"I wait on every single shot, every single day on the PGA Tour," he said. "I've gotten really used to doing that."

[nevets88]

Some of the Faster Players Are Getting Slow

Quote:

But that's what golf has come to in this generation. Instead of the faster players bringing everyone else up to speed, they have to downshift.

"It can be painful if you play quick," Fowler said. "You're going to be spending a lot of time standing there. It almost starts hurting your legs and feet when you're just standing there. I learned quickly that you have to be patient."

Criticizing slow play is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. For all the anecdotal evidence, the fix is not as simple as it might seem. When greens are firm and fast, there are going to be more putts that run 4 feet by the hole. Those aren't considered tap-ins. Rules officials have lobbied for years to reduce the size of the fields because too many players can turn a golf course into the 405 in Los Angeles during rush hour, which is just about any hour.

Meantime, players have a choice — stand around or slow down.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/10/16/sports/golf/ap-glf-on-the-fringe-101612.html?ref=golf&_r=0

[colin007]

ugh...i dont know what to say.  i feel bad for those faster players.  i know its not fair, but i say pair up the faster players and send them out in the early wave.  pair up the slower players and put them on the clock on the first hole.  penalize them.  give them an incentive to become a faster player and get to go out in the first wave with the faster player groupings.

i dont think slow play on the tour really affects my enjoyment when i watch on tv.  the way it affects me is that i can tell people at the local munis have picked up slow play traits that they see on tv, which annoys me to no end.  there is no reason why 4 people shouldnt be able to play in less than 4 hours.

[wadesworld]

There's a balance which has to be achieved.  Personally, I think many people and courses are taking it too far.

While we all hate slow play, overly-fast play can be just as annoying as well.  If you don't have time to get comfortable over your shot or read your putt properly, you're not going to make good shots.  In fact, you may end up taking longer playing 7 quick shots than you have 5 deliberate shots.

For that matter, when I'm out on the golf course, I want to enjoy being there.  I'm not going to play slowly, but if I leave the course feeling like I played at a breakneck pace just so I could move as quickly as possible, I missed an opportunity to enjoy being out on a beautiful golf course.

[colin007]

what im saying is that people can play sub 4 hour rounds and NOT feel like its a breakneck speed.  i play 4 hours and it feels insufferably long, as in we are waiting on every hole.  but we are not hurrying.  its our normal pace.

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by wadesworld

There's a balance which has to be achieved.  Personally, I think many people and courses are taking it too far.

While we all hate slow play, overly-fast play can be just as annoying as well.  If you don't have time to get comfortable over your shot or read your putt properly, you're not going to make good shots.  In fact, you may end up taking longer playing 7 quick shots than you have 5 deliberate shots.

For that matter, when I'm out on the golf course, I want to enjoy being there.  I'm not going to play slowly, but if I leave the course feeling like I played at a breakneck pace just so I could move as quickly as possible, I missed an opportunity to enjoy being out on a beautiful golf course.

This is a good point but unfortunately there are some golfers who are not used to being on a crowded course that take too long and object to being asked to pick up their pace. Typically these golfers are in carts and have iced beer on their carts.

[Datsyuk]

Speaking of slow, I never did make it to that linked page.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by MSchott ............. Typically these golfers are in carts and have iced beer on their carts.

Hey now.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by colin007

i dont think slow play on the tour really affects my enjoyment when i watch on tv.  the way it affects me is that i can tell people at the local munis have picked up slow play traits that they see on tv, which annoys me to no end.  there is no reason why 4 people shouldnt be able to play in less than 4 hours.

Yes, this is my issue as well.  Crowded courses are always going to be there and there's nothing we can do about that except not play.  That's never going to happen, so you deal with it.  But when you are waiting in the fairway watching the group in front of you putt, mark, putt, mark, putt, mark, eight or nine times over, it can get pretty frustrating.

[Wansteadimp]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Yes, this is my issue as well.  Crowded courses are always going to be there and there's nothing we can do about that except not play.  That's never going to happen, so you deal with it.  But when you are waiting in the fairway watching the group in front of you putt, mark, putt, mark, putt, mark, eight or nine times over, it can get pretty frustrating.

Especially when after all that your playing partner hasn't got a clue of his yardage or which club to hit.

[Dave2512]

I don't see pro slow play issues and those I see on the local course as the same issue. It's not the guy double lining up putts I see. It's the group playing back tees and spraying balls all over the course and taking too much time looking around for errant balls. Every instance of slow play I've witnessed this year has been directly proportional to the person's lack of golf skill.

[mdl]

Originally Posted by wadesworld

There's a balance which has to be achieved.  Personally, I think many people and courses are taking it too far.

While we all hate slow play, overly-fast play can be just as annoying as well.  If you don't have time to get comfortable over your shot or read your putt properly, you're not going to make good shots.  In fact, you may end up taking longer playing 7 quick shots than you have 5 deliberate shots.

For that matter, when I'm out on the golf course, I want to enjoy being there.  I'm not going to play slowly, but if I leave the course feeling like I played at a breakneck pace just so I could move as quickly as possible, I missed an opportunity to enjoy being out on a beautiful golf course.

