Time and Motion Studies

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We have clocks by the 7th and 13th tees that are set to show you whether or not you are on track for a 4 hr round. The clocks are set so that if I tee off at 10am then when I get to the 1st clock it will show 10:00am if we am bang on 4hr pace. If it shows, for example, 10:10am then I know we are ten minutes behind pace and so we must pick up our pace. If it shows 09:50am then we are ten minutes ahead of 4hr pace and so doing fine.

I think it works pretty well for if there is a slowbie in our group and we are behind the clock, one of us can vocally make that point to the rest of us - and the slowbie will know we need to speed up.

 

[MadAdey]

IMO the biggest thing is people need to play ready golf. Nothing annoys me more than watching someone stood there waiting for the green to clear, then they get their glove on, get out the rangefinder, check the wind and think about the shot they want to play. I think more time is wasted by people not being ready to play their shot. Fair enough if your 40 yards ahead of your PP's, it isn't practical then, but please can people start to play ready golf.

 

[Ross61]

IMO the biggest thing is people need to play ready golf. Nothing annoys me more than watching someone stood there waiting for the green to clear, then they get their glove on, get out the rangefinder, check the wind and think about the shot they want to play. I think more time is wasted by people not being ready to play their shot. Fair enough if your 40 yards ahead of your PP's, it isn't practical then, but please can people start to play ready golf.

I totally agree. I see people stand watching someone take their shot dead in line with them and only then move 10 yards further to their ball on the other side of the fairway. Then out comes the laser rangefinder. A big think about which club. etc.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We have a roll up group that goes out before our Saturday group. We usually give them at least 20-30 minutes grace (rarely anyone goes in between the two groups as they know roll ups are going out and it'll be busy) and I guarantee whoever is in our first group (drawn and some 28 handicappers amongst the group as well as some single figures players) they will have caught them by the 3rd. NEVER get let through and always an excuse as to why they can't let you through. It's been reported officially but if the club aren't bothered how will anything change?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Today was one of my worst experiences on a golf course - the most unenjoyable round of golf

It was clubs champs - my group was off third

The club had a Marshall for the day who was the golf pro - 4 hours was the target and if you lost holes the marshal was going to ask you to let people through - ok this should be ok

The first problem - the first group went of 15 mins early - the second group then went of at the time of the first group , my group went of at our tee time 8:16 - we tees off had a bit of a search for a ball and then carried on - on the third hole the Marshall informed us we had lost a hole already - response was “ that’s because the groups in front went off earlier than their tee time “ !! We then carried on trying to catch up but ultimately rushing shots all over the place , the Marshall told us again on the 7th we had lost a hole ( the group behind us were about half a hole behind I think they waited once for us ) - we then rushed again for the front 9 and finished the front 9 in just under 1 hr 35 mins - excellent said the Marshall - I responded “ Glad the time is great - our scores are ruined by you rushing us and failing to understand that the groups in front went off early” !!

All three of us had mares on the front 9 - I was 11 over !! , the Marshall folllowed just our group for 6 holes and it just put us all off our game - we felt rushed and felt like we were playing speed golf and yet we didn’t really see the group behind us and our pace of play was way under the time expected - not one of us felt like we could concentrate or take our time on shots.

The Marshall then could see how frustrated we were and left and we went and played the back 9 - I played it normally but the other two felt knackered and just concentration gone but it was all good as we finished in under 4 hours - shame the scores were horrific for us all -

It seems the group in front were also warned they lost a hole - they also mentioned the group went off early

For me it showed that courses do have an optimum time for a round and most people play to that with the odd ten min or so either way due to lost balls etc - today it showed that having a Marshall who didn’t really understand how to Marshall correctly was actually counter productive but his sole aim was getting people round in 4 hours - well we did under that , shame it ruined people’s rounds doing it

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Watched four middle aged [50-60's], middle handicapped men at Bellisle this morning.
They were holding up 4x3balls by at least 1.5 holes [probably more if I could see]

Two players of the four players shared a minutes talk on the green after they had all holed out.
The group then waddled towards the next tee where all four engaged in a conversation for about 3 minutes.
One finally walked onto the tee and farted about for a while until he hit his shot, another player goes to tee off and the two remaining stand directly behind him partaking in an animated conversation whilst he plays.
The three ball behind were now on the green adjacent to the tee.


It must have taken the four ball 5/6 minutes for them to clear the previous green and the next adjacent tee.
They were all club players with decent equipment.


Is it any wonder why golf is on a downward spiral.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

When I used to train new golf course marshalls [generally decent golfers themselves] I told them that when you stop players to warn them for slow play, whatever happens, according to them, it is NEVER their fault.

