I’ve played nine holes, walking, in as little time as 50 minutes. I’ve played 18 in under two hours playing two balls most of the time. With a full set of clubs, no less. I’ve played in foursomes and fivesomes in well under four hours. I’ve also played nine holes that took just north of three hours. And then there was the 30-minute wait at the turn while everyone grabbed a five-course lunch.
Slow play is disgusting, and we’ve chosen to discuss it this week because we’re fed up. We’re tired of trying to find six or seven hours to play a round of golf. Sporting events are supposed to take three hours – baseball, football, hockey, and basketball generally meet the criteria – but golf is too important for that.
It’s an American Problem
I’ve not played much golf outside the United States (and Canada barely counts as “outside the U.S.”), but from what I’ve heard, slow play is not the problem in Scotland that it is here. People in Japan aren’t spending six hours on the golf course every Saturday, nor are people in Thailand or China or Spain.
Slow play is about consideration for others, and that’s where Americans have gone wrong. We’re too full of ourselves, too self-important, to consider the feelings of others. To consider that, hey, though we may be having a grand old time taking our sweet old time, someone else might just want to get back to their family, to their lawn work, or to something other than standing around. The actual act of golfing takes very little time, and one can only stand and appreciate the beauties of a golf course for so long before the ugly swings of the slow foursome in front really begin to dominate one’s thoughts.
Golfers can prattle on about how golf is a gentleman’s game, but nowhere in my Guide to the Genteel (third edition) does it suggest you behave without consideration for others.
Though everyone can speed up their play to some degree, not everyone is a slow player. The sad truth is it only takes one. One slow player can lock up the entire course. One guy who constantly searches for his ball, waggles sixty-seven times, and lines up putts like it’s the final round of The Masters. One jerk can ruin the day for everyone else.
But wait, that’s the American Way, right? The “it’s all about me, I paid my $75 and I’ll play however fast I damn well want” way, no?
How Did We Get Here?
I’m 29, so I really don’t know how things used to be. That being said, when was the last time you heard an old codger complaining about how fast people play these days? When was the last time you heard an octogenarian say “You think it’s slow now, you should have been around back in the 50s when every hole took a lifetime. Golfers back then moved slower’n molasses in January”? You haven’t.
Some blame the PGA Tour. The generation ahead of me watched golf on television and they adopted several of the mannerisms of PGA Tour pros. I guarantee you won’t find a 15-handicapper that knows why he plumb bobs every putt outside of six inches, but dadgummit, he saw some random PGA Tour pro do it once.
It should come as no surprise that the more casual the golf fan, the more likely they are to watch only the bigger tournaments. The majors. And it should come as no surprise that Tour players take a little more time reading a putt at Augusta National than they do at En Joie Golf Club. So, these three-times-per-year players see pros taking their time reading putts on greens that stimp faster than their course’s cartpath and they adopt the mannerisms.
Don’t believe me? One older gentleman told me the other day that before televised golf tournaments, most of the single-digit guys he played with “back in the day” never even marked their golf ball unless there was a big chunk of mud stuck to it. But golly gee, they see the Tour players marking their balls and reading putts from each of 360 degrees and they’ve got to do it too.
Unfortunately, there’s a big difference between a putt for five bucks and the beer tab at the 19th Hole and the virtual immortality that comes with winning a major on the PGA Tour.
The Pussification of the Modern Ranger
I’m old enough to remember marshals – or “rangers” as they’re sometimes called – speaking not-so-softly and carrying an incredibly large stick. I remember fearing seeing the ranger’s cart coming your way because it meant you were about to be warned or, for a second offense, booted from the course or told to skip a hole. You didn’t mess with the ranger.
Sadly, that ranger is dead, buried, and forgotten. The modern ranger is a customer service weenie who is more likely to crack a smile and a joke about how slow things are than to crack a whip and get your ass in gear. Afraid of confrontation (and often instructed not to be confrontational), the modern ranger will seemingly do everything in his power to make your time at his course more enjoyable… except speed up play.
The modern ranger is, unfortunately, a reflection of modern customer service, which came about because The American Way says the customer is always right, even when they’re a boorish, self-centered idiot who couldn’t care less about how their actions affect others.
