IM SICK OF THIS *$#! whats ruining golf...

[zeg]

The problem is that golfers in a group play sequentially one at a time while the others wait. THAT HAS GOT TO STOP unless there is danger of hitting another golfer.

As iacas said above, the impact of this should be reduced by going through your preparation while waiting. A full minute is more than enough time for the actual immediate preshot routine and actual swing. So this shouldn't add a whole lot of time. There's quite a bit of pad between my estimate and a 4.5 hour round, too-- I assumed 105 strokes, with all of them equal. A lot of strokes will go faster than a minute, especially the 30+ putts that someone shooting that sort of score will record. So it might be tricky for four guys all shooting well over 100 to blaze below the four hour mark, but it shouldn't be taking 6 hours.

[flanagan]

The LPGA rule is an average of 30 seconds per shot, which is plenty. One minute is way too generous, and approaches the slothlike pace of PGA Tour Players, so I think your estimate is more than fair.

Anyone can easily look at their lie, get lined up and swing (even if a practice swing is required) in less than 30 seconds.

I've found that unless I'm taking a practice swing for the purpose of hitting a little different shot or getting a specific "feel", like on chips or pitches, I do just as well not even taking one with regular iron shots or my driver. Not that I'm that good, I just have begun to question the need for a practice swing, in general.

[TheNatural]

The LPGA rule is an average of 30 seconds per shot, which is plenty. One minute is way too generous, and approaches the slothlike pace of PGA Tour Players, so I think your estimate is more than fair.

I take a practice stroke on every club I hit, this is to gauge the lie and the amount of grip I am holding. It greatly reduces duffs and tops. It only takes 10 seconds though.

[iacas]

The problem is that golfers in a group play sequentially one at a time while the others wait. THAT HAS GOT TO STOP unless there is danger of hitting another golfer.

Put it this way: if every golfer in a foursome can save one minute per hole for their group, that's 72 minutes saved over 18 holes. There's your 5-hour to 4-hour reduction right there (Actually just 50 seconds works out to 60 minutes exactly).

That brings up another argument,but any way, You should walk when playing golf, it will most definatly speed up a round even with a push or pull cart.

That's not always true. Sometimes you can't walk. Sometimes the green-to-tee walks are too lengthy.

In general, people that know what they're doing in a cart should always be faster than people who walk. But the problem is, people who walk also seem to be more likely people that care about pace of play.

[pusher]

I love this thread because we've all been there. But, I think we're barking up the wrong tree. I believe it is the management's fault for not laying out the ground rules to each group before they leave the pro shop and then again by the starter and then enforcing those rules via a marshal with enough balls to move folks along. If courses did that the novices would learn and the rest of us would appreciate it. The one and only time I played Pebble the starter asked each of us for our handicap and then suggested which tee to play from. If someone wanted to play a tee further back he told them that they would be observed for a few holes and if it was determined that they should move up it would be strongly suggested.

[pjsnyc]

...The best players in the world like to get into the rhythm of a round and can't play at their best. Even Tiger Woods talked about having to re-adjust to the pace of play on the PGA Tour after his return.

I'm a little late to this thread, but slow play irks me so I'll throw in my $0.02.

I agree with iacas on the rhythm aspect. Its definitely one of those 'mental strength' things that I never could quite get over in a slow round of golf - muscles get tight, loss of feel, and (unfortunately) anger all build up hole after hole when stuck behind a slow group. I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, but its an elephant in the room that just drives me up the wall. Let us play through or just pick up your ball and go to the next tee if you've achieved snowman on the short par 3 please.

[NM Golf]

so i would like to know who decided golf was supposed to be a fast paced game. If you cannot go out and enjoy the day because you are watching the clock then stay home and be a couch potato. I played competitive golf in college and most of our rounds took anywhere from 5 to 6 hours to play 18 holes. It's the fact that we were out there playing a game and not in the classroom or at work that we liked. We would get to par 3's that were backed up with 1 group on the green and 2 on the tee.

I saw some of your scores that you shot in your tournaments, Todd. Perhaps competitive isn't the correct word to use.

I shot consecutive 68's in a tournament and played both rounds in under 4 hours. I won my club championship with a total score of (-3) on a course we had made as difficult as possible and played both rounds in 3 1/2 hours.

I now am the assistant coach at a university in ohio and I sometimes have to play as a single behind my golfers. You wanna talk about a slow round. But I take extra time going over things like the wind, the distance, the shot i'm trying to hit (may not be an option for most).

Again its not necessary to take that long to play well. All those things you talk about can be taken into consideration without lengthening the round to epic proportions. Some people say they are deliberate. To me that just means SLOW!

But anyway, like i said, if you are in a hurry to play a round of golf, you are playing the wrong sport. Enjoy it while you can and be glad you do not play in Japan where they have to wait 6 months just to get on any course!

