What does your club do about slow play?

[Snelly]

Good point, well made.

Clearly in my view, playing slowly is unacceptable and hitting balls up behind slow players and getting right behind them for the next shot is a justified response in the face of such extreme provocation...

I haven't done this many times but it has happened. Invariably, it means you get close enough to have a civilised discussion on the correct form and you can forcefully but politely argue the case for being let through.

 

[bobmac]

If not, I find that belting a drive over the heads of the four ball in front is always a sure fire way to bring things to a head and you will invariably be invited to play through.

You're absolutely right.
It's a sure fire way to bring things to a head, but at my course, you would invariably be invited to leave the course.

 

[surefire]

If not, I find that belting a drive over the heads of the four ball in front is always a sure fire way to bring things to a head and you will invariably be invited to play through.



Fundamentally though, I believe slow play is caused by selfish people who think that they can dictate the pace of the field's play based on their round and their approach to the game. Terrible behaviour.


I couldn't care less if someone has been cooped up in an office all week. This in no way gives them a mandate for slowing up the field on a weekend at their club.

A golfer should be thinking of others and having good on course manners and those without these skills will always be criticised by me.

So slow people are selfish, but fast people rushing them and belting golf balls at them are not selfish?

You can't have it both ways.

 

[Robobum]

I'm not going to say I like that approach, but the fustration is understandable.

I've never gone for a game of golf where I HAVE to get finished in under a certain time. So if on the (very) rare occasion that it takes over 4 hrs (make that over 5 for a pro am!!) then so be it. I've got some playing partners to banter with, some fresh air to breathe and a swing to fret about.

 

[19th]

On the subject of 'belting the ball over their heads', I was playing in a three ball, behind the game in front but the guy behind must have felt he had a right to get through the field as he was faster on his own. The fact that he was then going to push us back a space - 10 mins more from a cool pint - was not his concern.

One of my three ball was a scratch golfer and he was uttering bad words each time the following guy drove up our backs. The fellow behind, at last, on our 16th, hit his drive through us and my scratch pal turned, took out his three wood and hit the guys ball miles into the rubbish.

Result? Never pushed for the last two holes and a liquid apology in the clubhouse.

Slow play ... just allows me more time to enjoy the scenery and yes, I work at a desk. Open air - Magic!

For the record, you seldom get all the people on a pavement walking at the same speed, but we all gather at the green man!

Never do you get cars driving at the same speed, boy racers burning rubber leaving the lights comes to mind but we all gather at the next red light.

If the above is a fact, how can you expect everyone on a course to play at the same speed. They will however all gather at the 19th!

 

[HRC99]

On the subject of 'belting the ball over their heads', I was playing in a three ball, behind the game in front but the guy behind must have felt he had a right to get through the field as he was faster on his own. The fact that he was then going to push us back a space - 10 mins more from a cool pint - was not his concern.

One of my three ball was a scratch golfer and he was uttering bad words each time the following guy drove up our backs. The fellow behind, at last, on our 16th, hit his drive through us and my scratch pal turned, took out his three wood and hit the guys ball miles into the rubbish.

Result? Never pushed for the last two holes and a liquid apology in the clubhouse.

Slow play ... just allows me more time to enjoy the scenery and yes, I work at a desk. Open air - Magic!

For the record, you seldom get all the people on a pavement walking at the same speed, but we all gather at the green man!

Never do you get cars driving at the same speed, boy racers burning rubber leaving the lights comes to mind but we all gather at the next red light.

If the above is a fact, how can you expect everyone on a course to play at the same speed. They will however all gather at the 19th!

I don't expect everyone to play at the same pace just at a reasonable pace. I'm not after sprinting around but, for me, the game should flow and if it doesn't something's wrong somewhere.

Here's one for the rules officials amongst us, what would the penalty be for smashing that bloke's ball away?

 

[Snelly]

If not, I find that belting a drive over the heads of the four ball in front is always a sure fire way to bring things to a head and you will invariably be invited to play through.



Fundamentally though, I believe slow play is caused by selfish people who think that they can dictate the pace of the field's play based on their round and their approach to the game. Terrible behaviour.


I couldn't care less if someone has been cooped up in an office all week. This in no way gives them a mandate for slowing up the field on a weekend at their club.

A golfer should be thinking of others and having good on course manners and those without these skills will always be criticised by me.

So slow people are selfish, but fast people rushing them and belting golf balls at them are not selfish?

You can't have it both ways.