Where do we Go from Here?
The average length of time it takes to play golf is getting longer and longer. Tee times which used to be spaced at 10- or 12-minute intervals are now scheduled eight or even seven minutes apart. The American Way is to make as much money as possible, after all, and to make it now, customer satisfaction be damned. The modern marshal is being told to tell people where they can find the next tee when they get lost, but not to speed up a group that’s holding up 20 foursomes behind them.
Faster golfers are becoming more and more frustrated and playing less and less, leaving the slower players with fewer role models or people willing to give them the occasional kick in the rear. After all, there’s only so many times you can almost hit into the group in front of you and there’s only so much a few angry glares at someone plumb-bobbing his fourth putt (for quintuple bogey) will do.
Perhaps the slow play issue will simply come to a head at some point. It hasn’t happened yet, and we’re seeing rounds taking as long as five or six hours. Where’s the ceiling? When will people say “dammit, that’s just too long to play 18 holes of golf?” Seven hours? Eight? I’d like to be optimistic, but my pragmatism won’t let me.
The only thing we can do, as individuals, is affect those with whom we come into contact. The circle is wider than you think. Write letters to the director of golf at courses if you experience a slow round of golf. Tell the head pro you’re going to vote with your wallet and not return to a course unless the pace of play policy is enforced. Educate your playing partners and league buddies.
The game is at stake. Help save it.
Photo Credits: © AP.
I hate slow play, I agree that it’s usually a result of one bozo in a foursome ahead of me, I agree that this bozo probably learned to be slow watching the pros play a major, and I especially agree that course marshalls do nothing to fix the problem… however, I think it’s ridiculous to turn this into a “this is a selfish, inconsiderate American” issue! It’s an ignorance issue, like the jerk who drives in the fast lane to avoid having to change lanes during those rare occasions that they need to pass someone. I don’t think they’re necessarily selfish, inconsiderate Americans… I just don’t think they know better! Yes, a few are inconsiderate, but most are just stupid. Stupid people live in China, Scotland and Japan too.
I don’t think it’s a question of “stupidity” nor do I think that’s what Erik has written here. Americans live in a culture of entitlement and abrogation of responsibility. That culture permeates every aspect of life, including golf.
“It’s not ever my fault” shows up in all the liability lawsuits that have closed school playgrounds and athletic fields to the public, that engender road rage incidents, and make for a generally wary and rude public climate.
Thus it’s not surprising golf course rangers are non-confrontational. Even polite requests to speed up are too often met with profanity laced tirades that basically say, “It’s not my fault we’re slow, and even if we are, we’re entitled to take as long as we want.”
And it’s a climate not limited to public courses. Just last year I played with a former “marshal” at a very prestigious club in the New York area who was fired after telling the wrong member to speed up.
Perhaps we can’t change an entire national mindset, but perhaps we can start to change the culture of golf here in the U.S. It’s worth a shot.
The Pussification of the Modern Ranger…
Now that is damn funny writing.
Yes, I remember when rangers struck fear into the hearts of everyone…at least everyone under the age of 18, back when I started playing (I am 39 now). Nobody misbehaved, took too long or otherwise violated written or unwritten rules of golf.
I play a lot of golf on Saturday or Sunday evenings or occasional weeknights…9 takes me about 1hr 15 minutes, and 18 a shade over 2-1/2 hours. At peak times (Saturday or Sunday mornings) on the same course 18 holes magically takes 5 hours. Now granted, it is more crowded, but it seems that everyone on these mornings measures every put and yardage change to the inch…whereas the evening golfers are a bit more relaxed with their games (although no less serious).
Something has to change…but no course is willing to get a ‘bad reputation’ … thus the sense of entitlement by all golfers continues.
Unfortunately, the gentleman days are gone.
To motivate people to speed up, you need to touch to the only thing they care about… money.
Let’s have a $10 caution on your round, returned to you if your group always stayed within 2 shots from the preceding group?
I think it’s great that you’re focusing on this. I almost never play 18 holes, primarily due to time constraints. And I am always fuming when I finish nine hole and more than two hours have gone by.
