The tool USGA officials hope will help solve the problem of slow play

[No Mulligans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL


I don't believe this is a "real time" course management tool. Rather something that will provide data that will be analyzed to show where delays might be happening...

From the article in the first post of this thread:

Quote:

These "cycle times," measured throughout a course, can then be monitored collectively to address issues in real time to try and get groups moving.

[David in FL]

From the article in the first post of this thread:

Missed that. Thanks. Of course, actually having an active ranger already on the course solves the problem proactively, rather than reactively.....

[18rounds]

what if the stick would have led lights on it red yellow and green. When the stick was just replaced the green light is on then after x amount if minutes the yellow and finally the red. Sometimes there is jyst one person in the foursome that is holding things up and this would allow the other golfers in the group to point to concrete evidence that they are running slow. No one thing is going to fix the problem of slow play but every little bit helps.

[vangator]

This would speed up play if it shot a lightening bolt out of the shaft and fried someone. I can picture a barbequed corpse clutching a pin. :-D

[bkuehn1952]

The real time application, assuming someone is monitoring it, makes sense.  The green/yellow/red light idea is clever.

Unfortunately, all these things don't really attack the root cause, just the symptoms.  It might identify the slow player or group but doesn't really correct the factors that make the player or group slow. Someone is going to need to correct the behaviour of the golfers identified.

[Lihu]

iRoboCourseMarshall. Complete with a projectile shooter (cattleprod attachment optional).

That's definitely a solution to slow play and "feeble" course marshaling.

[No Mulligans]

It would make slow players more aware with reminders.  I think being unaware is one of the root causes.

I use to play with someone that was completely unaware, she'd see the cart woman and strike up a conversation, or want to take a picture on the green to document her birdie, or see a pretty flower and want to be photographed with it.  She'd be day-dreaming after everyone had already hit from the tee box and would have to be prompted that it was her turn, but then a slow consideration of what club she wanted to play with.  I felt like a sheriff the whole time I played with her, trying to speed her along. (It made for a frustrating round, I don't play with her anymore).

This kind of player needs a constant reminder to speed up and needs to be sanctioned by a Marshall making her skip holes.  Any reminder to her would be good; to try to continually snap her out of her unawareness.  This product could help.

Admittedly, she's an extreme example, probably about 3 standard deviations from the mean (99.7%).

[cowboydave1967]

I don't think is a real solution. Before you thrash me, let me explain. It is addressing a real problem. And it is being proactive in trying to solve this. But, first and foremost, lets remember that golf is a game that was developed and nurtured by gentleman, and by ladies, as well. We still need to conduct ourselves as such. The groups tat are slow, in my experiences, know they are slow. Most will allow faster players to play through. These are the ones that would try to speed up with this "electronic marshall". The ones that don't speed up, won"t allow others to play through, know they are slow and don't care. I was playing a foursome one Saturday morning this summer. There was a group of 6 that was 2 groups ahead of us. We all bottlenecked on #6. The group of 6 was told they coundnt plat together due to time. They went off as 2 groups. The joined up on #2. The marshall tkld them to split back up. They told him to shut up and go away. They paid to play and would play how they wanted to. And they wouldnt let anyone play through. The marshall was furious but the owner wouldnt allow him to do any more. We all skipped that hole. Which by then we were all so frustrated we just wanted to go. So as was stated earlier, economics over rules speed of play at some courses. I am sometimes held up and other times I have held players up. Some people just play faster. That is the bottom line. Some golfers play for enjoyment and spending time with friends or family. It has more to do with the quality of their time together instead of how fast they can play. Is solw play a problem? Yes. We all need to help with teaching others about pace of play. Is there any real solution? Probably not. Reason being, some people have not been taught and others are just plain inconsiderdate and don"t care. Would I object to this as a means to try to speed up play? Absolutely not. Do I think is the absolute answer? No, but it is a step in trying to solve an extremely old issue in our modern day, fast paced, "microwave" lifestyles. Just an old golf playing cowboy's thoughts.

[Dave2512]

The fastest courses I play are the ones with monitored GPS carts and you have to ride. It takes the most of the human interaction out of it.

[Strandly]

I don't know how helpful this would be either.  Holes with water or gnarly rough are probably factors but you wouldn't need a gadget like this to know that.  The best use for this thing would be in conjunction with a marshal who actually has the balls to tell people to pick up the pace.

Also, I very rarely pulled the pin when playing alone this summer too and I don't have a reason other than simple laziness.

