Golf!!!2!

[Slava]

It’s funny, but pace of play is the worst behind good golfers. At least a guy who’s going to shoot 110 will just pick up his ball and more along. But it’s those guys who are lining up every putt from every angle, pacing off shots and have 2 minute pre-shot routines who are the worst. You’re not on the tour, and you’re not going to be on the tour. It’s just purely inconsiderate.

[malcolmk14]

I think it falls on playing partners too though. I have no problem telling my group we are slow & need to pick up the pace a little bit, regardless of whether I know the person or not.

I’ve golfed many rounds with many players of varying skill levels from -5 handicap golfers to +35 handicappers and I’ve never ever been the slow group on the course because I simply just don’t allow it.

I have no issue telling someone I think they should play up a tee box or help them understand how to play ready golf. And I’ve never played with a good golfer (under 5 handicap) who plays slow or paces off shots. That’s insane.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I think it falls on playing partners too though. I have no problem telling my group we are slow & need to pick up the pace a little bit, regardless of whether I know the person or not.

I’ve golfed many rounds with many players of varying skill levels from -5 handicap golfers to +35 handicappers and I’ve never ever been the slow group on the course because I simply just don’t allow it.

I have no issue telling someone I think they should play up a tee box or help them understand how to play ready golf. And I’ve never played with a good golfer (under 5 handicap) who plays slow or paces off shots. That’s insane.

I agree with you, but I've been paired up with some guys who have these insane pre-shot routines as well. I have played with a guy who definitely takes forever reading putts and things like that though. It get annoying pretty fast...

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Slava

It’s funny, but pace of play is the worst behind good golfers. At least a guy who’s going to shoot 110 will just pick up his ball and more along. But it’s those guys who are lining up every putt from every angle, pacing off shots and have 2 minute pre-shot routines who are the worst. You’re not on the tour, and you’re not going to be on the tour. It’s just purely inconsiderate.

Slow players are just slow players.
I know the type you're referring to but I also know bad golfers who do all of the things you've mentioned here.
They are absolutely the slowest because they have the combo of being slow every shot X 110.

Things that really annoy me in slow play:
-Players who finish on the green, then stand just off it doing their score card, cleaning clubs, talking about the putts they just had.
Move to the next tee box so the people behind can hit their approach shots!
-Players who spend way too much time looking for lost balls. If you're new and will lose a lot of balls, buy cheap balls and move on after a couple minutes.
Doing this search many times a round is adding up so much time.
Even if you take free drops, who cares? You're new and trying to improve so keep up the pace and worry about strokes later.

[Weitz]

Beauty day for golf today. Elbow was decent for opening day. Little wet.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Slava

I agree with you, but I've been paired up with some guys who have these insane pre-shot routines as well. I have played with a guy who definitely takes forever reading putts and things like that though. It get annoying pretty fast...

i agree with this 100%. Last year my wife and i had the pleasure of playing with two "good" golfers. On the 9th hole they said they had to speed along as they had somewhere to be. i did not care as they annoyed my wife by telling her she could pick up her ball on a putt. Anywyas, on the back 9 we wound up waiting for them three times.

i am a 110 golfer, but i understand pace of play and won't spend more than a minute looking for a lost ball, and if it find one that is not mine, then good enough. i also play ready gold and decide what club i will hit as i am walking up to the ball and have no issues with someone else hitting before me if they are ready before me.

i like golf and being outside, but i like golf mroe when it is less than 4 hours.

[Derek Sutton]

I once played with a clown in a scramble who took 5- 7 practice swings on each shot, after not taking any of our not so subtle hints 4 holes in we all hit then when he addressed his ball we drove away in the carts leaving him standing over his ball. He caught up to us at the green, grabbed his clubs and walked of the course.

Slow play is worst part of golf, it's been an on going discussion on here as it is everywhere else in the golf world. "Keep moving" is the best advice you can give to any new golfer, after that, playing from the appropriate tee followed by "it's just a ball".

[Dion]

Perfect weather for a round of golf today. With nobody holding us up we finished in 3 1/2 half hours.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Slava

It’s funny, but pace of play is the worst behind good golfers. At least a guy who’s going to shoot 110 will just pick up his ball and more along. But it’s those guys who are lining up every putt from every angle, pacing off shots and have 2 minute pre-shot routines who are the worst. You’re not on the tour, and you’re not going to be on the tour. It’s just purely inconsiderate.

Pace of play is a shared responsibility. The golf course AND the players are responsible for pace of play. The course is responsible for getting players off on time and making sure that the first tee times are assigned to players that get around the course quickly. When I worked in the biz I did a year long study about starting finishing times, and the impact they have on the flow of the golf course. I found that you could take the finishing time of the third group out of the gate and add a minute for every subsequent tee time until noon, and that would be your pace of play for the afternoon slots.