Having said that, what do we do about beginning golfers? I think an experienced golfer should be taken to task for slow play. But if our game is to grow (or stay the same size), we need to make sure that beginning golfers are well cared for and not hammered for slow play caused by the simple fact that they can’t hit the ball as well or as far as others. There’s a balance to strike here. What can golf courses do to ensure that beginners understand the need to move along and acquire the knowledge necessary to do this, while still cutting them some slack for the simple fact that their games don’t allow them to move as quickly?
While having John Wayne as a ranger might be good, I’d prefer Dirty Harry. I can just see Harry telling some doofus who’s blowing Harry off, “Go ahead. Make my day.” 😈
I agree, marshalls rarely are able to get slow golfers to pick up the pace. The course I generally play doesn’t even have rangers.
Today’s round was 4 1/2 hours. My group waited on the group in front of us on every shot on every hole. And, from talking to the guys in front of us and in front of them & etc., the problem was about four holes in front of us, with at least seven groups waiting to hit on every shot (well, maybe not chips & putts, but you get the idea) on every hole. And, of course, the group behind us was playing the waiting game, too.
I guess the good news is that it was a 4 1/2 hour round rather than (heaven forbid) a five hour round.
Who said sports were supposed to take 3 hours? TV execs mainly and even that time is mostly slow play too. There’s only 60 minutes of actual play in a football or basketball game, how does it take 3 hours to play that? And as for baseball.. well there’s a lot of futzing around there too.
A lot of Australian clubs have clock on and clock off for rounds. Fail to come in on time and letter will be sent by the committee. Multiple failures and get a ‘show cause’ letter.
All rights and no responsibilities is your cultural issue. Having paid their money the playing customer seems to expect that they can do as they please without the responsibility to the other players who have also parted with their hard-earned cash.
I play golf in Australia, and believe me the US isn’t the only place where slow play can ruin an otherwise pleasureable experience. I agree with the adage that the worst day on the course is better than the best day in the office, but a 5 plus hour round for 18 holes can start to push it.
Two of the main reasons for slow play are lack of thinking and preparation, and lack of consideration. Low markers in a foursome will always walk straight to their ball and start planning the next shot, so when it’s their turn to hit they are in a position to hit straight away. I’ve seen choppers milling around each others ball for every shot, then all walk to to the next ball etc. Old blokes who still think they can fly a 3 wood 250 waiting for the green on a par 5 to clear are also a pain, particularly when their tee ball is usually around the 200 mark. I’ve also noted that slow players are reluctant to concede their patheticness and call the next group through.
I think slow play is something that can be quite easily cured with strict rules for competition play, and strict marshals to enforce them. Warnings for slow play on the first occassion, followed by the marshal forcing the offending group to call the next group through on subsequent offences, is a strategy that I think would work well. If some of these slow groups were consistently moved back through the field and subsequently forced to wait for the group called through to finish before playing on, it would have a two fold effect. First they would soon become humiliated from being identified as slow players (everybody hates slow players but nobody admits to being one). And secondly it would give these choppers a taste of what it’s like to be held up while they are waiting for the group to play through.
I think you would find that after a couple of these slow play violations being imposed, the offending groups would lift their game and keep up.
This solution would simply call for clubs to get tough with their members, and for committee members to have to donate a small part of their weekend to being a marshal.
This theory may seem to over simplify the problem and not address the root causes of slow play, but sometimes punishment is the quickest route to rehabilitaion.
Bruce,
Sports in the US do, indeed, take an average of 3 hours (thanks to TV), with the exception of baseball which takes forever but nobody cares about that because it’s supposed to and there’s not as much broadcast money in it.
As an Aussie, your points are well taken, but they don’t account for the American climate. Lucky you. So how long does it take to play a round in Oz?
Let me begin by saying that I can’t think of anyone who despises slow play more than I do, and, while I appreciate your crusade to solve the problem, I don’t see it having much effect.
According to a Gold Digest Survey, nearly 60% of golfers view the play of other golfers as slow, and 4% view other golfers as fast. On the other hand, nearly the same number rate themselves as fast players, while 2% admit they are slow. The remainder of the survey participants rate themselves and others as “average.”