I said something similar in a different thread, but I was talking about something like a 90 minute solo open course round.  If everyone plays ready golf and is even a tiny bit conscientious about keeping a decent pace but feels free to take the mental time needed to get comfortable over a shot or read a putt right, a foursome should easily be able to come in sub-4 hours

[zipazoid]

While I can certainly sympathize with the scourge of slow play, and it is too slow, the fact that Ricky says he waits on every shot tells me he's playing too fast. The only one being punished by this is him. He needs to walk slower or something. Standing there with hands on hips staring at the group in front of him while he impatiently taps his foot isn't going to help his game.

[MEfree]

Everyone has their own idea of what is acceptable in terms of pace of play, but without specific time limits or rules, it will always come down to the faster guys having to adjust to the slower guys.  This is true in both baseball and golf.  I don`t think there is an easy answer as making it different (i.e. a shot clock for each stroke/pitch) will result in some fundamental changes in the game.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

While I can certainly sympathize with the scourge of slow play, and it is too slow, the fact that Ricky says he waits on every shot tells me he's playing too fast. The only one being punished by this is him. He needs to walk slower or something. Standing there with hands on hips staring at the group in front of him while he impatiently taps his foot isn't going to help his game.

I agree.  However, I believe the quote in the title of the thread is actually Pat Perez, and not Ricky.  Regardless, the sentiment is still true.  They (the speedy players) need to learn to slow down for their own good because the slow players are not going to speed up.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by MEfree

Everyone has their own idea of what is acceptable in terms of pace of play, but without specific time limits or rules, it will always come down to the faster guys having to adjust to the slower guys.  This is true in both baseball and golf.  I don`t think there is an easy answer as making it different (i.e. a shot clock for each stroke/pitch) will result in some fundamental changes in the game.

I also think that a lot of our hostility towards slow players, whether it be because they take too long on the greens, or lolligag in the fairway when it's their turn, or are slow because they are playing the wrong tees (never by itself a valid reason, IMO), is misplaced.  I think a lot of the blame can go to the courses and their 6, 7, and 8 minute tee time intervals and allowing 5-somes.

Rush hour traffic on the freeway is sometimes worsened by an accident, however, by and large, its usually simply that there are more cars trying to squeeze on the road than the road can handle.

Certainly not the case with the PGA tour players since they are almost always 3-somes or 2-somes going off at 10 minute intervals, but I think it's probably way up there on the list of causes for us.

[Chas]

There's a balance which has to be achieved.  Personally, I think many people and courses are taking it too far. While we all hate slow play, overly-fast play can be just as annoying as well.  If you don't have time to get comfortable over your shot or read your putt properly, you're not going to make good shots.  In fact, you may end up taking longer playing 7 quick shots than you have 5 deliberate shots. For that matter, when I'm out on the golf course, I want to enjoy being there.  I'm not going to play slowly, but if I leave the course feeling like I played at a breakneck pace just so I could move as quickly as possible, I missed an opportunity to enjoy being out on a beautiful golf course.

Indeed. Maybe I'm a bit Scotish about this but who wants to pay XY or even XYZ dollars to feel rushed playing a round.

[nevets88]

Originally Posted by wadesworld

There's a balance which has to be achieved.  Personally, I think many people and courses are taking it too far.

While we all hate slow play, overly-fast play can be just as annoying as well.  If you don't have time to get comfortable over your shot or read your putt properly, you're not going to make good shots.  In fact, you may end up taking longer playing 7 quick shots than you have 5 deliberate shots.

For that matter, when I'm out on the golf course, I want to enjoy being there.  I'm not going to play slowly, but if I leave the course feeling like I played at a breakneck pace just so I could move as quickly as possible, I missed an opportunity to enjoy being out on a beautiful golf course.

Rushed? 5-6 hour rounds involve waiting up to 15 minutes to tee off most holes. How about just going to the next hole and not having to wait 1 second to tee off? That is far, far, far from rushed.

It's similar to people in a subway car. Some people, no matter how crowded a car, will stand near the doors or block the path to open space. They don't care, are too lazy, are unaware or any combination of things that don't include consideration for others. It slows the train down, takes longer for people to get in, fewer people get in and now all the people in all 10 cars get held up because of a few.

Originally Posted by Chas

Indeed. Maybe I'm a bit Scotish about this but who wants to pay XY or even XYZ dollars to feel rushed playing a round.

I thought Scots play fast? Americans around big cities are the slowpokes.

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I also think that a lot of our hostility towards slow players, whether it be because they take too long on the greens, or lolligag in the fairway when it's their turn, or are slow because they are playing the wrong tees (never by itself a valid reason, IMO), is misplaced.  I think a lot of the blame can go to the courses and their 6, 7, and 8 minute tee time intervals and allowing 5-somes.

I agree that the course shares some of the blame, but I think it is 20% course, 80% people and their attitudes.

Originally Posted by MEfree

Everyone has their own idea of what is acceptable in terms of pace of play, but without specific time limits or rules, it will always come down to the faster guys having to adjust to the slower guys.  This is true in both baseball and golf.  I don`t think there is an easy answer as making it different (i.e. a shot clock for each stroke/pitch) will result in some fundamental changes in the game.

It's not ever going to change. The majority of people in low green fee high population areas have no clue on pace of play, hit too many strokes, take too long to look for balls, have no clue about doing things efficiently.

If you want to walk the course in 6 hours and experience nature, play a 3:45 round and go on a 2:15 walk.

[joekelly]

Standing around getting bored, maybe angry?  Here is the ideal solution: an aluminum lawn chair .  Who says the player can't 'make a stance' while waiting?  LOL.