"Correct" pace of play

[MrDC]

I pick up the ball after double bogey all the time, without the ball in the hole, that's generally my max, sometimes triple but if I'm putting for a triple I'm not that inspired to put the ball in so it's rarely worth the trouble.

But I don't keep overall score so I have no concerns like others, I have good holes and bad, that's it.

I do it for two reasons- one pace of play- it's time to move on, and the other is if I played so poorly that I'm at double I don't deserve the sound of the hole.

My regular partner hates that about me and keeps pushing me the play out every hole, he insists it's quitters attitude, I disagree, and I will play them out someday when I'm better, when the bad holes come less frequently I'll be more inspired, but until then every round is just practice, I'm not concerned about the score.

[Patch]

This topic of pace of play will never die. It will anger some, while controlling them, which takes them out of their scoring comfort zone. There are others, like me, who could care less. We don't like slow play either. We just deal with it, and play our game. Then there are golfers who just  play slow for what ever reason(s) . Pace of play is, and will always be what it is on the day a person plays.

This coming year, I am going to keep another stat. That stat will be how many rounds I played that took longer than 5 hours. Everything I have read from various sources says an average round should take between 3.5, and 4.5 hours. Quite a large gap, so I am going with 4 hours.  The reason for this stat is that I play a lot of golf. I want to see for my self how many times I actually hit the 5 hour mark on the course. I have never thought about how long a round of golf takes me. I just play the round. What I do recall from this past year is that for me,  5+/- hour rounds are few and far between. Of course I seldom play on weekends. Most of my rounds are played mid week. (Tue, Wed, Thurs) but I do play some golf on weekends too.

I honestly don't see a cure for slow play, when it actually occurs.  Not unless the game is changed so much that it would no longer resemble what we play now. I read this on another website that explains what effects the length of time it takes to play 18 holes; "The speed of a round of golf depends on (1) the skill of the player, (2) the traffic of the course, (3) the size of the course, (4) the size of the group and (5) the mode of moving around the course." We have players of all skill levels on a course at the same time. On weekends there is usually more traffic on the course. It seems reasonable that a  7200 yard lay out would take longer than a 6500 yard lay out to play. We have singles all the way to  a foursome  (5 somes?) as far as groups go. We have walkers, and riders on the course at the same time. Some will walk slower than others, and some will ride faster than others.  How would you get all these variables working together to ensure a 4 hour round, for everybody, and still call it golf?  Sorry, it won't ever happen.

[Fourputt]

This topic of pace of play will never die. It will anger some, while controlling them, which takes them out of their scoring comfort zone. There are others, like me, who could care less. We don't like slow play either. We just deal with it, and play our game. Then there are golfers who just  play slow for what ever reason(s) . Pace of play is, and will always be what it is on the day a person plays.

This coming year, I am going to keep another stat. That stat will be how many rounds I played that took longer than 5 hours. Everything I have read from various sources says an average round should take between 3.5, and 4.5 hours. Quite a large gap, so I am going with 4 hours.  The reason for this stat is that I play a lot of golf. I want to see for my self how many times I actually hit the 5 hour mark on the course. I have never thought about how long a round of golf takes me. I just play the round. What I do recall from this past year is that for me,  5+/- hour rounds are few and far between. Of course I seldom play on weekends. Most of my rounds are played mid week. (Tue, Wed, Thurs) but I do play some golf on weekends too.

That's an interesting idea.  If I was to do it, I'd have to set a different limit though, because where I'll be doing most of my playing now, a 5 hour round is virtually unheard of, at least on the days when I'll do most of my playing.  I don't think I've had a round here yet that went much over 4 hours, and that's with a foursome of 4 bogey or worse golfers.  We never have to wait, and we all play quickly.  Even with a couple of guys shooting in the high 90's it doesn't slow us down.

[flopster]

Once again I see skill of players being listed as a factor determining pace of play, I'm not going to say it can't ever make a difference but I have been playing 30+ years and have witnessed plus index players holding up groups of 18 handicap players so to list it right there as just as important as dawdling, practice swings, leaving clubs on wrong side of green is just not true, it seems like a logical reason but it really isn't. Size of group is another reason that shouldn't be listed really if people play "ready" golf versus waiting for someone 2 yards behind to hit that is still getting his club out a foursome can move at a very good clip. What it all comes down to is people being aware of the pace and doing things throughout the round to make sure they move at a good pace, there are so many common sense techniques like after you finish don't spend time putting the clubs back in the bag while next to the green just get in the cart with clubs in hand and when you reach the next tee then write down the scores and put things away, also park the cart at the exit point of the green not where you arrived just those couple common sense habits would probably knock 15 minutes off a round, another bad habit is people once in that cart somehow become allergic to walking even a short 75 yard stroll One guy hits his approach on the front edge instead of grabbing a wedge and putter and walking up there he will plant his ass in the cart and ride all the way to the back of the green with his buddy and then walk back across the green to his shot while if he would have just gotten out and walked that short distance he probably would have been on the green lining up a putt by the time the cart stopped. This is the type of things I observe while marshaling all the time and it's just so damn frustrating, people have no clue on how to use a golf cart correctly and therefore it can actually slow the pace versus all of them walking it seems and I know the game is supposed to be fun while out there and I'm real careful on how I approach folks but I wish some places would take the time to post some of these suggestions on the cart so maybe some people will get it.

