Slow Play - Constructive Feedback Only

[Pinmaster]

I don't mind slow play if I do not have to wait too long before getting started off on the next hole. If our group is holding people up I had rather them play through so I don't feel rushed. I hate feeling rushed and will not rush others. It may be a mental thing for me but if I spend a lot of time waiting to start the next hole or feel rushed.... the wheels most likely come off my game.

[golfbum9]

[quote name='Augster' timestamp='1304998434' post='3220938']
[quote name='yuck' timestamp='1304868126' post='3216468']
I am one of the ranters who believe a 4-some of 100 shooters can play 18 holes in 3:30 without rushing. [/quote]

This is simply not possible if you are playing real golf. Sorry.

The suggestions are decent, such as watching your partner in the cart hit his ball instead of driving over to yours once he has his club, but the time you suggest simply isn't realistic.
[/quote]
Completely disagree. A 4 some can [i]cruise[/i] through a round in under 3:30 min. without rushing one bit. Easily.

Those saying "well the scorecard says it takes "X" to finish the round on time" - need to understand the suggested times are [u][b]on a packed golf course[/b][/u]. The idea is to keep up with the group ahead of you, not in front of the group behind you.
Get to your ball, play your shot and clear the green already... you can count them later

I've played with golfers shooting near 130 and walking that kept pace just fine - without rushing.

[dhc1]

[quote name='Pinmaster' timestamp='1305038665' post='3221888']
I don't mind slow play if I do not have to wait too long before getting started off on the next hole. If our group is holding people up I had rather them play through so I don't feel rushed. I hate feeling rushed and will not rush others. It may be a mental thing for me but if I spend a lot of time waiting to start the next hole or feel rushed.... the wheels most likely come off my game.
[/quote]

to you and others who don't like to be rushed and don't think that a 4+ hour round is too long, do you do all the things mentioned in the first post? does playing ready golf make you feel rushed?

How about this? how many guys should look for a lost ball before they hit their next shot? all four players or just the person who hit it? I would suggest that the other guys hit first and then decide whether they should help out.

[rogolf]

This page might be of interest -
[url="http://www.popeofslope.com/paceofplay/index.html"]http://www.popeofslope.com/paceofplay/index.html[/url]

It's interesting to note that he says the time allowance for most courses, for a group of four high handicap men, is between 3:30 and 4:00,
<P class=blacktext09>"Play is by golfers who are average or higher-handicapped. The skill of the bogey golfer is considered in determining the length time and obstacle time of a hole. To assure objectivity in judging the difficulty of an obstacle and the effect of hole length on the bogey golfer, the USGA Pace Rating formula uses the obstacle ratings assigned to the course under the USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating procedure. <P class=blacktext09>Conditions of play are "impeded." Impeded means that groups of four are filling all or most of the holes, so that faster or smaller groups cannot play through. <P class=blacktext09>The USGA Pace Rating, calculated according to the formula and based on the assumptions above, answers the question, "How fast should a group of average golfers play on a busy day?" Because the data entered in the USGA Pace Rating procedure are completely USGA Pace Rating is unique for the course. Generally, the USGA Pace Rating for courses has turned out to be 3:40 to 4:00 hours,although long, difficult courses are coming up with Pace Ratings of more than four hours."

[Pinmaster]

[quote name='dhc1' timestamp='1305039509' post='3221929']
[quote name='Pinmaster' timestamp='1305038665' post='3221888']
I don't mind slow play if I do not have to wait too long before getting started off on the next hole. If our group is holding people up I had rather them play through so I don't feel rushed. I hate feeling rushed and will not rush others. It may be a mental thing for me but if I spend a lot of time waiting to start the next hole or feel rushed.... the wheels most likely come off my game.
[/quote]

to you and others who don't like to be rushed and don't think that a 4+ hour round is too long, do you do all the things mentioned in the first post? does playing ready golf make you feel rushed?

How about this? how many guys should look for a lost ball before they hit their next shot? all four players or just the person who hit it? I would suggest that the other guys hit first and then decide whether they should help out.
[/quote]

I expect a 4:30+ round on the weekends on certain courses. I don't look too long for lost balls... if I look at all. If it is too far out then I lay out and take the stroke. Too much poison ivy/oak, ticks, chiggers, and snakes here to go walking too far off the fairway. If someone in my group is looking for a lost ball I will walk over to help them and urge them to let it go and lay out. Some balls are a lost cause on the courses that we play.

