Pace of Play

[David in FL]

The worst thing about it is then

That's

exactly why they were giving them to you! If you really want to have some fun, tell them "no thanks, I need the practice". Then watch them crumble! One of my favorite golf quotes of all time, unfortunately, I don't know who to attribute it to...... "A gimme is best defined as an agreement between two golfers, neither of whom putt very well."

[RandomRaiderTTU]

I've heard several people use that phrase before and each one of them meant a different thing by it.

We stick the putter head in the hole and anything before the start of the grip can be picked up.

Typically this is about a 2 foot putt or less. Also, we don't *require* that people putt all the way out. If a guy putts one up to 5 inches, I'll just hit his ball back at him. We also don't measure every single one. If it's questionable, usually the guy will putt out, if it's easily within range, he'll pick up. We pick up WAAAYYYY more 1-14 inch putts than we do 2 footers. I'd say that whatever time we kill in the fairway when some of my buddies are hitting extra shots and looking for balls and such, we make up for on the green.

[CarlSpackler]

Not trying to be a putthead here (excuse the pun), but doesn't it take longer to measure than to putt it in?

[umpiremark]

I guess I'll qualify the 4.5 hour rounds, cause it seems that number is getting hammered here since I posted. Those of you playing under 3 hours - I'm guessing - have the course to yourselves, perhaps.

Where we golf is a city-municipal course. A range of skill and handicaps abound. The course pushes off foursomes in 8-minute increments and still we back up on a 'normal' Saturday.

What I see as affecting pace of play (where I golf) is this: two guys in a cart drive up to Bob's ball and they both get out; search for a sprinkler head and decide on a club. They both watch as Bob lines up, waggles, sets and duff's it 80 yards. They both admire the shot until it stops rolling - 78, 79, 80!!! - then both head for the cart, drive 60 yards to Jim's ball and the process repeats. On the green all three stand behind Bob as he lines up, putts, misses, marks then the process repeats one-by-one.

When we golf (9,12,14 & 14 hndcp) riding or walking we all scatter to our shots. While one is lining up and addressing, the next guy is beginning the process. Usually before guy #1's ball stops rolling, the 2nd guy has hit - or will soon. No need for 8 eyes on one ball; get ready, go. When we have a clear course or things ahead run smooth we HAVE golfed in over 3 hours - but that's rare on this muni, rare.

Last Saturday we had a 7:20 tee time. We walked off 18 at 11:55. We didn't stop at the turn and don't stop for the beer-gal, but maybe once a nine if it's hot. We shot 76,77,82 and 87.

Slow play can be a function of the place and time you play, but it's also about common sense. No need to ALL watch Bob duff it 80 yards. No need for everyone to watch Jim miss a putt. As far as 'giving' putts; they're gimme's, no brainers, finito putts. They're gonna go in, pick up - let's go. Why does it sound like that 's such a bad thing on here? Pros concede putts, watch the President, the Solhiem and Rider Cup matches.

[CarlSpackler]

You forgot to mention Bob's 5 practice swings and the rage of anger after the shot where he throws his club 20 yards and then goes to get it. His partner waits for him to retrieve said club before driving to his ball and repeating the process.

[Leftygolfer]

People just F**k around. That is it. They BS after they hit the shot, wait to get up by there ball even if it is out of line of sight. Gimme puts can be hit in. It takes no time. It doesn't matter. If I don't feel like it is a gimme, I will take 10 seconds to line up my ball, then hit it in. Putting everything doesn't matter. What matters is being ready to go and not BSing all the time. Play golf people. Socialize after the round.

[opie]

You guys are funny :D

You don't have to give puts to speed up play or even "not" play by the rules. Most of the slow people I see take 600 practice swings (for a normaly shot out of a flat lie) and then walk around their 4' straight putt like they're putting to win the Masters only miss by two holes to the left when they pull it.

These are my thoughts on the subject provided you're not in a tourney and playing a busy muni on the weekends

1. Everyone can be at their ball getting ready to hit at the same time. Don't wait in the card to drive over to your ball while someone else plays

2. If you hit a tee shot deep in the woods, it's gone. 5 minutes is too long on a busy Sunday to hunt balls

3. Do worry about order of play so much. If you arrive at the next hole first and are ready on the tee box, hit it. Don't worry about your quintuple on the last hole vs your partners triple

4. Multiple people can line up their putt at the same time on the same green. Just move out of the way when someone putts as not to affect them, when you get back to your ball you know the line just have to setup and hit it

[Ed_Bighead]

I play ready golf unless someone scored a par or under, in that case he/she tees off first. We generally putt everything out, but ocassionally I'll play with someone who will pick up if it's their third putt and they're close.

