Why the hurry?

[NM Golf]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

You're applying your attitude to others. You're assuming that other people enjoy spending time on a golf course… waiting…? And that they have "nothing pressing to do afterward" and so on.

Then read what people are writing instead of assuming you've only written about yourself. Short version: people have different opinions on sitting there waiting on the guys in front of them, and other people have better things to do than waiting around, and some other guys can't play golf at all if it's gonna take 5-6 hours.

I can only speak to my own feelings. I would seem weird to speak to someone else's feelings.

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

72 is the same amount of golf if it happens in 3 hours or 5.

Very true. But in my case I would rather spend the additional time on the golf rather then in some other pursuit. Others are certainly more than welcome to debate that, but what makes my opinion better than yours or vice versa?

8 minutes ago, iacas said:

You actually didn't say it like that, but let's not debate grammar and implied meaning here.

You inferred what I did not imply.

Listen, I don't want to argue about this it's not that big of a deal. Play as fast as you want, theres nothing wrong with that, its the way you want to do it.

[iacas]

Spoiler

9 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

You inferred what I did not imply.

Listen, I don't want to argue about this it's not that big of a deal. Play as fast as you want, theres nothing wrong with that, its the way you want to do it.

Danny, like I said, this isn't a grammar debate, but this sentence is not entirely about you.

19 hours ago, NM Golf said:

I am just talking about a normal round on the weekend with 3 friends when there is nothing pressing to do afterwards.

That's a generalized statement. I'm sure in your mind it reads as you and you only, but that's not how it reads to others. It reads as if they should put themselves in that scenario.

Moving on…

 

9 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

Very true. But in my case I would rather spend the additional time on the golf rather then in some other pursuit. Others are certainly more than welcome to debate that, but what makes my opinion better than yours or vice versa?

Nobody's said one is better than the other.

You asked for opinions and are getting them if you'd listen.

The "extra" time on the golf course is just sitting around waiting. I can think of a hundred things I'd rather do than that. You probably could too, but if you can't, and "sitting around waiting on a golf course" is tops on your list of things to do, fine.

[NM Golf]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

The "extra" time on the golf course is just sitting around waiting. I can think of a hundred things I'd rather do than that. You probably could too, but if you can't, and "sitting around waiting on a golf course" is tops on your list of things to do, fine.

Is my life so boring if this is true? Maybe.  But like I said an hour sitting on the course beats an hour of housework when i get home. Now when my round of golf starts interfering with my nap time we have a problem! 

[Lihu]

15 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

Is my life so boring if this is true? Maybe.  But like I said an hour sitting on the course beats an hour of housework when i get home. Now when my round of golf starts interfering with my nap time we have a problem! 

I fell asleep waiting on some people, and one of them drove back and offered to let me pass them. My snoring must have gotten to them. 

[Nutsmacker]

I am okay with a round that is done within 4 hours.  I have had rounds with friends that have lasted 3 hours and rounds that have lasted 6 hours.   I have noticed people get really upset about what seems to be a long time spent on the putting green, but I think the bigger problem with slow play is that there are many golfers that take 3 or 4 shots to be out of driving distance for the following group.  But I like to spend time with my friends on the golf course and I don't get too cranky about a long round.  I am just happy to have friends to spend time with me while playing a game that I enjoy.  

The courses that I play want a round completed in 4 hours and 15 minutes.  That is the pace they want to have.  I am cool with that pace.  If I am done in that time frame I am happy.  If its shorter...great...let's play another 9.  If it goes any longer than 4 hours 15, than it starts to get annoying.  Tolerable up to 4 1/2 - but after that I might start to get annoyed.  I live in the DC Metro Area and on the weekends you will never be done in less than 4 hours unless you belong to a C.C. 

In regards to the putting, I think if you rush a group to putt...they end up three putting and taking longer anyway.  I know that is how it is for me.  If I take my time, I am taking usually one stroke less on the hole.  

 

[GolfLug]

My brain will let me budget 4 hours max. After that I am on my own.

Only time I can put up with a 5 hour round is if I am with the wife at a resort and we have nothing else going except a nice dinner. BTW, last time we did this in November, wife quit on the 13th hole and picked up a book for rest of the round (another 2 hours or so). 

[NM Golf]

25 minutes ago, Lihu said:

I fell asleep waiting on some people, and one of them drove back and offered to let me pass them. My snoring must have gotten to them. 

Is snoring covered in the etiquette section of the USGA Rules of Golf? 

