Tips for how best to manage your game after delays...

[patricks148]

I just can't see where 4½ hours is that long for a round of golf.
I'm glad that I play with my peers and not the young lion crowd.
As for four hours flat, that's the stated goal for an American round. That's the target time.
I can't imagine anybody finding four hours to be slow.

The "silent killer of golf" in America, particularly coastal America, is that real estate is to valuable to keep tied up as golf courses. They're being sold to developers in droves.

if it took me 4 and half around my course i'd be ready to as you guys would say "shoot someone"... or myself, that is an hour too long even for a slowish roud

 

[Siolag]

As a new player and member and high handicapper, I was very conscious of not holding people up, but I generally spend time waiting at tees (our 8th has a bench for waiting and at times has 3 groups there).

When it’s that bad, I try and clean my irons with my little brush, check the scorecard and have a bite of my mars bar and a drink and just try and relax. Also try not to face the flag.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

If you can't get round a course in less than 4.5 in a cart ( I may be wrongly assuming) then you shouldn't be on the course.

I was 2 hours 20 minutes the other day as a single that included getting held up twice, and holing out. You hit it and you walk. Simple

It doesn't matter if you're riding around the course in something with The Spirit of Ecstasy on it. You're not going faster than the four geriatrics in front of you when you play weekday morning golf. They pay their membership dues too.

Also, I believe in hitting in proper order. Old people need extra eyes on each shot as we don't see as well as we once did.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Woah! I think this is supposed to be a thread about how we cope with delays - accepting that delays occur. Plenty of threads about here on the scourge of slow play and how long a round should take...but good to have a little look at what we do when things are a bit slower or a delay occurs - as we all need to accept that delays will happen in ANY round - even the quickest.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

if it took me 4 and half around my course i'd be ready to as you guys would say "shoot someone"... or myself, that is an hour too long even for a slowish roud

If only we just said "shoot someone." The problem is that we actually do it pretty regularly. Every nation has its pros and cons, I suppose.
Come to America if you enjoy playing slowly and dodging bullets! At least the food is good.

 

[GB72]

I guess al that my group do is try and match our pace to the pace of the course. If it quick, we move quickly between shots etc, if the course is slow, just take your time and enjoy being out in the fresh air. Forget about the usual rush to move on and get into the same rhythm as the other groups on the course. Often easier said than done and there is always the risk of a group behind you then pushing you to hurry up but I wish more people would realise that if the whole course is slow (as ours is at the moment due to only having 1 start point and 18 holes in play), then there is simply no point in rushing, you may as well just live with it. As I have said before, I think that a round of golf would be far more civilised if there was a total ban on playing through (no charging up to get on the tail of a group ahead, no pushing to play through, no debates about if/when to play a group through, no stroppy 2 balls trying to play through a packed course of 4 balls on a busy Saturday morning etc).

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

I think that a round of golf would be far more civilised if there was a total ban on playing through (no charging up to get on the tail of a group ahead, no pushing to play through, no debates about if/when to play a group through, no stroppy 2 balls trying to play through a packed course of 4 balls on a busy Saturday morning etc).

I couldn't agree more. But you guys really don't like the letter "Z," right?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Just walking slower to the pace of the group in front is fine if, as you walk along, you don't get frustrated, irritable and mull things over (both what has already happened - good and bad - and what might happen next shot) - but we do..despite our best intentions.

And so as mentioned - as I walk along or wait - I like to just take my mind almost completely off my game until I am soon to play - or when I need to pay attention to the shot(s) of my playing companion(s).

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Delays do happen. It's frustrating but if its a competitive round especially a medal with provisionals being hit etc, sometimes you just have to accept it. I tend to not stress it too much and may hit a few practice swings to keep loose and have a chat with the PP's. Sometimes I'll have a quick nose that the phone for the sport scores if its a really slow round and we're waiting on every shot. What I will do though is make sure I have taken my yardage and know what club I'll hit so when we are ready to go I can hit my shot straight away. I do find it irritating when a group is waiting in front and then go through their yardages and work out what club to hit when the group ahead has gone rather than be in a position to pay. Again though, if we're not going anywhere I just let it wash over me

 

[Jigger]

If you can't get round a course in less than 4.5 in a cart ( I may be wrongly assuming) then you shouldn't be on the course.

I was 2 hours 20 minutes the other day as a single that included getting held up twice, and holing out. You hit it and you walk. Simple

I can get round our course in a similar time as a single but as a 4 ball of similar speed players it’s about 4hrs. I must admit I rarely see people creating slow play through fannying about but I also expect a round on a busy weekend day to take about 4hrs and that varies depending on course length. If you look at a typical 5.5hr pro round they reckon 45mins is slow play and 45mins is length of course.

 

[Jigger]

For me if I’m held up I never practice swing or attempt to fill the time as it causes exactly what the op is experiencing. I don’t start club selection, thought process or pre shot routine until it’s time to hit otherwise I over think is and get stuck in my own mind.

I’m similar but to add I would walk back 5 paces and then walk up to the playing zone. I’d do this just before I’m able to take my shot so I’m not wasting time as well. I find it works reasonably well as it makes me feel like if just walked up to the shot.

 

[RangeMonkey]

Back to the original question, it help to remember that you probably had a “delay“ of several days before before your first tee shot.

Anything physically happening to your swing because of delay, is entirely down to state of mind. If you haven’t tried any of the mental game techniques, they may well help. I’ve only been playing golf for 6 months, but I’ve been meditating 40 years. I can’t imagine getting frustrated because of having to spend 5-10 minutes relaxing in some beautiful countryside.