Slow Play

[Leftygolfer]

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.

Hopefully I am playing for dollars, alway fun. It really doesn't matter in terms of pace. You need (or at least I need) to be a great confident 2-3 foot putter. I'd like to play competitively in the next few years and you can't throw away these strokes. I am super confident from 3 feet since I putt out and not just casually and I practice those putts quite a bit. That is the most important shot in golf (it is a real tose up between that and the tee shot). I can make par from a bad tee shot, I can't when I just missed my 3 foot par putt.

[Paradox]

a 4some will play a 4 hour round if they are taking 13 minutes per hole...thats a good pace.

I see the whole problem lying in the fact that some people think a round of golf should be played as fast as possible while others think it should be an "experience". A lot of times I'll see a faster group on a course trying to run up the backs of another group(i'm guilty myself) even when there is nowhere to go and no one pushing the faster group. It doesn't seem to always cross their minds that "hey, if we just slow our own pace down for a bit, we won't be waiting at every shot"

I don't find it that hard to accept that a round of golf with a group is gonna take 4 hours to play..its not as if I'm dying to get off the golf course and I don't see anyone taking pride in being able to play as fast as possible.

[meenman]

My personal opinion is that too many people are in a rush once they go out and play. I wont go out if I have somewhere else to be.

At my home course you are guaranteed a 4:00 to 4:15 round if you play on weekend mornings.(it feels slow but we know what we are getting into) Tee times are 7:30 to 9:22 on the front and back nine so if you finish up in less than 2 hours on the front, you are just waiting to start your back nine anyway.

On public courses the real issue I see with slow play is at whatever time the price drops. I have teed off at 1pm and played a 3.5 hour round with a foursome. But it is hilarious to see the line at the first tee coming around the turn since the price dropped $5/golfer at 3pm. There is not a prayer of those guys finishing in daylight.

[Radford Wooly]

I think 4 hours is pretty good. If a faster group comes up behind you, let them pass! As long as you're not holding any body up, play at your own pace. Be respectful to others!!

[saevel25]

18 holes, 4 hours, is pretty average.

Me and my dad, who both play ready golf, meaning we decide what we want to hit while others are hitting so we are ready go hit when its our turn. Though its a bit different with putting, i have no issues with someone taking there time putting. We were a twosome, and had carts, we could finish a round in 3 hours, thats about as fast as we can go, add in two more guy, we are looking at 3.5 hours. So really 4 hours is pretty good. If you take 3.5 hours per group, your only getting an extra 3-4 groups out there per day if they hold to 4 hours. Which wont happen.

I mention this before, i think people play to fast, or play golf in a hurry. I rather enjoy the round than be pissed its moving to slow. If your concentrating on how fast the round is going your definitely not concentrating on your round or enjoying the game.

[Fourputt]

Most places I've played, 18 holes for 4 players in 4 hours is a very good pace. Certainly it can be done faster, but why would you want to? Golf isn't a race, it's a game of skill.

I putt out every hole. That takes very little extra time... especially of you use continuous putting instead of always marking. The rules do NOT require you to mark if someone else is away. In fact they specifically state that you may play instead of marking as long as it doesn't affect anyone else's next shot. From Rule 22-1 and 22-2:

In stroke play, a player required to lift his ball may play first rather than lift the ball.

So just finish out if you don't have to step on someone's line to do so. It takes about 2 seconds to line up and tap in the typical 2 footer... about as long as it takes to mark.

