Were we in the wrong?

[medwayjon]

GB72, that is a very valid point. We see this a lot. There are however some people who refuse to welcome strangers into their little cliques. I witnessed a single player ask a 3 if he could join them, they told him no and proceeded to hold him up all afternoon, the 3 of them were complete (insert derogatory term) in my eyes as it woul dhave done no harm whatsoever.

The crowd I play with are brilliant and welcoming and new faces are more than welcome, its the same with the 2pm swindle, all welcome regardless of anything else and in these groups it is always balls thrown up in the air to ensure that different people are playing together.

The one thing that does gripe me is medals, the 4-balls are not drawn so it is always the same people who have monopolised the same tee-times for years. If it was a draw it would see new people meeting and increase friendliness (which is very good anyway) within the club.

 

[GB72]

Agree on teh comp side of things. My club also invites people to turn up in their regular groups so there is little chance to join with others.

As for groups not allowing others to join up, that is why I feel the club should enforce that as a rule and put smaller groups together on the first tee and insist that on busy days smaller groups who meet on the course must combine.

 

[viscount17]

all comps are drawn; you can ask for an early or late start but that's it.

unfortunately other rounds are left to their own devices; there are those that will always join and others that won't, just as some will always let others through. all down to education and enforcement.

 

[Parmo]

Its this type of stuff that is really putting me off joining a club, there are people all over who think they own the course, even on my home course which is a Muni.

My home track if you are a member of the club have the same 4 balls playing week in and out, some even have reserves waiting to join them!! but having said that its only £13.40 around and £370 for a season ticket, and in my experience a very good short track and will do until I lower my hcp.

I think people like said women and the oldies who think they own the course would be like that no matter what the sport.

 

[Cernunnos]

As a general point - I really struggle to see what anyone can do on a golf course that takes 5 hours.

Yeah, 2 1/2 hours is easily possible for a 2 ball on an empty course, but obviously when it is busy, it will take longer, and may be joining up into 4s makes a lot of sense, rather than playing through all the time.

I can see your point by the way Cernunnos, and am not having a dig at you for slow play, you can only play as fast as the group in front, and a lack of distance off the tee, or experience does not make a slow golfer necessarily.

Just golf should never take anywhere near 5 hours, and as long as this is viewed as normal, it will get even slower.

You have slightly missed my point, though gotten some of what I was saying.

Here goes again. I can get round in 2 & 3/4 to 3 hours, quite easily, even taking my time.

But knowing some people are not as quick I can accomodate other peoples slow play easily enough. Its called patience, something some people don't posses.

Infact I'm a long hitter especially for my handicap.

Its my diminutive other half who doesn't have the distance, yet she can get around quite quickly, she will manage 3 to 3 1/2 on an average day on most normal courses.

Infact dialing in all the delays myself I my missus had, we would have been round in around 3 & a 1/4 hours with ease.

And yes I was also making the point if long windedly, that I cannot understand why people take 5 hours to complete a round. Suffice to say some people do & it means therefore that everyone does. I do like to play courses where I know there is some marshalling going on to hurry up slower players & or let others through.

In my waits between shots, whilst waiting for fairways to be safe, greens to clear & people to sort themselves out on teeboxes, I had time to studdy what the fourball infront of the group in front of me were doing on occasion & it wasn't a pretty sight. balls in the thick everywhere. People looking for their balls in the undergrowth, yet not one of them allowed any of us following groups come through.

Their Bags left infront of greens. When they were at tee boxes barely one of them had a tee, ball or club in hand ready. Heck I'm normally sorting that out as I leave the previous green & still have time to mark my card on the next tee whilst holding tee ball & sometimes my club of choice in the crook of my elbow.

So yes I'm fully with you on not understanding how some people can use up as much time as they do, but also understanding that people get enjoyment in differnt ways. When the temperature has reached the mid thirties, things are inevitably going to take longer & if you don't factor in for other peoples foibles, then it just makes the whole day frought... No not nice. Some effective marshalling would have been nice on Friday.

There again a half way house at the turn might have been nice, this would have enabled quicker players to pass through whilst slower & winded with the heat players could take a rest.

 

[USER1999]

Not getting waved through when balls are lost drives me nuts.

