This Season I Played the Most Golf Not 9 or 18 Holes

[nevets88]

If playing 9, I’ve walked off many times after 6 or even 5 holes. Playing 18, walked off as early as 13th hole. I just don’t have the patience for long rounds anymore. When it slows down, I just leave. Dunno how to score these. I don’t. And it has saved a lot of time and frustration waiting. To be honest something like 7 holes in an hour and change works for me. Slow play will never go away, and this has been my new way of coping. I walked off after the first hole playing 9 once. There were two dads and their sons and they literally took almost 30 minutes for the first hole. I went to the second hole and that group was awfully slow. Nope. Got a rain check fortunately.  Went to the range afterwards and turned out I was better off working on the swing. 

I dunno what’s the point of this other than letting some steam off. So much slow play. 

[Patch]

IDK, I have no answers for folks who get frustrated by slow play. Wish I did. It's a personal matter to be sure. Some will always handle it better than others. 

The other day we played a 5-1/2 hour round. Shot one of my better scores (80)  in a while. As a matter of fact, I never felt fatiqued at all during the round. Neither did my partner.  

The person I was with, and myself watched an old James Bond video during our waits. I have a lot of tv shows on my phone. 

When it was our time to hit, we put the movie on hold, went through our pre-shot routines, hit the ball, and moved on. Excess time spent on the golf course was not important, since we had nothing else to do. 

I don't care for rounds that last more than 4 hours, anymore than the next guy. I just accept it as it happens, and won't let other's slow play intimidate me or my game. I am out there for my own benefit. Not others. I can always find something to do, during the waits, in between the shots. 

My wife says I have the patience of a dormant volcano. So, maybe that's my own fix for slow play. 

Edited November 2, 2019 by Patch

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, nevets88 said:

If playing 9, I’ve walked off many times after 6 or even 5 holes. Playing 18, walked off as early as 13th hole. I just don’t have the patience for long rounds anymore. When it slows down, I just leave. Dunno how to score these. I don’t. And it has saved a lot of time and frustration waiting. To be honest something like 7 holes in an hour and change works for me. Slow play will never go away, and this has been my new way of coping. I walked off after the first hole playing 9 once. There were two dads and their sons and they literally took almost 30 minutes for the first hole. Nope. Got a rain check fortunately.  Went to the range afterwards and turned out I was better off working on the swing. 

I dunno what’s the point of this other than letting some steam off. So much slow play. 

I walked off once after 9 holes... because:

1.  I was close to the parking lot.

2.  It was dreadfully slooooooow.

3.  I was sucking at the game that day.

4.  It was a beautiful sunny day.

5.  I was more than ready to barbeque some chicken.

6.  I was more than ready to sip a chilled glass of wine, relax and gaze out over the ocean.

[Beastie]

28 minutes ago, Patch said:

IDK, I have no answers for folks who get frustrated by slow play.

If I’m stuck behind a slow group I’ll ask politely to be let through. If it doesn’t happen I just miss a hole and jump ahead. If the whole course is slow then its usually on 9 where I’m walking off. 4 hour pace is about the limit for me, 4h 20min pace if it’s a medal. I’m pissed off with anything above 3h45 mins though, but save my rancour for after the round is finished.

[FlyingAce]

Any chance you can get out first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon? I have been playing at my club for 2 years now and notice who the slow/fast players are. The slow ones always come out mid-mornings and the fast ones are always taking the first few tee times of the day.

[nevets88]

It's a combo of not being patient and time constrained, the schedule doesn't fit a 6+ hour round or 3 hour half round sometimes. Early morning works for me, that's what I do, but sometimes the I'm forced to play in the afternoon. It's 5 hour rounds, at the minimum her, worse when the weather is nice. That is why I like dreary days, way fewer people come out. It was sprinkling here or there two weeks ago and only had to wait at the 8th and 9th holes.

I do spend the time in between holes constructively, working on the short game, so I do get some extra practice in.

[chile]

I just started playing by myself and found it much easier to get through a round...especially if i'm just playing 9...I lucked out yesterday and had NOBODY on the course I was playing while I was out there 😉 ...