In simpler terms, most golfers think slow play is a problem, but that someone else is causing it, and therein lies the problem. I’ve always believed there are two types of slow players: that small minority who believe that, having paid their green fees, they are entitled to take as much as they please without regard to others, and those who simply don’t realize that they play at a glacial pace.
You see examples of the second group all the time on message boards, ranging from guys who complain that a ranger hassled them even though they had the group in front of them “in sight” and guys who can’t figure why anyone would think their pace of play is slow when they’re playing at a four hour pace.
The only thing that will help is for people to wake up. If your foursome tees off with an open course in front of you and you can’t play in 3.5 hours or less ( a generous goal, I’ll admit), YOU are the problem. A simple rule of thumb: if you play at a four hour pace, the group maintaining position behind you will wait on all of the par threes, most of their tee shots, and most of their approaches; at four hours and fifteen minutes, the poor unfortunates behind you are waiting on every single shot.
Jack – depends on the course (of course) but 4 hours is the usual time and so 4:10 is considered “slow”. Some courses have as much as 4:45 but that is one with some long traverses. Carts are not a standard feature on most member’s courses.
Can you elaborate on your climate statement? I don’t immediately follow where that fits into the discussion.
Not sure what courses you play Bruce but in Sydney 4 hours would be considered faster than average (although still pathetically slow) on a Saturday, and four and a half would be normal. Unless you are playing one of those par 60 choppers courses with more par 3’s than 4’s, in which case four hours would be considered about average.
I agree with Michael that most people either don’t realise or won’t admit they’re slow. The problem is most clubs don’t have the balls to employ a marshal to give these old codgers and high handicappers the rocket they need.
As this is unlikely to happen any time soon we will just have to put up with slow play and four and a half hour rounds being the norm.
Erik
slow playing isn’t really a American thing…I live in Taiwan and have been play round around a few countries, including play rounds in US during my studying abroad.
foursome in weekend…..5 hours is what we expected…
I believe it is all about people, not a nation or a region.
This is one of the most sensible pieces I’ve read in a long time. I have just returned to the game after a 25 year lay off here in Australia. 4 hours was the norm when I used to play and that seems now to have blown out to 4 1/2 to almost 5 hours in monthy medal (strokeplay) rounds. The lack of awareness/consideration of some players is staggering at times.
Wow, 6 hours eh? I play in Thailand and we usually consider 5 hours a long round. Albeit, 5 hours in 100 degree heat is already getting to be a very long day!
From Arnold Palmer’s website…
“Finally, avoid slow play, which seems to have become the bane of the game of late. Five- and six-hours rounds would not occur if players (1) saved much of their conversations for the clubhouse; (2) thought out their next shot and were prepared to play it when their turn came; (3) cleared their equipment and left the green as soon as the last player holed out, replacing the flagstick immediately and (4) studied their putts as much as possible while awaiting their turn but without interfering with another player.”
So remember, kids – think to yourself, “What would Arnie do?”
Bruce,
Sorry… “climate” was obviously a poor choice of words. What I meant is that the culture of golf in the U.S. is different than what you describe in Australia.
My best friend is a slow player and while we have been friends for 30 years we play golf together about once every ten years. He does not think he’s slow and of course when we do play I beat him every time because after about nine holes I start to push him and he loses it. After about 12 holes we usually almost come to blows and after 18 we hit the 19th hole and calm down until I tally the score card then we have a few more while Mick calms down. The point I am trying to make is a lot of people don’t realize just how slow they are and the ones that do don’t care. I think the remedy would be simple. When you sign in (even daily fee courses) your starting time is logged. At the end of the round you sign out. After several rounds at a course your avg. playing time is recorded and slow players can be grouped into time slot.
I believe this would be especially helpful for us weekend players.
Just my opinion, but slow play does more to hurt one’s round than swing faults.
Michael summed up well what I was trying to say in the first post. This isn’t an American culture problem! It’s an ignorance problem.
