6 hr round

[mantan]

When we opened back up we had a nice day, full tee sheet for limited amount of sun this time of year. It was walking only and pace of play was under 4 hours. As soon as the carts come out, pace comes to a grinding halt.

It’s nice if beginners learn etiquette and we tell groups to keep up with the group in front of them. The thing is a lot of times the Covid beginners don’t bring anyone who knows anything so they really learn nothing. They think the people pushing behind them are “-rude”. We do have people quit after 9 because of pace, and I don’t be them.

That's a good point about how we teach the game.

I was a Tiger boom golfer. I picked up the game right out of college just as Tiger went pro and a zillion people came to the game. And I'm sure if they were golf boards back then they would be lamenting us flooding the course and jacking up demand/rates like we do for covid golfers now, lol.

The difference was there was a bit more 'I want to make sure I fit in' back then. And people were more open to help/coaching suggestions from strangers. I've admittedly been hesitant to offer suggestions. People are a bit on edge these days. And finding that line between seeming like you're trying to help or someone being insulted that you're 'telling them what to do' is pretty thin.

I think about the newbies I played with this year that didn't know the basics of dropping one guy off to hit instead of going ball to ball. Or taking several clubs to a ball. (Very painful on a CPO round when a guy went to measure the ball with his rangefinder, then went back to get his clubs). Or that you should mentally start preparing for your shot before it's your turn - get your yardage, have an idea on what club you'll need when your up. Writing your scores or updating your app on the way to the next hole, not right off the green.

The idea that a group should move 'efficiently' would help a lot of slow play. You don't have to rush but you can make up so much time by being efficient.

 

[Canadan]

My wife was talking to one of her work friends in another state. So here’s a classic example…. She said “ she loves going out in the cart and driving around for the day. She doesn’t care about the golf and doesn’t understand people behind her wanting to go through. She doesn’t let them, doesn’t see what their hurry is, we’re out there for the day”

God knows about rangers etc… but this is the new mentality. Private course people cringe, they think 75 people on a Saturday is busy

I don’t think it’s necessarily about the amount of golfers on the tee sheet - it’s a conditioned mentality that is perpetuated by the courses who don’t enforce pace of play.

Every pro shop should have a stated pace of play policy with rangers who enforce it. There should be a notation on all purchases that the course reserves the right to enforce the pace in whatever way they want.

As much as I appreciate the idea that rounds can be casual, I find it pretty disrespectful of a person to show no consideration for the people behind them (Unless their pace is within the course policy, then it’s fine).

 

[JonMA1]

This scenario happened a couple of years ago and it was cringe-worthy when I first heard about it.

My daughter-in-law - who knows nothing about golf much less golf etiquette - purchased a round of golf at a well-known and expensive Wisconsin public course (not Whistling Straits but similar). She booked it for a Saturday.

My son is a competent but high cap golfer who knows to play at a good pace. My DIL, not so much. While they let people play through and occasionally picked up, they were no doubt holding others up.

My point is that she was totally unaware and just wanted to do something nice for her husband at the tune of $500. My son did not want to turn this gesture into something negative for either his wife or others. I forgot the exact conversation, but the round took 5 hours. **** happens. If the course they played that day was anything like the courses on this side of the lake overbooked with skilled and knowledgeable golfers who just don't care, it probably didn't impact POP as much.

 

[Typhoon]

I don’t think it’s necessarily about the amount of golfers on the tee sheet - it’s a conditioned mentality that is perpetuated by the courses who don’t enforce pace of play.

Every pro shop should have a stated pace of play policy with rangers who enforce it. There should be a notation on all purchases that the course reserves the right to enforce the pace in whatever way they want.

As much as I appreciate the idea that rounds can be casual, I find it pretty disrespectful of a person to show no consideration for the people behind them (Unless their pace is within the course policy, then it’s fine).

Correct in that a full tee sheet doesn’t mean slow play. As a course owner you don’t want to have the reputation of turning people away because they are slow. It’s just a fact of the new generation of entitled people…. “ I paid my money so….” You start turning people away, even for the right reasons, they go online and leave poor reviews from their side.

It’s not like you can’t go to another course. Very few people complain about pace, they are the better golfers and they go elsewhere…. Which stinks.

We have a course the next town over where the ranger is just a dick. Pace of play never gets better, they throw people off the course. I don’t go there just because they are dicks…. And not many people do anymore. Plenty of other places to go where nobody says anything.

