Slow Play

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

So, I played a course last week and the pace of play was atrocious. The course is generally one of the slower ones in town, but that day it was terrible.

It was the first nice sunny day after a week of rain. Of course, every golfer who had been cooped up was out that day. The good, the bad and the ugly ones. The first couple holes were okay, but from there it got worse. It seemed that we got stuck behind the most the ugly players. Players searching creeks and woods for every other shot, walking to their ball addressing it and deciding they had the wrong club and walking back to the cart 20 yards away, waiting for the green to clear and coming up 20 yards short, not playing ready golf, etc... We complained to the ranger, but they didn't seem to want to upset anyone of the slower groups ahead. It was so bad that we left early (on hole 12) after 4 and half hours on misery.

That night, I received an email from the course thanking me for my patronage and letting me know about upcoming specials. Still upset, I replied back letting them know how poor the pace of play was and that I did not plan on coming back. The next morning, I received the following from the course GM:

Thanks for the update on the slow play. It was very unfortunate that you and your partner did not finish your round. You are correct, it should not take 3 hours to finish nine holes cart path only or 90 degrees. On behalf of the staff of ___XXX Golf Course___, we have failed to provide the service we try to up hold. Please take the time to give our staff another chance to provide the service you deserve. A complimentary round for you and your partner will be available, please book your next tee time and notify__XXX__. Again thanks for the feedback and keep it in the fairway.

I couldn't believe it, what great customer service. I didn't expect anything back from an automated email and didn't expect a free round. I just wanted them to know why I wouldn't be back.

[O.B. Right]

So now you just have to ask yourself . . would you play a 6 hour round for free?

[kpaulhus]

Sounds like you have a gem. I complined once and the ranger told uss to piss off. I have not played there since.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

So now you just have to ask yourself . . would you play a 6 hour round for free?

I would. And if it sucked I'd leave again. At least you got some free golf. Or lots of time to practice juggling the ball on wedge faces in the middle of the fairway. You'll look like a God next time you do it casually during a wait on the tee box.

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

I would. And if it sucked I'd leave again. At least you got some free golf. Or lots of time to practice juggling the ball on wedge faces in the middle of the fairway. You'll look like a God next time you do it casually during a wait on the tee box.

My thoughts exactly, if the course is backed up and I face a 6+ hour round, oh well...it's free and I don't go back next time. But at least I am given the chance to try it again. Well done on the courses part.

[NormH3]

Well done as far as the courses action. They admitted the problem and fixed the customer.

[Grndslmhttr3]

So now you just have to ask yourself . . would you play a 6 hour round for free?

Well it'd be more like half-off, unless he got a full-refund AND a free round.

[DaSportsGuy]

I normally don't have a problem with slow play but the one thing that bothers me is when people who are absolutely terrible go up to their ball and take a bunch of practice swings like they are gonna hit it somewhat "well" and chunk every shot. But a six hour round is rediculous. That's over the top, no doubt.

[Dub]

Cooler heads alwasy prevail.

You handled it with grace and tact. They returned the favor.

All is well in the world....peace and harmony reign.



Go back at a better time (if one is possible) and enjoy your free round.


That is cool that they cared and tried to make it right. I've always wondered why courses that use a starter don't try to monitor pace better. It's quite easy to do. I've been out on my previous home course with our Ranger and rode with him...shooting the breeze. We zeroed in on the bottleneck in no time. All it took was a moments time and a friendly conversation and adjustments were made to everyone's benefit.

[jerrywilkin]

Do golf course pros & supers know how many rounds per year they are losing because of slow play? And if they do; are they doing anything about it. I love to golf,but 4 hours for a foursome seems actually;too long. Golfers need to be educated about how to play efficiently,not yelled at or just told by a sign on the first tee or on the cart. I was at one course that had a digital clock on the cart telling golfers where they were at according to the time & where they should be. this is good,but alot of golfers today have no idea HOW to play at the right speed,or how to operate a golf cart.I swear sometimes a golf cart slows people down instead of speeding up golf! If a ranger tlls them to speed up; they cant cause they dont know how to speed up!

[brgolf]

4 ball, 5 miles to walk in a round, carrying bags= 2 hours 5 minutes of pure walking.
An average of 88 shots each at 45 seconds each= 4.4 hours

It's clear to me that 4 hour rounds are pretty much as fast as you are ever going to get unless everyone is in a cart.

[nevets88]

125 min for 5 miles is a 25 minute mile, 2.4 mph - that's a very leisurely pace assuming a healthy, normal weight adult.

At 4 mph, you'd walk 5 miles in an hour and 15 minutes.

[brgolf]

I used to walk a mile to work and it took 20 minutes not carrying a golf bag on my back.

[design]

I walk 18 with my father and another older gentlemen 3 times a week and it rarely takes us more than 2.5 hours to complete a round of 18. This is usually with a heat index over 100 and relative humidity in the 80-90% range.

I can only once recall ever spending 4 hours to complete a round and it was playing with 3 guys who were new to the game and each took well over 100 strokes.

[CWHolland]

I think 4 hours isn't bad for a group of 4. I have played in a 4 some that finished 18 in about 3 hr 45 min. We are all fairly fast at play. We play ready golf and do not spend much more than 1-2 minutes looking for lost balls and play 18" gimmes. So we do everything possible to speed the game but there has to be some enjoyment to the game. I go out to play, I am not looking to hurry up so I can go back home right away!! It is in my opinion what slows things down so much is on the green. Letting furthest out hit first and putting everything out. Ready golf speeds things up a lot.

[Leftygolfer]

I don't think putting out takes much time if your used to it. If I had my choice I'd putt everything. If it is a foot from the hole it takes all of five seconds to go up and hole out. From 2 to 3 feet i'll mark. That isn't a gimme and if you give yourself those you aren't making a valid score and going to miss those when you aren't given them since you don't putt them.

What makes golf so slow is that people just suck. I played yesterday with two of my friends who aren't very good and it seemed to take forever and did. When it takes 4 shots to get on the green on a par four or blading a ball over the green with a chip it takes time.

But 4 hours for 4 people isn't slow. It just depends how good people are. I am not the fastest player in the world but I know my overall time is good. I mostly walk and I play with one other in around 3 and half hours. You can have your routines and not be slow. As soon as the other person hits, you are ready to go. Being fast at golf isn't about not putting out, not having any sort of preshot routine, it is about getting on with it as soon as possible.

Slow play is annoying.

[CWHolland]

I don't think putting out takes much time if your used to it. If I had my choice I'd putt everything. If it is a foot from the hole it takes all of five seconds to go up and hole out. From 2 to 3 feet i'll mark. That isn't a gimme and if you give yourself those you aren't making a valid score and going to miss those when you aren't given them since you don't putt them.

I understand what you are saying. But when the course is packed, I think if your ball lies within a putters grip or so to the cup, count the stroke and pick up. It will help speed things up. I can see putting everything out in a tournament or if you and your buddies might be playing for cash.

[brgolf]

Even if the course is packed I like to play at my pace, which is a steady pace and I think others should too. I think 15 minutes per hole for a 4 balls is the max and I prefer 12/13 minutes myself but if the 4 ball behind is playing faster than that I'm not going to start picking up putts etc. If it's a slow day noone should be too slow, but noone too fast either.