Slow play is caused most times by players not knowing how to play efficiently, or sometimes by players simply not caring that they are holding up the course. There are people in every walk of life who take the "me first" attitude and really don't give a rat's ass who they piss off, and golf is no exception. These are the players who heap abuse on the rangers when they are asked to pick the pace, who won't let anyone play through, and generally play as if they are the only people on the course. We have actually had to send the head pro out to deal with such groups, and on some occasions have actually removed them from the course. I agree with the OP's contention that lack of education is the primary reason for slow play. I watch the group in front of me all the time... players get to their balls, then just stand around waiting for the other guy who's 2 yards farther away to hit before they even start to think about what they are going to do. When I get near my ball, I'm already planning. I'm thinking about the wind, and any slope even before I get there, then I either estimate or measure the distance, pull a club, and I either start my routine, or I'm ready to do so as soon as it's feasible (waiting either for the target area to clear or for my mate to hit who was ready even faster than I was). Done properly all 4 players can get their shots away in a total time of about 30 seconds or less without hurrying. You don't have to stand there and watch your buddy's shot come to a rest before you start your routine. Sometimes its just as simple as that to keep a good pace.... just be ready to go when it's time to play.

[eaglecc]

What makes golf so slow is that people just suck.

That about sums it up right there.

[PaddyHarrington]

I can't understand how people get so agitated about spending 4 hours on a golf course.
I just love being out there playing, if I'm not on the golf course it means I'm working or suffering from a hangover!
Remember a bad day on the Golf course is better than a good day at work!
People need to relax and just enjoy being out there playing.

[JWL1957]

4 hours is about the norm around here. The Navy courses tend to back up on weekends, but not too bad.

[Didge1264]

"I think if your ball lies within a putters grip or so to the cup, count the stroke and pick up."

Unfortunatley you can't do that in our weekly club comp- probably explains our 4.30min rounds.........

[chilly]

My personal opinion is 4hrs is fine, I play most rounds in 3:30-3:45 walking and that's pretty quick from what I've seen.

Most of the slow play issue I see is people in carts not understanding, or not caring, about common sense play. They drive over to a ball, the person lollygags around hitting their ball, then they drive to the next ball and that guy then has to nonchalantly pick his club, practice swing, then go. First of all, unless it's a LONG way, second guy should get out of the cart and walk to his ball....or the guy should drop him off so he can go ahead and hit and the other guy can pick him up on the way. Secondly, if he doesn't do that, he should at least grab a club out of his bag when they stop at the first ball. If it's the right club, he saved time, if it turns out to be wrong, he was going to the bag anyway so no big deal. Then after the shot you'll see people stare at it for 10seconds, talk to their buddy, then make some swing adjustment half swing after the fact...it drives me nuts.

Don't know if it's ignorance or what, but it is an issue. This weekend a friend hit a practice putt when there were people waiting on a Par3 behind us...immediately gave him the heads up that it wasn't the time for it.

[ERdiesel]

Played Van Cortlandt Park golf course in NYC for the first time only because it is "advertised" as the oldest public course in the US (felt I had to play it at least once). The round took an effing 6.5 hours!!! At hour 3, we were only on the 8th hole. It was beyond ridiculous. The foursome in front of us were drunk (cart girl said they bought 30 beers!!!), one guy couldn't even tee the ball, he was falling over. However, that's not why the round was slow, they had a group in front of them that was slow (had a walker with them), we would be 3 groups queued up at par 3's...........problem is there are long sections of the course in between some holes, and since they charge a lot of money extra for golf carts, i saw a lot of walkers. Add to that, they send groups out 4 minutes apart, and you have a recipe for slow slow slow play. Needless to say I won't ever be going back to that course again.

[BostonSully]

Recently went to a local 9hole Par 4. Nobody infront of us on the first hole so we tee'd it and played it pretty quick. Got to the second hole and lo' and behold there is a group of 6! 4 Kids under age 10 and 2 women in their 40-50's. Now the women were typical croket' players I dont think I saw one ball go in the air(they also took about 1,000,000 practice swings every time) and the kids were well kids. But the women had each kid play each and every of their own balls.

So now I am sitting on the 2nd tee for close to 20+ Mins and I still cant hit because they are still about only 200 yards out. Having a grand time it looked like. With no other Tee around I waited until they were done and off the green 30ish minutes it took. I par'd the hole so did my friend and they were still on the next tee by the time we were done. With the kids running around hitting there balls about 6ft each time and the women not much better I said "You know this is what the driving range is for"..