This past weekend one of my buddy's brought an older fella with him (75+). It was cart path only and he was a bit slow. We let three groups play through and enjoyed our round.

My answers to the questions on page one:

1. A
2. Agree
3. Agree unless we are playing a game for money and first in matters (first on, closer, and first in)
4. Agree
5. Agree

I will add that I like to grap a few clubs and start walking to my ball while my cart mate is getting ready to hit. That why when he has hit.. I am done with pre-shot and ready to hit my ball. If close enough to the green I will walk on up to my next shot while he brings the cart up.

[farmer]

I don't play a lot of muni golf and hardly ever on a weekend, so my experience is somewhat limited. That said, the suggestion that groups play from the appropriate tees is right on. One thing I've seen, even on some upscale courses on weekends, is guys trying to give playing lessons to wives or girlfriends. I understand the motivation, but not on a busy course, please. Blame it on TV or whatever, but a preshot routine should not take any amount of time. Miss it quick. If you see a high hdcp reading putts from more than one place, they have been drinking tour kool-aid. If you're marking a putt under,say, a foot, get over yourself. By the time 10 groups have been on a green, there is no pristine line. At our club, the slowest players are never ready to play. A poster in an earlier thread said that high hdcp players simply do not know how to manage themselves on a course, and I think that is right on.

[Random Hack]

[quote name='rogolf' timestamp='1305040127' post='3221964']
This page might be of interest -
[url="http://www.popeofslope.com/paceofplay/index.html"]http://www.popeofslo...play/index.html[/url]

It's interesting to note that he says the time allowance for most courses, for a group of four high handicap men, is between 3:30 and 4:00,
<P class=blacktext09>"Play is by golfers who are average or higher-handicapped. The skill of the bogey golfer is considered in determining the length time and obstacle time of a hole. To assure objectivity in judging the difficulty of an obstacle and the effect of hole length on the bogey golfer, the USGA Pace Rating formula uses the obstacle ratings assigned to the course under the USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating procedure. <P class=blacktext09>Conditions of play are "impeded." Impeded means that groups of four are filling all or most of the holes, so that faster or smaller groups cannot play through. <P class=blacktext09>The USGA Pace Rating, calculated according to the formula and based on the assumptions above, answers the question, "How fast should a group of average golfers play on a busy day?" Because the data entered in the USGA Pace Rating procedure are completely USGA Pace Rating is unique for the course. Generally, the USGA Pace Rating for courses has turned out to be 3:40 to 4:00 hours,although long, difficult courses are coming up with Pace Ratings of more than four hours."




[/quote]

I'd like to know in what universe the average golfer is a bogey golfer and shoots 90.

Secondly, I'd also like to know what some of the people are smoking who think four hacks can and should walk a round of golf in 3:30 comfortably - that's just a fairy tale that will never come true no matter how much you may want it to be so.

I'm starting to think that pace of play is becoming the new 300 yard drive on WRX - some people seem to think that golf is something that should be finished as quickly as possible and they brag (rarely sounds believable to me) about their unbelievably fast play - that's fine, and if they can find a course to suit their needs (or get the first tee time every morning) they can do that.

Seems like the vast majority, though, find golf to be a leisurely activity that should be enjoyed - not something where someone should feel rushed and/or hurried.

For those who are going to say "I play with a foursome and we generally finish in 2:45 and we walk backwards", just save your breath.

[golfbum9]

Fairy tale? At my club, there's a 94yr old regular that does this several times per week - walking.
This is not a flat golf course.


Those moaning that 3:30 is too long and unrealistic need to wake up, get over themselves and hit the damn ball already...

[raynorfan1]

[quote name='golfbum9' timestamp='1305039360' post='3221917']
[quote name='Augster' timestamp='1304998434' post='3220938']
[quote name='yuck' timestamp='1304868126' post='3216468']
I am one of the ranters who believe a 4-some of 100 shooters can play 18 holes in 3:30 without rushing. [/quote]

This is simply not possible if you are playing real golf. Sorry.

The suggestions are decent, such as watching your partner in the cart hit his ball instead of driving over to yours once he has his club, but the time you suggest simply isn't realistic.
[/quote]
Completely disagree. A 4 some can [i]cruise[/i] through a round in under 3:30 min. without rushing one bit. Easily.

