Idea about golf courses?

[lumpuckeroo]

I agree - pace of play isn't always correlated with handicap. My wife (a 27) and I (a 25) will finish a round in 3:30 without rushing. I can finish a round by myself in 2:30. I know several lower cappers (<10) who can take forever. When we play as a foursome, a 4 hr round is getting long.

I too agree, pace of play and handicap have nothing in common. If I can get one of the first 5 to 8 tee times at my local muni I can play in 4 hours, get a 10 am tee time on Saturday and you can expect 5+ hour round. I have played that course by myself, walked, on a cool drizzly spring evening and played in 2 1/2 hours.

I can appreciate the concept, but every golfer on the course thinks that it is the group ahead of them that is playing slow. A guy I used to play with is the slowest golfer I have ever seen, but he was the first one to complain about playing slow. Slow play is more of an attitude thing then a skill thing.

[David in FL]

I agree - pace of play isn't always correlated with handicap. My wife (a 27) and I (a 25) will finish a round in 3:30 without rushing. I can finish a round by myself in 2:30. I know several lower cappers (

You and/or your wife would be welcome in my group any time!

[becksfan2185]

I wouldn't say that pace of play and handicap have NOTHING in common, but it's certainly not the only factor. Last weekend I played a muni with a husband/wife two-some who struggled to break 110, and it took us 5 1/2 hours to ride the course. And it's not as though they took 10 practice swings... it just takes longer when you can only hit the ball 50-75 yards.

That aside... the free market, capitalist society of golf takes care of the "problem" of too many bad golfers on public courses. If you want to enjoy a fast round at a nice course, be prepared to pay more for an early AM tee time or at a more exclusive course. If your first priority is price, you'll be fighting all the hacks who want the same thing - a cheap round of golf.

[Shorty]

I am assuming that the original post is a joke.
I am surprised that some people seem to be treating it seriously.
Not quite sure why a 60 year old who used to play off plus three but since having back surgery and now plays off 26 should be compelled to play on courses in poor condition with brown spots.

If the OP is serious, and I am thinking that maybe it is, then it is a staggering display of selfishnesss, stupidity and ignorance.

[Incognito]

I think its so funny that you guys complain about 4 1/2 hour rounds. I'm ecstatic if I get to finish a round in 5 hours. I think 5 1/2 is about average no matter where I go around here...

[jorruss]

I think clubs should go back to mandating that players show a valid handicap and put them on the appropriate tees. I see far too many double digit handicappers playing the tips because they "want to see the whole course." While they are seeing the whole course, they usually see all the bunkers, hazards, etc while holding up play because they can't reach half the par 4s in 2. No 10 or 12 handicapper needs to play a course at more than about 6600 yards, give or take a few hundred.

This year, and in the past, I have also see many aspiring pros or "wannabees" playing qualifiers for State AMs and US Opens and don't break 90. It's tough to be grinding to qualify for a tournament when you have to help your playing partner with ball searches and rulings all the time. These people don't often have any consideration for the good players that may actually have a chance. I can understand that we all have a bad day sometimes, but if you can't break 80 nine times out of ten from the tips of the course where the event is being held, you shouldn't be in the field.

There - I'm done venting. Well, not quite.

P.S. - I just finished playing a FL State AM Qualifier with a young guy that was on his way to shooting 94, had he not no-carded with 2 holes to play and a rain delay. I had to help him with ball searching, had to tell him where he could drop after hitting into hazards, etc. He obviously didn't have the length or the talent to play, not to mention his lack of any understanding of the basic rules of golf. He even asked me what club I hit on a par 3. I should have called him on it but didn't.

Please people, we know you want to challenge yourself, but play on the Golf Channel Tour or something, and leave the State Ams and US Opens to the big boys.

[meenman]

This whole theory of different courses is totally flawed.

My group consists of 5-6 different people (only 4 play together obviously) with handicaps ranging from 16-32.

We could quad every hole and still be waiting on the single digit handicappers in front of us. Yes they may make every green in regulation or regulation plus one but once they get to the green they are there forever. (and then add in the time they spend chasing down their clubs after throwing them 2-3 times a round)

I belong to a private club and the only time I have seen them threatened is during tournaments where the club will assess penalty strokes for slow play.

I will agree that there are some high handicappers out there that are turtles - sometimes they need to be reminded that they already used up their best shot on one of the 10 practice swings they took - but I generally only see that on public courses and usually only in the afternoon.

If you want to save money and play afternoon golf then you need to expect a 5 plus hour round. You always get what you pay for.

[ApocG10]

Im an 18, I can finish a round walking in under 3:30, if noone is in front slowing me down like there was today. I had a great pacefor 5 holes, until I got behind a bunch of old folks who drove their carts slower than they walk. It was horrid.

I still managed to break 90 for the third time in two weeks (88 this time), but I feel i might have played better if it was more fluid with less waiting.

[pjsnyc]

I think clubs should go back to mandating that players show a valid handicap and put them on the appropriate tees. I see far too many double digit handicappers playing the tips because they "want to see the whole course." While they are seeing the whole course, they usually see all the bunkers, hazards, etc while holding up play because they can't reach half the par 4s in 2. No 10 or 12 handicapper needs to play a course at more than about 6600 yards, give or take a few hundred.

Now this is more along the lines of what the OP should have said (FWIW, the OP's idea is a bad one). Even when I play Vanny (a little over 6100 yds only), I always see people hitting from the tips when clearly they shouldn't. It pains me to see the group ahead constantly topping or duffing their tee shots well behind the front tees. Sure, once or twice a round I'll look the other way - but if every single friggin tee shot goes 10 yards...ugh, I'm not gonna finish this sentence.

[billm408]

Strictly for pace of play, I'd rather play with a 20 hcpr than a scratch golfer.

But for RHPM, I think we should have different courses for people under 20 and over 55. And neither of them should be allowed on an 18 hole course on the weekends. Left handed people and women should only be able to play on weekdays from 9:00-3:00. Anyone tucking their golf shirt into their shorts should be forced to hit from the white tees. If you're wearing dark socks, then it's the red tees. If you can't spell Titleist, then you forfeit your tee time and get put on the walk-up list.

And I think we should have golf police that patrol the public courses tasering offenders and citing the pro shop fool who let them play. Fines of $100 should be mandatory for any infraction and should be matched by the course.

Eventually we'll have the place all to ourselves, Bwa ha ha!

[right handed phil mickelson]

ok ok I get that it was a bad idea. I actually was trying to put it into terms like jorruss did. But, you know how us kids are. we don't think yadda yadda yadda. It was just an idea. Billm408- halarious post. Don't think it will pass though....

[ItsAllRelative]

I like to make the earliest tee times possible, most of the slower players won't get up that early to play golf at my local courses.

[-BAMA-]

im all for the marshalls forcing people to play from the right tees...

slow play doesnt bother me though.. i just practice chipping or goof off with my buddies while i'm waiting on the guy on the green to read his putt for triple bogey....

[ApocG10]

Right Handed Phil the Golf Nazi... lol

[lumpuckeroo]

Strictly for pace of play, I'd rather play with a 20 hcpr than a scratch golfer.

And I want to be in charge.........

[right handed phil mickelson]

Right Handed Phil the Golf Nazi... lol

Haha. thats gold.