"Hey! While we're young!" - USGA Pace of Play

[rehmwa]

I just have this visual of 4 people in running tights.  Of course, 3 are incredibly overweight and love to comment about how great a sport this is.

all 4 tee off simultaneously

they sprint to their ball (their minibag is set at the end of the tee so they can snatch it on the way by)

hit the ball running

if the 2nd shot doesn't go in the hole, 3 people abandon their ball, of which one runs up to the green and stands by the hole (no flags anymore), the other 2 grab all the bags and sprint to the next hole to tee up 4 shots and place the bags strategically at the end of the tee.

the forth person then picks up his ball and sprints towards the green until close enough to the one waiting.  He continues to the next tee box

the waiting person catches the ball, slam dunks it into the hole (now the size of a five gallon bucket), abandons that ball and sprints to the next tee box

all three tackle and beat up the 3rd guy for having a heart attack which delays his address of the ball screaming -  "WHILE WE'RE YOUNG"

repeat this 4 times (course now only 5 holes long)

after the major rules change - 90% of people here still complain that the pace of play is too slow.  then stand around admiring their new watches and discussing how great and relaxing golf is - but a bit distressed that the new dress code doesn't represent the 'spirit of the game'.

.......it's a vision

[Golfer6760]

Originally Posted by iacas

I completely disagree and don't think you've done anything to prove your point to the contrary.

Well any day you like we'll go out and whack our putters together. Maybe if you're there you'd get a better idea what's really happening. IMO most pro's at clubs public & private are useless baggage. Please tell me what a resident pro does to make any course faster and better.

I get the impression a lot of the posters on this forum never hit a ball off line. Sounds like some of you should have played the US Open this past weekend.

Yes, Arthur Hills needs his head examined.

I never played on a course where the greens were under 10 on the stimp. Must be disgusting to play on anything slower.

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by Golfer6760

Well any day you like we'll go out and whack our putters together. Maybe if you're there you'd get a better idea what's really happening. IMO most pro's at clubs public & private are useless baggage. Please tell me what a resident pro does to make any course faster and better.

I get the impression a lot of the posters on this forum never hit a ball off line. Sounds like some of you should have played the US Open this past weekend.

Yes, Arthur Hills needs his head examined.

I never played on a course where the greens were under 10 on the stimp. Must be disgusting to play on anything slower.

Obviously course designers and resident pro's have some input into how the course will play, the difficulty level, hole placement, green speeds, rough height, fairway width, etc but to place 90% of the blame on these individuals is way off.  I'd say it's 50/50 at best.

[David in FL]

I just have this visual of 4 people in running tights.  Of course, 3 are incredibly overweight and love to comment about how great a sport this is. all 4 tee off simultaneously they sprint to their ball (their minibag is set at the end of the tee so they can snatch it on the way by) hit the ball running if the 2nd shot doesn't go in the hole, 3 people abandon their ball, of which one runs up to the green and stands by the hole (no flags anymore), the other 2 grab all the bags and sprint to the next hole to tee up 4 shots and place the bags strategically at the end of the tee. the forth person then picks up his ball and sprints towards the green until close enough to the one waiting.  He continues to the next tee box the waiting person catches the ball, slam dunks it into the hole (now the size of a five gallon bucket), abandons that ball and sprints to the next tee box   all three tackle and beat up the 3rd guy for having a heart attack which delays his address of the ball screaming -  "WHILE WE'RE YOUNG" repeat this 4 times (course now only 5 holes long) after the major rules change - 90% of people here still complain that the pace of play is too slow.  then stand around admiring their new watches and discussing how great and relaxing golf is - but a bit distressed that the new dress code doesn't represent the 'spirit of the game'. .......it's a vision

Glad that I'm not inside your head and subjected to weird visions like that!

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Golfer6760

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

I completely disagree and don't think you've done anything to prove your point to the contrary.

Well any day you like we'll go out and whack our putters together. Maybe if you're there you'd get a better idea what's really happening. IMO most pro's at clubs public & private are useless baggage. Please tell me what a resident pro does to make any course faster and better.

I get the impression a lot of the posters on this forum never hit a ball off line. Sounds like some of you should have played the US Open this past weekend.

Yes, Arthur Hills needs his head examined.

I never played on a course where the greens were under 10 on the stimp. Must be disgusting to play on anything slower.

First, the typical club pro's primary job is retail and personnel management.  The maintenance superintendent or greenskeeper is responsible for the course.  At least aim your vitriol in the right direction, regardless of whether it's appropriate (and I disagree with your entire rant so....).

You must be either very young, new to the game, or you have always played private clubs.  I've played greens so slow that the putter seemed to be the wrong club choice.  20 years ago a public course running 10 was a rarity.  30 years ago it was unheard of.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

I've played greens so slow that the putter seemed to be the wrong club choice.

Hahahahaha

[chriskzoo]

Originally Posted by Slice of Life

No way. I'm always in a cart, and we drive up to each ball...the person hits, then we drive to the next one. If it's me and the guy I normally golf with after work, we finish 9 in an hour and a half tops.

It doesn't have to do with carts, poor play, practice swings, etc.,

It has to do with a lack of urgency or just general laziness. You see people waddling along at 1.2 mph and every movement is like molasses. It's got nothing to do with golf carts. Get rid of those, and add another 40 minutes to your wait time for a round.

You've made my point.  2 guys with nothing holding them up should be playing 9 in a cart in about an hour.

[Slice of Life]

Originally Posted by chriskzoo

You've made my point.  2 guys with nothing holding them up should be playing 9 in a cart in about an hour.

Yeah, I've been saying that all along. And we're 20+ handicappers.

