Playing through

[Brad_MB]

Alright, so today I showed up to play 9 holes at my home course by myself. No big deal. I show up to the first tee and notice there's a group ahead of me... so I wait, and wait. I hit the ball off the tea and blasted it and finished the hole. I show up to tee 2 where I caught up to the group who were on their second shots a quarter down the fairway. I sit and wait there at the tee respectfully, waiting for a wave to play through, which I never received. It got to the point where I set up the ball on the tee and made it apparent that I was ready to go, and was playing much faster than they were.

I never got waved through until the 7th hole, which was very irritating. I was very respectful throughout the entire ordeal, and never did anything out of line. Is there something that I missed or that I should have done in order to let me play through?

[cyclone98]

The common courtesy is for them to wave you through. On days where everyone is backed up, slim chance you're going to get anyone to let you play through. If it were me, and I noticed the group ahead didn't have anyone in front of them, then I'd wait until there was a hole where you can leap frog them and skip a hole.

[Forest]

I sometimes play as a single. I usually never ask to play through, and not being able to annoys me. I can't stand to skip a hole, that would bug me more.

[The Road Dog]

Playing through is usually done when the group ahed of you is still on the tee and there is no group holding them up. If they have hit and are in the FW you usually have to wait until the next tee. If there is a group ahead of them they should not invite you to play through, since that only lets you wait in front of them.

[Brad_MB]

There was no one in front of them, and as much as I didn't want to, I really really though about skipping the hole. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something.

[Brad_MB]

  The Road Dog said:

Playing through is usually done when the group ahed of you is still on the tee and there is no group holding them up. If they have hit and are in the FW you usually have to wait until the next tee. If there is a group ahead of them they should not invite you to play through, since that only lets you wait in front of them.

I actually caught up to them where they were setting up to tee off on at least 4 holes. They seemed to know what they were doing because their shots were halfway decent...

[alomar123]

Did you ask? Its not a very rude thing to do, some people just dont offer for various reasons.

[The Road Dog]

  Brad_MB said:

I actually caught up to them where they were setting up to tee off on at least 4 holes. They seemed to know what they were doing because their shots were halfway decent...

Then you were behind some inconsiderate guys, it happens.

[zeg]

If you catch them, I don't think there's anything rude about asking to play through. They should have asked you, but sometimes for whatever reason it doesn't come up. If they had been grouped by the starter and did not know each other, perhaps no one felt comfortable taking charge for the group. Depending on how long you'd been waiting, not offering to let you through is a minor to moderate etiquette violation in my book. If you asked and they refused, that elevates it to severe...

[PooN]

Sometimes on days where playing through isn't an option (groups as far as the eye can see sort of deal) I will hang around the green and practice chipping/sand/putting, or hit a couple balls on an approach shot. Sometimes you just gotta turn lemons into lemonade.

[JWL1957]

  Brad_MB said:

Alright, so today I showed up to play 9 holes at my home course by myself. No big deal. I show up to the first tee and notice there's a group ahead of me... so I wait, and wait. I hit the ball off the tea and blasted it and finished the hole. I show up to tee 2 where I caught up to the group who were on their second shots a quarter down the fairway. I sit and wait there at the tee respectfully, waiting for a wave to play through, which I never received. It got to the point where I set up the ball on the tee and made it apparent that I was ready to go, and was playing much faster than they were.

They are not automatically required to let you play through if they were keeping pace within that courses standard time of play. Single play can be slow, so you just need to keep it in mind when deciding to play alone. When I am with my normal foursome...... we always allow singles through if there is a open hole ahead of us. Its the proper thing to do.

[JWL1957]

  cyclone98 said:

The common courtesy is for them to wave you through. On days where everyone is backed up, slim chance you're going to get anyone to let you play through. If it were me, and I noticed the group ahead didn't have anyone in front of them, then I'd wait until there was a hole where you can leap frog them and skip a hole.

I do that frequently myself.

[saevel25]

Its not up to you to be waved through, its up to the group infront of you. If your purposely speeding up than you are pushing them, thats rude in its self. Just deal with it.

I've played 18 by myself behinda group of two women, having to wait on each shot, no big deal it happens.

If you really wanted to play through, try to catch them when they are on the tee and ask. If you can't then you are definetly not waiting that often, and the group in front of you is definetly keeping up pace.

[colin007]

"Hows it going guys? Do you mind if I play through?"

[zeg]

  JWL1957 said:

They are not automatically required to let you play through if they were keeping pace within that courses standard time of play.

  saevel25 said:

Its not up to you to be waved through, its up to the group infront of you. If your purposely speeding up than you are pushing them, thats rude in its self. Just deal with it.

Almost every course I've ever played (certainly every one I've ever noticed one way or the other) posts that you are required to let faster groups play through if there's open space ahead. There's no exception for being on pace; if there's open space ahead, you let the group on your heels through.

[Franksie]

My dad and i were playing the other day and there was a singleton behind and a 4 ball ahead who had no intention of letting anyone play through. The singleton came up to us on the tee and we asked if he wanted to play through or join us - he opted to make us up to a 3 ball

Was amusing as we got to the par 5 9th and the pair behind were stood waiting to hit their tee shots until we cleared the green....

[Kieran123]

Me and a buddy were playing yesterday, and caught up to a foursome ( older guys and girls, maybe 60? ) on a teebox who were not ready to tee off yet. The 2 ladies proceeded to hit 3 off the tee, we waited maybe 7 or 8 minutes before they even left the teebox, and we weren't even acknowledged....some people just shouldn't play golf.

[passintime]

My friends and I played at a local course here in WV a few weeks ago. We started off on the third hole at their request. The next group started at 5. That left a hole between us. We caught them on the 7th. By the time we got to the 12th, we were on the tee box waiting for them to finish and we could look back and see the 11th tee box. 6 carts were waiting to tee off there, a group was in the fairway (2 carts), and another group on the 11th green (4 guys). The slow group never waved us through. We asked and they got attitude and aggressive. So we just skipped a hole. We didn't catch up to another group all day long. The group that was holding everyone up was terrible, and either had a lot of drops or was playing a two or three balls apiece.