[Patch]

There's also the problem of when a golfer can plan. 

I don't run into slow play very often because I play most of my rounds Monday through Thursday. Except for retirees, most golfers are working, earning a living on those days. 

Courses are always busier on Fridays through Sundays. These are days most golfers are not working, wiith some free time on their hands. More golfers on course tends equal slower play. 

[Zippo]

Slow play bugs most all of us, I think. But I was amazed at how long Tiger had to stand around between shots at the ZOZO recently (and the other players, too, I'm sure). I think it would have made me more than a bit nuts. I like the idea of pulling the lob wedge out of the bag and practicing a bit while waiting in the fairway, though.

Edited November 3, 2019 by Zippo
spelling...

[billchao]

I only walked off the course (not due to weather) twice in my life. Once because the front nine took over three hours to play. The second time was because I was so frustrated from playing poorly that I went to the range at the turn.

What I learned from the first instance was: if the guy in the pro shop tells me I can wait 20 minutes and twilight rates will kick in, to respond, "No, thanks."

What I learned from the second instance was that I'm not good enough at this game to get that frustrated over it and I've played many rounds since then where I started off like a complete hack and finished the round strong.

[David in FL]

Twice in my life, I stopped at 9 due to extraordinary slow play.  Other than that, or being forced by weather, I’ve never quit mid-round.  

Hell, other than those, or an early finish tournament match, I haven’t played anything less than 18 holes since I was a kid...

14 hours ago, Patch said:

 

I don't run into slow play very often because I play most of my rounds Monday through Thursday. Except for retirees

Don’t get behind a group of retirees, mid-week on my course.  They’re the very definition of having nowhere to go, and all the time in the world to get there.  

The mid-week ladies on the other hand, now those girls will fly!  

[shanksalot]

I am one who will walk off if the play is super slow. I am 77 years old and can no longer stand to play a round in the 5 hour range. My time is too important now to be spending all day waiting to hit a shot on every hole. When we get out on days that most people won't play because  of the weather (rain, cold or wind) we play in less than 3  hours. We play ready golf and usually hit the ball straight so no looking for balls in the woods or deep grass. No 4-5 practice swings.  No mulligans of dropping a second ball to hit if the first one was not to your liking. 

Edited November 3, 2019 by shanksalot

[Lihu]

5 hours is totally bearable, it’s those 7-8 hour ones where you have a group playing for $0.10 a hole who line up 2 foot putts that bugs me. Even 6 hours is finishable. Just sit in the shade and BBQ a few burgers while waiting for your next shot. 😂

20 hours ago, Patch said:

IDK, I have no answers for folks who get frustrated by slow play. Wish I did. It's a personal matter to be sure. Some will always handle it better than others. 

The other day we played a 5-1/2 hour round. Shot one of my better scores (80)  in a while. As a matter of fact, I never felt fatiqued at all during the round. Neither did my partner.  

The person I was with, and myself watched an old James Bond video during our waits. I have a lot of tv shows on my phone. 

When it was our time to hit, we put the movie on hold, went through our pre-shot routines, hit the ball, and moved on. Excess time spent on the golf course was not important, since we had nothing else to do. 

I don't care for rounds that last more than 4 hours, anymore than the next guy. I just accept it as it happens, and won't let other's slow play intimidate me or my game. I am out there for my own benefit. Not others. I can always find something to do, during the waits, in between the shots. 

My wife says I have the patience of a dormant volcano. So, maybe that's my own fix for slow play. 

Pretty much... I used to play Angry Birds and it drove everyone crazy... 👀

[TRUCKER]

Every time one of you guys starts a "slow play" thread, the only thing that happens is everybody gets defensive when someone has a solution. Like when I said, if the idiot that hit his drive 230 yards, would stop waiting for the green to clear, so he could hit his 3W out of the rough 280 yards. All I got was a bunch of "HEY MAN ONE TIME I HIT MY 3W AND IT ROLLED UP TO THE GREEN, SO IF THERE IS A SNOWBALL CHANCE IN HELL I MIGHT INJURE SOMEBODY WITH A BALL ROLLING ONTO THE GREEN FROM 280 YARDS AWAY FROM THE ROUGH, I'M NOT GOING TO RISK IT!" Can't fix stupid.

