The real cause of slow play.....

[HawkeyeMS]

Wind is a factor, but it is never the 'main' protection! That's the case even on links courses. The 'protection' is the physical stuff like bunkers, rough, water, trees etc. that the wind can, somewhat unpredictably, send a mis-hit ball into! The fact that that there are few trees in the 'middle' - as opposed to the boundary - of the course (a row between 6 and 7 is the only significant group and hardly a factor on either) simply means that you are always aware of whatever breeze is about - same as many other 'open' courses.

So just treat the deep rough like Rhodies - or Gorse - and stay out of it rather than constantly trying to make the game easier!

I think Del has a point. I might ask Blackmoor to remove the heather so I don't have to look for my ball. That way I can forget about learning to hit the ball straight and just lash it about wildly without fear

 

[Tashyboy]

Because if the ball is between the rope and the pin then there is zero time saved by traipsing to the rear to dump bag only to return to the front to play shot

It really doesn't matter which option you take to leave the bag in this scenario, it uses up the same amount of time
(the only benefit, if you can even call it that, of leaving at the rear is the following group 'feel' like you've done the right thing even though its irrelevant to pace)

No it's not, our last hole a par five, two guys on the green with there approach shots. Leave bags at front of green walk forty yards to green,putt out, walk forty yards back to bag and then walk around green to where path takes you to club house. The guys immediately in front of us same scenario, pitch onto green walk to side of green with bags on trolleys. Putt out and walk straight off green.

 

[Slab]

No it's not, our last hole a par five, two guys on the green with there approach shots. Leave bags at front of green walk forty yards to green,putt out, walk forty yards back to bag and then walk around green to where path takes you to club house. The guys immediately in front of us same scenario, pitch onto green walk to side of green with bags on trolleys. Putt out and walk straight off green.

Your original query made no mention of a specific hole & exit direction, and certainly not your 18th hole

Of course there are many green designs, exit routes and ball positions that make it viable to leave the bag somewhere other than the front of the green but that wasn't what you asked. I just suggested a reason they might leave at the front and why it may not even matter to your pace

quote "why oh flippin why do players then leave there trolleys in front of the ropes when putting, to then walk up to 50 yd back to the trolley to walk back past the green to the next tee"

 

[delc]

Although our rough was cut down a few weeks ago now, the weather has been rather conducive to growing grass and it is already becoming a bit of a menace again, not helped by being covered in dead leaves in places. My playing group had several rather protracted searches for balls in the rough this morning, although we found all of them within 5 minutes. Our round did take over 4 hours, and we were by no means the slowest group in the competition. :mmm:

 

[ScienceBoy]

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

And in my mind this is wrong!

I think golf courses should not be built with rough as a defence, rough should penalise shot distance and control not penalise shots directly!

Trees are a good defence, they force people to go over or around. Water should be one SPARINGLY, mostly it should be there to provide good irrigation and add some eye candy.

All the best and most enjoyable courses I have played are set up like this.

For most of us (except the pros) bunkers are also a good defence.

Clubs often make the mistake of trying to provide a course for the golfer the player WANTS to be, not for the player they ARE.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The elements should never be a main defence. It needs good bunkering, strategic rough without having to be deep enough to hide elephants and good pin positioning. We have roped off areas around our greens too and so far I haven't seen too many issues with players being tardy with their positioning of bags for the exit to the next tee. That'll be the kiss of death for the weekend then