Those saying "well the scorecard says it takes "X" to finish the round on time" - need to understand the suggested times are [u][b]on a packed golf course[/b][/u]. The idea is to keep up with the group ahead of you, not in front of the group behind you.
Get to your ball, play your shot and clear the green already... you can count them later

I've played with golfers shooting near 130 and walking that kept pace just fine - without rushing.
[/quote]

The more I think about the "problem" of pace of play, the more I think fault lies more with the courses (at least here in the Northeast) than the golfers. It's a chilly, overcast/rainy day here today, and I just played 18 in 2:20 (as a twosome) on a relatively empty course - we got bogged down behind a beginner on 8 and 9, but played through at the turn (and I can't begrudge a beginner taking his sweet time on a rainy Tuesday morning).

In my experience, the five hour round is not caused by a slow group that creates a gap on the course. It's just a course filled over capacity on a beautiful weekend day, and the natural turn of events creates the need to wait. There are two truisms of pace of play: (1) nobody likes to wait; and (2) nobody likes the group behind them riding their behind. The worst of it is an over-capacity course where both (1) and (2) are occurring simultaneously. Miserable. But of all the slow rounds I've played stuck behind somebody, I can't remember one where the underlying reason wasn't that they were slow, but that they were stuck behind somebody, who was stuck behind somebody, who was stuck behind somebody. And then it compounds, because people take their time when they know they'll just be stacked up again in a minute.

One of the more aggravating etiquette moments of the past couple weeks for me was being paired up with a random single who, after we putted out, would drop a handful of balls and practice putting on the green - WHILE there were people behind us waiting to hit to the green. His logic was that the group ahead of us hadn't teed off yet on the next hole, so we (and hence the group behind us) were going to have to wait somewhere, and we might as well claim the green as our waiting room to get some practice in... But even in this ridiculous scenario, there were no open holes ahead of us - the course was just full.

[golfbum9]

It only takes one group really.
Keep in mind golf courses are in business and they need the extra tee times to make money (if they can).

[fretbored]

Funny how golf is just like driving on the highway. You've got your:

Left-Lane Vigilantes (Slow golfers who actively refuse to let anyone play through)
Sunday Drivers (Slow golfers oblivious to those around them)
Chronic Speeders (Fast golfers oblivious to those around them)
Tailgaters (Impatient fast golfers who want everyone to get out of their %$^&$# way)

Then there's the majority of us who just want to get where we are going without getting killed by one of the above.

You'll never get rid of these types of people on the highway. You'll never get rid of them on the golf course.

[Cobber]

Best line I heard at the start of a tourney one time,


[b][size=4]"If you are not having to wait, YOU are part of the problem!!"[/size][/b]
[b][size=4]
[/size][/b]
[b][size=4]
[/size][/b]
[size=4][b]
[/b][/size]

[avrag]

I know that the OP only wanted constructive feedback, but after my experiences with golf in the US, there are two solutions that come to my mind first:
- ban carts, walk
- build only golf courses that can be played walking

Honestly, when I first played golf in the US, I was totally shocked by the pace of play I encountered at times. Mind you, I struggled to break 100 at that point, but I still was used to sub 4hr rounds. And slow play was always, always because of the fact that everybody was riding in carts. This is the biggest reason for slow play.
First of all (and I experienced this myself then) beginners have no chance to digest the last bad shot they hit, collect themselves and think about the next shot, when driving to their ball, which is 50 yards away, takes them only a few seconds. I bet you, if you made a study with high handicappers, that the next shot after a bad one will be 100% better for the group that walked to their balls than for the group who drove there. So the result is another bad shot.
Second reason is that there never is a natural rhythm to the game when you ride. This rhythm of the game that one experiences when walking, also helps to battle the frustration even when you have to wait.
Third reason of course is that there are all sorts of boneheaded actions that people can (amd will) take when they ride, that are simply not possible for walkers. Like taking only one club with them, getting to their ball, finding out it is the wrong club, having to go back to the cart, and so on. Other examples would be two players in one cart who drive to the first player's ball, he hits, then gets in again, then they drive to the other player's ball, you get the idea. Carts also slow down play around the greens a great deal, because you usually have to leave the cart quite a distance away from the green, behind the green ususally, then you have to walk back to the green, which also takes more time than to simply walk up there from the fairway like you can do when you carry your bag or use a pull or push caddy.
Finally, carts give people the wrong impression that they are moving fast, when in fact they are not. So they tend to take their time with everything, when they leave the cart.
I have never ever experienced anything even remotely similar to the slow pace of play of carts-only courses on courses where players only walk. The only exceptions are tournaments, when there is really something on the line. But in all oother cases, players using carts will always be slower than players walking.