The other thing I warned them to look out for was groups playing quickly but refusing to let even quicker players play through.

 

[MadAdey]

When I used to train new golf course marshalls [generally decent golfers themselves] I told them that when you stop players to warn them for slow play, whatever happens, according to them, it is NEVER their fault.

The other thing I warned them to look out for was groups playing quickly but refusing to let even quicker players play through.

I think that is what half the problem is with slow play, no golfer ever thinks that it is them that is causing slow play. I see myself as a middle of the road player when it comes to speed, I'm not the quickest, but I'm not slow either. I may take time over my shot, but I get to my ball quickly and will make all my decisions while waiting on my PP's to play.

 

[Jacko_G]

I think that is what half the problem is with slow play, no golfer ever thinks that it is them that is causing slow play. I see myself as a middle of the road player when it comes to speed, I'm not the quickest, but I'm not slow either. I may take time over my shot, but I get to my ball quickly and will make all my decisions while waiting on my PP's to play.

Can't ask for any more than that.

I'm quite similar, ready to play, leave the clubs in the correct place, if I hole out first I get the flag stick.

 

[jim8flog]

Today was one of my worst experiences on a golf course - the most unenjoyable round of golf



The first problem - the first group went of 15 mins early - the second group then went of at the time of the first group ,

The interesting thing about that is that teeing off before your tee time is a disqualification penalty.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The interesting thing about that is that teeing off before your tee time is a disqualification penalty.

Well that’s another question but it’s very doubtful the new HC committee would even go there - i guess it’s what gave me enemies - administering the comps by the rules

 

[ScienceBoy]

Is it any wonder why golf is on a downward spiral.

I don't know, that sounds pretty funny to watch, if your not in a group behind. Maybe something for the Pro game to look into.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

The European Tour have been using the firm RSM to time the period from when the players are able to play their next shot to the point they do so. Chatting to some of people doing it they hadn't found many who were outside the guidelines given prior to play.

I guess this fed into the Shot Clock Masters event earlier in the season.

This is in sharp contrast with the timing sheets used at professionall events. Franky if you get on the clock with these generous times you have a real problem.

 

[duncan mackie]

Today was one of my worst experiences on a golf course - the most unenjoyable round of golf

It was clubs champs - my group was off third

The club had a Marshall for the day who was the golf pro - 4 hours was the target and if you lost holes the marshal was going to ask you to let people through - ok this should be ok

The first problem - the first group went of 15 mins early - the second group then went of at the time of the first group , my group went of at our tee time 8:16 - we tees off had a bit of a search for a ball and then carried on - on the third hole the Marshall informed us we had lost a hole already - response was “ that’s because the groups in front went off earlier than their tee time “ !! We then carried on trying to catch up but ultimately rushing shots all over the place , the Marshall told us again on the 7th we had lost a hole ( the group behind us were about half a hole behind I think they waited once for us ) - we then rushed again for the front 9 and finished the front 9 in just under 1 hr 35 mins - excellent said the Marshall - I responded “ Glad the time is great - our scores are ruined by you rushing us and failing to understand that the groups in front went off early” !!

All three of us had mares on the front 9 - I was 11 over !! , the Marshall folllowed just our group for 6 holes and it just put us all off our game - we felt rushed and felt like we were playing speed golf and yet we didn’t really see the group behind us and our pace of play was way under the time expected - not one of us felt like we could concentrate or take our time on shots.

The Marshall then could see how frustrated we were and left and we went and played the back 9 - I played it normally but the other two felt knackered and just concentration gone but it was all good as we finished in under 4 hours - shame the scores were horrific for us all -

It seems the group in front were also warned they lost a hole - they also mentioned the group went off early

For me it showed that courses do have an optimum time for a round and most people play to that with the odd ten min or so either way due to lost balls etc - today it showed that having a Marshall who didn’t really understand how to Marshall correctly was actually counter productive but his sole aim was getting people round in 4 hours - well we did under that , shame it ruined people’s rounds doing it

All of which is why clubs shouldn't play at POP.

Along with sending out less than competent individuals (the number that have a competwnt individual is very small let alone the chance that they are available) with matchplay games - it really is worse than sending no one.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think that is what half the problem is with slow play, no golfer ever thinks that it is them that is causing slow play. I see myself as a middle of the road player when it comes to speed, I'm not the quickest, but I'm not slow either. I may take time over my shot, but I get to my ball quickly and will make all my decisions while waiting on my PP's to play.

This. Sadly though its the first part that is not going to change. Until players take responsibility and ownership for being slow, their attitude won't change and their carry on creeping slowly around the course. How you break that is perhaps the biggest conundrum facing golf at club level