Ridiculous argument! So because some guy in Japan can't get on the local muni I should be happy behind some joker that can't break 100 but still wants to look every putt over for 10 minutes?! Are you kidding me?

Well there are people in Africa that don't have food, maybe we shouldn't eat either. I vote you go first.

[TheNatural]

I saw some of your scores that you shot in your tournaments, Todd. Perhaps competitive isn't the correct word to use.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing!

[abris33]

I shot consecutive 68's in a tournament and played both rounds in under 4 hours. I won my club championship with a total score of (-3) on a course we had made as difficult as possible and played both rounds in 3 1/2 hours.

wow, somebody is a tad arrogant.and i don't know if those are two separate events but i know you can't shoot the same score and end up with an odd number under or over par. anyhoo i'm done w/ this thread. we all have our different playing styles and tempos and there is no use in arguing over it. no one is going to change anyone else's mind on this topic. it's like politics. and yes the guys should have let the OP play through. i'm out.

[Big_M]

wow, somebody is a tad arrogant.and i don't know if those are two separate events but i know you can't shoot the same score and end up with an odd number under or over par. anyhoo i'm done w/ this thread. we all have our different playing styles and tempos and there is no use in arguing over it. no one is going to change anyone else's mind on this topic. it's like politics. and yes the guys should have let the OP play through. i'm out.

might want to check yourself... he was referring to seperate events, one of which he shot consecutive 68's and one of which he shot -3.

1)

I numbered them for you... HTH

[abris33]

might want to check yourself... he was referring to seperate events, one of which he shot consecutive 68's and one of which he shot -3.

i kind of new what he was saying, but i wasn't sure(some people do lie about handicaps on here). now i got it though.

[Big_M]

i kind of new what he was saying, but i wasn't sure(some people do lie about handicaps on here). now i got it though.

he's a mod on this board and contributor to "The Sandtrap" ... so I doubt he was lying...

[verse214]

I don't think that the enormous amount of time that some people are claiming that it takes them to play 18 holes compared to the 2 hours it takes for others is due to slow play, I think it has more to do with where you are each from and the amount of people that are showing up on a given saturday/sunday morning to play golf.

I know that if I goto my local muni course, it will be virtually impossible to finish up the round under 5 hours if it's a nice day and tee time is anytime after 11am (yeah it sucks). But if I go out on long island to a semi private course, I can definitely finish up play under 3 hours.

It's the same thing as a traffic on a highway. There are times when there is no accident, no broken down car, and nothing obviously impeding the path, however traffic jams still develop.

It's because there are so many d*mn ppl on the golf course.

[iacas]

I don't think that the enormous amount of time that some people are claiming that it takes them to play 18 holes compared to the 2 hours it takes for others is due to slow play, I think it has more to do with where you are each from and the amount of people that are showing up on a given saturday/sunday morning to play golf.

With all due respect, I don't think that's accurate at all. Slow play is a nationwide problem, and I know some people who will take nearly five hours if they're the only foursome on the course.

Adding more people never helps, but that doesn't change the fact that a golf course filled to capacity should still be able to be played in 4:00 or 4:15.

[Bamma]

With all due respect, I don't think that's accurate at all. Slow play is a nationwide problem, and I know some people who will take nearly five hours if they're the only foursome on the course.

I agree and would take that one step further in saying that, if everyone played at the kind of pace I would like them to, then it would not really matter so much that the course is overbooked. The problem with that is that it only takes one to ruin it for everyone else.

[LNCHBOX]

With all due respect, I don't think that's accurate at all. Slow play is a nationwide problem, and I know some people who will take nearly five hours if they're the only foursome on the course.

I have to go against you on that one. The traffic analogy is very fitting for the situation verse214 described.

However, as you pointed out, there are those that are slow on their own regardless of congestion on the course. I personally don't care for them either. I played my last round on a Thursday afternoon on a pretty day. Started at 4:10 and finished at 6:40, that was taking my time. Could have been faster, but there was a slight pile up between 17 and 18.

[iacas]

I have to go against you on that one. The traffic analogy is very fitting for the situation verse214 described.

No, all that shows you is that one driver can screw things up for everyone, too. Same principle.

I once read a study where it showed convincingly that one driver breaking down and steering his car off to the side of the road was still having a dramatic effect on the traffic pattern six hours after the car had been towed away. Same on the golf course. One slow group can screw everything up, just as one bad driver or something like an accident can affect everything else, even after they're gone.

[LNCHBOX]

That's the rubber-necking effect though. I doubt that slow play is caused by a broken down golf cart on the course that everyone is slowing down to look at.

I do understand what you're syaing though. Traffic for no reason drives me crazy more so than slow play.

BTW, today it took me 3:45 to get around the course today, but I played the back 9 twice. Shot an 83 as well :)