[Yuck]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. I recognize that everyone paces themselves differently not only in golf, but driving, walking, even talking. Most of those other activities offer alternatives for different paces. (Multiple lanes for driving, wide sidewalks for passing when walking, talking can be done at any pace with minimal impact on others.) I also recognize, when I walk in a mall, I think everyone walks too slow, when I listen to my own voice mails, I have to speed it up because I think I talk too slow, and I much prefer a multi-lane highway, so I can choose my pace. Since golf requires a single queue, the only people who consistently get to play the pace that suites them are the slowest among us. I rest of us must wait. It is ironic that natural pace can be so disconnected from someones physique. Being old and fat it grates me to walk behind slim folks who move like sloths. I will modify my expectations as far as golf is concerned because I can tell more then half of you, good golfers, are perfectly fine with 4+ hour rounds of golf.

[Random Hack]

I guess a good example/analogy to use is if you were lucky enough to play Augusta with Jack, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones - would you rather play a quick 3.5 hour round, or would you rather enjoy the moment, take in the majesty, etc., and play a leisurely 4-4.5 hour round? I know I would prefer the round to progress at a relaxing stroll as opposed to a brisk walk around the course.

Well, for many of the fast players on this board (myself included), the fact that we can (and many do) play golf almost every day means that each individual round isn't that special/unique to us, whereas there are guys who only get out once a month to the course and try to savor and enjoy every moment of it who don't want to be rushed.

The only recourse if fast play is that important to you is to go out early on weekdays (or be the first tee time on a weekend) - that's when I play (generally with older gentlemen who like to keep it moving) and the round rarely takes longer than 4:15 (most right around 4:00).

[Sean2]

A lot of it has to do with how courses stack the players. No time between tee times. I played in a tournament and it was organized in such a way that we never saw the group in front of us and never saw the group behind us. We zipped around the course.

[stage1350]

The OP was looking for suggestions, so here's a few:

1) Concede a lost ball WITHOUT using 5 minutes. You aren't playing the US Open. Take 2 and drop. If you are taking all 5 minutes because you're in a money game, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. [/gambling is illegal at Bushwood, sir!]

2) Declare and hit a provisional off the tee if you think it's OB or wet. If you have to walk all the way back to the tee, you deserve to be kicked in the testicles by the group that's waiting on you.

3) Carts on path? Take AT LEAST THREE clubs with you when you walk out of the cart. Again, if you have to walk all the way back to the cart because you only took one club, your playing partner should be allowed to use that club to bludgeon you to death.

4) Drop off your partner and drive to your ball. Your partner is grandpa with an artificial hip that can't walk? Then YOU grab some clubs and walk up. Both of you have artificial hips? RENT TWO CARTS!

5) Read your putt while the rest of the group is putting. Your turn should be line, stance, address, stroke. If you need to do a 720 on the perimeter of the green, choke yourself.

6) Play ready golf. Honors slows the game down. Again, if you feel the need for honors because you are in a money game, kiss my a$$! I see more slow play due to a press on a three footer than anything else.

7) Farthest away from the green inside 100 yards gets dropped off with their wedge(s) and putter. Closer in parks the cart. No need to go back to the cart to get a putter. Lay them down on the green. If you keep forgetting your clubs, the cost will eventually make you remember.

None of these suggestions will force you to rush. But all of them will save a lot of time.

[TML]

[quote name='avrag' timestamp='1305061678' post='3223058']
I know that the OP only wanted constructive feedback, but after my experiences with golf in the US, there are two solutions that come to my mind first:
- ban carts, walk
- build only golf courses that can be played walking

