New guy played w/ my usual partner and i today, need help...

[bunkerputt]

As a formerly slow player, I give the following pieces of advice:

1. Make sure you plumb-bob every putt. I mean, don't even think about hitting that 6th putt until you are absolutely sure that you have spent plenty of time plumb-bobbing it with both eyes open, left-eye shut, right-eye shut, back to left-eye shut, etc.

2. Record all of your stats. It's best if you try to keep a minimum of 10 per hole. You will need to record all of these before clearing the green, as once you leave it, you should already be thinking about the next hole.

3. Every shot should be followed by a small discussion of the shot just played and whether the equipment was to blame or not.

4. Pick the best spot on the tee box. This is really the only time you get to place your ball anywhere, so you should tee it up, address it, and see how it feels. Feel free to try it out at several different locations.

5. Make sure you try to locate every single lost ball. This can take some time, but you can often find some used yellow range balls that you can game on the next hole. The time spent will be well worth it.

[tulefog]

When you say he shot a 178, did he take any mulligans and did he fully account for all of his OB/unplayable shots?

Nothing makes me madder than a 200+ golfer trying to pass themselves off as a 178.

I hope you didn't lose any money!

[Philip9210]

When you say he shot a 178, did he take any mulligans and did he fully account for all of his OB/unplayable shots?

Lol...yea it was prolly 200+...not really sure if he counted OB lol...not really sure haha...and yes, i lost money....betting on how many times he would swing before he would hit the ball lol

[wannabe]

you won't have to worry about this guy darkening a course for a while. He's gonna be so sore after 178 strokes that he won't be able to raise his arms, much less swing a golf club.

And yeah, you gotta give this guy some boundaries, limitations on what he can/can't do on the course to keep play moving. Being a youth pastor, he should be able to relate to a discussion framed that way. :)

[jfrankl5]

I would agree that his time of play should be limited, but we know we all had to start somewhere.
Recently my brother picked up the game and we set double par as his limit. We had to tell him that good shots on the range would transfer into lower scores on the course. After enough practice he was able to post decent scores, with a dead on 100 this past weekend. If he never took any time on the range he never would've gotten there.His feelings weren't hurt, but more happy that we wanted to help him. Just encourage him and he will realize that your giving helpful advice, not criticism.

[PV_Louie]

Since he's a youth pastor, quote Proverbs 3:6 and tell him he must not be acknowledging God or else his path would be straight!

[flopdarock]

ummm i assume this guy is your friend and asked to play with you guys before hand?
unless he met you on the course as a coincidence and asked to be paired up with you guys...
im also assuming you discussed his playing history before hooking up to play...
that being said...
the very first thing you should have done was school the man to avoid embarassment...
"hey (his name), i know this is the first time youve ever been on a course and today is kinda busy. well theres a thing called pace of play and we should do anything we can to keep up with the group in front of us... even if it means to not finish out some holes... picking up after a few duffs... not worrying about too many lost balls... we dont want the guys behind us getting angry... and to have everyone behind us play through is gonna keep us on the course forever... my girl is gonna kill me if i dont get home in time... also if you need any help... let us know... etc... etc... etc..."

as for the guy who says high hcp's play much slower...
obviously he doesnt watch the pga...
heck the fastest guy ive ever played with was an older guy that played to a 24 hcp... we finished a round in 2 hrs even... we basically just gripped it and ripped it trying to get a whole round in before a thunderstorm...
one of the absolutely slowest guys ive ever played with and will never play with again was a guy who played to a 3... besides being a total jackass... his preshot routine was ridiculous and we would be on the putting surface forever... for a tap in!

[powerfader]

ummm i assume this guy is your friend and asked to play with you guys before hand?

Come on, are you really going to use the PGA Tour in a discussion about everyday golf? Of course they take their time, thousands of dollars are at stake! I accept that there are examples of slow and fast play from both ends of the spectrum; some single figure players I've played with/behind do have pre-shot routines that seem to defy normal conceptions of time and space, but at least its enjoyable watching them play. I'd rather watch a good player take four shots in fifteen minutes than a 30hcp play 8. I've only played this game for ten years (and only religiously for the last three) but in practically all the instances in which I've been held up, its been becasue of incompetent golfers. I don't want to discourage or belittle 30+hcps, hell three years ago I was one. All I ask is that they don't ruin peek time golf for the rest of us. Spend your time and money at the driving range, the practice facilities and the putting greens before you venture onto the course midday on a Saturday. If you have to play, do it in the late afternoon or any time when the course isn't bustling.

[Philip9210]

Since he's a youth pastor, quote Proverbs 3:6 and tell him he must not be acknowledging God or else his path would be straight!

hahaha i spit out my breakfast when I saw this hahahahaha

[Crey23]

I don't want to discourage or belittle 30+hcps, hell three years ago I was one. All I ask is that they don't ruin peek time golf for the rest of us. Spend your time and money at the driving range, the practice facilities and the putting greens before you venture onto the course midday on a Saturday. If you have to play, do it in the late afternoon or any time when the course isn't bustling.

This comment is not directed specifically at you Powerfader......

But I am so tired of reading about this holier-than-thou mentality on these and every other forum I’ve read, from the “fast players”. You have all been here at some point, and to tell a slow player to stay away form the course while you play at peek times….well that’s just a bunch of BS. It’s peek for a reason, and probably the same for all of us….we gotta work during the week!!!! Trust me, if I could spend as much time practicing as I would like, I would taking my shots at scoring a deal with Big Break or something of the sort. With that said, I think the approach should be along the lines of helping out new players….teach them (us) the rules of the game a etiquette so that they and you can have a favorable experience on the course. My first time out I played a 146 or so, on an empty course, but the guy I was playing with (my borther in law) took his time to explain to me the rules, and etiquette of letting players through and so on. Without his instruction, I would probably have been hit by a ball, from a few pissed off players. Instead of discouraging players to participate in the game we all love to play, let help them become better golfers, and not simply dismiss them for their lack of ability. I'm glad I got that out!

[bunkerputt]

I feel similarly. I'd like to get something off my chest too: I don't get angry at slower players, I get angry at disrespectful players, whether fast or slow.

I'll give you an example: I was out playing 9 as a single over lunch once and I managed to get behind the only other group on the entire course. It was a group of 9 college kids crammed into 3 golf carts, only one of whom had ever played golf before. Each attempted to hit the ball roughly 4 times or so. I only saw one guy make contact, but he sliced the ball pretty badly. These guys said, "Hey man, we're not very good, do you want to play through". That was the right thing to do. I think it's fine that they were out playing. The course wasn't crowded at all, it was a great day out, and they were just out having fun. They recognized their skill level, and allowed others to play through. I'll accommodate any player, no matter how poorly, as long as he/she is respectful to others and is honest about his/her skill level. On the other hand, I was playing this weekend and just exited the green from a 115 yard par-3 with my playing partner. We both made par and were well-on pace for the round. As I was putting my putter back into my bag, a ball dropped from the tree on the left of the green about 10 feet from me. I looked back at the tee-box to see if I would get an apologetic hand-wave and got none. This pissed me off. First of all, if your pull comes up woefully short, you likely mis-clubbed. That's a course management error. You also swung over-the-top. That's a swing fault. Now these guys were obviously better and definitely played faster than the college crew, but screw that. These are the guys that make golf miserable: the guys that are not honest about their skill level, and somehow think that they have more of a right to play than you do because of whatever screwed up reason or another. So to be fair, fast players can be annoying too.

[Zee]

This situation is where something like Sortagolf makes sense.