Play Faster

[Mr3Putt]

Do most of you find that the slowest players really have no idea that they are slow? Why is that the case?

It seems when I get put with a slower player(s), it screws up my game because I'm trying to make up time. If I know my group is falling behind, I get nervous when another group climbs up our backs. I absolutely speak up to the turtles in the group, but usually it falls on deaf ears.

My regular groups plays at a quick pace, we often catch up and have to wait for other groups to clear. I just don't understand why the rest of the golfing world can't keep pace. Not world record speed, just not pissing around speed.

It's like the left lane drivers who wonder why they get dirty looks from people passing on their right. Clueless, clueless, clueless...(But that's a whole 'nuther topic)

[M2R]

Do most of you find that the slowest players really have no idea that they are slow? Why is that the case?

Why would slow players ever perceive slow play as a problem when they almost never have to wait for a group in front of them. BUT in my experience when they do have to wait, sometimes they scream the loudest because it's a rude awakening for them where as for the faster players, slow play is an ever constant reality.

[Fourputt]

I have seen all kinds of slow players. I have played with high school kids that play nice a quick and have great etiquette and I have played with seniors that are slow as hell and had horrid etiquette... my point is the problem is not with any one group of people. Although I fault a senior more than a child since the child has the excuse that they are still learning while the senior should know better, or at least have the god sense to learn etiquette before they play on the course.

I sit in the starter booth and watch the kids amble down the first fairway... they are slower walkers than almost anyone else I watch. And it is epidemic with that age group. I'm not saying that they are the only slow players or that walking pace is the only reason for their slow play, but it is a huge factor for them in particular.

We're just assuming the coach doesn't know because he only plays 2-3 times a year, but this may be incorrect. If indeed he does not know, then he SHOULD have studdied up before the season, and he would be a jackass for not having done so.

I don't assume that he doesn't know, He said that he wasn't aware that 2-1/2+ hours for 9 holes was too long. And since he wasn't aware of it, he never even tried to teach proper pace of play to his students.

I think this thread is good and all... BUT none of the people that are the problem are reading it. Slow play is all about COMMON SENSE. Use just a little of the aforementioned, and you will not take over 4 hours to play a round of golf, and if you do, you will not hold up others in doing so. Simple as that.

This is the real key....

USE COMMON SENSE!!! When you can play a shot, walk to your ball, plan a shot, read the green or do anything else without it bothering another player, then do so . It doesn't get any simpler than that.

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

Just want to add fuel to the fire....


Today I tried to get in a quick 18 before the rain started. Of course, as fate would have it, I got behind 3 of the slowest 4somes. Because all of them were slow, none felt like they were the problem.

On some of the holes, I could see all 3 of playing. I am no tiger woods, and neither were any of them, but I could see that all 3 were the problem. Zigzagging down the fairway, waiting to hit as if they were going to hit it 200 yards straight down the middle only to top it, etc. Of course the marshal who was witnessing what I saw could only say there wasn't much he could do! WHAT! GET OFF YOUR ASS AND LET THEM KNOW THEY ARE BEHIND PACE OF PLAY

The worst part was at the end of 9 I actually had a good round going shooting a 41, too bad I couldn't finish to see how I could have ended. I couldn't wait another 3 hours to finish the last 9. Took a rain check and got out of there.

I will never understand courses who blatantly do give a f*ck about the pace of play. They may worry that they will lose customers by upsetting them by asking them to speed up, but I know they lost my business for good.

/RANT

[wannabe]

Check this out

cool. can't wait (ha!) to see how this turns out for them. I like the comments to that article also. My favorite:

Release the hounds !!!! Golf needs also to be more exciting, and create more pressure, so releasing dangerous animals on the course (snakes, wolves, bears, alligators), would make for a real entertaining game. Or combine with range shooting, 1 set of golfers, 1 set of gun nuts. If you're late, you're gonna get it. Hey, this may work on some other sports, the Raptors can use some energy boosting incentives too.

LOLZ

[ryohazuki222]

Today the marshall came up to me and told me to pick up the pace because I was starting to fall behind. I'd never been so happy! Yesterday I say the marshall's all out and about..... now I think they were just checking up on the pace. I'm hoping it's the start of something good! Because since Spring started the pace of play has been terrible.

(DISCLAIMER: I was in fact falling behind the pace but don't usually play slow... I hurt my shoulder/neck and took a small timeout enough for the guys behind to almost catch up.)

[schapman]

On sunday I played a municipal course here. Got stuck behind a couple groups so our round ended up being over 5 hours. Apparently that's not bad for that course but we were waiting around a lot. Another issue there is you can't see into the fairway on a bunch of holes so you want to be sure to not hit into people. Felt bad for the guys behind us because they kept catching up but when we spend 5 mins waiting on the tee for the group ahead there is nothing we can do.

[flopdarock]

courses need to stop over booking... but since the economy is in the toilet... thats not gonna happen...
so i try to get as early a tee time as possible...
if im playing poorly that day... ill either pick up or get behind a tree and let ppl play through...
if im playing well that day and someone is slow in front of me... ill skip a hole...
its hillarious when you skip a hole where there are slow players... they give you the stink eye but if you play fast enough they never catch up to you or even see you to give you a piece of their minds... ive even seen marshalls the next day tell me ppl complained that i went ahead of them... all the marshalls tell them is i had to leave the course due to an emergency... and they all know im skipping holes since ppl wont let me play through

[chipper2]

It has already been said play "ready golf."

I hate guys who watch each others shot, then go and do the same with each member of the foursome.

I hate guys fishing balls out of the pond or lake while groups are backed up behind them.

I hate Marshalls who refuse to tell slow groups to speed up.

I hate courses that over-book and then don't want to hear about slow play.

I DO LOVE GOLF.

[glbrum]

in regards to the ready golf idea, I/ the people I play with usually follow the "furthest from the hole hits first" motto. Most of the time this is fine as we usually get to our ball and play it. Not too much delay. The only time we'll break this is if someone is looking for their ball in the trees or a bad area. Then, everyone else [within reason] will hit their next shot. Usually by that time the person with the lost ball will either find their ball or have dropped and be ready to play.