8 Tips to Speed Up Play

[Gator Hazard]

3 hours ago, Fourputt said:

He didn't call out a race, he called out a nationality.  Note that he lives in Thailand, so he probably plays with Asians of many nationalities.

I did notice that, and not much difference, he makes a habit of insulting people based on generalities around things of that nature. 

Edited March 4, 2016 by Gator Hazard

[SavvySwede]

3 minutes ago, Gator Hazard said:

I did notice that, and not much difference, he makes a habit of insulting people based on generalities around things of that nature. 

Your better off clicking "report post" and seeing if the mods give him some warning points. Publicly shaming him will only turn the thread hostile.

[Dave325]

4 hours ago, Fourputt said:

This is why I prefer playing courses with 4 or 5 tee positions.  That let's men play from a more forward set without feeling that they are on the shortest tee, even if the second tee on one course is no longer than the shortest tee on another.  

My home course spent a decade adding a couple of new teeing areas each year, then 2 years ago they opened up the new tee boxes.  On some holes the back tees were moved back, on some a new shorter front tee was opened.  Then they eliminated the red tees altogether.  They now have Black, Blue, White, and Gold.  When I play the whites now, there is no "stigma" attached, even though about half of the white tees are on the boxes that used to be red tees.  I'd say that more than half of the guys I see on the course are playing the new Whites, and having more fun as a result.  

The longest par 4 used to be 430 from the white tees, but it's now 380 ( and there are a couple that are longer - #18 is still 412).  In my prime I used to play a 7 or 8 iron after a good drive, now I still do, even though my good drives are 30-40 yards shorter.

We have three tee positions at my course (the one with the posted 8 steps), and the tees are relatively close (no more than 10-15 yard difference between each). I usually play the tips, but if I am teamed up with a group that is playing the forward tees, I will oblige and follow along with the group. I really don't care where I play from. Hey, I am out playing golf, so that is a good thing.  

I like to say... be flexible.

[Fourputt]

1 hour ago, Patch said:

No, not giving up. I am just looking at the problem from lost revenue for golf courses should they try to speed up the slower players. The slower player will either quit the game, or take their money to a less restrictive course. 

 

And it won't take long for the course to get the reputation for a good pace, and then the better players who are looking for that will come running.  I really feel that a course that enforces and promotes itself as minimal tolerance for slow play would prosper in an area with a significant population to draw from.

59 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

We have three tee positions at my course (the one with the posted 8 steps), and the tees are relatively close (no more than 10-15 yard difference between each). I usually play the tips, but if I am teamed up with a group that is playing the forward tees, I will oblige and follow along with the group. I really don't care where I play from. Hey, I am out playing golf, so that is a good thing.  

I like to say... be flexible.

The difference is that on my home course the difference from the back tees to the white is more than 800 yards, 6920 to 6108, with the 6578 blues in between.  The gold tees are just 5362.  That spread gives a lot of choice, but no red tees with their attached historical significance.

[chilepepper]

1 hour ago, Patch said:

No, not giving up. I am just looking at the problem from lost revenue for golf courses should they try to speed up the slower players. The slower player will either quit the game, or take their money to a less restrictive course. 

 

     So long as a course is filling up the tee times I'm not sure they much care. Only if they see a decrease in patrons coupled with numerous consistent complaints about slow play will they take notice..........maybe

[Rip62]

I like all 8 but I would add don't spend all day looking for lost balls. You'd think balls were $10 a piece the way some guys will waste time looking for balls they are never going to buy. 

[Scotsclaff]

10 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Your better off clicking "report post" and seeing if the mods give him some warning points. Publicly shaming him will only turn the thread hostile.

LOL!

I'm so ashamed.

11 hours ago, Gator Hazard said:

I did notice that, and not much difference, he makes a habit of insulting people based on generalities around things of that nature. 

LOL!!

Get a life!!

[newtogolf]

They are all good tips but unless they are enforced, it's not going to help.  I've watched guys show up late for their tee times countless times and never been rescheduled, instead they get "fit in" between scheduled tee times.  

Some posts here demonstrate "Tee It Forward" is as effective as the war on drugs.  No matter what you say, some golfers will opt to play from the tips because they believe it's their right to do so.  Until tee boxes are assigned based on handicap, this is never to going to speed up play.  

The rest are good tips that everyone agrees are helpful but I don't see many golfers implement them.  

[iacas]

48 minutes ago, Scotsclaff said:

LOL!

I'm so ashamed.

LOL!!

Get a life!!

Enjoy your timeout.

Everyone else: move along.

22 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

Some posts here demonstrate "Tee It Forward" is as effective as the war on drugs.  No matter what you say, some golfers will opt to play from the tips because they believe it's their right to do so.  Until tee boxes are assigned based on handicap, this is never to going to speed up play.  

I don't honestly see that happening all that often. The "must play the tips" guy is pretty rare. Most golfers - maybe 90% or more? - seem to play pretty appropriate tees.

[saevel25]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

I don't honestly see that happening all that often. The "must play the tips" guy is pretty rare. Most golfers - maybe 90% or more? - seem to play pretty appropriate tees.

