backwoodsman]

Honestly? No, don't think I would.

Although I suppose I could get used to a touch-screen whereby the pro fetches me another Kit-kat from out the fridge

 

[Slab]

Honestly? No, don't think I would.

Although I suppose I could get used to a touch-screen whereby the pro fetches me another Kit-kat from out the fridge

I'm not selling it very well am I

Honestly its like car-crash TV, you cant look away in case a buggy drives into a stream or a bunker :rofl:

 

[backwoodsman]

Better than some of the football then?

 

[cookelad]

Although its cool to see the big screen in the clubhouse with all the players positions plotted & moving as they play a round... tell me honestly you wouldn't like that feature in your clubhouse!

Could be quite a giggle if there's big group of you on a holiday, especially if it provided a leaderboard to go along with it!

 

[Martin70]

I've never used a buggy. I need all the exercise I can get :lol:

 

[vkurup]

I'm not selling it very well am I

Honestly its like car-crash TV, you cant look away in case a buggy drives into a stream or a bunker :rofl:

On the courses I played, the buggy automagically puts on a speed limit as it approaches the bridge over the water!! Nifty things i must say. Also interestingly, a lot of clubs have buggies with Japanese language options. So they do know their market. I think on most courses we spent about 20 mins playing with the GPS first. It is like getting a new phone...exciting.

 

[JCW]

To Quote a German on holiday in spain one year that I played over there ..................I is on holidays , I payings my money so I having as many shots as I want , I didn't know lake was there so I losing my balls so I look for it , you on holidays too , whats problem , you taking as many shots as you want to huh , .................it was just a drag that round at Cabopino Golf Club , took almost 6 hours for a two ball , sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pace your game to that in front of you as you not going anywhere fast .........................Don't EYG

 

[cookelad]

To Quote a German on holiday in spain one year that I played over there ..................I is on holidays , I payings my money so I having as many shots as I want , I didn't know lake was there so I losing my balls so I look for it , you on holidays too , whats problem , you taking as many shots as you want to huh , .................it was just a drag that round at Cabopino Golf Club , took almost 6 hours for a two ball , sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pace your game to that in front of you as you not going anywhere fast .........................Don't EYG

I just accept that a round of golf in Spain/Portugal is going to be 5 hours (when it gets beyond 6 its taking the Miguel), but hey the temperature's in the mid-high 20s the sun is shining, and taking an extra bit of time to get to the bar is probably beneficial to me actually enjoying the evening before retiring to the hotel in a state of disrepair!

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Yeah I guess re-reading my post it might come over like that but a quick tap of the screen and any message is gone and it returns to course guide

Although its cool to see the big screen in the clubhouse with all the players positions plotted & moving as they play a round... tell me honestly you wouldn't like that feature in your clubhouse!

Is that Le Touessrok, Slab?

I was in Mauritius in January, didn't play any golf but did take a trip to Ile aux Cerfs, I can't think of a more idyllic location for a golf course.

Port Louis to Le Touessrok must take a little while though?

 

[Jack_bfc]

I love a gadget and if that could be relayed to an app on my phone I wouldnt object..

I dont like using buggies as I deem the walk to be an intagral part of the experiece.

I like the idea of big screen in the clubhouse, maybe webcams at different tee's, greens, hotposts around the course showing live stream....

 

[Slab]

Is that Le Touessrok, Slab?

I was in Mauritius in January, didn't play any golf but did take a trip to Ile aux Cerfs, I can't think of a more idyllic location for a golf course.

Port Louis to Le Touessrok must take a little while though?

Yeah Le Touessrok and Anahita especially. The setting is pretty special for these two

Only work in Port Louis but live up north so yeah getting to any course is a trip of 1 hour plus but worth it when you get there

Wish I'd known you were out, sure we could have managed to get a game somewhere

 

[Canary_Yellow]

That would have been great, but I don't think I'd have got away with it as it was my honeymoon! We did South Africa and then a week of relaxation in Mauritius staying at the Oberoi - so there wasn't a golf course at the hotel, if there was then I might have stood a better chance of sneaking a game in. Mauritius is a wonderful place to live!

I'm sure I'll be back again before too long though and I'll definitely give you a shout when I am.