SLOW PLAY!!!!!!!

OK, there seems to be a number of opinions about slow play in a number of recent posts and because it is a subject close to many golfing hearts, lets have a sensible discussion about it.

I'll start with the fact that some complaints don't hold water. How can a group be classed as 'slow' when they are keeping position on the course. The complaint is made because they are slower than you?

Some weeks ago I saw a comment that made sense to me "The world revolves around the Sun, not you". Some people should remember this before making complaints. You can miss a genuine problem in amongst rubbish.

Nice to see you point out that the first group out sets the pace and each subsequent group will be responsible for keeping up.

Some other factors that don't help, however, are those who turn up at the first tee bang on their tee time, take five minutes to warm up before setting off on their round. Then we have those that are drifting back from the group in front and steadfastly refuse to look back especially when they know it's a pair behind while they are a four.

Clubs could help by perhaps pushing tee times out depending on how many are in the group, i.e. 10 minutes behind a 4 ball for the next booking rather than 8 minutes after a two-ball. A good course marshall will also work wonders.

The other thing I've noticed is the length of time spent in a lot of groups where time is spent on a mothers meeting that could be used by the 'next in turn' to select his club and be ready to play. this is especially evident at the tee box where 90% of first shots by regulars never change, but one chap gets out his driver, sets up and tees off, before the next repeats the routine and so on. Being ready should be a watch word.

Saying all that, it must be frustrating knowing you have a 250 yard drive capability when the poor old buggers in front can barely reach 140 yards.

As a caveat, I've played in quick groups, slow groups, as a pair, four & a single and find that knowing when the quiet times at your course are is often the best way to get an unhindered round in. Knowing this (and being retired) has allowed me to play many rounds where I haven't seen another soul and feel that I own the course...

Best of all, though, is to have a bit of patience and just realise that most players aren't trying to hold anyone up and can often ruin their own round by worrying that they are holding play up.

In club comps you'll find that it's the same people week in week out causing the problems, and they generally know they are ,but don't care.

At my club in comps course marshalls check up on the pace of play at certain points, normally after the 8th to tell you if you need to speed up a bit, I have no problem with that but when you are in a strokeplay comp it is hard to keep up with play when you are way off target.

But when you playing a casual game it is surprising how many will not pick up when you know they have blobbed a hole.

This one is my pet hate and very much a problem. The 4 ball in front of you tee off and two of them find the rough (we all do it) all 4 walk to the same spot and start searching, when and if they find that ball they have forgotten where the second stray ball went and just wander about aimlessly. The correct procedure in my mind and I certainly implement it when I play is "You all walk to your own balls, or where you think they are, then if need be you can go and help the strays" This speeds up play with no effort at all.

yes David totally agree, some people don't look past the player/players in front of them or even the ones in front of that group. slow play seems a lot less than 8 year ago when people just wouldn't let you play through full stop, but times change and maybe the toffs don't like us regular folks getting by them in any way shape or form...haha

enjoy and only get stressed by your golf and anybody else's.. lee

One thing that does hold up play is a fourball who leave their clubs at the front of the green, putt out, walk back to their clubs and take an age before walking off past the green to a tee that is sighted just off the back of that green. Why not place their clubs by the next tee and walk back to the green. Saves minutes per hole and allows the group behind to play quicker too.

David that one is known as "Lack of bag skills"

Hi David , ive mentioned slow play alot recently but only concerning slow play when there is no one ahead of that group. if the course is just busy then thats fine i dont expect to push in at all, but alot of the times i have been held up and not let through is when the group infront had amounted a gap of a couple of holes from the group in front of them through their slow play and still dont let you through, esp when only on say the 5th hole knowing that you will be stuck behind them all round.

Afternoon all, I was playing in a 4 ball the other day we werent overly slow. as you say a few mins here and there looking in the wilderness for balls occasionally (not mine i might add). the group behind us were catching over a few holes so about the 12th we tee'd off and waited so the 3 ball could play through. whilst waiting for them to finish on the 11th the group behind them were waiting to hit approach shots. we let the first group through and walked up the fairway with them and the group behind caught quickly but dont think we held them up. I consider this to be polite good practise. it irritates me when i get caught behind people. if its the odd hole here and there i understand but having a 5 min wait on each tee ruins my round.

Once, I was playing at Filey GC in a comp. We were a fourball (most were that day). On the 4th, three of us hit the fairway and the other hit his tee-shot very close to the OoB. He declared a PB and hit that down the fairway too, so there were four balls sat in clear sight. While we waited for the green to clear we went to look if the original tee-shot had stayed in bounds (just to check/waste time). While doing this the group behind teed off. When asked why, one very sarcastically said "you were looking for a lost ball and would be calling us through, wouldn't you?" When he was told that we were waiting for the group in front to clear the green he didn't change his attitude and expected to carry on through us. He didn't and was asked to leave the club a few weeks later after saying some nasty things to a lady member. Most private clubs don't want members like that. He actually said later that he thought we were all slow players anyway and he didn't want to play at our speed. Most comp rounds at Filey in normal conditions were completed in under 4hrs, many in about 3.5hrs.