For example, if your first tee time of the day is at 6:30, and you're on a 10 minute spread, your third tee time is out at 6:50. Between that tee time and noon is 31 tee times. If you want to maintain a four hour pace for the afternoon tee times, you need to have these players finish in les than 3.5 hours, which is very doable.

The course can manage this. The important thing is to get your rabbits out early and have the wolves chase them down all day. We knew who in our membership were fast players, and who were slow players. We kept a book on who could NOT play before 9:00AM, otherwise the course would become unmanageable all day. We also did not allow outside bookings until after 9:00AM, so the rabbits were always out there and the slow pokes were in the chase position. We also blocked a tee time at the top of each hour to deal with variances in flow on the course. If the pace of play was good we would release the time and fill it with last minute players - normally guys that are golf junkies and get around quickly. If pace was slow we would use that time to relieve pressure and slow down the flow onto the course. If your professional staff really care about pace of play, they can control it.

A good starter can make all the difference in controlling pace of play by setting the expectations for each foursome that hits the course. The starter should NOT be telling golfers what the expected pace of play is, as that is the pace most players will play to. I good starter should tell the players to maintain their position on the golf course by staying on the tail of the group in front of them and playing ready golf. They can help achieve this by giving instructions to players on expected cart use behaviors and local rules that help speed up play. For example, our course has many desert areas and players are instructed to keep the carts out of those locations. They are also encouraged to observe local rules of playing certain locations as laterals. This prevents off-roading and doing damage to the golf course with carts, but also keeps players search for lost golf balls to the minimum. Just these two instructions make a world of difference.

A good starter can also make tee recommendations "for the most enjoyment" for the foursome. Most male golfers will automatically walk to the back of the of the golf course, or one tee box from the back, when most of them should be playing from the tee boxes in the middle or one from the front. A good starter can make recommendations and take the pressure off the guys from looking weak. When the local guy is telling you that you might get more enjoyment and birdies from a certain tee box, why would you not listen to them? When the starter approaches their responsibility with starting a group off right, the pace of play is immediately improved.

The beverage service staff are also very important to maintaining pace and flow. A well trained staff will know when to roll up on players. Don't hit groups as they come off the green as this makes it difficult for players behind to hit their approach shots. Catch them at a tee box or as they approach their balls to hit a shot. Find the flow of the game and make sure it is not hindered by you selling a beer to group that may already be behind pace.

Marshals are also important to flow. Their work is an enforcement of the work done by the starter. If they can keep play rolling they will push the time to play down. But they also need to be given the authority to push groups or ask them to move up a hole. Our marshals were given the authority to move foursomes at their discretion. If there were problems they were instructed to call into the shop and the POD would make the drive out with the Sheriff to remove the players from the property. Yes, we pissed off a few players while I was there, but we kept every other player on the golf course very happy with the pace of play and earned our reputation as one of the best run facilities in the state. You have to give your staff the tools to do their job including punting those that are hurting the experience of the rest of your customers.

[nfotiu]

I don't think I could enjoy golfing, playing 4-5 hour rounds all the time, waiting on shots all day and stressing about keeping up to the group in front.

Luckily, in the SE US, the courses get pretty empty after noon or so. My son and I usually walk 18 as a twosome, and we average about 3 hours -3:15. He often plays 27 holes after school these days. I don't think we'd play nearly as much and certainly wouldn't get as many holes in, if 4 or more hours was the norm.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I don't think I could enjoy golfing, playing 4-5 hour rounds all the time, waiting on shots all day and stressing about keeping up to the group in front.

Luckily, in the SE US, the courses get pretty empty after noon or so. My son and I usually walk 18 as a twosome, and we average about 3 hours -3:15. He often plays 27 holes after school these days. I don't think we'd play nearly as much and certainly wouldn't get as many holes in, if 4 or more hours was the norm.

If it's a decent day Calgary courses have generally been packed all day, even 6pm tee offs in June/July have been mostly full, since the start of Covid.

I haven't really found any non bad weather days where you can sneak on and hop around really quick at any point, short of getting a first tee time.

[indes]

Finally got out for the first 9 of the season!

In talking about slow games we were caught up to the group in front of us several times leading the people behind us to catch up and wow was the guy behind us a POS. Was yelling expletives from the tee box while we were on the fairway for the last 3 holes...obviously still there because we were waiting for the previous guys to get off the green and then this guy literally started hitting balls at us on the 9th hole.

He fired 2 balls at us and we just picked them up and left, told the pro shop on our way out so not sure what happened but what a ####ing #######.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I haven't really found any non bad weather days where you can sneak on and hop around really quick at any point, short of getting a first tee time.

I live really close to The Winston and Inglewood and have been able to play the weather dance at each of those courses often.