[iacas]

Time to link to this again, huh?

http://thesandtrap.com/site_news/slo...week_2k7_recap

[Eeryck]

Here's an interesting article in today's Milwaukee Journal. My question revolves around

Kevin and I were discussing this during my playing lesson the other day. I am very excited about what Oakwood is doing here and I hope that the rest of the county courses follow suit and put up a pace of play day or several pace of play days.

It would be nice to be able to finish at Oakwood in under 4-hours and six minutes that they have set as the guideline in the article. I normally go off at 6 or 6:30 on the weekends on the county courses and I can finish in 3.5 hours at that time with a 4-some, but I have had a few weekends where I requested to play through a group or two in route that appeared to be on pace for a 4.5-5 hour round with an early tee time. Regards, -E I could not imagine going off a county course at 9am-noon, with the current 5-5.5 hour rounds.

[imtomtomim]

Yeah, you must be quick inbetween the shots. My shot routine doesn't really talke longer than a minute and a half. That's if I back away. I'm quick on finding yardages, I read the shots as I'm approaching them, and I take out and put away my clubs when my bag is on my shoulders. Slow play kills a fun day.

[Lefty22]

Here's an interesting article in today's

I usually take between 45-50 strokes on 9 and I putt EVERYTHING out - I finish nine in 1:15-1:30 which I think is as fast as someone wants to play Golf.

In my opinion the only way giving a putt saves time is if it would have missed (requiring a comeback putt) - in which case you're really giving stokes as well...

If a guy putts one up to 5 inches, I'll just hit his ball back at him.

This ****ing pisses me off worse than anything else in golf - leave my ****ing ball alone when it's in play (not directed RandomRaiderTTU but anyone I ever play with). Unless it's someone you play with often I'd let them play their game or you may end up in a rather unpleasant conversation regarding etiquette.

I've had strangers I'm paired with do this and I have broken the pairing and told them to go on.

[CarlSpackler]

This ****ing pisses me off worse than anything else in golf - leave my ****ing ball alone when it's in play (not directed RandomRaiderTTU but anyone I ever play with). Unless it's someone you play with often I'd let them play their game or you may end up in a rather unpleasant conversation regarding etiquette.

I know. I usually let strangers that I get paired up with know that I plan to hole everything so they don't even tell me that it's good. If they tell me "That's good." after that, I interpret it as a compliment instead of a directive to pick up.

[RandomRaiderTTU]

I usually take between 45-50 strokes on 9 and I putt EVERYTHING out - I finish nine in 1:15-1:30 which I think is as fast as someone wants to play Golf.

Oh, no, I understand completely. I wouldn't dare do that with someone I didn't play with regularly. I don't know if I'd be pissed off if someone did that with me regarding a 5-inch putt, but I have on occasion gotten mad playing in a group of people I didn't know where the guy hit my ball back to me when I had about a 2.5-3 foot putt left. I didn't get angry to the point of breaking away from the group, but I did tell the guy to let me putt them out from that range.

[Leftygolfer]

I usually take between 45-50 strokes on 9 and I putt EVERYTHING out - I finish nine in 1:15-1:30 which I think is as fast as someone wants to play Golf.

Nice post. I agree. I don't want others giving me anything unless I am in a match against them. Then I will take whatever I can get. But I usually play for fun so I want to putt it out.

[CarlSpackler]

I've had people foot wedge my ball for me too. Grrrr. My dad did that to me a few weeks back when I played with him. I scored it as an unplayable.

I digress.

[case31]

what irks me (this happened yesterday when I was playing) are the guys in front of you who wait for the group in front of them to get all the way to the green on a 400 yard hole. yes, all the way to the green. once they even waited until they finished the hole! and these are par 4s and 5s.

That's what I call "Hero Golf"...a guy hits his longest club (presumably his driver) from a perfect spot (tee station with his ball on a tee) about 170 yards into deep rough on a par 5. He then feels the need to wait for the group ahead to putt out because he

might get there in two. I've been paired with this type of player quite a few times, and it's annoying as anything. They almost always try to bait you into playing the way they do: go for everything, all power, no finesse, poor decision-making.

[Lefty22]

They almost always try to bait you into playing the way they do: go for everything, all power, no finesse, poor decision-making.

It's not just power hitters that do this - I've played with people who have hit their driver 200-240 all day and then wait for their second shot 250 out, uphill on a par 4 with a comment like "if I really catch it there could be a chance" -

NO there's not - you've hit the longest thing in your bag off a tee all day and haven't done it. I realize that right now I don't have anything in my bag that carries over 210 from the fairway (a bit sad, I know) - that probably speeds things along as much as anything else... Where others are hitting their "hero" approach shot (I do quite like that term for their game) that's sure to be 20 yards short, I'm hitting my 20 yard pitch shot to (try and) get up and down. The difference being someone can tee off while I'm pitching but not when Mr. Hero is taking his 250 yard approach 125 out from the tee...