Pace of play---better keep it going

**TN94z** · June 22, 2012

It sounds like the pace of play penalty could come into play more in the future. Nathan Kimsey, a player in the British amateur, was recently penalized by a stroke for slow play (joining Ross Fisher and Morgan Pressel). Alistair Tait of Golfweek reports that:

Quote:

Kimsey was handed a one-shot penalty for slow play in the second round of qualifying for the British Amateur Championship. The Englishman picked up two bad times and the R&A; docked him a stroke. His 72 turned into a 73, but he still qualified for the match play stages.

R&A; chief executive Peter Dawson says:

Quote:

Our championship committee had reviewed this whole thing over the winter and decided the policies we had in place were the correct ones, and we are going to enforce them somewhat more rigorously than we had in the past

I can't say that I disagree here. I think it should be enforced more as some of the players are just mind numbingly slow and it drives me nuts! I think it sends the wrong message to players just coming into the game as well. I really hate to wait behind a group that takes forever to line up a putt and read the green and then proceed to miss the 5ft putt by 3 ft.

Do you think the pace of play has gotten out of hand? Do you agree with more heavily enforcing the pace of play ruling?

**sean_miller** · June 22, 2012

Two players on foot with caddies, shooting low 70s, should not take 4 hours to get around an 18 hole course. Much closer to 3 seems more appropriate. Yes, I'm in favour of encouraging quicker play at all levels. We can't seem to rely on peer pressure, so the next logical step is penalty strokes and even DQs.

**Fourputt** · June 22, 2012

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Two players on foot with caddies, shooting low 70s, should not take 4 hours to get around an 18 hole course. Much closer to 3 seems more appropriate. Yes, I'm in favour of encouraging quicker play at all levels. We can't seem to rely on peer pressure, so the next logical step is penalty strokes and even DQs.

Amen! It's time that the top levels stepped up and took the lead. Maybe that will actually help it to filter down to the masses. 20 years ago on my home course, 4½ hours was a bad time for 4 players playing 18 holes. Now it's the norm. Same course, supposedly better equipment - why the difference in playing times?

**Jefferey13** · June 22, 2012

I don't think 4 hours is a sign of it being too slow, that is about normal from what I have seen. Often times in the PGA the warnings come for players who are taking amazing amounts of time to hits shots, people like Kevin Na.However, ff you are competing on the PGA tour and trying to win over $1,000,000 then go ahead and pace a shot or two to the green. If you're a regular player in a regular round, then just hit the dang ball.

**MrSandman** · June 23, 2012

I find it hard to believe that this one player was the cause of slow play.

**MrSandman** · June 23, 2012

How has furyk never been penalized ?

**Rulesman** · June 23, 2012

Originally Posted by TN94z

It sounds like the pace of play penalty could come into play more in the future. Nathan Kimsey, a player in the British amateur, was recently penalized by a stroke for slow play (joining Ross Fisher and Morgan Pressel). Alistair Tait of Golfweek reports that:

R&A; chief executive Peter Dawson says:

I can't say that I disagree here. I think it should be enforced more as some of the players are just mind numbingly slow and it drives me nuts! I think it sends the wrong message to players just coming into the game as well. I really hate to wait behind a group that takes forever to line up a putt and read the green and then proceed to miss the 5ft putt by 3 ft.

Do you think the pace of play has gotten out of hand? Do you agree with more heavily enforcing the pace of play ruling?

It is not a coincident that John Paramor has made a similar statement after a timing penalty on the European Tour.

**ApocG10** · June 23, 2012

First of all, there is nothing wrong with taking 4 hours to finish a round. Any more is unreasonable, unless the course is backed up and there is nothing you can do about it. Trying to push people around a course in 3 hours is stupid. Golf is supposed to be relaxing. I play both the courses I hold a membership at in arounf 3 1/2 hours alone. One is 6800, one is 7100. But if im playing with others, im not about to rush them for anything under a 4 hour pace. If you are over 39 minutes for 3 holes, you are behind. 13 minutes a hole IS the standard, with a little less for par 3's, and longer for long par 5's, and comes in at just under 4 hours.

Anyone crying for 3 hour rounds can either play with others like them, or deal with reality. I want to take my time, plan my shots, and play at a steady pace. I will not run to satisfy others.

**Fourputt** · June 24, 2012

Originally Posted by ApocG10

First of all, there is nothing wrong with taking 4 hours to finish a round. Any more is unreasonable, unless the course is backed up and there is nothing you can do about it. Trying to push people around a course in 3 hours is stupid. Golf is supposed to be relaxing. I play both the courses I hold a membership at in arounf 3 1/2 hours alone. One is 6800, one is 7100. But if im playing with others, im not about to rush them for anything under a 4 hour pace. If you are over 39 minutes for 3 holes, you are behind. 13 minutes a hole IS the standard, with a little less for par 3's, and longer for long par 5's, and comes in at just under 4 hours.

Anyone crying for 3 hour rounds can either play with others like them, or deal with reality. I want to take my time, plan my shots, and play at a steady pace. I will not run to satisfy others.

I don't think anyone has said that there is anything wrong with a 4 hour round for a fourball. 4 hours for two players is excessive unless they are being held up. A twosome should play faster than a foursome, since they are playing half as many strokes. That doesn't cut the total time in half because they still have to negotiate the course, but it should halve the time needed to play each set of shots.

