Was I reasonable...?

[barrybridges]

it has often got me thinking when people moan how long they spend on the course,who says it should be a race and the fastest wins,i put my golf into two categories social and competition if going for a social knock i will play few holes and if it gets slow normally jump onto the practice area for an hour or so,no problem as this is what i am doing anyway and just practicing,in comp. golf the pace is normally controlled by the group in front and very little i can do about it so get into a mind set for the pace,to state that NO ONE who isn't to your standard should not be allowed to be on the course when you are is just arrogant,what would you do if a single figure player was putting his drives past you on every hole when you had played 2 shots and told YOU to get off the course because you were slowing him down,golf is a social game that should be enjoyed by all abilities not just the young and agile.

I'm afraid that's a flawed analogy.

If I was getting shunted up the backside (proverbially, not literally) by a scratch golfer I would play them through. In any event, I wouldn't be concerned because I know that I support a good pace of play and do everything possibly to be prompt in playing.

My point - which I think you have misconstrued - was not that he was slow just because he was a bad golfer. He was, however, a bad golfer with a poor grasp of how to maintain a decent pace of play.

No-one needs 4 practice swings on every single shot.

No-one should be marking their card on the green while a group behind is waiting to play.

No-one should be running back to the tee to play their second shot when they could have played a provisional.

No-one should be leaving their bags the further point away from the next tee, so they have to walk round the green to get them before heading on.

No-one should be spending 1 - 2 minutes looking at a hole before selecting their club for a tee shot.

More importantly, with no-one in front of them, no-one shouldn't have teed off when they have had 8 minutes to do so, in the knowledge that there are two groups of equally-fast (and - in this case - quicker) players behind.

 

[DaveM]

Barry just one thing. What is your handicap by the way. Just out of interest?

 

[GreiginFife]

Interesting points but who are we to say who needs to do what before their shot (see PSR thread), it's what makes them comfortable, who#s to say that if he just rocked up and cracked one that it wouldn't clear 5 yards let alone 50.
You also said in your OP that they offered to let you through and you declined because you weren't fussed and would play a few balls. That's probably what these guys were thinking all after, that they didn't need to ask as you had already told them your position on it.
I agree about bag position and not marking cards on the green but the rest is starting to sound a bit elitist.

 

[BTatHome]

No-one should be practicing on the course, playing 2/3 balls on each hole

 

[6inchcup]

I'm afraid that's a flawed analogy.

If I was getting shunted up the backside (proverbially, not literally) by a scratch golfer I would play them through. In any event, I wouldn't be concerned because I know that I support a good pace of play and do everything possibly to be prompt in playing.

My point - which I think you have misconstrued - was not that he was slow just because he was a bad golfer. He was, however, a bad golfer with a poor grasp of how to maintain a decent pace of play.

No-one needs 4 practice swings on every single shot.

No-one should be marking their card on the green while a group behind is waiting to play.

No-one should be running back to the tee to play their second shot when they could have played a provisional.

No-one should be leaving their bags the further point away from the next tee, so they have to walk round the green to get them before heading on.

No-one should be spending 1 - 2 minutes looking at a hole before selecting their club for a tee shot.

More importantly, with no-one in front of them, no-one shouldn't have teed off when they have had 8 minutes to do so, in the knowledge that there are two groups of equally-fast (and - in this case - quicker) players behind.

this kind of golfer exists at every golf club and i am sorry to say there is very little that can be done,don't let it get to you take a deep breath and carry on it is no use falling out with people over a petty thing,skip a few holes next time or just hit the practise range.

 

[pokerjoke]

In my opinion you are being unresonable.
The two gentlemen had perfect ettiquette in offering
you to go through,probably knowing they were going to hold
you up.
You declined.
As for the younger vs older argument forget it,your just digging
a bigger hole.

 

[FairwayDodger]

They knew they were slow and did the right thing by offering to let you through. After you declined I'm sure it wouldn't occur to them to ask again.