Honestly, when I first played golf in the US, I was totally shocked by the pace of play I encountered at times. Mind you, I struggled to break 100 at that point, but I still was used to sub 4hr rounds. And slow play was always, always because of the fact that everybody was riding in carts. This is the biggest reason for slow play.
First of all (and I experienced this myself then) beginners have no chance to digest the last bad shot they hit, collect themselves and think about the next shot, when driving to their ball, which is 50 yards away, takes them only a few seconds. I bet you, if you made a study with high handicappers, that the next shot after a bad one will be 100% better for the group that walked to their balls than for the group who drove there. So the result is another bad shot.
Second reason is that there never is a natural rhythm to the game when you ride. This rhythm of the game that one experiences when walking, also helps to battle the frustration even when you have to wait.
Third reason of course is that there are all sorts of boneheaded actions that people can (amd will) take when they ride, that are simply not possible for walkers. Like taking only one club with them, getting to their ball, finding out it is the wrong club, having to go back to the cart, and so on. Other examples would be two players in one cart who drive to the first player's ball, he hits, then gets in again, then they drive to the other player's ball, you get the idea. Carts also slow down play around the greens a great deal, because you usually have to leave the cart quite a distance away from the green, behind the green ususally, then you have to walk back to the green, which also takes more time than to simply walk up there from the fairway like you can do when you carry your bag or use a pull or push caddy.
Finally, carts give people the wrong impression that they are moving fast, when in fact they are not. So they tend to take their time with everything, when they leave the cart.
I have never ever experienced anything even remotely similar to the slow pace of play of carts-only courses on courses where players only walk. The only exceptions are tournaments, when there is really something on the line. But in all oother cases, players using carts will always be slower than players walking.
[/quote]
I think you are blaming the carts way too much here. The fastest round I've ever had walking was about 2:45....with a cart, I can do the same course in 2 hrs.

It's an awareness and courtesy issue.

Look at most private courses, where members are usually well aware of when they are holding up other groups.

When you are behind slow play, it's mostly due to selfish dooshes in the groups ahead of you.

I have a friend who I never play golf with anymore. He likes being out on the golf course for 5 hrs. He now has a captive and captured audience, where he can socialize (I mean diarahea of the mouth) endlessly about nonsense. He's never ready to hit. During his preshot routine, he often stops and gets his thoughts out about everything but golf, then starts his preshot routine all over again. And if you try to make him play faster, he gets angry and gets even more deliberate.

I imagine most of the slow players fall into the same human doosh category.

[dhc1]

[quote name='YipMaster' timestamp='1305063923' post='3223142']
I guess a good example/analogy to use is if you were lucky enough to play Augusta with Jack, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones - would you rather play a quick 3.5 hour round, or would you rather enjoy the moment, take in the majesty, etc., and play a leisurely 4-4.5 hour round? I know I would prefer the round to progress at a relaxing stroll as opposed to a brisk walk around the course.

Well, for many of the fast players on this board (myself included), the fact that we can (and many do) play golf almost every day means that each individual round isn't that special/unique to us, whereas there are guys who only get out once a month to the course and try to savor and enjoy every moment of it who don't want to be rushed.

The only recourse if fast play is that important to you is to go out early on weekdays (or be the first tee time on a weekend) - that's when I play (generally with older gentlemen who like to keep it moving) and the round rarely takes longer than 4:15 (most right around 4:00).
[/quote]



YipMaster,

Not to pick on you but i'd like to know whether you do all of the things that the OP mentioned as well as what Stage noted above. Does playing ready golf make you feel rushed and not allow you to enjoy the moment/take in the majesty? I am particularly focused on being prepared to hit your shot shortly after someone else hits there (ie, not sitting in the cart watching your playing partners hit their shot).

I think that if Ben Hogan, Jack N and Bobby Jones played a casual round at Augusta, it would take about 3 hours but this is pure conjecture on my part.

[dhc1]

[quote name='Pinmaster' timestamp='1305040222' post='3221973']
[quote name='dhc1' timestamp='1305039509' post='3221929']
[quote name='Pinmaster' timestamp='1305038665' post='3221888']
I don't mind slow play if I do not have to wait too long before getting started off on the next hole. If our group is holding people up I had rather them play through so I don't feel rushed. I hate feeling rushed and will not rush others. It may be a mental thing for me but if I spend a lot of time waiting to start the next hole or feel rushed.... the wheels most likely come off my game.
[/quote]

to you and others who don't like to be rushed and don't think that a 4+ hour round is too long, do you do all the things mentioned in the first post? does playing ready golf make you feel rushed?

How about this? how many guys should look for a lost ball before they hit their next shot? all four players or just the person who hit it? I would suggest that the other guys hit first and then decide whether they should help out.
[/quote]

I expect a 4:30+ round on the weekends on certain courses. I don't look too long for lost balls... if I look at all. If it is too far out then I lay out and take the stroke. Too much poison ivy/oak, ticks, chiggers, and snakes here to go walking too far off the fairway. If someone in my group is looking for a lost ball I will walk over to help them and urge them to let it go and lay out. Some balls are a lost cause on the courses that we play.

