How to Cope With Slow Play?

[mchepp]

I agree with many of the comments from folks here. This is more a mental thing. I have played good rounds and bad rounds while playing slow. I find it is nice to have a good friend to play the round with to be able to talk with. Makes the time go by faster.

To the questions about where to go, for me it is family stuff. Leaving my wife with the kid for 6-7 hours does not lend itself to the happy wife happy life theory. The faster I can get home, the less stress/frustration I will face.

[Sandy Lie]

Well it’s starting to be “slow play season” at Pinehurst!  We’ve been spoiled the last 3-4 months but as Resort play picks up and our SnowBird players return the rounds are getting longer. The shorter courses still can be played under 4 hours, usually 3 1/2 hours or so.  But playing Courses 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 are seeing 4 1/2 hours plus now. And it isn’t even hot down here yet!

I played #4 this morning, 2nd group at 8:10.  1st group was a Resort Group and watching them tee off on the 1st hole was a big Indicator we were in for a long day.  Don’t get me wrong, I get it that Resort Guests are what keeps our dues down ( even though they have gone up every year the past 5 years I’ve been here).

By the 6th hole I lost interest. Standing around doesn’t do my back any good and I’m starting to hit poor shots. I’m four over already, and todays 22MPH winds were not helping anyone.  After we finished the 7th, I told the other three guys I was jumping to the 10th tee box.  Off I went, played the back in just over an hour. When I was on the 12th tee box the group I was with was standing on the 9th tee waiting again.  Anyway, shot 40/38.  But can’t post as as I was by myself. I finished at 11:00 but that was due to skipping holes 8 and 9.

Tomorrow’s another day!

[StuM]

49 minutes ago, Sandy Lie said:

played #4 this morning, 2nd group at 8:10.

Would it not have been easy to just ask to play through since no group ahead of them?  I understand skipping a hole, but why should I/You be forced to miss a hole because of them?

[Sandy Lie]

It was more me than the other three in my group.  They seemed to be content with the pace of play.

[DFW75]

On 2/9/2022 at 6:00 AM, jsgolfer said:

Our course changed from 8 minute tee times to 10 minute tee time intervals, a little more than a year ago, and it has definitely improved pace of play.  But the pandemic has indeed brought more people to the course (we now have a waiting list) and there are lots of new golfers.

I know that our Board has looked at having all new players, go out with one of our pros so that they can explain proper etiquette, but for some reason it never gets very far.  

We have a ranger that goes around, but he is always reluctant to say anything to Members, not sure why he's there. 

One of the issues we have, is our course sets a 4 hour and 15 minute 18 hole round play time, which is fine.  But we have a couple of groups that use every minute of that.  They will be 1-2 holes behind the group in front of them, but they are on pace for the 4 hour and 15 minute round.  To me you're behind (regardless of the pace), if you fall that far behind the group in front of you, unless you're a foursome and they have twosomes out ahead of you.

And a 4 hour and 15 minute round is slow to me, but I've been known to play fast at times.  

I might disagree with this. 

If there is a pace of play set - and the group is keeping up with that - than it's hard to complain with regard to the players. They may be taking their game a little more serious than the group ahead of them. The group ahead of them may be playing fast - rushing their shots - picking up - etc... 

If the pace of play set by the course is too long - that's a complaint to the course IMO. 

[WillieT]

Have been stuck behind gents who would look at us and still not wave us through.  Made for slow play.  Worst case was last week when I was going solo at a local course.  Played at a good clip on the front, make the turn and it is stacked to high heaven for teeing on one.  I tee off on ten and as I get set to make my approach a trio show up on the tee.  I knew that it was a pair that had been behind me and I recalled seeing them standing to wait on the one tee when I made the turn.  I think they opted to jump on the back nine hot on my six.  I wave them through as they seemed to be in a hurry.  Funny thing is they caught the walkers that were ahead of me by two holes on 13.  We all crawled along to finish the back.  Last I saw them, they were still waiting to tee on one as they were now behind another group.    This same course had its marshal accuse my son, grandson and I of slow play when the course had stacked up this summer.  Funny thing was that we had been waiting on the side to side golf quartet that was ahead of us. 

Does slow play affect my game?  I don't think so, I may get distracted but to be honest if it is a bad day of ball striking or a good one, for me it does not seem to matter how long I wait or don't....the score is going to be what it will be. 

The courses I tend to play seem to be settled on 8-10 minute windows.  If I am hitting straight, it works out.  To get around slow play, I love to get out ahead of the regulars or even better get out about 30 mins after they have all had their scramble start.  

[ChetlovesMer]

On 2/11/2022 at 1:54 PM, mchepp said:

To the questions about where to go, for me it is family stuff. Leaving my wife with the kid for 6-7 hours does not lend itself to the happy wife happy life theory. The faster I can get home, the less stress/frustration I will face.

I think many of us deal with this on some level. Especially those of us with young kids. 

When I get back, if the kids behaved well, my wife will be like "You could have stayed loner. The kids and I were having fun." IF the kids were behaving not-so-well, then it's like "I can't believe you were out playing golf and left me hear with these monsters!!" 