As a caveat to this post, I play golf as a social event. I'm crap at sports (especially golf!), but enjoy the fact that my performance is based soley on my skills, so there's no-one else to blame.

With that in mind, a round of golf to me is ~4 hours with my mates where we can have a laugh, catch up on life and get a bit competative! I hate being rushed and so will allow anyone who catches my group to play through as soon as possible (I don't enjoy the pressure of a group behind me, and wouldn't want to anger anyone).

I've paid a lot for my clubs, a lot for my kit, a lot for my membership and a lot for any tee-times at other clubs. I've invested time in the game, time in organising the game and time getting to the game. I've put all that effort in to playing 18 holes (and at the moment, hitting the ball about 120 times!).

To expect me to then pick up my ball or skip part of the course is, in my view, ridiculous. What's the rush?

Hi

Players using GPS devices, especially mid to high handicappers to continually assess the exact yardage to the flags in club competitions. This certainly contributes to slower play and winds me up. Firstly these members play the course week in, week out and should have excellent knowledge of distances through experience alone and should not need to rely on these gadgets, secondly mid to high handicappers (including myself at 16) do not have any real distance control or the consistent ball striking to benefit from knowing if you have 120 or 130 yards left to the pin.

GPS devices are only of benefit when playing courses you are unfamiliar with, leave them at home and get on with it!!

And in general, when you have a few older generation groups in front of much younger players they are going to play at a slower pace, and that will cause later groups to bunch up. But I can't see what you can do about that, its just one of those typical golf club situations!!! And in my experience, younger and new to golf people are much more likely to let players play through than the older guys who have played at the club for 30 years who even refuse to shout fore for their wayward shots!!!!!

In my humble opinion I think in club comps the first 6-8 groups out should not have any category 4 players. This should mean that the groups are all established players who should be able to play at a reasonable pace with regards to ability, rules etc.

Category 1 and 2 players are sometimes the culprits though. We have some very slow low handicap players at our club. They are very focussed on their own game and don't give two hoots about holding up the rest of the field. I am a higher handicap player and find a GPS device doesn't slow me down at all. A quick look at the distance as I put my bag down and I already know generally which club to go for, I only then need a quick think about the conditions. Yes I may not be consistent but I know how far a club will go if I do a good swing and that is what I think about. You can't go into every shot thinking it doesn't matter too much which club as I am too inconsistent - you would never improve! Slow play should really be down to letting the people behind through if you cant keep up with the group in front. you could be super nice too and let smaller groups through even if you are keeping up with the ones in front - that just depends what mood you are in and how you feel about the smaller group!

That's very true Judy, category of players doesn't come into it, category 1 players can be just as guilty for slow play as any other players.

My main point on GPS devices is that they are not really that beneficial playing on your own course, every hole has a 150 yard post marker to assist the distance left to the green, shouldn't really be needing GPS.

I also think one of the best rule changes they could do is change the rules on hitting out of bounds, should be treated like a water hazard, 1 penalty stroke and drop a ball under the same conditions, would save hitting another ball off the tee and in same cases players who haven't hit a provisional having to make a long walk back to the tee to play another ball. That always causes big delays!

Mark,

I also think one of the best rule changes they could do is change the rules on hitting out of bounds, should be treated like a water hazard, 1 penalty stroke and drop a ball under the same conditions, would save hitting another ball off the tee and in same cases players who haven't hit a provisional having to make a long walk back to the tee to play another ball. That always causes big delays!

Can of worms!

For you to not lose a ball in a Water Hazard, it must be 'known or virtually certain that the ball is in there'. For that to happen you need to know that at the same moment you can play a PB or 'another' ball'.

Back on thread. Why take an age looking at a ball that has missed, rather than just getting on with it?

For me slow plow can be a touchy subject. I personally don't think I'm guilty of it (but then again who does!). I will play a provisional if in doubt and have usually already thought about my shot before I arrive at my ball. I find it becomes difficult when the approach differs with your playing partners. For example, we all have that friend who just refuses to give up on a lost ball, and will spend ages searching through the trees or rough looking for it. Now for me if I haven't found my ball within say a minute I will declare it lost and play a drop or whatever the correct situation may be. I also have friends whose attitude is "I've paid £30 to play this round I will take as long as I bloody like", I sometimes find it difficult to manage these people. Just remember if a group in front is really slow, it's usually only one person that's holding everyone up, don't blame the entire group

Yeah the lost ball searchers annoy me, just take a drop for gods sake, unless the ball is some super golden diamond encrusted jobby then just hurry up and move on! Playing a provisional isnt an issue for me and only takes a min so that doesnt bother me either, but those people who say " ive paid £30 for this round so will take my time" again i agree with them taking as long as they need, as long as if they are extra slow they are prepared to allow people through where needed and when there are gaps/space ahead of them of course.