I cannot believe the amount of time it takes you to play in So Cal. I don't like to rush but jeez 6-7 hours? That would most definitely interrupt my nap time.

[Patch]

5 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

Is snoring covered in the etiquette section of the USGA Rules of Golf? 

I cannot believe the amount of time it takes you to play in So Cal. I don't like to rush but jeez 6-7 hours? That would most definitely interrupt my nap time.

Out here it's called "playing in your sleep". It's also where the term "nightmare hole" came about. 

[tristanhilton85]

21 hours ago, NM Golf said:

Obviously if there is a time constraint that is a reason to want to play fast. 

I am just talking about a normal round on the weekend with 3 friends when there is nothing pressing to do afterwards. I don't understand why someone wants to fly around the course as fast as they possibly can. Golf is fun, enjoy your round.

For me, it's not that I want to fly around the course, but I don't want to wait on every shot either.

If it's just me and a buddy on an open course, we'll easily play in 3 hours or less and we don't feel rushed at all. Yesterday I was paired with another single and a two some on a full course and it took just over 4 hours, which is fine. There were only a handful of times that we had to wait to tee off or hit our approaches because they hadn't cleared yet. It's when I'm stuck waiting shot after shot that I get upset.

[NM Golf]

2 minutes ago, tristanhilton85 said:

For me, it's not that I want to fly around the course, but I don't want to wait on every shot either.

If it's just me and a buddy on an open course, we'll easily play in 3 hours or less and we don't feel rushed at all. Yesterday I was paired with another single and a two some on a full course and it took just over 4 hours, which is fine. There were only a handful of times that we had to wait to tee off or hit our approaches because they hadn't cleared yet. It's when I'm stuck waiting shot after shot that I get upset.

I have to say for my normal group and I a 4 hour round means we do not have to wait much to hit. When someone is missing from our group and we play early enough we get around in 3 and a half pretty easily, its at that point after the round I go hit balls or something.

[Fourputt]

2 hours ago, jamo said:

A bunch of people have already said this, but: because you don't get to play more golf in a 5-hour round vs. a 4-hour round. You just spend the extra time standing around on a tee box watching the group in front of you.

Not really.  I spend that time enjoying the day, chatting with my playing companions, thinking about how I'll play the hole... lots of thing besides just "waiting".  I agree that sometimes a wait can become excessive, but the typical tee box wait is not usually more than a couple of minutes, and I can find something to keep occupied for that long without going all psycho on the guys in front of us.

2 hours ago, Lihu said:

It's possible that they just got used to playing fast to get off the course before it gets too hot in the summers. I've know a few people who like to play in 2.5 hours, and the reason they do is to be able to do other things. The first 4 or 5 groups who go out in the mornings at my home course are done before the 8:15 group goes out. I've played with one of those groups, and it honestly didn't feel rushed. Efficient, but not rushed.

First of all, playing in 2.5 hours is closer to 9 holes than 18 for any typical amateur fourball.  Anyone who gets into golf with the mindset that they will be off the course in under 3 hours needs to rethink their plan or choose another hobby.  When you are following a group, all of whom are playing bogey golf, and you are thinking that they should finish in 2.5 hours, it makes me wonder what you've been smoking.  I would just be hoping that they make it in 4-4½ hours.  

A lot of the rounds I play I could finish in 3½ hours if not for the groups I'm following.  For all I know I "could" play in 2½ hours on a perfect day when everything goes exactly right, but I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much, and don't see any need to push my companions who are still playing well under the 4½ pace set by the management.  If I started being that guy, I wouldn't have any golf friends for long.  I will casually suggest that we pick it up a bit when we really seem to be lagging, and I am particularly concerned during tournaments with staying right behind the group we are following.  In competition, I'm not the least bit shy about prodding my group, and I'll do it at the first signs of a problem.  I don't wait until it becomes a rush to try and catch up.

If the poor pace of play is truly due to the design of the course, then either the management needs to make some changes to alleviate the problems, or the player needs to find another venue for his golf fix.

 

[Lihu]

22 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

First of all, playing in 2.5 hours is closer to 9 holes than 18 for any typical amateur fourball.  Anyone who gets into golf with the mindset that they will be off the course in under 3 hours needs to rethink their plan or choose another hobby.  When you are following a group, all of whom are playing bogey golf, and you are thinking that they should finish in 2.5 hours, it makes me wonder what you've been smoking.  I would just be hoping that they make it in 4-4½ hours.  