On Saturday we let a singles match through on a par 3 (the course was rammed, but it is the thing to do so we did it, and one of the two normally plays in our swindle). G hit the green, leaving a 25ft putt, matey was 50 yards short. He was short for his second, third and fourth, long for 5, and then G rolled a putt to 18 inches. Matey then tried to putt in from off the green, missed and was given a 7. He then pulled the flag, to see Gs putt for a 3 from 18 inches. Matchplay. Idiot. Like G was going to 4 putt from 18".

Two holes later, we got called up after 12 minutes on the tee, when both players lost their drives, and provisionals, and took the required 5 minutes x 4 to look for them. Could have called us straight through, as they were never going to be easy to find, but no, we had to wait, backing up the whole field. Grrrrr. They then walked on to the next tee, which they could have done earlier.

Luckily it was a nice day, so a bit of lounging around in the sun was ok.

Why play singles matches at 10 on Saturday morning, when you know this is the busyest day of the week, and the course is empty from 2pm?

 

[Cernunnos]

Many courses could do with marshalling & don't others do & don't really need it, then some advertise marshalling & yet there is none to see or its inefectual, as they go round bothering the wrong people.

No a round shouldn't take 5 hours, 4 to 4&a half at the very most, for even a sedate round. But the fact remains that if you don't plan ahead & factor in for what most of us consider unaceptable all that will happen is you get frustrated on the course & inevitably take it out on others on the course, not to blame at all for a problem. Like the chap that was being a complete & dangerous arse, launching drives past my missus, when we've been waiting for others too. I really felt like sorting him out the old fashioned way, on the second time he did this to her.

As it happened, we got back in well ahead of what we'd factored in & that's with letting through one group of very amiable members, Mr & Mrs obnoxious & just because I'd had a bad drive down the 17th, I told the two lads behind us to come through, in order to give me time to locate my ball. As it happened found it without trouble. Thing is had there been effective marshalling the 4 ball that was several groups infront at the start, that were causing the conjestion would have been told to pick up the pace a bit or let others through.

It really annoys me when people loose balls in the rough or trees & don't imidiately wave agroup through if it can't be located within 30 seconds or a minute. Yeah ok, 5 minutes might be the stipulation, but if you've lost a ball, you should have played a provo' or let the others through. Or if its just a social round drop on in the semi somewhere close to where the first disapeared into the thick stuff with a one shot penalty. Ok not quite under the rules of golf, but in a social holiday round its a case of take your punishment if you want to maintain your position on the course.

As for easily getting round in 2 & a half hours, well, only if you are running round a 7,200+ yard course, or its a short 5,000 yarder on level ground, with no or little rough.

A round of between 2&threequarter & 3&half hours is quite feasable on any deacent sized course, whether empty or full. Though I must reiterate, you really must & I say again, must be prepared for a longer round, especially in the height of summer.

 

[USER1999]

I have been pinged by marshals in the states numerous times, and now just ignore them. You wait on every shot for 2 hours, and then just as the marshal appears, the lot in front wizz off at speed (probably because they have run out of beer), and you get it in the neck for slow play.

 

[GB72]

Personally I think it would not hurt for the pro or his assistants to pop out in a buggy every now and again to see how the course is going and 'offer a few tips on etiquette' to those jamming the course or suggesting that groups join up. There are normally 2 or 3 in our pro shop at the weekends so one nipping out for 20 minutes every now and again to keep the course flowing would seem a sensible idea.

Also, any consistant infringers could then be reported by the pro to the committee.

 

[viscount17]

It really annoys me when people loose balls in the rough or trees & don't imidiately wave agroup through if it can't be located within 30 seconds or a minute. Yeah ok, 5 minutes might be the stipulation, but if you've lost a ball, you should have played a provo' or let the others through. Or if its just a social round drop on in the semi somewhere close to where the first disapeared into the thick stuff with a one shot penalty. Ok not quite under the rules of golf, but in a social holiday round its a case of take your punishment if you want to maintain your position on the course.

5 minutes to search is the wrong interpretation. I believe the rule is there to maintain pace ( ) in competition when you have 5 minutes to search before a ball is declared lost.

In all social rounds (and it can be done in competition - I've done it) you should wave through immediately, not wait 5 minutes before doing so. If you do this and find it while they are walking up many will filter you back in.

As for pro's taking an interest most won't bother as though they may take green fees they manage the shop not the course.