Speeding Up Slow Play - Players

[Grogger31]

The thing that gets to me the most is when I'm playing with a friend who happens to play much slower than me. It's hard not to come off like you're nagging them along.

This is

exactly the boat I'm in. I've posted about him before, but I play with a buddy who is a super nice guy. He's just one of these people that doesn't let other people effect him. He's not a "f**K them" kind of guy at all. It's almost like he just is doing his thing. Here's an example. Their is a foursome that has caught up to us and as we leave the green I'll say "Hey, we should pick it up a bit". We get to the next tee and he casually writes in the scores, puts his glove on, shoots the sh*t, etc. So, I go up on the teebox with the other guys and say "Mike, you're up". Like a good ready golfer he says "Oh, if you're ready, go ahead". So we all hit. He then takes 3 practice swings behind the ball, checks out his line for 10 seconds, takes 2 more swings next to the ball, then stands over the ball for 10 seconds before hitting it 40 feet deep into the woods. We drive up to where his ball went in, notice that it didn't get a good bounce back towards the fairway so I say "No worries, just drop one from here". He says "Yeah, I guess so" ... then spends five minutes picking through the woods and comes out with 4 other balls. It's starting to drive me INSANE!!! I feel like I'm doing all I can without nagging him, but I just can't seem to get him to care.

[crazy4gawf]

1) Play from the proper tees - unless you're a single-digit index, don't play from the tips.

2) Be ready when it's your turn - use the time spent walking or while others are hitting to think about your shot and prepare as much as possible

3) Leave your clubs (or your cart) in the direction of where you need to be next; if possible, never walk backwards after hitting a shot

Anything else y'all would suggest? And what impact do you think each of these will have - which are the most important??

I totally agree especially in regards to playing from the proper tees. I know a lot of guys that could ocassionally hit 260+ yard drives but typically score in the high 90's & low 100's playing the back tees. Not only does it slow the pace down, I think the game would be more enjoyable for them if they play the proper tees. I myself prefer the white tees but I do play from the tips once in a while depending on the golf course and who I'm playing with. For the most part I do believe that if you're not a single digit, stay away from the tips. One thing I'd like to add, rangefinders do help w/ pace of play.

[jaragon126]

I agree with many, it's hard to play with slow people because they somehow get me out of my own game since I'm trying to rush myself to make up for lost time. I try to walk faster & speed up my game to try to give them the hint, but it rarely works.

Last night I was playing 9 holes after work, and 2 groups ahead of us was a 4some that were playing slow ... they were an entire hole behind the group ahead of them. As usual, they were all playing from the tips and none of them could get more than 100 yards out from the ladies tees. On about hole 7, we finally see a ranger and you're going to love what he told us: "well there's nothing I can do about the slow group now because they are almost done".

Then he proceeded to complain that he was the only ranger working the entire course that night, and he then apologized that there wasn't anything he could do to speed up play for us.

What do these guys get paid to do? If rangers made good money, I would love to be one so I could yell at people for slow play.

As mentioned before, I don't mind playing with people that play bad; just play bad FAST!

At some point I may look into joining a private course. I have heard that private courses don't usually have problems with slow play.

[MRW]

My dad and I got behind a foursome that consisted of an old man about 75, a guy about 45, and two younger guys around 25. SLOW AS CRAP! On one par 3 Grandpa was putting after everyone else had holed out, one of the younger guys was taking a wizz in the woods while the other chased ducks with one of his irons around the water hazard. The only guy playing right was the mid-aged guy sitting in his cart. When grandpa got done putting he would take about 2 minutes to walk off the green to the cart. We had to wait on every tee and the round took 4 hours and 45 minutes. The next week we played with nobody in front of us and finished in about 3 hours and 10 minutes and about 10 strokes less a piece. I don't mind waiting a bit but when people are hitting from one side of the fairway to the other only moving 20 yards towards the hole each time it's irritating not to mention getting you out of your rhythm.

[tm22721]

I have heard that private courses don't usually have problems with slow play.

My course allows you to play through but that is frequently awkward.

Slow play is corrosive.