[pw8iron]

I plan on sending an e mail to the head marshal

LOL, head marshal.  Most courses I play don't even have A marshall.

[Osmond]

Not everyone plays in a two in a cart with no-one in front of them you know.

Lol, a healthy person should be able to WALK practically any course in 2,5 hours if the course is empty. That said, if the course is full, I have no problem with a 4-hour round but anything over that does wind me up a bit. Anything over 4 hours means there's people on the course who don't realize how simple it is to play quicker WITHOUT having to rush.

[sjduffers]

I am new here. I have read this thread with a lot of interest as slow play is definitely a pet peeve of mine, particularly when it's caused by players who are clueless (and not deliberately trying to be slow... or important!), for which the remedy is simply education.  It galls me even more when neither the course nor the leadership of a group (e.g. in multiple groups play such as tournaments) does anything to enforce guidelines/rules or educate.

I walk about 80% of my rounds on week days and have played anywhere from 2:30 to 5:30 on those days, and I can definitely say I am not the reason for this large of a difference. I have played as a single in 4:15 and played as part of a five-some in 3:45. You name it, I have seen it... all the way to 6:45 rounds (I wanted to go home so bad!)

I am also playing in an associate club (roaming club without real estate assigned) that organizes tournaments on the weekends, riding, thankfully!  The format is stroke play and every hole needs to be putt out or you are DQ'd, which sometimes leads to scores of 12 or over per hole.  This group routinely plays in over 5 hours.  The previous leadership was trying its best to sensitize people to the issue and educate them on how to be better and it worked to some extent: recording the finishing times was an incentive as nobody wanted to be in a group finishing 20 minutes (or worse!) after the previous group.  The new leadership won't do any of these things and in fact the president himself admits that he is a bit deliberate (code word for slow!), yet routinely gets paired in the first or second group out and sets a bad example for everyone, and a bad pace for the rest of the tournament, not to say anything about the poor souls playing after us.  The excuse is usually, we are not as good as you, and yes there are some really high handicappers (we range from about 5 to 36.4) in there, but I don't buy this as being the primary reason why. Yes, it is a factor, but poor cart management is the biggest culprit in my view.

Anyway, in 2014, I played about 120 rounds overall, with 23 at or over 5 hours, most of those long ones playing with that crew (I think we had 15 tournament rounds that year). I have threatened to quit over this (and other shenanigans). I was indeed determined to do so, but haven't yet found a suitable replacement club in the area, so I have re-upped my dues for 2015 (I am getting a GHIN index through them). I'll bring it up again... and again, until they do something or ban me... but it can be stressful. I have learned to be more patient on the course (inside or outside this group) and I am pleased when a round finishes in 4 hours or under.

Sure, if I was in a cart as a single, I could zip around under 2 hours, but I am not trying to do that, at sunset or whatever... I don't mind people doing that, just don't expect to do it on crowded muni courses on a weekend, and certainly not behind one of our tournaments. I am sorry for the latter part, but there isn't much more I can do about it...

[tqcishark]

I pick up the ball after double bogey all the time, without the ball in the hole, that's generally my max, sometimes triple but if I'm putting for a triple I'm not that inspired to put the ball in so it's rarely worth the trouble.

But I don't keep overall score so I have no concerns like others, I have good holes and bad, that's it.

I do it for two reasons- one pace of play- it's time to move on, and the other is if I played so poorly that I'm at double I don't deserve the sound of the hole.

My regular partner hates that about me and keeps pushing me the play out every hole, he insists it's quitters attitude, I disagree, and I will play them out someday when I'm better, when the bad holes come less frequently I'll be more inspired, but until then every round is just practice, I'm not concerned about the score.

I generally agree with your approach.  I play with a lot of guys who don't pick up, acting like there's a significant difference between 100 and 120.  Some have learned to finish out quickly.  One of my regular playing partners is known for gigantic blowups.but he knows how to keep pace even when the wheels are off.  I never expect him to pick up.  But when I'm with other newby hacker types, and they are taking some ill-advised drop behind more trouble, I always politely suggest they take a little walk and drop right in the middle of the fairway, way far away from trouble.  Its pleasantly surprising how many novices seem relieved to accept the offer, and I'm always glad they accept.  Not yet upset anyone for offering, they usually don't know the rules anyway.