[Sandy Divot]

I played a really good course last week, and it took 5 hours on a Thursday. It was not a course that gets tourist play. We were behind two groups, and the first group had nobody slowing them down. I played pretty good on the front, and just kind of lost interest on the back. Slow play is the most difficult thing for me to deal with on the course. I really need to do a better job of adjusting, and not letting it affect my game.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, Sandy Divot said:

I really need to do a better job of adjusting, and not letting it affect my game.

Pretend that you are in a PGA Tour tournament.  And that Jordan Spieth, Rory Sabbatini, Ben Crane and J.B. Holmes are playing in front of you.

[Bucki1968]

I have discovered over the past few weeks that when it comes to slow play, I'm actually dealing better with it when the round begins with slow play and it's that pace the remainder of the way. What really screws up my game is when we fly through the first 4,6,8 holes and then hit the wall. I usually lose my tempo and my game goes the wrong way. I am currently trying figure out how to deal with that.  There really is no way around slow play in the Tampa area. It is literally slow everywhere, from the country clubs to the public golf courses. This time of year, 4 1/2 hours is the norm and 5 hours is pretty likely. It sucks. Just have to keep hoping for some good weather up north to get them all out of here.

[dennyjones]

3 hours ago, Bucki1968 said:

Just have to keep hoping for some good weather up north to get them all out of here.

Ha Ha

[wakefield724]

There are definitely some courses cashing in on the popularity and overbooking causing terribly slow pace of play. Ive waited over 20 minutes at times between holes waiting to tee off. I know I’m the minority but I’d rather just not even play in those conditions and I will just leave mid round and never return to that course again. 

[Sandy Lie]

11 minutes ago, wakefield724 said:

There are definitely some courses cashing in on the popularity and overbooking causing terribly slow pace of play. Ive waited over 20 minutes at times between holes waiting to tee off. I know I’m the minority but I’d rather just not even play in those conditions and I will just leave mid round and never return to that course again. 

Tee off earlier?  I make it a point to not tee off after 8:30 at most. More than that it’s almost guaranteed to be 4.5 hrs or more.

[mohearn]

3 hours ago, wakefield724 said:

nd I will just leave mid round and never return to that course again. 

There's 2 courses near me I basically just don't play because it's so slow.  But honestly, they're packed, so people must not care enough to play elsewhere.  Unless people opt out of courses that promote slow play, it won't change.  Wonder if most folks would pay more for faster and more predicable rounds. Maybe.

[Bucki1968]

11 hours ago, mohearn said:

There's 2 courses near me I basically just don't play because it's so slow.  But honestly, they're packed, so people must not care enough to play elsewhere.  Unless people opt out of courses that promote slow play, it won't change.  Wonder if most folks would pay more for faster and more predicable rounds. Maybe.

I (wife and I) actually joined a private club(s) and are paying more for faster rounds. However, even at the private clubs, it's still pretty slow. We are fortunate (on our home course) to get around in four hours. It usually takes longer. Two other courses we are members at, have 36 and 27 holes so we get around those quicker. 

[imsys0042]

Public or private, it just gets slow on a lot of courses.  I used to belong to a private course and playing a second round in the afternoon was at least an hour more.   Mainly because people who didn't take it as seriously would play, in addition to normal delays because random groups hold things up and that adds time over the day.

I've actually brought books and crossword puzzles out with me and that helps.   The main problem is that you have zero rhythm and I never play as well.   My current place is a public course with a membership option for cart-fee only rounds and you get 10 days to book, so the morning slots go to the members and then the general public in the afternoon.   Lots of times I see the "I play once a year when I visit my family" crowd teeing off when I leave and am quite happy to be playing earlier.

[mohearn]

1 hour ago, imsys0042 said:

a public course with a membership option for cart-fee only rounds and you get 10 days to book, so the morning slots go to the members and then the general public in the afternoon.   

That sounds like  place near me, (Beekman).  I'm able to play during the week, so I can work round things.  I avoid weekend rounds, both pricier and more crowded.  The New York State parks courses (think Bethpage without the greenskeepers budget) are good value and during the weekdays pretty wide open.

2 hours ago, Bucki1968 said:

I (wife and I) actually joined a private club(s) and are paying more for faster rounds. 

I considered that. Most near me have gone semi-private trying to survive I guess.  I'm in a part of the country where private golf gets pricey fast (near NY city), so I stick to the  daily fees.

[Sandy Lie]

I rarely do this but today on Pinehurst #4 was probably a top 3 in my slow play experiences.  Tee time was at 8:30.  1st tee time at 7:30.  First 3 tee times were Resort, and starting at 8:00 it was Members.  10 minute spacing between times. We go at 8:30 and as we got to our 2nd shots the first green is clear so that’s good.  As we arrived (walking) at the 2nd tee we see this, players on the green, players in the fairway and we’re on the tee box.  Ok sometimes it can bunch up on the par 5 relative to the 1st hole being an easy hole.

But those thoughts came crashing down on the 3rd hole and that’s how the day went, 3 groups a hole.  It went that way through the first six holes for me.  So, once again it was decision time. I asked if anyone wanted to jump to the 13th hole.  I was the only one who did and played the rest of the way in.  At the 6th hole we had been playing for 1hr 50min.  Definitely a 5 hour pace was more than likely.  I did look back and saw that the others from my group only lasted one more hole and jumped from hole 7 to 12.

So I played 6 holes a side.

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Sandy Lie