What Constitutes Slow Play?

[ncates00]

22 minutes ago, Frank F said:

It's laughable because we're talking about a mere quarter of an hour that's why in my opinion.

I’m not talking about 15 minutes. I’m talking about people needing to play faster. 

 

22 minutes ago, Frank F said:

You mentioned some very good points to follow to speed up play.

Thanks. 

 

23 minutes ago, Frank F said:

FWIW, I've been playing that way for 30+ years.

Glad to hear. Keep it up. 

 

23 minutes ago, Frank F said:

For your information, etiquette goes both ways. Patience is quite the virtue, perhaps you should learn to exercise it on occaision.

I never argued to the contrary. Me emphasizing pace of play is not a lack of etiquette. On the contrary, slow play is and is also disrespectful of others’ time.

 

26 minutes ago, Frank F said:

People need not learn to play golf faster necessarily.

The ones that play slowly, yes they do. 

 

27 minutes ago, Frank F said:

But, people should strive to play golf more efficiently. 

I agree. Speed goes with efficiency. That’s the point—you do something well in less time. 

 

28 minutes ago, Frank F said:

Faster doesn't always equate to a quality round.

Correct; it doesn’t always. But it can help those who play slowly. If you’re already a fast player, no need to sacrifice quality. Many do not have this problem. 

 

29 minutes ago, Frank F said:

Unless of course, you're one of those guys who rushes his round and then stands in the middle of the fairway with his "Bitch WIngs" on full display because he finally found the fairway and now wants to push the group in front of him because all of a sudden he's a better player.

No, I’m the guy who will directly confront the group ahead if they aren’t playing at a reasonable pace. Also, “confront” typically means “to face together,” so that doesn’t mean I’m a jerk about it. But slow play shouldn’t continue. 

 

32 minutes ago, Frank F said:

I play regularly with a wounded Combat Vietnam Vet who can barely walk on some days. In my opinion, he's earned the right to play just a little bit slower than people like you might like.

As I have stated previously, golfers should play at a reasonably fast pace under the circumstances. As long as he is playing at a reasonable pace, given his condition, I have no problem with him. However, most of the folks we are discussing do not fall into this bucket; they’re just slow. 

[Vinsk]

3 hours ago, Sandy Lie said:

He never took the hint to shut up and keep up.

He’d get my hint...

[Billy Z]

It seems like there are many interpretations of slow play, or the time spent for 18 holes of golf, all depending on the individual you ask. Can someone give me the definition of 'slow play'?

Edited March 30, 2021 by Billy Z

[Hardspoon]

3 minutes ago, Billy Z said:

It seems like there are many interpretations of slow play, or the time spent for 18 holes of golf, all depending on the individual you ask. Can someone give me the definition of 'slow play'?

"Slow play" is when factors that are under your control, not including the reasonable results of your golf shots or your ability to move around the course, affect the pace of play of your group in a noticeably negative way.

* reasonable results include shots up to your ESC limit for the hole

** Ability to move around the course = accounts for factors like physical mobility, cart-path-only days or holes, etc.

*** Noticeably negative = more than 60 seconds per hole

 

[TRUCKER]

Hey Vinsk and Ncates00, you two guys seem like a couple of real angry people. When was the last time either of you had a pleasant time on a golf course? I think I would rather have a 5 hour round, than be stuck with you to old farts, bitching and complaining the whole time, because you couldn't play in 3 hours with a prime tee time on a Saturday at your local muni.

[Vinsk]

8 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

Hey Vinsk and Ncates00, you two guys seem like a couple of real angry people. When was the last time either of you had a pleasant time on a golf course? I think I would rather have a 5 hour round, than be stuck with you to old farts, bitching and complaining the whole time, because you couldn't play in 3 hours with a prime tee time on a Saturday at your local muni.

You couldn’t be more wrong. And if someone is carelessly and/or deliberately making a round slow, I’ll let him know. And I don’t have to be angry to do it. 

[boogielicious]

7 hours ago, TRUCKER said:

Hey Vinsk and Ncates00, you two guys seem like a couple of real angry people. When was the last time either of you had a pleasant time on a golf course? I think I would rather have a 5 hour round, than be stuck with you to old farts, bitching and complaining the whole time, because you couldn't play in 3 hours with a prime tee time on a Saturday at your local muni.

It’s odd you assume this without ever meeting them. Please keep the subject to slow play and don’t read emotions into posts or insult other posters.

Same goes with @Frank F and @ncates00. Keep it civil.

The subject is slow play.

 

[Frank F]

17 hours ago, ncates00 said:

I’m not talking about 15 minutes. I’m talking about people needing to play faster. 

 

Thanks. 

 

Glad to hear. Keep it up. 

 

I never argued to the contrary. Me emphasizing pace of play is not a lack of etiquette. On the contrary, slow play is and is also disrespectful of others’ time.

 

The ones that play slowly, yes they do. 

 

I agree. Speed goes with efficiency. That’s the point—you do something well in less time. 

 

Correct; it doesn’t always. But it can help those who play slowly. If you’re already a fast player, no need to sacrifice quality. Many do not have this problem. 

