Solving Slow Play: A New Pace of Play Program You can Support in 2013

I'm guessing most of the slow players aren't found on this site, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, I definitely respect what your trying to do.

I encourage everyone to fill out the survey and be honest.

 

We'll be doing a lot to work with this project in 2013 and hopefully beyond, as we've always supported faster play here at TST.

I agree that there is a slow play issue at most public courses and I am one that is bothered by the issue. I have for the most part seen the problem with courses rather than players though. I understand that there are guys that are slower than others, no argument there. But from my experience at least where I'm from, courses put too much play on the course (meaning tees are backed up from the beginning of the round).

This is a problem that I don't see changing because courses are out to make money and refuse to turn it down.

I do like the idea that you are suggesting though, anything that picks up the players pace is a good thing.

I knew we were in trouble yesterday when the foursome in front of us was taking pictures of each other on the first tee. Thank god they let us play thru on the third hole.

Two guys in a cart drive up to a ball. One of them crawls out of the cart, goes to his bag and inventories his clubs, takes one out, takes the clubhead cover off, looks for a place to put it (how about the same place you put it the last ten times), goes to his ball and hits it (we won't go over the agonizing process that entails), saunters back to the bag, looks for the clubhead cover because he forgot where he put it, finds the cover, puts it on the club, pokes around looking for the slot in the bag where he can put the club back in, puts the club back in, looks around, ambles back the cart, crawls in, and moves on. His partner is the same.

The problem with slow play is slow people. They think slowly, they act slowly, they do everything slowly. They're not slow people in golf. They're slow people in Life. There is no picking up their pace because they don't know how to, not from a sense of not knowing the tricks, but because it is part of their constitutional makeup to be slow. Even if they adopted every faster play tip imaginable, they would play faster slowly and nothing would change. These are not bad people, or inconsiderate or thoughtless (most of them). It's just who they are. They cannot be rushed.

 

The two guys I play with most often are like this. I've learned to live with it and make up time for the group on my own where I can. As for the group that thinks they're the only ones on the course, or they paid their fees and that gives them the right to do whatever they please, that's what marshals are for. Fast play tips make sense to golfers like me and many observers in this forum (though I prefer to think of it as playing golf more efficiently), and we use them. But for the rest, good luck.

The problem that I see most is the "guy" who hits his drive about 100 yards waiting for the green to clear from 270yards. Does he actually think he can hit this green?

I like this program and idea.  I am a new golfer but I think I could play faster. I am not a "slow person" but inexperience always requires more planning/thought than a veteran.

That being said... I am not sure I'm a slow player at all LOL.

Took the survey. I'm the guy who called slow play "the herpes of golf." Meaning, I'm not sure there's a cure. But I appreciate what you are trying to do. Thank you, and good luck with the project. 

TAKE THE GOVERNORS OFF THE CARTS. Blasting out to the fairway at 50mph is a lot quicker (and more exciting). PLUS- it will get into peoples heads about being competitive with their times. Nobody want to finish last.

But seriously- as mentioned above; the slower players are the people who drive in the left lane @ 1 mph UNDER the limit to show that they're entitled to use any lane since they paid for it with their taxes.


And another thing- Each course could have it's own "240" numbers. Some courses would be fine at 4 hours, others not so much. Maintaining a pace of play that fits the course, based on terrain, weather, difficulty, etc... makes a bit more sense. Each course could have its own "240" number.
Edited by RayG - 1/2/13 at 1:11pm

Here's the problem i see with golf courses, 

Ranger's don't keep track of the slow group and push them to play faster, the time it takes to complete a round of golf is always the pace played by the slowest group if they are not letting groups play through. 

 

If your taking more than 10 strokes a hole, then pick up, seriously. If no one looses a ball, in a foresome, and they all play bogey golf, you can get a hole done in under 10 minutes. What takes forever is someone goofing off, looking for a lost golf ball, or just plain sucking. 

 

a 375 yard hole, would take about 4.5 minutes to walk, that means you have 6-7 minutes to finish the hole taking your strokes, unless your waiting on the group in front of you.  

 

You want to speed up golf, no stroke and distance. I know its the rules of golf, but on a busy course, stroke and distance doesn't make sense, especially if your walking. 

 

Teach etiquette on how to use a golf cart, sometimes i think a foresome i play golf with, carrying clubs, could out pace golf carts of some people. I've seen people just sit around, waiting for another person to hit, allow him to take the clubs he wants, then you take the cart and go to your ball. Then go pick him up. The problem with carts is, that people get out of the habit of playing ready golf. 

An issue I see is that each individual person may not think of themselves as slow and in fact may not be much worse than average to slightly below average but when you have 4 golfers like this in a group it adds up to a very slow pace. Even if each guy is doing their part it always seems like at least 1 will have an issue on each hole and that's all it takes. So I guess my point is that is seems futile unless you have 4 people who declare on the first tee that they are going to play quickly. That's just not a conversation that you are going to have most of the time.

 

The most useful tips aren't how YOU can play faster, but how you can help other people play faster without them really knowing it. Things like 1) being a hawk and seeing where every ball goes so you can find it quickly for them or tell them its gone; 2) tell them you'll bring they're putter so you can move on; 3) always have an extra ball for them to use (either one of theirs if they are particular or any thing if they are not). I could probably think of some more but you get the point.

 

I hate being the guy rushing everyone and many people are out there to socialize as much as golf so you have to be a little sly and subtle to get them moving without them deciding to NOT play with you anymore.

Note left in every members locker at the start of the golf season:

 

The standard pace of play for our course is 4 hours or less for a foursome.

The following recommendations are provided to help everybody meet the standard pace of play:

• Be ready to commence your round when your group is on the first tee.
• Do not commence your round until the group in front reaches the first green.
• Be aware of the time when you leave the first tee.
• Be aware of where are at all times relative to the group in front of you.
• You should be addressing your ball on the tenth tee no more than 2 hours from the time you left the first tee.
• Be prepared to play at all times. Always carry an extra ball in case you may need a provisional shot.
• Repair ball marks on the green and prepare to putt while others are playing their shots.
• Do not linger on the green. Mark your scorecard on the next tee.
• Invite faster groups to play through.
• Move directly to your ball. Avoid moving in groups.
• Watch other players’ shots in anticipation for the need to search for lost balls.
• Anticipate your next shot and be ready with the club you will hit.
• Try to play ready golf.
• Rake your own bunkers and replace your own divots.
• Play from the appropriate tees. Guests with a handicap of 10 or higher may not play from the back tees.
• Suggest the proper pace to others when appropriate.
• If you have reached your maximum allowable score, pick up your ball.

My friend had a theory that the golf course should charge your group depending on how long it took you to play the round. So under 4 hours, $50, Under 4:30 $70, Under 5, $80, 5 and over, $100. The course would collect the $100 and pay back the exchange amount after your group finished.

I used to think he was crazy, it is not all that bad an idea the more I think about it.

I think people have mentioned that on here before. The obvious problem is that if the group in front of you is playing at a 5-hour pace (whether by their own slow play or because they are being held up) then you could be the speediest group on the planet and still have to pay the expensive rate.

Yeah, it might lead to some fights on the course now that I think about it. 

 

That's why I proposed an idea similar to that but with much lower rates: give someone $20 off their next round at your course or something. That way they're not "out" anything if they take too long but there's still some incentive to play quickly, some reward.