Private course people have no idea.

 

[Canadan]

Correct in that a full tee sheet doesn’t mean slow play. As a course owner you don’t want to have the reputation of turning people away because they are slow. It’s just a fact of the new generation of entitled people…. “ I paid my money so….” You start turning people away, even for the right reasons, they go online and leave poor reviews from their side.

It’s not like you can’t go to another course. Very few people complain about pace, they are the better golfers and they go elsewhere…. Which stinks.

We have a course the next town over where the ranger is just a dick. Pace of play never gets better, they throw people off the course. I don’t go there just because they are dicks…. And not many people do anymore. Plenty of other places to go where nobody says anything.

Private course people have no idea.

If I looked up a public golf course and the primary complaints were "we got kicked off the course because of our pace of play" I would book a tee time SO fast hahaha

That's massive.

 

[Canadan]

Private course people have no idea.

You keep saying this, but I don't know what it's supposed to mean.

 

[BigMac]

If I looked up a public golf course and the primary complaints were "we got kicked off the course because of our pace of play" I would book a tee time SO fast hahaha

That's massive.

As long as it's not due to clueless marshals. A year or so ago we were playing a course with GPS in the carts that shows how far ahead of/behind pace you are. A marshal stopped and told us we were behind pace (we were, by about 10 minutes) and needed to pick it up. How he couldn't see the group immediately ahead of us that was in our range, that we were waiting for, or the group one shot ahead of them on the next tee box, is still a complete mystery to me.

 

[Canadan]

As long as it's not due to clueless marshals. A year or so ago we were playing a course with GPS in the carts that shows how far ahead of/behind pace you are. A marshal stopped and told us we were behind pace (we were, by about 10 minutes) and needed to pick it up. How he couldn't see the group immediately ahead of us that was in our range, that we were waiting for, or the group one shot ahead of them on the next tee box, is still a complete mystery to me.

I doubt you'd leave that fact out of a google review though..

 

[GolfFest]

If I looked up a public golf course and the primary complaints were "we got kicked off the course because of our pace of play" I would book a tee time SO fast hahaha

That's massive.

There would likely be a lot of fans of that.

I did see it sort of happen once at our course. Group never made it out of range of the opening tee shot and they pro shop people came out and sent them to the range instead.

 

[BigMac]

I doubt you'd leave that fact out of a google review though..

Online user-sourced reviews mostly make me lose my faith in humanity.

 

[Mandolinman]

When playing in the US I was usually going out as early as possible in the summer. When playing with a buddy of mine he didn't like to get up early so a 10am start was about as early as it would get.....5hr rounds weren't unusual. If that was normal where I live.....I'd stop playing golf. 4.5hrs is pretty slow for the courses I've been a member of here in the UK. I rarely hear anybody even mention a 5 hr round of golf. All walking, very few drive carts...distance between tees is usually minimal. Most people who play here join clubs, there are a few pay&play courses around, but not many. Most clubs have a recipricol system set up so you can play at a few other courses for no fee.

 

[Acesteve]

We lasted longer than they did in the tourney.

not sure this has to do with slow play. Reed had his worst game of the year. I suspect making 5 million a year this time next year has its reward

 

[Architex]

No way in hell am I playing a 6 hour round. I would probably quit after 4 holes of it was obviously going to take 6 hours.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

I have walked off more than once. One 27 hole course near me (Sycamore Hills, Macomb Twp,MI) is notorious for its piss poor management. They put people off on all 3 9's all morning, so when you make the turn after a quick front 9, your are jammed up behind the people you were following AND the people they keep sending off. Freaking ridiculous. 1.5 hour front, 4 hour back. After the 2nd time I quits going to that hell hole. Nice course, very, very, poorly run.

A few years back we went to play a local public course and the starter told us we had to tee off on the back because they had an outing coming in. Funny, I didn't see anything being set up in their pavilions. After an inerminable wait on the 10th tee, behind two groups of seriously old guys, I told my group that we were going to go have a talk with the starter. Arriving back I quickly scoped out the parking lot and pavilions and there was still nothing being set up. It looked like there was not a single additional car in the lot from when we were sent to the 10th tee! At that time it was 11:20 AM. I asked the starter what time the outing was scheduled to tee off. When he said 1:00 O'Clock my head almost exploded!