[Vinsk]

29 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

Every time one of you guys starts a "slow play" thread, the only thing that happens is everybody gets defensive when someone has a solution. Like when I said, if the idiot that hit his drive 230 yards, would stop waiting for the green to clear, so he could hit his 3W out of the rough 280 yards. All I got was a bunch of "HEY MAN ONE TIME I HIT MY 3W AND IT ROLLED UP TO THE GREEN, SO IF THERE IS A SNOWBALL CHANCE IN HELL I MIGHT INJURE SOMEBODY WITH A BALL ROLLING ONTO THE GREEN FROM 280 YARDS AWAY FROM THE ROUGH, I'M NOT GOING TO RISK IT!" Can't fix stupid.

[Double Mocha Man]

With most of America being under sunny skies today you should all be out playing golf... forget about those pro football games!  I'll be tuning into the Seahawks in about 35 minutes.  (But I already did church at the golf course this morning...)

42 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

Every time one of you guys starts a "slow play" thread, the only thing that happens is everybody gets defensive when someone has a solution. Like when I said, if the idiot that hit his drive 230 yards, would stop waiting for the green to clear, so he could hit his 3W out of the rough 280 yards. All I got was a bunch of "HEY MAN ONE TIME I HIT MY 3W AND IT ROLLED UP TO THE GREEN, SO IF THERE IS A SNOWBALL CHANCE IN HELL I MIGHT INJURE SOMEBODY WITH A BALL ROLLING ONTO THE GREEN FROM 280 YARDS AWAY FROM THE ROUGH, I'M NOT GOING TO RISK IT!" Can't fix stupid.

If you can reach the green 1 time in 10 go for it!  Like you said, your heroic shot will probably nuzzle up to someone's heel, softly, gently.  Don't ask permission; ask forgiveness.  Happens on the pro tour... usually on short par 4's.

[Bonvivant]

Always a favorite topic of mine, and the only real problem that I have with the game of golf, but so far, I have never quit a round because of slow play. I would say that I think about doing so on 25% of my rounds, but I tough it out because I love the game. Not too many places that I play is it ever more than 4.5 hours, so I suppose the situation is different. I can't believe some people are talking about 3 hour 9s or 6 hour 18s. I would be going back to the clubhouse and demanding my money back if that ever were the case.

Today I played 18 in about 2.25 hours, and played through 8 groups. I was very lucky that all groups waved me up as this is not normally the case. I've only complained to the ranger 1 time at the turn because it was getting dark, they wouldn't let me have a cart because of the time, and the guys in front of me made the turn in a cart, which shouldn't have been the case. Ranger went up and talked to them and the guys got off the course after the 12th hole. I finished just before dark and I was happy that the rangers did their job in keeping it fair (the cart situation).

Even though this is only my first year of playing lots of golf (maybe 40 rounds), I thought about quitting altogether because of the pace of play and people not letting faster players play through. I realized that I was just being bratty to a certain extent, and that most people don't like to play at lightning speed. I would suggest finding a course that holds people to a pace that is 5 hours or under, or to find a different hobby if that doesn't work.

[mcanadiens]

1 hour ago, Bonvivant said:

Even though this is only my first year of playing lots of golf (maybe 40 rounds), I thought about quitting altogether because of the pace of play and people not letting faster players play through. I realized that I was just being bratty to a certain extent, and that most people don't like to play at lightning speed. I would suggest finding a course that holds people to a pace that is 5 hours or under, or to find a different hobby if that doesn't work.

Nobody likes waiting, but I really get the sense that we don't have it too bad here (in the Dayton, OH area) for the most part.

Even busy days at the home course rarely much more than four hours. From what I've read of other peoples' experiences, five-plus can be expected at a lot of munis and public courses.