What To Do About Slow Play

[Crazyface]

Appologies in advance, I tried to "search" this for assistance but got nowt so here it is again.
Pottering round our back nine yesterday, my first chance to get out after my holiday, I was approached by one of our members and asked "what are we doing about slow play?"
????? "Why?" I asked. On Sunday it was apparently so slow player were walking off after 9 (2 hours 40 apparently). I told him that I had approached our last Comp Sec over this two months ago and asked his advice, to whit he had told me that our membership was dropping off so badly that he (at the time) didn't want to put off members by introducing penalties for slow play. After a discussion with our young pro about this, I am no wiser. I have discounted putting finishing times on cards, open to abuse and fiddling. We could put someone in our half way hut, to record groups times but we have no one who would do that.

Any suggestions....... bearing in mind that I am aware that whatever I do will be wrong in some eyes.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Very difficult without marshalls to move people on, a la Spain, but who would want to volunteer to do that.

Perhaps have a push at the club to experiment with ready golf, promote it heavily. Put start and finish times on the cards and identify how long a round should take. Without highlighting to people the issue of slow play and putting it at the forefront of their minds it will carry on as it is. The idea of quicker play has to be pushed and pushed if there is a problem.

With regards to worrying about putting people off, how many members are you losing because it takes too long to play a round? It works both ways and I would suggest that speeding up play will gain and retain you more members than hiding from the issue.

Good luck, no easy answers.

 

[bobmac]

Do you have any members who are well known slow players ?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Name and shame! Have someone record everyones start and finish times then post it on the notice board so people can see where the issue is. If those people then refuse to speed up, don't allow them onto the course until later in the day.

Harsh but why should a handful of people dictate to the majority.

 

[Foxholer]

Name and shame! Have someone record everyones start and finish times then post it on the notice board so people can see where the issue is. If those people then refuse to speed up, don't allow them onto the course until later in the day.

Harsh but why should a handful of people dictate to the majority.

That doesn't work well either!

I've been in a group that has been stuck behind a slow group for 16 of the 18 holes. The slow group, with no-one in front, rocketed away on the last 2 holes leaving our group appearing to be the cause! The only 'redeeming' feature was that the Club Captain was in our group - and was fuming at the 2 previous Captains (both notoriously slow!) that were in the group ahead!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

That doesn't work well either!

I've been in a group that has been stuck behind a slow group for 16 of the 18 holes. The slow group, with no-one in front, rocketed away on the last 2 holes leaving our group appearing to be the cause! The only 'redeeming' feature was that the Club Captain was in our group - and was fuming at the 2 previous Captains (both notoriously slow!) that were in the group ahead!

Sounds like an isolated incident to me. I've seem numerous large gaps between groups coming off the 18th green on a Saturday afternoon.

 

[Capella]

Try to find out what it is that is slowing down play. Is it search times? Then cutting down the rough, raking leaves often and adding GUR zones with dropzones in some places might help. Is it certain holes where things grind to a halt? Can you make them call-up holes? Is there enough of a gap between tee times? Or is it a few bad apples who are known offenders in slowing down play? In that case, take them aside in a quiet moment and talk to them. Not during the round, that will only make them defiant and also add to their pressure, resulting in more bad shots and an even slower game. Buy them a drink in the club house, approach them as a friend who gives advice rather than an authority figure who scolds them. Also make certain you know what part of their behaviour is responsible for the slow play. Do they keep their bags in the wrong place? Do they take too long over a shot/putt? Are they moving too slowly or inefficiently? Do they mark their card while they are still standing on the green? It is much easier (and normally better received) if you can make a specific suggestion what part of their game they should speed up, than when you just blame them for being too slow.

 

[Slab]

Hold more comps with stableford format for scoring or pairs betterballs
Don't let the GK stick pins 4ft from bunkers when you have large field entrants to a comp (& other silly pin placements)
Don't let any groups tee off as soon as the group ahead are 'out of range' (go for 9 or 10 minute gaps)
Don't have greens shaved to run at 10 on a comp day if the usual is 8
Make sure first cut rough is wide enough that it can stop a rolling ball from a tee shot before reaching the clag but not so long as it sinks when it stops rolling

Offer 2for1 at the bar for rounds completed under x time

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

So basically make the course as easy as possible rather than educate people in how to play more quickly?

 

[Slab]

So basically make the course as easy as possible rather than educate people in how to play more quickly?

It's obvious that where course/weather conditions, entrant size and comp format are not considered you can guarantee a delay in pace

Or

Don't be a prat about your course Mr Comp Sec its not The Open your hosting this weekend!

 

[Hosel Fade]

You would need to start by monitoring the pace of play and then go and identify causes. Are there management issues you can fix (group sizes in comps, tee time intervals, more effective ways to handle blind shots such as a mirror or stairs vs a bell someone is guaranteed to forget/not bother ringing, ball losing rough where it adds nothing to course strategy)? Then it is about educating players which can be as simple as sending out an email to the entire membership with a few pointers such as don't mark scorecards on the green you just finished, place your bag down on the way to the next tee etc.