[Big Padrigo]

I played in a competition at the weekend with a new guy. he was obvioulsy a little nervous and didn't have a great start. Bottom line was we were two holes behind the group in front after 3, ok they were a 3some we were 4, but by they finished a full hour in front of us!! Golf is a game of momentum, you hit a good shot you wanna hit another, hit a bad one you want to put it behind you as quickly as possible.....

Played last night with a friend on a course I never played before, 3 hours 20 minutes....

I think one reason some folks play slow is because that's what they've seen the pros do on tv, the reality is that pros can take a long time getting ready to hit a shot, but once they're ready they execute pretty quickly, bad amateurs tend to wait too long to execute resulting in poor shots.

[Grogger31]

Reading back in this thread, I saw this podcast .

In it, one of the guys (not sure if it is Erik or not) describes how he is in a twosome, and the twosome in front of him was a full hole behind a foursome.

Maybe my memory is fuzzy, but 20 years ago when I first started playing this game, two twosomes in a row would get put together into a foursome. Am I totally imagining that this used to happen?

[1UnderU]

Something I can't stand is when a group of people wait on the tee box for the group ahead of them to clear, when the group ahead is like 300+ yds out. Then after waiting all that time, all of them either shank, hook or slice thier shots.

Same thing happens on approach shots, if you have never hit your 3 wood 250yds off the fairway into a par 5 green you're probably not going to do it today. Just HIT.

[MRW]

My luck that would be the first time I have a 300+ drive, hit someone on the dome, kill them, get sent to prison where I have to join a gang and get shanked until parole. What are the chances though, just hit.

[Klean]

That's why I like playing by myself if I'm going to score the round. I played on Sunday and it took me 3hrs 18min. Would have been shorter, but it was a new course with 3 nine hole layouts so I got lost going to my back nine.

[RemyM]

4. If riding in a cart with someone drop off the first person then go to the other ball. After the first guy hits then you'll be ready to.
5. Play Ready Golf.
6. Once you start putting, don't stop until the ball is in the hole. Unless you drag your feet spike marks are a thing of the past, and if you're not the first group out plenty of people have already stepped on your line.
7. The first person to hole out gets the flagstick and any clubs so that you're ready to get to the next tee after the last person holes out.

Think about it, if each player in a foursome wastes just 15 seconds on each hole that's 18 minutes in the round.

[1UnderU]

I wouldn't worry about killing anyone off of a drive. Kids/people have been hit directly in the gallery by drives from the worlds best. Now if you happen to shank a drive into a group 10-20 yds in front of you, get your self a good lawyer.

[RogueGolfer]

Reading thru this thread I didnt see a mention of the marshalls. Arent they the ones that are supposed to keep pace of play and not us having to get into confrontaions with other groups.

Only time I have seen a marshall at the courses I frequent is when my nephew wanted to caddy for me one day and on 17 one drove up to see if he was playing and had paid. Never saw one on one of the many 5+ hours rounds I have had to endure.

[odstore]

6. Once you start putting, don't stop until the ball is in the hole. Unless you drag your feet spike marks are a thing of the past, and if you're not the first group out plenty of people have already stepped on your line.

The difference is that indentations from groups ahead of you generally pop back up by the time you go to putt. If I was playing with someone that was repeatedly stepping in my line to putt out there would be a problem.

[RemyM]

The difference is that indentations from groups ahead of you generally pop back up by the time you go to putt. If I was playing with someone that was repeatedly stepping in my line to putt out there would be a problem.

If someone in your group is making indentations in the green he is either severely overweight or the greens are so bad that his footprint won't matter.

[odstore]

If someone in your group is making indentations in the green he is either severely overweight or the greens are so bad that his footprint won't matter.

I disagree, when you step on grass it indents. It pops back up after a little while but if someone is stepping in your line moments before you putt it could definitely effect the way the ball rolls.

[Stacey_E]

I've got a playing partner, we'll call him Bob. He plays what I call Tarzan golf. It goes like this. Bob hit ball, Bob look for ball, Bob lose ball, Bob drop ball out....Bob hit ball, Bob look for ball....

Come on guys, keep your ball in play, use a putter if you have to.

[Treemagnet]

I hate playing when it's slow, I play so horrible. Went out last week played 18 in 3hrs 30min shot a 90. Went out today played 18 took 5hrs 20min and shot the worst score in two -three years at a 109. When it's so slow you have too much time to think about your bad shots and over think everything.