Those rounds are the best, nobody on the course and you can play as fast or as slow as you want.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Slava

It’s funny, but pace of play is the worst behind good golfers. At least a guy who’s going to shoot 110 will just pick up his ball and more along. But it’s those guys who are lining up every putt from every angle, pacing off shots and have 2 minute pre-shot routines who are the worst. You’re not on the tour, and you’re not going to be on the tour. It’s just purely inconsiderate.

People who shoot 110 and pick up balls aren't gambling, if you're not gambling you're not playing real golf!

[Lubicon]

I was reading this thread last night and then popped into YouTube. So naturally the suggested videos included golf tips and I wonder how much of a problem those might actually be to speed of play. For example the one that came up yesterday was to help with chipping. Which then proceeded to show that you need to walk the green, look back at your ball, look from the side, look at it from way behind, etc. etc. Basically add a whole bunch of time to your shot.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Pre-shot routine is killing the game of golf. It's actually painful to watch at time, because people stand behind the ball, supposedly visualize, the line up to make the shot but are 10-15 degrees off target line. They went through this elaborate process to not even come close to hitting their target line. Learn and apply fundamentals of the golf swing, and just hit the ball. Speeds up the game and doesn't annoy your playing partners.

I recall having a single hook up with my regular four when one of the guys bailed late. We are rabbits and the course usually chases us. We were third out in the morning and played in 3:10, even with a new guy on a new course. As we were having a beer after the round he volunteered how much he enjoyed playing with us, especially how quickly we played. He made us laugh when he said that we play so fast that the we sometimes let the ball stop rolling in the fairways before we hit it again. He really appreciated that we played ready golf and worked together to make sure we got through the holes quickly and efficiently. Even with missed fairways and looking for a couple of lost balls, we still managed to never see anyone behind us and keep a quick yet enjoyable pace. The fact that we partook in a lot of birdie juice probably didn't hurt either.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

I was reading this thread last night and then popped into YouTube. So naturally the suggested videos included golf tips and I wonder how much of a problem those might actually be to speed of play. For example the one that came up yesterday was to help with chipping. Which then proceeded to show that you need to walk the green, look back at your ball, look from the side, look at it from way behind, etc. etc. Basically add a whole bunch of time to your shot.

to me, these videos should come with a disclaimers that you practice golf at the range, when you are on the course, play efficiently - unless you are maybe playing a round where you have lots of time and you are not holding anyone up.

i sometimes find those 80 foot putts much easier as i jsut walk up have a look and hit and not think too hard about it as i figure the chances of putting it in are very low.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Pre-shot routine is killing the game of golf. It's actually painful to watch at time, because people stand behind the ball, supposedly visualize, the line up to make the shot but are 10-15 degrees off target line. They went through this elaborate process to not even come close to hitting their target line. Learn and apply fundamentals of the golf swing, and just hit the ball. Speeds up the game and doesn't annoy your playing partners.

I recall having a single hook up with my regular four when one of the guys bailed late. We are rabbits and the course usually chases us. We were third out in the morning and played in 3:10, even with a new guy on a new course. As we were having a beer after the round he volunteered how much he enjoyed playing with us, especially how quickly we played. He made us laugh when he said that we play so fast that the we sometimes let the ball stop rolling in the fairways before we hit it again. He really appreciated that we played ready golf and worked together to make sure we got through the holes quickly and efficiently. Even with missed fairways and looking for a couple of lost balls, we still managed to never see anyone behind us and keep a quick yet enjoyable pace. The fact that we partook in a lot of birdie juice probably didn't hurt either.

Liking this timeline very much. Tee time 7-8am, in the clubhouse well before noon and post round beers. Nice!

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Liking this timeline very much. Tee time 7-8am, in the clubhouse well before noon and post round beers. Nice!

That's great! Sometimes it can make for a sloppy second round that day, but there are far worse problems in life!

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

I was reading this thread last night and then popped into YouTube. So naturally the suggested videos included golf tips and I wonder how much of a problem those might actually be to speed of play. For example the one that came up yesterday was to help with chipping. Which then proceeded to show that you need to walk the green, look back at your ball, look from the side, look at it from way behind, etc. etc. Basically add a whole bunch of time to your shot.

You can do stuff like that fairly efficiently if you put a little effort into it. Especially when carrying. Like, carry your bag to the back of the green while assessing the slopes while other guys are still getting set up. Then walk back with your putter and wedge with a brief pause to check the line from behind the pin and you're not holding anyone up. As long as you don't have an egregiously long pre-shot routine, if you're doing things to get ready while everyone else is doing their thing, you can still play quickly.

The constant ball lookers, and people who just sit in their cart gabbing instead of getting ready that are the biggest problems IMO.

It's funny though, not everyone is self aware. I've seen a couple excruciatingly slow players, and seen my son play with a few too that realize or are told they are falling behind and they proceed to tell everyone else that they need to speed up (not realizing that 90% of the time is spent waiting on them).