A sixsome in front of us.

Just a slght rant.

Sitting around the house last Saturday doing nothing and decided to go out as a single at about noon. I went to a course that's usually not in very good shape and since it's about 95deg at that time of day it's really cheap.

I had no problem getting out and was eventually caught by another single, we agreed to pair up since the pace of play was starting to really slow down, even though there was just a threesome ahead of us. We soon found out why.

We came to the very short (120 yd) par 3 and there was a group of 6 on the tee box! The threesome was nowhere to be found, as they skipped the hole. We sat there and watched these guys hit at least 8 tee shots, without a single ball landing anywhere near the green. We asked to play thru and were told "Hey we're almost done, relax" My partner told them they shouldn't play 6 at a time and one of the guys turned and said "If you don't want to wait, skip the hole".

I called the clubhouse and asked for a ranger and was told that "Those guys play like that all the time and to just go around them" We did skip the hole, no sense in getting into some drawn out argument, but it pissed me off. I understand that the course is cheap, $13.00. But, cmon man!

Really.  I play a course like that, run by a non golfer.  He has no idea whatsoever about taking care of the course (it would be really fine course with minimal correct maintenance) or running it.  Fivesomes are frequent and sixsomes not unheard of.  It's truly infuriating.  What's worse, there are leagues that are allowed to take the carts out on the course at league time and start anywhere they want!  I frequently play as a twosome (walking, of course) with my regular female partner and have had one of their roving foursomes go to the tee as we were finishing the previous green.  Here we are, playing happily along at an hour and a half pace for nine and wind up taking a full hour to play the final three holes.  Gotta love the goatlots!  At least they're cheap!  Fortunately, we have found periods during the day where we are virtually alone on the golf course three quarters of the time.  Now if he'd just mow the fairways and reset the pins correctly...maybe we're asking too much.

That's funny because the course I talked about is alot like that. The greens are usually in pretty good shape and the layout of the course is nice, but the fairways are always in terrible, terrible shape, sometimes it tough to tell fairway from rough.

Listen, if the course is dead and you and 5 of your buddies want to all play together, fine. But step aside when a group catches you.

Similar experience for me on Saturday.  I took my 10 year old niece out with me (she was just riding, had asked to go with me for some reason) and was playing as a single.  The pro shop had sent out a group of 7 guys out ahead of me (the broke them into a foursome and a threesome).  We did quite a bit of waiting and starting on the third hole we start finding marshmallows on the ground... the first group was trying to screw with their buddies behind them.  So for the next few holes we keep finding them and I'm trying to teach my neice good etiquette so we keep picking them up.  When we get to the seventh, a short par 4, these idiots have their cart parked about 25 yards in front of the green while they are putting so I'm stuck waiting to tee off... Then we pull up to the 8th and they've decided to play as a group of 7.  Complete bullshit, not once did any of them ever ask if I wanted to play through even though we kept getting to the tee box just as they finished hitting their drives.  Once I saw the 7 I decided to skip the hole and move on.  Up until that point I wasn't 100% sure that the marshmallows were because of them but after passing them we never did see another one.

Absolutely should let groups play through.  Here in NY, though, that sort of behavior would be, uh...out of character.

The greens would be good, but for some reason the owner has decided to take advice from somebody who plays really well and even gives lessons but knows zip about taking care of the greens.  He ordered a giant load of cheap "sand" ten or fifteen years ago that he uses to "sand" the greens.  It's just sandy dirt full of small rocks and does no good whatsoever.  Just about the time the greens start to recover from his last maintenance disaster, he'll plug and sand them (which doesn't even work with that dirt, just screws up the greens for a few weeks and covers them with pea size stones.  About the time they start to roll smooth, he'll verticut them -- there's barely any root structure at all on some of the greens now from his doing this.  Pitiable.  Fifteen years ago this was one of the best nine hole courses around here -- actually the best one! -- and the greens were especially nice.  He's destroyed them.  Occasionally, the greens mower will break down and spill oil or other toxic material on them.  The damage becomes a permanent fixture;  rather than dig the area out and fill it in and reseed it, he just leaves the bare spot/track.  Another annoyance is the placement of the holes.  For some reason, the people who set the pins (also non golfers) try to make it like a putt putt course (they probably think it's clever), putting the holes on severe slopes making them almost unputtable sometimes.  (We just take two putts and move on.  Ridiculous.)  The rough around the greens makes the PGA tour rough look like a cakewalk.

if the ownership and rangers arent doing anything then the only recourse you have is to never go there again and tell every golfer you know not to patronize that ass-clown run goat track.