[minitour]

Originally Posted by iacas

I completely disagree and don't think you've done anything to prove your point to the contrary.

You can disagree all you want, but you're wrong.

[Ernest Jones]

I often walk 9 in the morning after dropping my eldest off at school, generally takes an hour. I'm not that good but I'm plenty fast.

[thescarecrow]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

. I'm not that good but I'm plenty fast.

Yes, as quoted by my ex

[Stretch]

"Aberrant player behavior" (i.e. massively sucking at golf) is not even in the top 3 factors slowing down the pace of play when a course is properly managed. When it's not properly managed, all bets are off. There is an extensive body of work around this issue, with plenty of data, and the takeaway is that operator policies ultimately make the difference day in and day out.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by Stretch

"Aberrant player behavior" (i.e. massively sucking at golf)

LOL.

[trackster]

Originally Posted by Stretch

"Aberrant player behavior" (i.e. massively sucking at golf) is not even in the top 3 factors slowing down the pace of play when a course is properly managed. When it's not properly managed, all bets are off. There is an extensive body of work around this issue, with plenty of data, and the takeaway is that operator policies ultimately make the difference day in and day out.

Can you provide links to these studies?  From my experience the slowest golfers are the ones taking 130+ strokes and riding two to a cart.  In my 6 years of playing and walking, I can't remember a single time that I have had to let a person in a cart play through.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by trackster

Can you provide links to these studies?  From my experience the slowest golfers are the ones taking 130+ strokes and riding two to a cart.  In my 6 years of playing and walking, I can't remember a single time that I have had to let a person in a cart play through.

if I'm alone and driving, even if I'm (for me) taking it slow, I always catch up to anyone in front of me unless they are also driving.  But playing through is a strange bit, I might leap frog instead and come back for the leftover holes (if the course layout is friendly to that).  Absolutely no way I can walk as fast as I can drive.  (Now, if the carts are restricted to the cart path - all bets are off)

another note - Up thread, someone thought that scrambles was a great format.  I'm not buying into that, we go from ready golf, to a format where:

• possibly a couple shots are close and there is a discussion needed to pick which place to hit from - egos involved, and differing ideas of strategy ensues
• 3 people go find their balls
• and then have to go wherever the 'best shot' was
• each player hits in turn rather than 'ready golf'
• do it over again

this offering seems to be more about some notion that it's the number of shots that is slowing it down, rather than nature of the pre-shot routine and ready golf

IMHO - Go ahead and hit a huge score.  I'd prefer the golfer just tightens up the routine, doesn't look to long (IF they aren't keeping up), and people go ahead and hit when ready.  I don't care at all if someone is taking a practice swing or hitting at the same time as me, either, as long as we aren't in jeopardy if hitting each other - taking turns is a silly "courtesy".

another note - up thread, someone talks about course layout and course management - I completely agree - course design has choke points - they should be considered when considering start intervals.  Policy directly affects the amount of course rangers and how direct they are with players.  Super heavy rough makes it hard to find balls.  etc etc etc....

[Meltdwhiskey]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

Interesting concept, fun commercials.

But I'm not thrilled, particularly with "Rymer's" commercials on it.  He's essentially acting like a jerk to the subject of the commercial and, I suspect, that'll let 'natural jerks' in the real world be a-holes about it on the course, too.

Just what golf needs, a bunch of self entitled, privileged jerks that now think it's funny and necessary to be idiots while trying to police all the rest of the players.

Hopeful still that people can feel enabled to give "courteous" reminders to others about pace of play so everyone gets into the habit of playing ready golf.  But my cynical side doesn't see it happening in a classy way.

Yeah, Rymer has one about "gadget guy".  But it is silly.  No one uses alignment rods on the course.  Not that I've ever seen.  And I've always thought of a rangefinder as a time saver - not waster.  It is a lot quicker to shoot a pin than the pacing off that I see people doing from a marker.

It probably takes about 10 seconds to grab the laser and shoot the far side of the water. How long does it take 4 guys to stand around hypothesizing about distances and subtracting from the distance on the card and argue weather Jim's drive actually went 255 because he doesn't seem like that long of a hitter to me, etc.  And then if they pull the wrong club and drink it - they have to hit again = more time.

I use a Bushnell - which pretty much serves as the one for me and all my friends.  We don't actually use it on every hole - I guess that would be excessive.  But if the markers aren't helping much or we need to know weather or not to lay up or go for it - or just how far we should hit it, it comes in really handy.  Probably use it 8-9 times per round.  And once a measurement is taken on a given hole - everyone can just estimate their own distance from where the measurement was taken.  That saves 4 people the trouble.

[rehmwa]

I shoot most distances, I have lousy distance estimating ability.  Hell, I probably should shoot my putts I'm that bad (except I don't have my putter distance control as consistent as my irons).  I keep the thing in my pocket,  shoot it, account for wind, grab the club.  it makes club selection instant.  Practice swings and line are usually done while someone else is hitting.

Hunting for distance markers is time wasting.

But I bet there are a few outliers like 'gadget guy' out there.  There are, of course, exaggerating the trouble personalities on purpose.  I don't like his delivery, he's smug and accusatory and kinda jerky in the ads - that's my grumble.  Minor though, it's just a commercial.

[minitour]

Originally Posted by trackster

From my experience the slowest golfers are the ones taking 130+ strokes and riding two to a cart.  In my 6 years of playing and walking, I can't remember a single time that I have had to let a person in a cart play through.

No.  The absolute slowest golfers are D1 NCAA golfers.

I'd rather play with the Havercamps.

"That's a peach, hun!"