Sorry to disagree with you, but 3½ hours for a single is extreme. If you can get away with such a slow pace, then you must be playing on a nearly empty course. If you played in a fourball with all players as slow as you are it would be a 6 hour round. I've played in a fivesome in 4 hours without feeling rushed.

**B-Con** · June 25, 2012

I don't think anyone has said that there is anything wrong with a 4 hour round for a fourball. 4 hours for two players is excessive unless they are being held up. A twosome should play faster than a foursome, since they are playing half as many strokes. That doesn't cut the total time in half because they still have to negotiate the course, but it should halve the time needed to play each set of shots.

And caddies should make them even faster. No waiting to clean clubs or balls or to juggle headcovers. Caddies can take complimentary reads at the same time as the player. The player can walk as briskly as he'd like free of weight. Etc. Not a monumental time saver, but over a full round a good player-caddie pair might be 10 or 15 minutes better off. I can walk with two others and play a course in 3:45 if we're not waiting. (That was our time last time that situation happened.) I don't see why removing a player and adding an aid would make things go anything but at least 15-30 minutes faster. Sure their course is probably 700 yards longer than mine, but they're also hitting about 20 fewer shots a piece.

**sean_miller** · June 26, 2012

Originally Posted by B-Con

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I don't think anyone has said that there is anything wrong with a 4 hour round for a fourball. 4 hours for two players is excessive unless they are being held up. A twosome should play faster than a foursome, since they are playing half as many strokes. That doesn't cut the total time in half because they still have to negotiate the course, but it should halve the time needed to play each set of shots.

And caddies should make them even faster. No waiting to clean clubs or balls or to juggle headcovers. Caddies can take complimentary reads at the same time as the player. The player can walk as briskly as he'd like free of weight. Etc. Not a monumental time saver, but over a full round a good player-caddie pair might be 10 or 15 minutes better off.

I can walk with two others and play a course in 3:45 if we're not waiting. (That was our time last time that situation happened.) I don't see why removing a player and adding an aid would make things go anything but at least 15-30 minutes faster. Sure their course is probably 700 yards longer than mine, but they're also hitting about 20 fewer shots a piece.

I can putt a green and move on to the next hole as fast as any caddie / player team* out there so I'm not sure why regular golfers should be any slower. Sure I have more 3-putts than 1-putts, but if I ever take as much time on the green as a professional does in a tournament I hope somebody has the courage to have a heart to heart with me. Nobody pays money to watch the group ahead stalk their putts like a pro does, then miss anyway. Some people need a reality check - not you - I'm just sayin'.

* probably not true but they always seem to show the really slow ones on television.

**onesome** · July 4, 2012

I think courses should require players to "putt out" unless the player would be standing in another players line then mark it. Personally I prefer this just because I would rather walk up and hit a putt with the speed and break of the green fresh in my mind and 'feel". Too many times I see ordinary folks marking everything up to a foot away and if the course made this the local rule I think pace of play would improve.

**Jefferey13** · July 5, 2012

Originally Posted by onesome

I think courses should require players to "putt out" unless the player would be standing in another players line then mark it. Personally I prefer this just because I would rather walk up and hit a putt with the speed and break of the green fresh in my mind and 'feel". Too many times I see ordinary folks marking everything up to a foot away and if the course made this the local rule I think pace of play would improve.

I disagree, I need to read my putts before I hit them. So If I have a 30 footer and pull it 4 feet to left, I now have to read that putt and line it up while someone else on the green would already be ready to go because they had been reading their putt while I hit mine. Letting each person finish out would take way longer. And people do finish all the time when it's close.

**sean_miller** · July 5, 2012

Originally Posted by onesome

I think courses should require players to "putt out" unless the player would be standing in another players line then mark it. Personally I prefer this just because I would rather walk up and hit a putt with the speed and break of the green fresh in my mind and 'feel". Too many times I see ordinary folks marking everything up to a foot away and if the course made this the local rule I think pace of play would improve.

The group I was in on Sunday wasted time on every green because of this. They were re-marking and reading second and third putts (or more). It was two older brothers and one of their sons who was a beginner. They never once suggested the beginner continue putting to the hole. It was brutal.

Sliceomatic · July 10, 2012

All of this pace of play stuff is really making it hard for regular golfers to play the game, I have two young boys that show a interest in the game, but I am really anxious about takig them to the course. We play every wednesday afternoon when my home course is the least crowded, but I find myself rushing them or making them play off my ball and things of that nature.

I have read several places that more and more people are leaving the game of golf. I am sure this is one of the reasons why.

**sean_miller** · July 10, 2012

Originally Posted by Sliceomatic

All of this pace of play stuff is really making it hard for regular golfers to play the game, I have two young boys that show a interest in the game, but I am really anxious about takig them to the course. We play every wednesday afternoon when my home course is the least crowded, but I find myself rushing them or making them play off my ball and things of that nature.

I have read several places that more and more people are leaving the game of golf. I am sure this is one of the reasons why.

People leave the game for a lot of reasons. Economics and lack of liesure time are probably high on the list.

Sliceomatic · July 10, 2012

Originally Posted by sean_miller

People leave the game for a lot of reasons. Economics and lack of liesure time are probably high on the list.

I can agree to that, I left the game until my sons started playing.

**BMac0223** · July 10, 2012

I remember at the last Open Championship at St Andrews someone went off as a single to lead off the day and he played in less than 2 hours. The next group finished nearly 2 hours after him. I understand if you are in the final group on Sunday taking as much time as you want but these guys should play faster.

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Pace of play---better keep it going

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