Dealing with slow play

[Bucki1968]

47 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Expectations should always be under 4.5 hours for 18 holes, and that is on a tough course.

A small percentage of courses do this.

 

I'm probably in the minority saying this but I don't think a round of golf should ever be more than 4 hours on any golf course. I played 18 holes last night in 2.5 hours. I played through two groups. Course was not very busy. And I was walking (push cart).

[Groucho Valentine]

49 minutes ago, Bucki1968 said:

I'm probably in the minority saying this but I don't think a round of golf should ever be more than 4 hours on any golf course. I played 18 holes last night in 2.5 hours. I played through two groups. Course was not very busy. And I was walking (push cart).

About same for me. It takes me about 2.5-3 hours to walk a course if the greens and tee boxes are reasonably close to each other. 

[Moxley]

 

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Expectations should always be under 4.5 hours for 18 holes, and that is on a tough course.

 

Agreed, but I think you missed my point - one can adjust their expectation of how long something will take without changing their view on how long it ought to take. 

If the signs are telling you that there's going to be slow play, and you go round thinking it'll take under 4.5 hours because that's what it ought to take, then you are just setting yourself up for more frustration than is necessary. 

[JonMA1]

18 hours ago, Moxley said:

one can adjust their expectation of how long something will take without changing their view on how long it ought to take. 

Agree 100% with this. Accepting this as a reality is a good way manage stress in a situation I have little control over.

[sofingaw]

Also, a lot of you speedy guys are talking about playing alone, yes? 

Playing with 2 or three other people will make the round longer for sure. It’ll make a 2.5 hour solo round into a 3.5-4.5 hour round, even if everyone is  playing at a decent/normal pace. 

[Bucki1968]

Played yesterday with two other people (actually two young guys on high school teams in the area). We walked and played 9 holes in one hour and 15 minutes. Again...course not exceptionally busy. We did have a little bit of a wait on the last two holes. I think it also makes a big difference in the skill level of the players in a group. Better players (I would think) would play faster (taking lest strokes to get the ball in the hole). But I still say golf should never take 4 hours. I can't even think how many times I 've watched some group ahead of me reading putts on the green so they can make their double/triple bogies. I think a lot of golfers watch too much golf on TV and think that's how it's done. I always liked the "while we're young" promotion that the PGA/USGA used to use.

[JonMA1]

22 minutes ago, Bucki1968 said:

Better players (I would think) would play faster (taking lest strokes to get the ball in the hole).

All else being equal, yes, better players play faster.... less strokes, less errant shots.

But as a high capper, I know the game can be played faster just by having the desire and knowledge to play ready golf. Sucking at this game is no excuse for lollygagging when the course is busy, imo.

[Vinny Cap]

Yes to just about everything in this thread.  Biggest thing is Play Ready Golf!  I have played in a 3some, 18 holes as fast as 3 hrs.  Have played as a 2some in 2 1/2 hrs and solo just a lil over 2 hrs so you can play pretty fast if you DO NOT try and emulate your fav Tour Pro. 

Sun afternoon I was behind a guy who I waited on every shot, every hole.  Why?  Because he was lining up 2 or 3 times per shot, 3 or 4 practice swings... sometimes more and was reading the greens like it was for the W at the Masters.  I didn't really mind as I was out for some fun and fresh air.  Luckily I had a couple of beers so that helped with the waiting.  I also cleaned my clubs after shot to help fill the time.

Accepting reality on a busy weekend, that you are not going to get done in less than 3 hours helps keep me in the zone as well as getting a couple of beers and lots of trash talk in between shots.  We are still playing ready golf and right on the guys in front of us but we adjust our attitudes accordingly.

A bad player can still play at an acceptable pace too.  One of my new to golf friends does it pretty good.  He jogs to his duffs to hit again and will pick up after triple bogey.  When he is having a real tough time he sometimes drops next to us and plays along with us to get some shots in, have some fun and get more experience.

[sofingaw]

Last time I played, there were 4 of us, and we all shot over 100. Course was not busy, and we took right at 4 hours for 18. We played ready golf the whole time.

I’ve played the same course on a busy day full of very slow, deliberate Japanese local players and took 5+ hours with the same foursome. Waiting on every hole, etc. 

Sometimes you can’t control how it goes.