This scenario would have likely resulted in my first ever on-course argument.  When he said "...if you don't like it, skip the hole," there may have been a problem.

Having said that, I agree with Colin: never go back and spread the word.

Brandon

Golf life is too short to deal with this buffoonery.  Also, for the most part, you get what you pay for (to quote an over-used axiom).  Let ownership / pro shop / ranger deal with it, and if they don't, find a better place to play.   A friggin' 7-some?  Must have looked like a chinese fire drill on the tee box.

A local university has a 9 hole course I play sometimes, and they let big groups like that go out. Also has crummy fairways and a few screwed up greens, but for $11 for 9 holes at any time all year long, it is tough to argue. Play is usually slow due to the layout. It starts with a medium par 4 and then has two long par 3's back to back which starts off on a terrible pace.

I tell beginners to play there to learn the game without dropping a ton of money.

What's even more frustrating is during the winter months, when it's busy here, the course is actually in "Pretty" good shape, and the BS such as a group of 6 would never happen. I think during the summer months the course is willing to let a bunch of stuff slide (Such as basic maintanance and common ettiquite). In their effort to maximize every dollar coming in, they end up tripping over dollars to pick up dimes.

Most courses I know will not permit a fivesome to play.  But those few that do will give instructions that "you keep up or will be ask to break up into a twosome and threesome.  I know of no courses around here that would allow a sixsome to play.  Amazing!

LOL...In my experience....your first mistake was playing a single!!....you will surely reach a logjam at some point!!!!   It's good that you paired on-course..... It's best to get paired-up with others....a makeshift group is best because you won't have to wait an eternity before every shot with company.....

With regard to the above,.it's best to just skip the hole. If they are that slow, you can always play an extra "MAKEUP" hole  or two/three along the way once you get past them to complete your round. If they are slow...you can backtrack and play several holes twice if you like.....LOL....they'll never catch you!!

my 3 cents.......

I think you should have asked to join them...

My rule of thumb for playing as a single when I know I'll run into traffic on course........I ask the starter what is in front of me.  If I know there are 2-3 somes I can join when I catch them, I go for it.  Otherwise I wait......

If nothing but 4somes are stacked behind me....I will sometimes skip ahead and jump-in with a group on the 3rd-4th hole to catch a 3some on a busy day as apposed to waiting.  I get around the course just fine and they may not expect such a request on course........it's never a prob.....once we get in the flow, I always make good company...no matter how bad or good they play....LOL

eightsome!

I tried to play a round yesterday that got ridiculous enough that I just gave up and went home after the 4th hole.  Even sucking up the 'Oh well, that stinks, but no refunds' attitude they had about it at the pro shop.  Granted, I'm not the most strident of individuals, maybe throwing a hissy fit would've gotten better results.  Anyway...

I get to the first tee at the same time as another single is teeing up.  I offer to join up with the guy... and he just says no.  He hits his tee shot and walks off down the fairway.  While I'm waiting on him, two guys roll up in a cart, wondering why my playing partner is off without me... I explain, amused, the situation, and they ask to join me.  Sure, cool.  I hit my tee shot.  One of the guys hits his, and the third guy, who by this time it is apparent is snot-slinging drunk, whacks his ball into the lake.  His second tee shot, he actually falls down while hitting it into the lake.  He decides to take a drop.

Anyway, by the time he gets back to the drop area, the single ahead of me is already moving on to the third hole.  I bid my farewells and press on.  Now the antisocial single ahead of me is taking his PGA Analysis Sweet Time, but it doesn't really matter because in front of HIM is a five-some of college dudes who are whacking balls randomly about the course.  About three holes of this, and a couple errant warning shots from the drunk guy behind me buzzing nearby, I call it a day and pack it in.

LOL...most courses pair 2-singles.  (not his choice)...... Anyway, if we came to the first tee at remotely the same time and he didn't want to pair up, I'd tell him....no problem....I'll just go first and join the first group ahead since you want to play by yourself.............you can go after me..    if the group ahead was full......i'd just skip past when I caught them and catch the next.......  screw that guy.........I would play first.  He's probably a shitty golfer anyway so it's best to jump ahead.

Are you entitled to a refund for your round in a situation like this?  I've been at a course like this and even though I finished the round I should have left after the front 9.