As someone said though, they'd probably have been fine if you asked to take them up on the offer later on.

 

[Garush34]

Just following up on my second point.

What I meant was, should beginners be encouraged to stick to a driving range until they reach a certain standard?

E.g. if you can't hit a driver 100 yards, for example. Or you can't actually get a ball up into the air?

Would it be devastating to the game to require someone to obtain 'sign-off' from a PGA instructor before going onto a course - almost like an informal assessment that someone is good enough to play?

Not only would this encourage more people to take lessons (to get certified), but it would keep muppets off the course (unless courses intentionally opened themselves up to non-certified players)?

Bit elitist I know, but I just struggle to see what benefit someone could possibly get duffing it 20 yards every time.

tbh i think if u restrict who can and cant come on ur course then i think ull put more people off golf. its hard enough to get people involved these days as it is. if that old chap is happy with his 162 then thats fine as long as he enjoyed him self. they did offer to let you through but u declined so its ur fault it took u over 2 hours for 9 holes.

as long as people enjoy the game then thats all that counts imo, yes it my annoy people if new people take ages to go around i am one of the folk who hates getting held up, but if im out having a game with my mate thats all that matters is the company and playing the game not how well i do, yes it adds to the enjoyment but doesnt need to be the be all and end all of enjoyment.

 

[G1BB0]

I went out yesterday with a seniors inter club match on (didnt know until I turned up), i had 20 mins practice to allow them to get a few holes ahead. caught them up by the 6th even though I was playing 2 balls and doing a bit of putting practice here and there.

On the 7th I saw them looking for a ball well short so jumped ahead to the 8th. Caught another group up so sat down, had a drink, chillaxed then carried on. They were painfully slow but who am I to spoil their enjoyment? I was hitting the ball well, the weather was nice so wasn;t bothered.

We all need to chill a bit, lifes a marathon not a sprint! Enjoy it

 

[barrybridges]

Barry just one thing. What is your handicap by the way. Just out of interest?

15, but probably going to head in the wrong direction as we have a little'un on the way and as of August much less time to play! But handicap isn't relevant to the issue in question.

I absolutely 100% recognise that I should have played through and taken them up on their offer.

The point of my original post, however, was that regardless of whether I played through or not, I offered constructive comments to them about why I had caught up with them.

I am not a particularly fast player, but I am certainly above average speed-wise.

Regardless, I do not take 4 practice swings on each shot - and I don't see that anyone else needs to either.

 

[barrybridges]

I was hitting the ball well, the weather was nice so wasn;t bothered.

We all need to chill a bit, lifes a marathon not a sprint! Enjoy it

Yes, but today was miserable weather and I was out there getting wet!

I had no issue with their pace of play prior to catching up with them; it was the fact the slowed down which caught me unawares.

 

[JustOne]

I think you did the right thing, slow play is killing the game.

It's just a shame that golf clubs aren't being more proactive about fixing these issues (perhaps with signage on the course or emails or newsletters or whatever)

 

[GreiginFife]

Regardless, I do not take 4 practice swings on each shot - and I don't see that anyone else needs to either.

Again, and as said by many, who are we to say what others need or don't need to do. I don't take a practice swing at all, so should I start complaining about people that do? I wouldn't even dream of it.
I answered your question earlier that I do think you were reasonable in how you approached it. That was not an indicator of my feeling of the validity of doing so.

 

[FaldosJumper]

I went out yesterday with a seniors inter club match on (didnt know until I turned up), i had 20 mins practice to allow them to get a few holes ahead. caught them up by the 6th even though I was playing 2 balls and doing a bit of putting practice here and there.

On the 7th I saw them looking for a ball well short so jumped ahead to the 8th. Caught another group up so sat down, had a drink, chillaxed then carried on. They were painfully slow but who am I to spoil their enjoyment? I was hitting the ball well, the weather was nice so wasn;t bothered.