[Lihu]

I don't know how helpful this would be either.  Holes with water or gnarly rough are probably factors but you wouldn't need a gadget like this to know that.  The best use for this thing would be in conjunction with a marshal who actually has the balls to tell people to pick up the pace.

Also, I very rarely pulled the pin when playing alone this summer too and I don't have a reason other than simple laziness.

Well, you don't keep an official handicap, either. It's all good.

I think the main reason the course marshals don't "have the balls" to tell people to pick up the pace is really to make sure no one leaves with a bad feeling. I know what it feels like to get tossed off a course. (I laugh now, but didn't back then). I probably would have gone back to archery and bow hunting in lieu of snow for skiing, except my kids were really into golf and I stuck it out.

If all the golf courses in every region band together and prescribe certain courses for certain levels of play, it would provide a more homogenous playing ability through every course. For instance, if one course knows that it is too hard for a certain player, it will recommend an easier course in the area. On the flip side, if a course is too easy for someone, the marshal could recommend a "promotion" to the next level of play. It gives people the incentive to learn to play better golf to "graduate" to the next course.  Kind of like a video game.

This would promote golf, speed up play and give people incentive to "move up".

[18rounds]

How about a cup that closes a certain number of minutes after the pin is replaced? Obviously this would only be on days that the course is full.

[ghalfaire]

The fastest courses I play are the ones with monitored GPS carts and you have to ride. It takes the most of the human interaction out of it.

A few of the courses I play have this and do monitor and tell you when you're playing slow.  The only issue I have with this is when it tells me we are slow but we are right behind, and waiting, on the group in front of us and they are waiting too.  They need a software change that only notifies the guilty foursome as it just annoys the folks behind them who are already annoyed because of slow play.

[Downrange45]

Maybe I am not thinking clearly here, but there seems to be some inconsistency regarding slow play issues and promoting the game. I read that golf as an industry is in financial difficulty and numbers must increase to keep from losing manufacturers and courses. On the other hand, there is all this concern over "slow play". Beginning golfers are going to play slow. Fact. In my humble opinion, nothing is more intimidating and frustrating to a beginner than to be harrassed because they are not playing with the speed and proficiency of more experienced golfers. If you want more interest in the sport, you have to let the beginners learn. This seems unrealistic, but if the powers that be do not want slow players on courses, I guess lessons should,be mandatory before anyone can set foot on a golf course. I wonder if any of the people so up in arms can remember when they started and how it felt to "hold other people up". When things are clicking, I play really fast. I do have off days and the one thing that ALWAYS makes my game worse and therefore slower is to have a Marshall on my butt.

[FireDragon76]

Maybe I am not thinking clearly here, but there seems to be some inconsistency regarding slow play issues and promoting the game. I read that golf as an industry is in financial difficulty and numbers must increase to keep from losing manufacturers and courses. On the other hand, there is all this concern over "slow play". Beginning golfers are going to play slow.

I encountered this issue as well, and I'm a new golfer.   Twosomes behind us wanted to play through all the time (and we let them).  I didn't think I was playing that slow:  we were moving so fast at times we never bothered to check for ball marks on the  green.

[18rounds]

Let me start by saying I play quickly even though it takes me 100+ to get through 18. I walk 9 in 1.5. For me I have been more frustrated by pace of play zealots than slow play. We had a round this summer where a ranger told us to "speed up the pace" 3 times. Even though we waited to tee off on holes 2-18. We had a threesome with 2 carts and we're playing ready golf all the way to the hole. We do not look for lost balls anywhere close to 5 minutes and we don't take mulligans. After the 3rd time of him yelling at us my buddy said "hey, we are waiting on every hole" the ranger barked back that he could throw anybody off the course so we better not give him lip. Between that experience and groups behind hitting into (near) us when we are waiting on every hole I would say slow play is not my biggest frustration.

[Ernest Jones]

Let me start by saying I play quickly even though it takes me 100+ to get through 18. I walk 9 in 1.5.

Pace of play has very little correlation to skill. I suck, but I am plenty fast.

[No Mulligans]

Pace of play has very little correlation to skill. I suck, but I am plenty fast.

I think that applies to me too.

Today as a twosome we played nine holes in 1 hour and 28 minutes at Balboa Park 9 hole course, a par 32.  Caught up with a threesome part way around and waited a few minutes to tee off on every hole thereafter.  A very enjoyable pace which is why I try to play there early in the morning.