That's the thing, they're always the first few groups so they don't get stuck behind any slow people. The worst ones play around where I do, and the better ones are still mid to high single digit players. So, it's not the quality of golf that affects their playing speed.

[NM Golf]

37 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

Not really.  I spend that time enjoying the day, chatting with my playing companions, thinking about how I'll play the hole... lots of thing besides just "waiting".  I agree that sometimes a wait can become excessive, but the typical tee box wait is not usually more than a couple of minutes, and I can find something to keep occupied for that long without going all psycho on the guys in front of us.

See I agree with this, I don't mind the wait so much. I have my buddies there, we are normally giving each other grief from the last hole, or maybe figuring out all the bets, telling a joke, just being social. 

47 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

First of all, playing in 2.5 hours is closer to 9 holes than 18 for any typical amateur fourball.  Anyone who gets into golf with the mindset that they will be off the course in under 3 hours needs to rethink their plan or choose another hobby.  When you are following a group, all of whom are playing bogey golf, and you are thinking that they should finish in 2.5 hours, it makes me wonder what you've been smoking.  I would just be hoping that they make it in 4-4½ hours.  

I know a lot of people who play faster than 4 hours and there's nothing wrong with that. If they hate to wait and would rather be done in 3:30, then that is their prerogative, just like its mine to enjoy the round and play in 4. The only people that need to change their habits would be those slowing the course down to a 5 hour+ pace.

[kpaulhus]

I think it's ironic how a thread can be started stating "whats the rush" yet your profile suggests "Getting in a quick 36".

Im with you and against you. Some days I prefer to jet around to either play quickly because Im a rhythm player, or the course is empty. Sunday morning with my friends I don't mind a 4.5 hour round as long as we are not waiting for every shot, looking for balls, ect. It's not so much the time spent playing as it is the time spent waiting. I've shot the same score in 2 hours as I have in 5 hours. 

Also, you do realize you don't have to go home right after your round and succumb to housework? You can sit and chat over a beer at the clubhouse with your friends. Its the same thing as sitting in a cart waiting for people to get out of the way. Does your wife track your every movement to where you have to be home right after you putt out on 18? Just making some assumptions since there are quite a few ITT)

[NM Golf]

25 minutes ago, kpaulhus said:

I think it's ironic how a thread can be started stating "whats the rush" yet your profile suggests "Getting in a quick 36".

Well when I play 36 I play a bit faster. 

25 minutes ago, kpaulhus said:

Im with you and against you. Some days I prefer to jet around to either play quickly because Im a rhythm player, or the course is empty. Sunday morning with my friends I don't mind a 4.5 hour round as long as we are not waiting for every shot, looking for balls, ect. It's not so much the time spent playing as it is the time spent waiting. I've shot the same score in 2 hours as I have in 5 hours. 

I play faster at times too. Its not like when I have the first tee time as a twosome I slow it down to 4 hours. I am pretty much just talking about a Saturday foursome with buddies. I apologize for not making that clear.

Time spent on the course does not affect my score either. Ironically years ago I was complaining about slow play and my father explained how I needed to be able to adjust in order to be successful. Often competitive rounds can be ridiculously slow and getting irritated at pace of play is counter productive to shooting your best score.

25 minutes ago, kpaulhus said:

Also, you do realize you don't have to go home right after your round and succumb to housework? You can sit and chat over a beer at the clubhouse with your friends. Its the same thing as sitting in a cart waiting for people to get out of the way. Does your wife track your every movement to where you have to be home right after you putt out on 18? Just making some assumptions since there are quite a few ITT)

Well a vast majority of my rounds are started prior to 7:30am, so getting a beer at 11:30 is a bit early for my tastes. I do visit the local watering hole after afternoon rounds on occasion. Still theres something about being outside on the course.

Edited January 12, 2018 by NM Golf
Adding

[mcanadiens]

Driving real fast in golf carts can be fun. Plus a fast time may be the only thing some of us have to brag about.

Haven't broke 80 yet, but I posted 2-hours flat at Miami Shores one morning. Teed off at 10:30 and made a 1 o'clock kickoff at my brother's. Of course, it was a solo round on a particular day on a nearly empty course.

[rehmwa]

22 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

Plus a fast time may be the only thing some of us have to brag about.

I think we have a winner in the comments section.... 

[The Hook Meister]

Golf is more of a marathon not a sprint. 4 to 41/2 hours is a good pace. I am out there to relax not drop dead from a heart attack. People please pace yourself, golf is frustrating enough without going out of your way to make it more so.