I never raised my voice although I felt like screaming. I told him in no uncertain terms that we were going to tee off on 1, because we were in no mood for a 6+ hour round, and if not we would go to the clubhouse for a refund. Not a raincheck! A refund! What a bonehead! The thing is this place does a ton of outings, so you'd think they might have a clue how to handle them. The kicker was that we played the front, made the turn and played the back with absolutely nobody in front of us! It was a delight! And we actually caught up to the old dudes from #10 on #18, and yes, we had to wait on them! But at least it was only for one hole. It took those guys 4 hours to play 9! Yikes!

 

[Typhoon]

You keep saying this, but I don't know what it's supposed to mean.

Just some of what is in some of the replies would never happen at a public course…. It’s a different world. When I visit private course customers it’s like the members own the course so to speak and my public courses are owned by one person. It’s all different.

 

[Typhoon]

If I looked up a public golf course and the primary complaints were "we got kicked off the course because of our pace of play" I would book a tee time SO fast hahaha

That's massive.

Right, for someone like you who is a serious golfer!it might be thought of as a selling point. But to a lot of people that reads .” Unfriendly course, they’re gonna be up our ass all day… I’ll go play somewhere else.” You’re a serious golfer like I am,…we are outnumbered . I live this everyday. If we alienate the hacks we’ll go out of business… they take carts. Buy crazy amounts of beer before they go out, at the turn and then after the round. Serious golfers play and maybe have something after the round. A lot of them walk as well. We’re not making nearly the money off of them. We’re better off throwing the good golfers off the course

 

[Canadan]

Right, for someone like you who is a serious golfer!it might be thought of as a selling point. But to a lot of people that reads .” Unfriendly course, they’re gonna be up our ass all day… I’ll go play somewhere else.” You’re a serious golfer like I am,…we are outnumbered . I live this everyday. If we alienate the hacks we’ll go out of business… they take carts. Buy crazy amounts of beer before they go out, at the turn and then after the round. Serious golfers play and maybe have something after the round. A lot of them walk as well. We’re not making nearly the money off of them. We’re better off throwing the good golfers off the course

All of this assumes that serious golfers aren't slow, which I disagree with by a LOT.

There's a way to play casual golf at an acceptable pace.

 

[Canadan]

Just some of what is in some of the replies would never happen at a public course…. It’s a different world. When I visit private course customers it’s like the members own the course so to speak and my public courses are owned by one person. It’s all different.

There are plenty of private courses who have memberships who are proactive about pace of play, and take things like course condition, handicapping, experience, etc very seriously. I'll agree that in a lot of situations it is a different experience by choice, but I don't think it's fair to believe that people who belong to private courses are not familiar with the challenges of public play - hell, for many, it's WHY they belong to a golf course.

And none of this justifies golf courses at any level of quality willingly tolerating 6 hour rounds.

 

[Typhoon]

There's a way to play casual golf at an acceptable pace.

Goes without saying…. But…

 

[Canadan]

Goes without saying…. But…

what goes without saying?

 

[mtbloco]

not sure this has to do with slow play. Reed had his worst game of the year. I suspect making 5 million a year this time next year has its reward

I played a 6+ hour round with @Scooby45 and other THPers AT the UK team course.

 

[amarkabove]

Right, for someone like you who is a serious golfer!it might be thought of as a selling point. But to a lot of people that reads .” Unfriendly course, they’re gonna be up our ass all day… I’ll go play somewhere else.” You’re a serious golfer like I am,…we are outnumbered . I live this everyday. If we alienate the hacks we’ll go out of business… they take carts. Buy crazy amounts of beer before they go out, at the turn and then after the round. Serious golfers play and maybe have something after the round. A lot of them walk as well. We’re not making nearly the money off of them. We’re better off throwing the good golfers off the course

"We make more money off the non-serious golfers" sounds dangerously close to "we don't need to waste money on course maintenance."

 

[Scooby45]

I played a 6+ hour round with @Scooby45 and other THPers AT the UK team course.

Did we make it to six hours? I know we bailed around hole 13 or 14…

 

[Acesteve]

Did we make it to six hours? I know we bailed around hole 13 or 14…

I did a scramble out there at the UK course a few year ago in less then 4 hours but everyone had motivation to be back at the event tent for free drinks at 5

 

[Scooby45]

I did a scramble out there at the UK course a few year ago in less then 4 hours but everyone had motivation to be back at the event tent for free drinks at 5

That’s brilliant