I often play as a single during the week or in tournaments on the weekend and have therefore hooked up with hundreds of different golfers in my two years of play. I’ve NEVER met a single golfer w/ a so-called American attitude of entitlement. I have however, met many slow golfers who just don’t know that they’re slow. They’re ignorant about all the ways they could speed things up. They wait for another golfer to take their shot, then pick their club or line up their putt, etc.
I always make a point to tell someone they play too slow when I see someone being stupid. They usually appreciate that someone pointed this out. They were simply unaware.
I think slow play is, from the most charitable viewpoint, a lack of awareness. Many golfers just don’t see the big picture and don’t realize how slow they are. The least charitible viewpoint is a rudeness and a complete lack of consideration for others. These are the slow golfers who think they are the only players on the course.
That being said, I play in several Senior Golf groups. With a 12 Index I am in the First Flight in most groups. There are some with single digit indexes and the Low Gross score is often par or better, but with 80 players often only 10-15 will break 100, and they play at least once a week. They hit the ball lots of times, they don’t take lessons, they don’t practice, and they emulate the guys on TV with their pre shot routines. It’s always from carts, and they almost never take a club when they go to their ball. They size it up, and then go back and select a club so they can allow for all conditions — after several practice swings they hit it 30 feet. These are are guys who don’t break 100! They also stroll, and I mean amble, when they walk off the green to their cart.
It’s maddening! Words fail me when it’s “Cart Path Only”.
A philosophic fellow golfer told me that some of us are golfers who are serious about playing golf, but most people aren’t that serious about golf and are out playing for social reasons. They see no problem with a 51/2 hour round.
It’s just maddening! It also makes me feel like a meanie.
I believe carts are a big problem with slow play, and also I have doubts that the people who complain about slow play generally play in foursomes. First of all, carts do not speed up play on most courses (unless they have a fairly large walking distance between holes etc) players have to ride together and quite often you sit with your cart buddy while he hits his shot and then he does the same for you,sometimes its impractical to do that and Ill admit that, but other times its really not worth walking to your ball (assuming he hit it in the crap, or you hit it in the crap) Carts on cart path only too is just ridiculous, these courses only use carts to justify charging an etxtra 20-30$ depending where you play. if more people walked I believe wed move a lot faster. Also, having been relegated to playing with at most 2 good buddies who are skilled golfers at a time usually, if we play as a 2some on peak time, it absolutely sucks to golf, of course its going to be lsow when you play as a 2some or even 3 when its peak hours. Id advocate finding buddies if you can, whether it be work, or friends or whatever who enjoy playing golf who you can play in a 4some with, it will not be as slow as it seems . Just my 2 cents.
I just want to thank GreensDruid for his insightful post. As someone new to this sport, I am painfully aware that I am slower than more experienced golfers. I routinely allow faster golfers play through. The ranger on the course today was diplomatic while encouraging us to pick up our pace. I was grateful for the courtesy. Another few minutes between tee times would have made a big difference to us. And with three separate nine hole courses at our club, relegating one for beginning golfers would have made it more enjoyable for all concerned. I felt frantic today trying to keep up with the pace of the more accomplished golfers.
I would not have joined a golf club had I read posts like this first. They don’t have any hesitation accepting our membership dues and golfing fees, and selling us equipment, though there really doesn’t seem to be a place for beginning golfers on the golf course.
I think everyone who is a critic of slow play should step back and think about their stance on the whole thing–we’re talking 20 to 40 mintues that differs between good pace and bad pace. I’ll admit, 5 to 5:30 is out of line. But if you are a golfer and stop playing golf just because it takes 20 to 40 minutes longer than you WANT it to take, good! Try a different sport! For all of those that love golf, do you really mind being out on the golf course a little bit longer in the day, instead of sitting in traffic! Relax, enjoy golf for what it is, plan a little more time to play, are you really that sensitive to it?
Brad, PGA Professional
We’re talking about 60 to 90 minutes. A round of golf shouldn’t take more than four hours.
The “would you rather” argument doesn’t hold water, because some guys can’t get away for six+ hours on the weekends to golf, so it’s not a matter of “golf or traffic” but rather “golf or no golf.”