This past weekend one of my buddy's brought an older fella with him (75+). It was cart path only and he was a bit slow. We let three groups play through and enjoyed our round.

My answers to the questions on page one:

1. A
2. Agree
3. Agree unless we are playing a game for money and first in matters (first on, closer, and first in)
4. Agree
5. Agree

I will add that I like to grap a few clubs and start walking to my ball while my cart mate is getting ready to hit. That why when he has hit.. I am done with pre-shot and ready to hit my ball. If close enough to the green I will walk on up to my next shot while he brings the cart up.
[/quote]


thanks for the response. I guess that I'm surprised that you have a problem playing in less than 4 hours - my guess is that if you were the first out in the morning with a foursome who do play ready golf like you (assuming better than double bogey golf), you should finish around 3.5 hours on average without feeling rushed. is that not right?

[Random Hack]

[quote name='dhc1' timestamp='1305308130' post='3231046']
[quote name='YipMaster' timestamp='1305063923' post='3223142']
I guess a good example/analogy to use is if you were lucky enough to play Augusta with Jack, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones - would you rather play a quick 3.5 hour round, or would you rather enjoy the moment, take in the majesty, etc., and play a leisurely 4-4.5 hour round? I know I would prefer the round to progress at a relaxing stroll as opposed to a brisk walk around the course.

Well, for many of the fast players on this board (myself included), the fact that we can (and many do) play golf almost every day means that each individual round isn't that special/unique to us, whereas there are guys who only get out once a month to the course and try to savor and enjoy every moment of it who don't want to be rushed.

The only recourse if fast play is that important to you is to go out early on weekdays (or be the first tee time on a weekend) - that's when I play (generally with older gentlemen who like to keep it moving) and the round rarely takes longer than 4:15 (most right around 4:00).
[/quote]



YipMaster,

Not to pick on you but i'd like to know whether you do all of the things that the OP mentioned as well as what Stage noted above. Does playing ready golf make you feel rushed and not allow you to enjoy the moment/take in the majesty? I am particularly focused on being prepared to hit your shot shortly after someone else hits there (ie, not sitting in the cart watching your playing partners hit their shot).

I think that if Ben Hogan, Jack N and Bobby Jones played a casual round at Augusta, it would take about 3 hours but this is pure conjecture on my part.
[/quote]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Not to say I'm one of the 350 yard+ bombers that seem to comprise 98% of the population here, but it's pretty rare that I'm not the longest guy in the group I'm playing with - that makes it so I'm usually last to hit my second shot, and oftentimes (on the rare occasion I find a fairway) my playing partners are directly behind me, so it's impossible for me to play ready golf (be ready to hit as soon as they have).

Generally it's a 25-30 yard walk up to my ball after the last three of them have hit (assuming the third was in the fairway behind me), and oftentimes I do feel rushed in that case.

BTW, I never take a cart, always carry my bag, so after getting to my ball, getting the yardage and picturing my shot, that can take a little longer than usual (boy there's a lot of commas in that sentence).

FWIW, if I'm walking a course I know it'll take me 2:30 - 2:45 at my comfortable pace (a little less or more, depending on the course); I played a new course I'd never played before a couple of weeks ago and it took me 3 hours on the number (long walks from greens to tees and needed to walk up on a lot of 50 yard-ish shots to see what the green complex was like and where the pin was).

Trust me, there's no one in the world who would call me a slow player - it takes me five seconds to laser my distance, check the wind and pick a club, and then my preshot routine is pulling a club out of the bag, walking up to the ball from behind, one look at the hole, and rip it.

Walk up to the next one, repeat.

Anyhow, different strokes for different folks...............I'm a fast player but as long as I'm not waiting to hit shots and am playing my shot within the natural tempo of the round, I'm not too concerned for how long it takes - I've played "long" 4 hour rounds and "short" 4.5 hour rounds.