That was not recieved well and I was called an A* Hole and she knew the starter and dont insult my kids blah blah. It took them 1hour to play 2 holes and I was the a* Hole go figure...

[nevets88]

Played Van Cortlandt Park golf course in NYC for the first time only because it is "advertised" as the oldest public course in the US (felt I had to play it at least once). The round took an effing 6.5 hours!!!

I'll do you one better. I played a 7 hour round there or Pelham, I can't remember. Why I didn't I just walk off, I forget.

[ERdiesel]

I'll do you one better. I played a 7 hour round there or Pelham, I can't remember. Why I didn't I just walk off, I forget.

Yeah, i was told to "prepare" myself for a slow round since that's what NYC muni courses have a reputation for, but having never played a NYC muni before, in my mind I was thinking "slow" as in 5 hour round. But 6.5 hours in 100 degree temps? I'm with you, I don't know why I didn't just walk off...................

[sean_miller]

I can't understand how people get so agitated about spending 4 hours on a golf course.

It seems to be the people who play most of the rounds as singles or in twosomes that are the most agitated. I get slow play. I expect it, and do what I can to not be a contributer.

I played with 3 high handicappers yesterday morning. Only one guy was really slow, but it caused our group to take 5 hours. I've walked that course as a twosome in about 3 hours no problem. I started conceding putts from 5 feet to get him off the green. On another hole he hit 3 balls in the woods then dropped 50 yards up (past the little gorge) then when he putte in (for a 10) he shouts, "saved a 7!". He was simply clueless. He was quite strange actually, going out of his way to step on people's line, stand in their peripheral vision, and general move or fidget just as people were about to hit. On the back nine I was mentioning how the lady (other side of the fairway) was unseccessfully trying to use her hybrid from the rough - again. I said it would be easier for her to hit a mid iron out to the fairway and at least make some forward progress. I added that I've never seen a mid or high handicapper successfully use a hybrid or a 3-wood from the deep rough. He says, "Really? I guess I'll have to show you again (he hadn't hit a good one all day) when I get up there. And mine are actually 'Rescue clubs'." All three of them flubbed their way toward the green, hitting shot after shot from the rough (at least 4 more shots each) with those miracle clubs. They sure showed me!?! And it only took us 20 minutes to play that hole. My contribution? Drive into lateral hazard, dropped all the way back to the fairway, 3 iron to ~ 20 yards , up and down for par. My top 4 play faster tips for that group? 1.) Keep the ball in play. 2.) Take your lumps and get the ball back in play. 2.) Keep moving - not every shot needs an audience. 4.) Shut up already - taking and making phone calls mid-hole - what the . . . ?

[bplewis24]

That about sums it up right there.

I agree that stinking a hole up in general will make for a longer time playing that hole, but I disagree that slow play is all about sucky play. I had a discussion about this yesterday during my round. The people in front of us were slow, but they weren't horrible except for the first 4-5 holes. They just took their damn time with everything. They would stop the cart girl every time she passed to get drinks, spend time talking at their carts on the side of the green, spend time talking on the tee box while the fairway was clear, and (my personal favorite) every guy had to follow each other guy to their ball to hit.

Mind you, it was a threesome in 2 carts. But none of the guys would get out of the cart and go to their respective balls to be ready to hit as soon as the next guy was done. Instead, every guy would stop at every other guy's ball to wait for them to hit, then go to the next ball as a group (even if it was on the completely opposite side of the fairway). You slow up play not just by being bad, but also just by being clueless or stupid.

On another hole he hit 3 balls in the woods then dropped 50 yards up (past the little gorge) then when he putte in (for a 10) he shouts, "saved a 7!".

Priceless.

Brandon

[jetsknicks1]

Played Juliette Falls on Saturday, it's a very nice course that usually costs between $70.00/$100.00 bucks. They ran a $35.00 special and it took us 5 1/2 hours to play. I never found out whether the cause was one group somewhere ahead of us or that the course overbooked to bring in more money but having 3 groups on a par 3 was the standard. Very frustrating.