We all need to chill a bit, lifes a marathon not a sprint! Enjoy it

Ah G1bbo you should change your stage name to 'The Sage'... after reading that I feel all chilled and relaxed

 

[G1BB0]

There is a bloke at my club who has about 10 practise swings every shot... some he hits great but generally knobs it 20 yds, we all know he is slow but accept it. We can't set all others standards by our own!

James, we aren't all single figure, swing guru's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jensen]

"squeezed on as a single player" " don't like to play as single as causes problems there"

These points hit me more. Firstly as a single player you have as much right to play as a group. Also if it causes problems well tough you've paid your money and are entitled to play.
However I would say that when I play as a single or in group I would ask people to join to make up numbers.
I see that you're a "southerner" down in Surrey, is it not too friendly where you are? As I'm an original "southerner" and living up north in Gateshead NE England I must say that I find the Geordies great people, very friendly and passionate. Fortunately I find northerners more friendly than my southern counter parts.
For me it's not grim up north but great.

 

[barrybridges]

"squeezed on as a single player" " don't like to play as single as causes problems there"

These points hit me more. Firstly as a single player you have as much right to play as a group. Also if it causes problems well tough you've paid your money and are entitled to play.
However I would say that when I play as a single or in group I would ask people to join to make up numbers.
I see that you're a "southerner" down in Surrey, is it not too friendly where you are? As I'm an original "southerner" and living up north in Gateshead NE England I must say that I find the Geordies great people, very friendly and passionate. Fortunately I find northerners more friendly than my southern counter parts.
For me it's not grim up north but great.

The club I'm at doesn't have a clubhouse - it's just a rock-up-and-play kind of place with a starters hut. It's good value as a result and very close to my house, but consequently does attract people taking the game up for the first time, who pay their green fees and hack the place to pieces.

It's only a short-term membership offer before I decide which local club to join on a more substantial basis.

Generally - given that there isn't much of a 'club' culture so to speak, I play as a single, but I'm always considerate in doing so. I'll phone ahead and ask whether the course is busy - if it's not then I'll happily head down and play on my own, knowing that I'm not going to hold anyone up behind me. Typically, I try to slot in where there's a bigger gap, so that I don't catch the group in front (as happened today).

I don't know why, but I just feel that sometimes playing as a single does cause more problems, because you are faster generally on your own. At busy times I'll play with a neighbour.

To add a further nugget to the story - and to be even more fair to the gents in front of me - they did get held up at the 5th by the greenkeeper who insisted on cutting the fairway just in front of their tee boxes and who wouldn't pull over to the side to let them hit their tee shots.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Barry...you play at Thames Ditton/ Sandown park
Southern English seniors seem to be a totally different tribe to their Northern counterparts.
Where I play the four ball seniors generally stot round in just over 3 hours. [that is for 18 holes]

 

[chrisd]

I don't mean to come across as arrogant, because I am not.

The simple truth - which might sting - is that golf to young people is more of a sport whereas golf to older players is more of a pasttime. You can argue all you like about that, but speak to anyone under 20 playing now and they'll tell you they view it as a sport above all else!

Now Barry, I was not too bothered until I read that comment.

I have always played competitive golf and I love the game as a pastime and even more so as a sport to win at. I have played with several of the forummers who will confirm that I am as competitive as they are, even though, only Leftie on here, is the only one I have played with who's older than me and he sure is competitive.

I have had surgery to enable me to play better and I work harder than probably you do at improving the game.

Please Barry, don't assume that as we get older we get any less competitive. I shall be 60 at the end of the year and am desperately trying to achieve a single figure handicap

 

[DaveM]

So your basically playing a muni type course and complaining. Join a proper club man. Get involved with the social side. Golf is more than turn up play, then get in car and go home. Who know you may even find a group to play with. Then you will not be "Billy no mates" on the course.