Let me put it another way.

I always let the group behind through if they are playing faster than the group I am in. It is common courtesy. I often get a gripe from someone in my four who says something along the lines of - why are we letting them through as there are two 4-balls in front anyway...

Well that just is not the point. I believe I have no right at all to make people wait behind me whilst either my playing partners or I play at a slower pace for whatever reason. What traffic lies in front of my game on the rest of the course is completely irrelevant. The responsibility to let the faster group through then becomes the problem of the group in front. If common sense dictates that playing through would be pointless as it is a big competition or texas scramble etc, then you would hope that no-one would really want to play through as it would not be sensible and would simply inconvenience everyone.


So, when I am playing for example in a two ball and come up behind a four, I expect to be let through at their earliest convenience. If they choose not to then I would politely ask (or shout down the fairway) in the nicest way to be let through as etiquette dictates.

If ignored again, I would be playing pretty close behind them (which would then mean hitting balls towards them by definition) until let through and would report them to the pro and secretary.

I don't think that makes me a selfish golfer. I just like to see correct etiquette observed.

The speed of play is probably a reason why I like West Sussex - 2 balls and foursomes only. A nice game that doesn't take 6 hours out of the weekend.

I appreciate that this post is some way away from "belting balls over people" but this is written without tongue in cheek, unlike to a certain extent my previous post on the matter, and is more representative of my on course behaviour.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think the problems we have on a Saturday not only boild down to ingorance, pig headedness etc but also to be frank these guys aren't very good golfers. At least one person per hole will find some sort of trouble (usually short and right) and the rest of the group will all converge to look for the ball. I'm all for a quick group scurry on the way past but if no-one has found it after 30-60 seconds move to your own ball andleave him to it. If he finds it before you've all played great if not blob the hole and move on. I'm not anti-high handicappers and I've struggled to keep my ball in Ascot this year but I'm realistic enough to realise knee high rough is not going to be findable and will be unplayable anyway.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

Unfortunately reading some of the earlier posts its a widespread problem that most clubs are either umwilling or unable to address. I can't remember the last time I played my course on a Saturday, just too busy and therefore very slow. Working shifts means I can play midweek but thats not much better, senior members get out early and there is no way some of them will let anyone through.

Comps on sundays are quickest way to get round and oddly enough its the quietest day of the week.

I also think the pro game has a lot to answer for, the speed of play is ridiculous and people new to the game are only going to copy what they see on TV. Can't remember last time I saw any pro waving the group behind through. Or shout fore come to that!!!!!!

 

[Macster]

I can categorically say that if anyone hit their ball over my head, or indeed it pitched anywhere near me from a player behind, it would travel back at him rather quickly.
Its dangerous, and the mere suggestion is childish & irresponsible imo.

The thing we have to remember is that, as far as I am aware, 'letting through' is a courtesy, not something that is a rule.
I'm always concious of the group behind, and if we have fallen back for any reason, sure....come on through. In fact, I hate having people waiting at all behind me, it makes me feel rushed.
But, if we are tight up against another group, tough, no-one is going anywhere, I'm as keen to avoid standing over my shots as anyone else.

As I said, thankfully its not an issue at my place, it seems to self-police, which doesnt seem the case at some other clubs.

 

[Snelly]

I can categorically say that if anyone hit their ball over my head, or indeed it pitched anywhere near me from a player behind, it would travel back at him rather quickly.
Its dangerous, and the mere suggestion is childish & irresponsible imo.

The thing we have to remember is that, as far as I am aware, 'letting through' is a courtesy, not something that is a rule.
I'm always concious of the group behind, and if we have fallen back for any reason, sure....come on through. In fact, I hate having people waiting at all behind me, it makes me feel rushed.
But, if we are tight up against another group, tough, no-one is going anywhere, I'm as keen to avoid standing over my shots as anyone else.

As I said, thankfully its not an issue at my place, it seems to self-police, which doesnt seem the case at some other clubs.

So it is childish and dangerous but you would hit it back hard at them anyway? You are just as bad tempered as I am by the sounds of it.

And if someone is being held up by you but they can't go anywhere because you deem that no-one is going anywhere so it's tough? Who put you in charge?

And no, it isn't a rule of the game to let someone through but it is the etiquette of the game. That SHOULD be enough.

 

[Whereditgo]

And if someone is being held up by you but they can't go anywhere because you deem that no-one is going anywhere so it's tough? Who put you in charge?

