Can you play a round of golf with 5 people?

[Kapanda]

Asked the club, fivesomes not allowed.

Think I'll try to arrange for two threesomes

[Yukari]

I don't play Foothills.  I usually play Fox Hollow, Fossil Trace, BearDance, Legacy Ridge, Murphy Creek, Heritage at Westmore, and Westwoods.

BTW, I thought I read somewhere that you were moving to Bermuda???

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Foothills allows it under certain conditions.  All players must be riding (5 players, 3 carts, 2 - 2 - 1) and the group commits to keeping pace or they will be split up.  I've played fivesomes in under 4 hours, playing 100% by the rules of golf.  It's not rocket science, but there are many who would debate the point.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yukari

I don't play Foothills.  I usually play Fox Hollow, Fossil Trace, BearDance, Legacy Ridge, Murphy Creek, Heritage at Westmore, and Westwoods.

Fivesomes aren't common at Foothills.  Most often on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings when some of the regulars play in large groups of up to 13 or 14 players, they will go out with one or two groups of 5.  They all play fast and all ride.  They don't hold anyone up... in fact they are usually the ones who are waiting.

Quote:

BTW, I thought I read somewhere that you were moving to Bermuda???

Look at my location under my avatar.

[zipazoid]

No. You must kill one person.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Kapanda

Asked the club, fivesomes not allowed.

Think I'll try to arrange for two threesomes

What course is it?  Typically only private clubs will allow groups of five.  And only when there aren't many people out.

[Kapanda]

Old Soldiers' Home course, up in Rock Creek Church Road.

It is private, but hey... it's a small place and I'm pretty sure the guy who manages it (who also happens to be the resident golf pro) gets annoyed by my constant pestering for swing tips!.

[Jimdangles]

I think the larger the group the faster walking becomes. That being said 5somes are way too common in so cal. Id much rather clubs not allow them.

[meenman]

I would never recommend play in a fivesome unless all of the golfers hit 90% of their fairways.

One course allowed us to one Sunday morning and it was horrendous. If you were the first guy to tee off, no one would remember where your ball went.

Luckily one of the guys was having such a bad round that he left after 5 holes. Nice guy, but I was glad to see someone go home.

[zipazoid]

Heh, I remember back in the early 90s I was living in Lake Worth, FL & every Thursday afternoon I would play a skins game at a local executive course. I knew the Superintendent. The course didn't get a lot of play, and in the afternoons it was pretty desolate. The course is surrounded by a bunch of condos.

Anyway, we would get anywhere from 6 to 9 guys playing, and we would all play together in one group. Talk about a cluster-f! But it was kinda cool since it was, as I said, an executive course. Lots of par-3's, so if you didn't hit your shot on the green, just pick up cuz someone usually had a birdie putt. So we'd start the hole with a ninesome but finish it with like 3 guys still playing.

And the folks in the condos would come out & watch us play from their balconies - we'd get golf claps for putts holed and so on. Was a lot of fun.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Look at it like this.  If you were in a two or three player group, wouldn't you rather follow a 2 small groups than one large one?  Two players will clear the fairway and clear the green noticeably faster than 5 players.  And I'm talking about real golf, not just an 8 man free for all like mentioned above.  It's a matter of taking turns.  With a twosome following a twosome and a threesome, the last group only has to wait at most for the third player to finish before they clear the green.  If those two front groups were  playing as a fivesome, then you have to wait for two more players to putt out.  It's going to make your round drag.  And too, most fivesomes I've ever seen don't play in anywhere near 4 hours - more like 5 to 5.5 hours even when all are riding.   If they are all walking it's even slower. (Walkers don't start - I worked for 5 years as a starter and I've played for 40 years - I know what I'm talking about) You need a group of aware players who are used to playing together in such a group to even come close.   Ready golf and continuous putting are a necessity.  I've followed too many threesomes and foursomes who fail to comprehend those concepts.

This post pretty much sums up my thoughts.  5-somes is one thing that will really annoy me if I see them in front of me on a tee box.  If they played fast, I'm sure I'd stop worrying about it.  But I've never played behind a fast 5-some before.  In general, a lot of foursomes are made of up people who are slow and/or don't play ready golf, so 5 players on average will be the same way, plus an additional person.

Brandon

[richman]

I play every Sunday with four other guys. We like to play together but are not allowed to play as a fivesome. We have managed to compromise our game that the club allows us to go round together. We play as a foursome and the worst score drops out and the spare player tees up at the next. In the event of ties we draw lots to see who drops out, just like we do at the beginning to see who drops out. None of us have ever been able to compete in all 18 holes but we do have a hoot with this system of play.

[Cgjohnst]

I almost exclusively play the course at the Air Force base I'm stationed at and they just started allowing 5-somes. The only rule is that you have to finish 18 within 4 hours regardless of the group size.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by richman

I play every Sunday with four other guys. We like to play together but are not allowed to play as a fivesome. We have managed to compromise our game that the club allows us to go round together. We play as a foursome and the worst score drops out and the spare player tees up at the next. In the event of ties we draw lots to see who drops out, just like we do at the beginning to see who drops out. None of us have ever been able to compete in all 18 holes but we do have a hoot with this system of play.

I must be very old school because that sounds strange.

[Jimdangles]

Originally Posted by richman

I play every Sunday with four other guys. We like to play together but are not allowed to play as a fivesome. We have managed to compromise our game that the club allows us to go round together. We play as a foursome and the worst score drops out and the spare player tees up at the next. In the event of ties we draw lots to see who drops out, just like we do at the beginning to see who drops out. None of us have ever been able to compete in all 18 holes but we do have a hoot with this system of play.

That sounds pretty fun but also sounds like it could be bothersome. If you keep only getting to play 9 or if everybody ties for par and you still get dropped. It would be hard to tell how well you really shot. But it does sound kind of fun otherwise. adds a new competitiveness to the game.

[dsc123]

I'm surprised that this is allowed anywhere.  I've seen two groups merge in front of me, and I'd say its pretty frustrating to be standing on the tee box of a par three, waiting for 5 guys to lineup their putts.

[richman]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I must be very old school because that sounds strange.

Probably because you don't have 4 buddies. LOL

Originally Posted by Jimdangles

That sounds pretty fun but also sounds like it could be bothersome. If you keep only getting to play 9 or if everybody ties for par and you still get dropped. It would be hard to tell how well you really shot. But it does sound kind of fun otherwise. adds a new competitiveness to the game.

Its kinda swings and roundabouts and seems to even itself out in the end. Its also very much a new hole new game scenario.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by richman

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I must be very old school because that sounds strange.

Probably because you don't have 4 buddies. LOL

Not sure I know 4 people who'd enjoy playing in a group of 5, no.

[richman]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Not sure I know 4 people who'd enjoy playing in a group of 5, no.

My course is back to back with four balls, we more than keep up and IMO are playing a more enjoyable format.