 

[Foxholer]

Sounds like an isolated incident to me. I've seem numerous large gaps between groups coming off the 18th green on a Saturday afternoon.

Observation is the only way such a method will work properly - with times of ALL groups arriving at certain points (specific tees normally) being noted. The entire field can then be 'tracked' in a much finer way than the single (and known!) 18th! The observers can also notify those who are behind of that fact as well!

Of course, in order to do this properly, there needs to be a 'standard' time for each hole worked out! I doubt whether very many clubs have actually performed this exercise - without which it is only possible to say that 'it takes too long to play a round of golf' at the club! Without metrics, you cannot measure performance!! If the exercise in the previous paragraph is carried out in a structured way (over several comps and varying the holes on which observations are carried out) a 'standard' for each hole can be arrived at relatively simply and need only involve a small number of 'observers'!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

It's obvious that where course/weather conditions, entrant size and comp format are not considered you can guarantee a delay in pace

Or

Don't be a prat about your course Mr Comp Sec its not The Open your hosting this weekend!

True but I certainly don't want to play on a course where the fairways are wide open all the time and the flags are in the centre of every green.

Golf is a challenging game but by educating people to do the right things it can still flow along at an acceptable pace.

 

[Crazyface]

Do you have any members who are well known slow players ?

Yes, but according to the member who spoke to me, they weren't at fault on this occasion.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Observation is the only way such a method will work properly - with times of ALL groups arriving at certain points (specific tees normally) being noted. The entire field can then be 'tracked' in a much finer way than the single (and known!) 18th! The observers can also notify those who are behind of that fact as well!

Of course, in order to do this properly, there needs to be a 'standard' time for each hole worked out! I doubt whether very many clubs have actually performed this exercise - without which it is only possible to say that 'it takes too long to play a round of golf' at the club! Without metrics, you cannot measure performance!! If the exercise in the previous paragraph is carried out in a structured way (over several comps and varying the holes on which observations are carried out) a 'standard' for each hole can be arrived at relatively simply and need only involve a small number of 'observers'!

You don't need a load of metrics taken at various points around the course. All you need is a pair of eyes and enough memory capacity to remember which groups/people are consistently out of position on the course.

It's crystal clear to me the difference between a slow group and a quick group.

 

[Crazyface]

Hold more comps with stableford format for scoring or pairs betterballs
Don't let the GK stick pins 4ft from bunkers when you have large field entrants to a comp (& other silly pin placements)
Don't let any groups tee off as soon as the group ahead are 'out of range' (go for 9 or 10 minute gaps)
Don't have greens shaved to run at 10 on a comp day if the usual is 8
Make sure first cut rough is wide enough that it can stop a rolling ball from a tee shot before reaching the clag but not so long as it sinks when it stops rolling

Offer 2for1 at the bar for rounds completed under x time

I like your thinking.

 

[Crazyface]

Is there a place where you can get a internet map of your course then using GPS mobile tracking you can place each group on the course?

 

[Capella]

So basically make the course as easy as possible rather than educate people in how to play more quickly?

In some cases it's really not the players who are to blame. If you have tight fairways and high rough to the sides of it, then yes, players will spend a lot of time searching for their balls. And even if they behave as correctly as possible and wave players coming up behind them through, it is going to slow things down considerably. And if pin placement is causing the majority of players to end up in a bunker, then, yes, you have created a nice challenge, but be aware that a bunker shot takes up a lot more time than a putt.

That's why it is important to figure out what is causing the delays. And if the course setup is too difficult for the majority of players playing it on a weekly basis, then, yes, for heaven's sake, make it easier. Because in that case, you would not only need to educate the players on ettiquette, but also make them better players to solve the problem. Good luck with that. Yes, slow play frustrates everyone. But constantly feeling under pressure as a player, even though it is not really your fault, can be frustrating as well and take every bit of enjoyment out of a golf round.

 

[Slab]

True but I certainly don't want to play on a course where the fairways are wide open all the time and the flags are in the centre of every green.

Golf is a challenging game but by educating people to do the right things it can still flow along at an acceptable pace.

Agree but no point educating players if you don't educate the comp sec, starter & GK as well


Maybe it happens everywhere but how many comp secs look at weather forecast before discussing pin placement for the weekend with the GK and factor in number of players

As mentioned each course will need to spend time and effort discovering their own slow play causes/choke points in order to make a credible effective plan to tackle it

 

[woody69]

You need to identify what the causes of slow play are first, then you can address it.

Having a starter from comps to ensure people tee off at the correct time and not just when the group in front are out of range is important.

Make Par 3's play up holes if possible and enforce it.

Have a marshal in a buggy keep a time check on the groups and get them to politely request they pick up the pace if they seem slow. This needs to be someone who is respected in the club and can demonstrate a certain amount of tact!

offer incentives in the bar for finishing within a certain time (if possible)