[rbrb]

The course I play at is a nice muni, but doesn't get as much play as the other two munis in town. Obviously the course needs the revenue generated by the number of new golfers and the "how hard can that be" Masters watchers who have played twice in their life. For the most part those players have no idea that you're not suppose to drive your cart onto the apron of the green, let faster players through if there's a hole open ahead of them, pick up after it's taken them 8 to get on the green (actually 33 strokes if you count their practice swings ) and you don't have to wait for the green to clear when you're still 330 out. Most starters can tell when they send them out. I wish the staters had a little card to hand out to those in need of basic ettiquette. Most would appreciate the info I think.

Then there are the experienced players who just don't give a damn. They're worse.

[spoonhead]

I still believe that the problem is the different skill levels sharing the course. Someone that hits his drive 280 in the fairway, and can chip to within 3 feet of the hole are going to be faster than someone who hits it 190 crooked, and duffs his chip shot 3 times before getting on the green.

Yes some people goof around but just think of any other sport that you play, you play with like skilled team mates or players and if you can't play at the level that the majority of the people are playing at, then you move to a different lower league.

Its just the nature of the beast, clocks on the course, with polite, reasonable marshals, and some education is going to help, but if someone scores 74 with only one practice swing, and someone scores 104 with 3 practice swings before hitting, its just gotta take longer.

Play golf early or be rich and play at an exclusive course is the only way I can see it not stressing people out. (or just accept that it is the way it is)

[Ty_Webb]

A couple of the biggest things to my mind that cause play to be slow.

Firstly it's about being ready to go when it's your turn (assuming that's feasible). Read your putt while others are putting. Figure out your yardages and pick your club while others are playing. That kind of thing. It's not difficult and it doesn't involve rushing.

Secondly, if you're walking, put your bag at a spot where you'll be walking in a direct line from the hole to the next tee. So often I see people put their bag down at the front of the green because that's where they get to it. Then they go putt to a flag at the back of the green, when the next tee is behind the green. Then they have to walk all the way back to the front of the green, put their putter away and walk back along the green to the next tee. If they'd walked to the back of the green to put their bag down, they'd putt out and just walk off the back. Much quicker. Easier for them and less aggravation for the person behind. If you're in a cart and you bring spare clubs or a putter cover or something like that with you, put them down on the way back to the cart, not the opposite side. You're less likely to forget them and you'll have a shorter distance to walk. Everyone wins.

I notice people say that if you feel the need to be finished in under four hours, then why bother playing in the first place, or why rush, because you can't enjoy it. I enjoy playing golf. Not standing around waiting for the group in front. That's the point. Although now that I live in NYC, a round in four hours is something to dream about. I just accept that five hours is minimum it's going to take and just get on with it.

[swbyps]

If you ask me...ready golf is the answer to it all. In my experience, if everyone in the group understands that its ready golf, things usually moves along nicely. Birdie or better shooters on the previous hole can have the next tee box, otherwise its ready golf. Once your are around and on the greens, its still ready golf with a little common since and knowledge of who should play when. The 3.5 hour round for a foursome is just too fast I think. I dislike being rushed as much (or more so in some cases) as slow play.

[PingG10guy]

Me and my buddy were accused of slow play a few weeks ago. we got stuck behind a foursome of folks who dont golf and Im a fairly long hitter; course has short par 4's and I have a chance to hit every par 5 in 2. So Im standing on every tee box for what feels like 20 minutes waiting on them and then the group behind us pulls up to the tee box and i can hear em complaining about our play lol. So what was the foursome doing that jammed up the course?? The exact opposite of all the stuff mentioned in this thread!

They even parked their carts directly infront of the greens on every hole(20 feet or so off). I hit my 3rd shot on a par 5 that was 215 to the hole and literally 205 of it was over water. One of the best golf shots I ever hit in my life and got a bad bounce off the false front; shot left into their cart that was concealed by trees. They walked off the green literally 3-5 minutes before I hit my ball and I saw one cart drive away so I just assumed the other was on the back of the green and already gone. All I heard was them yelling and saw my pretty little golf ball go flying into a creek behind the green. I felt bad for not saying fore so I dont blame them for throwing my ball; but I couldnt see them at all. I couldnt help but laugh. I apologized when I pulled up to the tee on the next hole for not saying fore, and the guy yelled at me "you can at least wait until we get off the green". So I kept a straight face and said "yes sir it wont happen again". I just didnt have the heart to tell him his own ignorance was the cause of the problem...

Starters should definitely hand out some sort of etiquette pamphlet and enforce the rules. Ive been to alot of really nice municipal golf courses since Ive been in Tampa that are outta control.