Is slow play at your course choking the fun out of the game?

[RFetters]

IF:

You paid attention to your yardage on the way to your ball, you'd know what club to hit when you get there.

You werent talking about a myriad of other things on the way to your ball and after you get there, you'd play faster.

You actually paid attention to where your ball landed and rolled to, you would'nt need to spend so much time looking for it.

You wouldnt be looking for OP's balls after you find yours in the weeds or trees, you'd play faster.  Some players just cant resist looking for free balls.

You didn't need to mark your ball on every green.

You didn't need putt out every 6 inch putt.

You picked up after 10 shots.

You didnt use a club cover for every club.

You take practice swings that have no relationship to your actual shot.

Then:  You wouldnt play as slow.

[Doctorfro]

As I was languishing out on the course during my 2.5 hour eight hole outing (skipped a hole to pass a slow group that wouldn't let us play through)  I thought about this thread.  My wife and I decided to get in nine on a glorious weather day.  We teed off and immediately ran into a foursome of two men and two women.  That they were not very good players was not an issue.  That they were so slow was a problem.  After watching them for two holes we came upon #3 and we suddenly find ourselves behind eight people in the fairway (and rough, ha ha).  The slow foursome had come up behind four women playing.  The women let the slow foursome play through!  This took forever and then we found ourselves playing behind these women.  After we played another agonizingly slow two holes it was apparent that they were not going to let us play through.  Several groups backed up behind us.  We finally skipped the seventh hole after we finished the sixth, and they were still teeing off on seven!!  As we're going past we come upon the club pro who had gotten a call from a group behind us who complained.  As we teed off on eight, we saw the original slow foursome on the green!  We quickly caught up to them.  I told you all that to tell you this: slow play is here to stay.  It's not fun but somehow you have to find a way to remove yourself from the frustration.  My wife and I did our best to stay occupied and enjoy the day.  It is hard to get any rhythm in your game but therein lies a challenge.  I say embrace it.  Getting pissed off isn't going to make the problem go away.  When many of these people who play at a snails pace start playing, they figure out a swing to hit the ball.  Unfortunately, no one teaches them to quicken their pace and play ready golf.  The "I've paid my money and I'll take as damn well long as I want to play" attitude is a statement on our society.  It's sad really.

[mymizunosrock]

It did the other day. Groups of 5 and 6. Guys walking all over the place, standing around after they have obviously finished the hole. Very frustrating. We really need the course ranger out there on days like that.

[Inebriated]

Nope. Doesn't bother me at all, unless it's middle of summer. Then every thing bothers me.

[Dave H]

I live in a large urban area and have just come to expect slow rounds. Public courses are almost always busy and even if there is a slow group ahead of you and they let you through, you're just going to run into more groups ahead of them. I've had to adjust my expectations and not let slow play bother me, otherwise it will affect my game. I have enough issues with my game that I'm trying to work on, I don't need another distraction. When a course isn't busy and I can get a quick round in, it's a bonus to me, not the norm. My .02

[neophytea]

A lot of slow play could be prevented by the course.

What about courses who should know they are causing slow play.

1.  To save money they seldom cut the rough while keeping the fairways narrow. Too many lost balls.

2.   Small greens can be cheaper.  Causing them to place the pins close to the edge of false fronts.

3.   Causing them to place the pins on the slopes between levels on the green.

4.  Rush when cutting holes resulting in crowns around hole.

5.  Cut back on maintenance, rolling and grass cutting on the greens leaving them with varying speeds and bumpy.  Too many 3+ putt greens

6.  Cut corners concerning spray for grubs and diseases resulting in moles, disease damage, and skunk damage to fairways and greens.

7.   Sending out foursomes that have four 40 handicappers together.  When I was a 40 handicapper I should have been with no more than one other 40 handicapper.

8.  have too few employees cutting grass, resulting in having to wait for tractors to get out of the way when playing.  Also results in grass residue piles in the fairway from cutting wet grass.

9.   Send out groups too close together.  I have been sent out under 4 minutes after the group ahead of me.

10.  Cutting costs by not putting french drains in wet areas.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by neophytea

A lot of slow play could be prevented by the course.

...

If I ran a course I'd have yardages marked front, middle, and back all over the place. I once played a course where it seemed you were always a few steps from a yardage marker and it really helped. It was the most well marked course I've ever played and I remember the feature some 25 years later. The same course had pretty wide fairways and very tough-to-hit greens. Made for a challenge without a lot of looking for balls.

[lumpuckeroo]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

If I ran a course I'd have yardages marked front, middle, and back all over the place. I once played a course where it seemed you were always a few steps from a yardage marker and it really helped. It was the most well marked course I've ever played and I remember the feature some 25 years later. The same course had pretty wide fairways and very tough-to-hit greens. Made for a challenge without a lot of looking for balls.

First I would agree with neophytea that some slow play could be prevented by the course and rustyredcab I for sure agree with your assesment.  The course that is across the street from my house has a very sold yardage system that I have no idea why more courses dont incorporate.  Dead center of the fairway is a flexible, easy to see marker for 200, 150 and 100 yards.