The real cause of slow play.....

[JCW]

Lots of interesting points in the link but it doesn't hide the biggest cause of slow play.........inconsiderate people.

You should walk between shots, not amble.
You should be ready to play when it's your turn (glove on, distance measured, club selected etc)
You should leave your bag at the correct side of the green.
You should line up your putt when everyone else is doing the same, not wait till it's your turn
You should NOT think it's OK to play slowly as long as you call groups through, that causes bottlenecks!

You are of course right , I just adjust my pace nowadays to the group in front

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Lots of interesting points in the link but it doesn't hide the biggest cause of slow play.........inconsiderate people.

You should walk between shots, not amble.
You should be ready to play when it's your turn (glove on, distance measured, club selected etc)
You should leave your bag at the correct side of the green.
You should line up your putt when everyone else is doing the same, not wait till it's your turn
You should NOT think it's OK to play slowly as long as you call groups through, that causes bottlenecks!

+1

Far too many look for other excuses when one of the biggest reasons imo is golfers

On Saturday the group out 3rd lost two holes on the group in front and that changed the round to become a 4 and half hour round for people behind them

On Sunday one group came in 45 mins after the group in front of them !

People behind had 5 hour rounds

We are going to introduce a time booking - when you finish you go back into pro shop and put your time on the card

 

[williamalex1]

If some marker posts were placed along the rough at suitable distances , you would then have a reference point where to start searching.

And a chance of find the ball quicker, a lot of the is time wasted searching for balls in the wrong area. IMHO.

 

[delc]

I note that removing vast swathes of rough speeds up play. I wish somebody would tell our course management that, as they only cut the rough once a year in Autumn. In late Summer it often gets waist high and eats golf balls, which obviously slows down play while players search for them. It is noticeable how much quicker rounds get after it is cut. Why do courses grow their rough long? Allegedly it's to beautify and toughen up the course, improve definition, and to provide a habitat for wild flowers, wild creatures and butterflies. More likely to be a cost cutting exercise, although how much cost is involved in a bit of extra mowing? :mmm:

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I note that removing vast swathes of rough speeds up play. I wish somebody would tell our course management that, as they only cut the rough once a year in Autumn. In late Summer it often gets waist high and eats golf balls, which obviously slows down play while players search for them. It is noticeable how much quicker rounds get after it is cut. Why do courses grow their rough long? Allegedly it's to beautify and toughen up the course, improve definition, and to provide a habitat for wild flowers, wild creatures and butterflies. More likely to be a cost cutting exercise, although how much cost is involved in a bit of extra mowing? :mmm:

Dont put your ball in the rough then - and if you do then play a provi and if there is someone behind you then let them through whilst you search for your ball.

 

[Slab]

Dont put your ball in the rough then - and if you do then play a provi and if there is someone behind you then let them through whilst you search for your ball.

A bit simplistic though

With the best will in the world balls are gonna end up in the rough and although the correct thing to do, letting a group through does nothing to help your groups pace of play or make finding the ball any easier

 

[Deleted member 15344]

A bit simplistic though

With the best will in the world balls are gonna end up in the rough and although the correct thing to do, letting a group through does nothing to help your groups pace of play or make finding the ball any easier

But the rough is a golf courses defence a lot of the times

It is there for a reason - to punish bad or wayward shots and then to give you a tough choice.

Sorry but this is Delc again wanting to make the game easier because it appears he struggles - bigger holes , more shots back quicker.

I havent been to many courses where the thickest rough isnt a good distance wide from the fairway.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

This maybe a bit controversial but at most clubs, slow play is caused be people faffing. If everyone just recognised where they were, what they were doing and just got on with it the problem wouldn't be nearly as bad. Too many people spend too much time talking when they should be playing and simply aren't ready when they should be. It's all very well looking for external factors, and I'm sure they can contribute depending on the course but the main cause of slow play is the players themselves.

 

[Slab]

But the rough is a golf courses defence a lot of the times

It is there for a reason - to punish bad or wayward shots and then to give you a tough choice.

Sorry but this is Delc again wanting to make the game easier because it appears he struggles - bigger holes , more shots back quicker.

I havent been to many courses where the thickest rough isnt a good distance wide from the fairway.

I get that delc has a history with some but warranted or not in the context of this thread we've all seen first cuts that swallow a ball and are too severe to support a healthy/normal pace of play, 2nd cuts that offer less odds than the lotto & 'proper' rough that might as well be red staked in terms of whether a ball can be retrieved/worth looking for

That's nothing to do with making the game easier (just playing three of the tee is easier but doesn't always make it right)

 

[delc]

Dont put your ball in the rough then - and if you do then play a provi and if there is someone behind you then let them through whilst you search for your ball.

