When do you call them through?

Problem with this is if your already keeping up with the group in front and even waiting on them you cannot speed up and push them on. You're already waiting on them.

Yes I know. But I suspect the truth is that in many if not most instances the following group eases off so as to not be pushing the group in front. And that easing off goes all the way back down the field.

Aside: This is to me a similar effect to what happens on a m/way when there is an accident. A few cars on the other carriageway see this accident happen and they brakes- out of the 'shock', confusion, and unexpectedness of it happening, rather than any deliberate attempt to slow and gawp. This braking causes the traffic immediately behind to brake and as brake lights go on following vehicles brake and slow down and so on back down the carriageway. And before long you end up with a slow moving queue of cars all the way up to the point of the accident on the other side of the road - nothing your side at all - even though this slow moving queue isn't gawping at the accident - it is just slow as a result of the braking of that very few cars way back then who witnessed the accident. Now this is inevitable - but if that first few cars didn't brake when the accident happened on the other side (after all they actually had no need to brake) then the cars behind would not have slowed and the slow moving queue would not have formed as all vehicles would just have pushed on as normal and not eased back.

As it happens I am a firm believer that you can let a group through with minimal impact on your own group's round time - if you do the call and play through properly and as long as the group you have let through know what you are doing.
 
So there were 2 incidents in our com today

On the 1st one of the group in front ran back to reload saying that he had hit down the middle but couldn't find his ball, didnt invite us through, or as I would have thought, tee off with us, as by then we were late, and then go through when we all got down the fairway

On the 17th par 5 one of my group couldn't find his ball and when the group behind arrived on the tee we waved them on. As soon as they'd teed off the player who's ball was lost decided not to walk back, so the 3rd player and I decided to carry on walking and we hit our second and third shots before they played their 2nd. We finished our round and I saw 2 of the 3 behind us and said that we decided to carry on as it would be quicker and one said he was fine the other said, quite grumpily, that if we called them through then we should allow them to come through.
 
So there were 2 incidents in our com today

On the 1st one of the group in front ran back to reload saying that he had hit down the middle but couldn't find his ball, didnt invite us through, or as I would have thought, tee off with us, as by then we were late, and then go through when we all got down the fairway

On the 17th par 5 one of my group couldn't find his ball and when the group behind arrived on the tee we waved them on. As soon as they'd teed off the player who's ball was lost decided not to walk back, so the 3rd player and I decided to carry on walking and we hit our second and third shots before they played their 2nd. We finished our round and I saw 2 of the 3 behind us and said that we decided to carry on as it would be quicker and one said he was fine the other said, quite grumpily, that if we called them through then we should allow them to come through.
1 out of order to do that.
2 common sense really but some can’t understand that.
 
So there were 2 incidents in our com today

On the 1st one of the group in front ran back to reload saying that he had hit down the middle but couldn't find his ball, didnt invite us through, or as I would have thought, tee off with us, as by then we were late, and then go through when we all got down the fairway

On the 17th par 5 one of my group couldn't find his ball and when the group behind arrived on the tee we waved them on. As soon as they'd teed off the player who's ball was lost decided not to walk back, so the 3rd player and I decided to carry on walking and we hit our second and third shots before they played their 2nd. We finished our round and I saw 2 of the 3 behind us and said that we decided to carry on as it would be quicker and one said he was fine the other said, quite grumpily, that if we called them through then we should allow them to come through.

These two incidents show what a balancing act call through's are when trying to aid pace of play, on a congested golf course.

In the first, I would say the player should have indicated to you that he was coming back to the tee, walked back to the tee via the outer edges of the course allowing you to tee off as he walked. You should have then allowed him to continue play of the hole thus catching his playing companions up.

In the second I feel you did the right thing, but I guess the person that was not happy considers "etiquette" more important than pragmatism and that's where the problem lies.
 
These two incidents show what a balancing act call through's are when trying to aid pace of play, on a congested golf course.

In the first, I would say the player should have indicated to you that he was coming back to the tee, walked back to the tee via the outer edges of the course allowing you to tee off as he walked. You should have then allowed him to continue play of the hole thus catching his playing companions up.

In the second I feel you did the right thing, but I guess the person that was not happy considers "etiquette" more important than pragmatism and that's where the problem lies.
Totally agree with this .
I do think though that the three minutes search time is not long enough to call a group through with out you just standing waiting for them.
Three minuets is just about long enough for a fourball to tee off.
That causes this dilemma do you carry on or do u wait causing a ripple effect.
 
These two incidents show what a balancing act call through's are when trying to aid pace of play, on a congested golf course.

In the first, I would say the player should have indicated to you that he was coming back to the tee, walked back to the tee via the outer edges of the course allowing you to tee off as he walked. You should have then allowed him to continue play of the hole thus catching his playing companions up.

In the second I feel you did the right thing, but I guess the person that was not happy considers "etiquette" more important than pragmatism and that's where the problem lies.

He did walk back up the side of the tree lined fairway but about 150 yards off the tee there is a slope downhill so we cant see the players ahead until they get near the green which is when we see them we tee off. We did let him tee off then walk back down to play on.
 
There's definitely a right way and a wrong way to the let someone play through.

Obviously searching for a lost ball is a decent opportunity to call the group behind you through.

Worst ones are when a group is slow, maybe has 1 or 2 more players in it than the group behind. They hold them up for a few holes, then eventually wait on the tee and let them play through. This doesn't really save a lot of time and just means the fast group has a clear course in front of them. If there is another group behind that, they will probably catch up with the slow group within a hole or two.

Ideally you would alert them that you are letting them through. Then hit off, wait for them, watch them hit off. All walk up together, possibly all hit up to the green. Let them putt out and go to the next tee and then putt out yourselves and wait for them to clear the next fairway.
 
There's definitely a right way and a wrong way to the let someone play through.

Obviously searching for a lost ball is a decent opportunity to call the group behind you through.

Worst ones are when a group is slow, maybe has 1 or 2 more players in it than the group behind. They hold them up for a few holes, then eventually wait on the tee and let them play through. This doesn't really save a lot of time and just means the fast group has a clear course in front of them. If there is another group behind that, they will probably catch up with the slow group within a hole or two.

Ideally you would alert them that you are letting them through. Then hit off, wait for them, watch them hit off. All walk up together, possibly all hit up to the green. Let them putt out and go to the next tee and then putt out yourselves and wait for them to clear the next fairway.
That’s far to sensible for some golfers.
 
..Three minuets is just about long enough for a fourball to tee off.
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I just love that . I will now abandon all thought of developing the grandfather clock on the buggy idea, and concentrate on this inspired approach to timing on the golf course which, considering how much we have danced around the topic is not a bad idea.
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