 

No, I’m the guy who will directly confront the group ahead if they aren’t playing at a reasonable pace. Also, “confront” typically means “to face together,” so that doesn’t mean I’m a jerk about it. But slow play shouldn’t continue. 

 

As I have stated previously, golfers should play at a reasonably fast pace under the circumstances. As long as he is playing at a reasonable pace, given his condition, I have no problem with him. However, most of the folks we are discussing do not fall into this bucket; they’re just slow. 

Shot 77 today. 10/14 fairways hit, 13/18 greens and 36 putts.  But, for the life of me, I just couldn't seem to find that area on my scorecard where I needed to annotate how much time it took for me to finish my round.

It seems that for me, time wasn't a factor today. Maybe you should try it sometime. Maybe then you could share your handicap index with the rest of us.

[boogielicious]

1 minute ago, Frank F said:

Shot 77 today. 10/14 fairways hit, 13/18 greens and 36 putts.  But, for the life of me, I just couldn't seem to find that area on my scorecard where I needed to annotate how much time it took for me to finish my round.

It seems that for me, time wasn't a factor today. Maybe you should try it sometime. Maybe then you could share your handicap index with the rest of us.

Now you are just being snarky. What’s your point?

I played today with three retirees and myself, also retired. Three of us walked. We played at a comfortable easy pace and finished in 3:50. At the start, the course announced to everyone over loud speakers that the course expected us to finish in four hours. And I shot an 82. It was 32F when we teed off. 

[Frank F]

4 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Now you are just being snarky. What’s your point?

I played today with three retirees and myself, also retired. Three of us walked. We played at a comfortable easy pace and finished in 3:50. At the start, the course announced to everyone over loud speakers that the course expected us to finish in four hours. And I shot an 82. It was 32F when we teed off. 

In the words of ncates00, "Good for You".

My comment wasn't directed at you. Take a long look at the progression of this thread where I was personally attacked by another member here who you've also cautioned. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Frank F

[mcanadiens]

4 minutes ago, Frank F said:

It seems that for me, time wasn't a factor today. Maybe you should try it sometime. Maybe then you could share your handicap index with the rest of us.

Maybe @boogielicious is right and you are just being snarky. 

However, ... Surely you can understand that pace-of-play is a hot-button topic. Hopefully, most of us play the majority of our rounds without significant waiting around between shots. It is those few exceptions that get people very agitated. When you look forward all week to a Saturday or Sunday round and then stand there waiting for 15 minutes on every hole, that's a big problem.

 

 

[boogielicious]

Just now, Frank F said:

My comment wasn't directed at you. Take a long look at the progression of this thread where I was personally attacked by another member here who you've also cautioned. 

So you think it’s OK to attack back and be rude and sanctimonious? Let the staff deal with rude posters. No need to troll them.

[DrvFrShow]

But 4:10 is how long it takes to play the courses around here. It doesn't matter. It's the pace people play the courses. If you try to play faster than that you'll be tearing your hair out. It doesn't matter if you ride or walk. That's how long it takes. On weekends it's 5 hrs. The bottlenecks are on the par 3s. If you want to play sub 4 hrs. get a tee time very early in the morning. 

[Frank F]

1 minute ago, boogielicious said:

So you think it’s OK to attack back and be rude and sanctimonious? Let the staff deal with rude posters. No need to troll them.

You're absolutely correct Sir. Moderate away!

My sincere apologies to you and the rest of the forum for my snarky commentary. 

 

[boogielicious]

1 minute ago, Frank F said:

You're absolutely correct Sir. Moderate away!

My sincere apologies to you and the rest of the forum for my snarky commentary. 

 

Thank you. A lot happens behind the scenes that you may not see with respect to moderation.

[StuM]

On 3/28/2021 at 5:07 PM, Darkfrog said:

• We all were playing ready golf
• No one playing from tees longer/harder than their ability level
• No waiting around to see who had the honor at the tee
• No stopping at the turn to order breakfast/drinks
• No excessive pre-shot routines
• Not a significant amount of time spent looking for a lost balls
• No one reading putts from 10 different vantage points

This made me think of a question, what is a reasonable amount of time to take at the turn?  I often see backups on #10 and I am guessing due to one group taking too long at the turn and the next couple skipping the turn or just being quick about it.  I frequently take clients out and getting a dog and/or beer and hitting the can at the turn is standard practice but should not take long and as long as the group ahead does not take excessive time or the group behind skip the turn totally I do not think it should cause a back up.  What is a reasonable time for "The Turn" and how does that play into the overall POP and those of you doing 3:30 rounds?

[Double Mocha Man]

Time for the turn = Zero!  In my area almost nobody eats at the turn... there are menus on the course, call ahead, order, and take your food with you.

Everybody wants to emulate the touring pros.  Well, they don't pause at the turn.  There's a whole industry of energy bars and sports drinks.  Use those.  Besides, that polish sausage dog is just gonna weigh you down and make you lethargic.  And lower your center of gravity in the golf swing...

[mcanadiens]

Just now, Double Mocha Man said:

Time for the turn = Zero!  In my area almost nobody eats at the turn... there are menus on the course, call ahead, order, and take your food with you.

 

Well. Not zero. But we are talking pit stop.

Change the fluid, tank back up and go, go, go.

Sort of like NASCAR.