I am a fairly straight hitter and don't go into the rough that often, but the same can't be said about some of my playing companions! Playing provisional balls and/or calling people through doesn't help that much with the overall pace of play IMHO. Just more of a courtesy to the following group, and of course makes your round take longer. People faffing around on the greens always seems to be another cause of slow play to me! :angry:

 

[Slab]

Lots of interesting points in the link but it doesn't hide the biggest cause of slow play.........inconsiderate people.

You should walk between shots, not amble.
You should be ready to play when it's your turn (glove on, distance measured, club selected etc)
You should leave your bag at the correct side of the green.
You should line up your putt when everyone else is doing the same, not wait till it's your turn
You should NOT think it's OK to play slowly as long as you call groups through, that causes bottlenecks!

Been trying to read up on the studies and initiatives i.e USGA While we're young etc, and they don't really support what your saying

Naturally players are in there as a cause but not to the extent you might think

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I am a fairly straight hitter and don't go into the rough that often, but the same can't be said about some of my playing companions! Playing provisional balls and/or calling people through doesn't help that much with the overall pace of play IMHO. Just more of a courtesy to the following group, and of course makes your round take longer. People faffing around on the greens always seems to be another cause of slow play to me! :angry:

Golf is a hard game in afraid

If your FC etc keep hitting into rough then maybe they should look at reasons why they keep hitting it into rough instead of tailoring a course to suit certain people

 

[Slab]

Golf is a hard game in afraid

If your FC etc keep hitting into rough then maybe they should look at reasons why they keep hitting it into rough instead of tailoring a course to suit certain people

Careful you're in danger of making a game suitable only for Cat1 & Cat 2 players & even they go in the rough (although they do seem to use more of their permitted 5 minutes looking than a cat 4 player would )

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Careful you're in danger of making a game suitable only for Cat1 & Cat 2 players & even they go in the rough (although they do seem to use more of their permitted 5 minutes looking than a cat 4 player would )

Where did I mention anything about the category of people HC or making it suitable for only certain people !!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Lots of interesting points in the link but it doesn't hide the biggest cause of slow play.........inconsiderate people.

You should walk between shots, not amble.
You should be ready to play when it's your turn (glove on, distance measured, club selected etc)
You should leave your bag at the correct side of the green.
You should line up your putt when everyone else is doing the same, not wait till it's your turn
You should NOT think it's OK to play slowly as long as you call groups through, that causes bottlenecks!

I'll add to that...

If you haven't lost a ball, you don't need to spend time looking for one
If you hit your ball OOB, you don't need to hop over the fence to look for it
If you find yourself telling people you can't play any quicker, you are part of the problem

 

[Slab]

Where did I mention anything about the category of people HC or making it suitable for only certain people !!

You specifically said if you cant keep it out the rough like I can then don't play



Ok maybe not those exact words but that's what we were heading to with comments about golfers who cant keep it on the short stuff and not giving them consideration when setting up a course

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You specifically said if you cant keep it out the rough like I can then don't play



Ok maybe not those exact words but that's what we were heading to with comments about golfers who cant keep it on the short stuff and not giving them consideration when setting up a course

Wasnt suggesting anything of the sort or heading in any direction in regards people not playing

 

[matt611]

This maybe a bit controversial but at most clubs, slow play is caused be people faffing.

Not controversial at all.

Too many people just watch the rest of their group play and then throw some grass in the air, laser the flag, clean a club, stand behind the ball picking their landing spot, have several practice swings, go through a full pre-shot routine something akin to a plane take off checklist...all this before they hit the ball

 

[delc]

Open championships often have deep rough to challenge the best golfers in the world. However they always have ball spotters and lots of spectators to see where the ball went and to help find it if necessary. Lesser courses seem to think that they have to copy Carnoustie, etc, to make their courses equally tough! However this may not be appropriate for handicap club golfers who just want to enjoy a round of golf in a reasonable length of time. Rounds in pro tournament often take over 5 hours, whereas as 4 hours is more normal for club golf, but that seems to be creeping up!

 

[Slab]

Wasnt suggesting anything of the sort or heading in any direction in regards people not playing

No worries, so we're cool with accepting that rough is a cause of slow play that the club should take responsibility for & if necessary take action before it becomes an issue while considering golfers of all abilities.... rather than the 'don't hit it in the rough then' approach... glad that's sorted