I suspect that was an observation as opposed to a statement of attitude, as in even if they are let through they are going nowhere.

If the course is backed up I don't expect to be let through by the group in front and don't see any point in letting the group behind through unless we are losing ground for whatever reason.

7 of us played a local course a couple of weeks back, I went in the first 3 ball with the other four teeing off immediately behind us. The first group of a society behind them fired 2 balls through them on the first fairway without even a shout of warning FFS!!!

Fortunately the society lot put half a dozen balls into the water on the 2nd, a short par 3 over a lake and we didn't see them again

 

[Tommo21]

What does your club do about slow play...

Put me off in the last group.

 

[JustOne]

I was playing in a three ball, behind the game in front but the guy behind must have felt he had a right to get through the field as he was faster on his own.

Then you're EXACTLY the kind of selfish player we are referring to. You reckon your 3 ball was going to play faster than the single bloke behind you? Idiot.

He DID have the right as he WAS faster.

 

[19th]

Idiot? Well I suppose it takes one to know one!

I was playing on Saturday in my normal medal comp and one of our group was unable to join us. We therefore played as a two behind three and four ball games stretched out over the course and naturally we were held up but amended our play to suit.

Guess what ... the course was full of idiots, by your definition, as they never let us through - nor did we expect them to, as they were keeping up with the game in front, I suppose that is due to our good golfing manners.

I can see you on the first tee with your four ball ...'let's break up into two twos and charge through the field and we will get to the 19th quicker, just drive over their heads, they are idiots if they don't let us through anyway, even if they are up the back of the game in front.'

 

[JustOne]

Idiot? Well I suppose it takes one to know one!

I was playing on Saturday in my normal medal comp and one of our group was unable to join us. We therefore played as a two behind three and four ball games stretched out over the course and naturally we were held up but amended our play to suit.

Guess what ... the course was full of idiots, by your definition, as they never let us through - nor did we expect them to, as they were keeping up with the game in front, I suppose that is due to our good golfing manners.

I can see you on the first tee with your four ball ...'let's break up into two twos and charge through the field and we will get to the 19th quicker, just drive over their heads, they are idiots if they don't let us through anyway, even if they are up the back of the game in front.'

If the guys in front of you didn't let you through (and you were the quicker group) then that is THEIR problem and you were entitled to ask them to play though, it seems that they are as much selfish idiots as you are.

Your attitude of... "The fact that he was then going to push us back a space - 10 mins more from a cool pint - was not his concern"... is incredibly selfish, you probably held him back an hour but you couldn't care less. it's people like you that this thread is written about...even when you are told you try to justify it!!!


If there is a single behind you LET HIM THROUGH! it's THAT simple. Don't you get it? That's the way to play the game.
He would have had more chance of getting through the groups in front of you too... but then again they're problably in as much of a rush to get to the bar as you were.

As for your 'scratch' mate hitting another players ball into the crap - you're mate is a knob and you can tell him that from me. That attitude is frankly disgusting - go find yourself a different sport then we can all play a bit quicker.

 

[19th]

Golf etiquette as per JustOne.

"Any group of golfers, numbering less than your group, must be allowed to play through because they potentially could be be quicker to get to the 19th".


Now if you don't like JustOne's new rule go and find another sport!

 

[JustOne]

Yep... that's how it's played. The moment you see someone playing quicker than you are you let them through at the FIRST opportunity - that's it.

You should have let him through the moment you saw him coming up behind you and let him hit his tee shots at the group in front... then your 'scratch' friend wouldn't have needed to make such an idiot of himself either.

Your attitude is no different to the idiots that sit in the middle/fast lanes of the motorway because there's "nowhere to go", and frankly that attitude SUCKS.

At least we know that you won't be involved in any more threads about slow play - as they are about YOU.

 

[Region3]

How do you know if the 'group' behind is quicker than you if you aren't being allowed to play as quickly as you can go?

 

[USER1999]

Generally because there are less of them.

I have an issue this Saturday which is on my mind. Due to needing to get a match played, and the dead line approaching, I am playing a greensomes knock out at 8 o clock on Saturday morning.
The rest of the course will be 4 balls, playing their normal Saturday games.
I'm guessing some will let us through, some won't, and am in 2 minds as to whether I want to be waved through on every hole anyway.
I wish we were playing at a more sensible time really.

Upshot is, if you want to play as a two, when the course is busy, you need to expect to be held up quite alot, etiquet or not.