Thoughts on Slow Play

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

A study by the R&A ranks these five factors as the main issues of pace of play. Do you agree?

 

 

USGA findings are in red.  My thought is improper use of carts can be a major contributor to slow play.  Get the chart in the general area and then go look for your ball, bring some clubs, hit and move along...

[Kenny B]

Half of it is what they list, but I still say that course design features are the other half. Most courses are designed for better players, but mostly played by higher hcps which leads to the issues they state.

 

However, with that said it's difficult to design a course that speeds up play, but is also a challenge to better players.

[silver & black]

Honestly, I don't know why anyone worries about it. Golf is not a fast game. The majority of golf is played by people that really aren't good... in any way, at the game.

 

Most of us can probably play an 18 hole round in under 4 hrs....... IF we could just play. It isn't going to happen. I'm not "good" compared to a lot of you. I CAN get around a golf course without too much trouble. I usually shoot in the low 80's..... take that for what it is.

 

Most people on a golf course can't break 100, like that's a revelation to anyone on this forum. 4.5 hr. rounds are here to stay, like it or not. Most rounds I play stretch into 5 hrs. because of the people in front of me/my group. Ya know what?.......... just roll with it, or don't play anymore........... or take more beer! It aint never going to change!

[Blade]

I tend to agree. I don't like to be rushed, but I don't like thinking of someone waiting on me. If someone is on my tail, I'll be extra conscious of moving on quicker. But my f-i-l for example is oblivious or just plain doesn't care if he's holding a group up. He'll spend time looking for a ball hopelessly lost in the junk when it's a ball he found anyway. He never buys balls. Why the hell does he care if he lost one? He only counts about 75% of his shots and still shoots over 100. It's not like he's going to count the penalty for dropping. Can't stands it!

[JBones]

Like Silver & Black said, I don't think anything is going to change.  Maybe threaten groups that are holding people up with being kicked off the course.  We got stuck behind a foursome a while back that were painfully slow and refused to let us play through; it took us almost 3 hours to play the front.  We got past them when they stopped at the turn and played the back in 1 hour 15 minutes.

[wbealsd]

I tend to agree. I don't like to be rushed, but I don't like thinking of someone waiting on me. If someone is on my tail, I'll be extra conscious of moving on quicker. But my f-i-l for example is oblivious or just plain doesn't care if he's holding a group up. He'll spend time looking for a ball hopelessly lost in the junk when it's a ball he found anyway. He never buys balls. Why the hell does he care if he lost one? He only counts about 75% of his shots and still shoots over 100. It's not like he's going to count the penalty for dropping. Can't stands it!

Up until this year, all my golf has been played on public courses, and the big difference I've noticed is better golf etiquette by the members.  Surprisingly enough, if one plans to play 25 rounds or more a year, the Country Club I've joined is very competitive for the price, but you've got to be at least a fairly committed golfer to play that many rounds.

 

The really rude players, like you've described above, seem to be the folks that play a few rounds a year but never practice and are primarily motivated to play as an excuse to socialize and drink with their buddies.  The public courses also don't seem to maintain their grounds as well, which leads to more lost balls and the type of player who considers a successful round one where he leaves with more "found balls" than he started with.