I'd have to agree. Most people realize that it's not fun having to hit hybrid or 3-wood on every par 4.

I think most people have their range they like to play. My dad hits it about 210-230 off the tee and he's playing 5700-6100 courses. He rarely plays a course above 6100 unless there is a huge difference between tee sets, like 6300 versus 5500.

I think the other stuff is just equally important. Play ready golf. Be willing to walk a bit even if you are in a cart. If two people enter the bunker offer to rake the bunker if you are the last person to hit. Tend the flag if you are the closest. Just some common sense things can really speed up play.

 

 

[MrDC]

Tee it forward may help a player have more fun, but it won't speed up play that much IMO, if a player is good enough that they can hit GIR from the forward tee, they can play fast enough from the whites, but if a player is poor and having trouble either tee is slower than a good player, the extra 10 yards does little to help that problem.

Courses should generally make the regulation tees (whites here in my area) about 5800 yds. and we frequently see much more, let the better players move back, there are so few of them that it makes much more sense to setup courses for the overwhelming majority of guys playing to around 90-100.

[Grumpter]

For some courses I would like to see a footnote added…

 

*** Because we have tee times spaced 8 minutes (or 2 times for every 15 minutes) apart following these guidelines will likely only ensure that your wait times between shots will increase. It probably will not do anything to decrease your overall round time.

[Dave2512]

16 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

#9 - Waiting for the players in front of you to play, even though they are 20+ yards beyond your best shot ever (thinking mainly about par 5's here).

 

Yeah be realistic should be part of the tee it forward campaign. It's not just par 5's short par 4's are as if not worse. 

We have two 317/333 and 280/292 (uphill). I often see guys that haven't hit a good drive all day waiting for the greens to clear. 

Worse than waiting is short par 4's typically have trouble so the unrealistic end up in it after waiting and it makes for a very long wait. 

[Braivo]

My experience tells me that most time is lost 1) when searching for lost balls and 2) on the greens when guys don't line up their putts while others are putting.

The fastest groups I've played with always play ready golf, even on or near the green. If you are off the green, grab a few clubs and hop out of the cart and let your partner swing it around to the green. 

[paininthenuts]

22 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

Patch, you seem ready to give up.  I agree that speeding up play will need enforcement, but this is a good step for any club at the beginning of the year.  I'd love to see a public course require every single player to read and sign a copy of those 8 tips as a condition for playing.  It would take an extra minute at check-in, but it might just make a small difference.  Private courses could do the same thing, once a season.  I know it won't make things perfect, but its a tool.  

Here lies a problem rue with golf. It's not the loss of a ball that upsets players, it's the loss of a shot. Of course, if you drive a ball into water, or out of bounds, you should lose a shot, but to lose a ball in rough will encourage players to search of longer. In my opinion, a ball lost in the rough should not constitute a lost shot.

[Fourputt]

42 minutes ago, paininthenuts said:

Here lies a problem rue with golf. It's not the loss of a ball that upsets players, it's the loss of a shot. Of course, if you drive a ball into water, or out of bounds, you should lose a shot, but to lose a ball in rough will encourage players to search of longer. In my opinion, a ball lost in the rough should not constitute a lost shot.

What???  It's no different than losing a ball in the woods or out of bounds - lost is lost - you don't have a ball in play.  Equity says that you treat like situations the same.  There has to be a penalty attached for being allowed to put another ball into play.  That goes right to one of the most basic principles of the game, that you play your ball from the tee to the hole without touching or changing it.  

You lost your ball.  Why should you still have the opportunity for a score that's the same as or better than your opponent who didn't lose his ball?

There is no law that says you have to search any longer.  I'll search if I feel that there is a reasonable chance to find the ball, but then I'll also make the effort to get back on pace afterward, too.  

[Dave2512]

If people would learn how to hit a provisional it's a non-issue.

[paininthenuts]

12 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

What???  It's no different than losing a ball in the woods or out of bounds - lost is lost - you don't have a ball in play.  Equity says that you treat like situations the same.  There has to be a penalty attached for being allowed to put another ball into play.  That goes right to one of the most basic principles of the game, that you play your ball from the tee to the hole without touching or changing it.  

You lost your ball.  Why should you still have the opportunity for a score that's the same as or better than your opponent who didn't lose his ball?

There is no law that says you have to search any longer.  I'll search if I feel that there is a reasonable chance to find the ball, but then I'll also make the effort to get back on pace afterward, too.  

In my short time playing golf I can't help but notice people have been brain washed by the rules of golf, and nobody ever wants to challenge or criticize them. It would be extremely easy to mark off areas where a lost ball means a lost shot, however, if the rough hasn't been cut short enough, and the loss of balls becomes common place, it's unfair that a golfer should lose a shot. I played a course last week where the fairways hadn't been cut for months because of the weather, and the fact the course is built on clay, thus the drainage is poor. My friend and I lost several balls in the middle of the fairway, fortunately we had the common sense to agree that lost balls on the fairway or rough did not constitute a lost point. Of course, this was only a practice game, but surely there should be flexibility in the rules, which in turn would help speed up play.