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Slow play: could caddies be the solution?

fuffle master;n8885308 said:
Now, I would like and pay for a caddie if they were jumping ahead to look for my balls and giving me tips each shot. Just not sure if this would speed up play. Tough to search and give numbers for each golfer in the foresome. Boy, he or she would be working their ass off.

On the get a bonus if under 4 hours, I would NOT like that. I would feel like I am being rushed if the caddie was constantly saying things to speed us up. I donÂ’t like slow play, but I also donÂ’t like hurried play


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The forecaddies I have had bust their butt. Which is why I never balked at the price. Also, this isn't someone pestering you on each shot, but instead a person who knows the course, gives you a yardage, gets you clubbed and goes on to the next person while you hit. Personally, a 4 hour round is not really having to push myself to play a lot faster, it should be pretty normal if you aren't waiting throughout the round. which is why I set a time of like 4:15 as the bonus for the caddie (this would come from the course and would not cost players anymore) and is not a standard time. Some courses could be 4 hours, some 4:30, some 5, depends on the course and what a reasonable time around it would be.
 
mancest;n8885287 said:
See what I am thinking of is a Forecaddie with each group, He gets paid $80-100 (20-25 from each player), he has a golf board or one of those golf bikes and a rangefinder. Before the round he tells everybody we are playing golf and be ready to be done in under 4 hours. He is able to zip around on his own, get everyone a yardage, club them and move on to the next guy. Then on tee shots he can rides up and spot balls.

If the group finishes in under a set time (say (4:15) the caddy gets an extra $20 from the course, plus any tips the players want to throw his way as per usual.

I think the biggest thing is setting a tone for the players, we are going to play fast and have fun. Like I said, just a fun thought exercise as I think there is zero chance that Caddies flourish at most courses.
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Not one course in 100 is willing to even let a marshal in a cart force a group playing slowly to skip ahead to catch up. Why do you think they would let caddies, off all people, force someone to speed up?

Reminds me of the old joke. How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one, but the bulb has to really WANT to change.

There's only one "cure" to slow play. Force anyone playing slowly to either speed up, skip ahead of leave the course. Period. Nothing else has any meaningful effect.
 
fuffle master;n8885308 said:
Now, I would like and pay for a caddie if they were jumping ahead to look for my balls and giving me tips each shot. Just not sure if this would speed up play. Tough to search and give numbers for each golfer in the foresome. Boy, he or she would be working their ass off.


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This is what forecaddies already do at courses that provide caddies. The caddies that don't hustle or work hard are weeded out pretty quick and removed from the rotation. When I used to loop the forecaddying jobs were always the toughest as you are pretty much jogging/running 80% of the round and had to assist 3-4 golfers instead of 1-2 (especially when working for groups that spray the ball all over).

I do agree that the cash incentive piece to finish in a certain time could promote poor practices by the caddy to try and push his group to beat the clock.
 
some of the fastest rounds i've ever played are with a caddie. i think you're onto something here...
 
I do like the theory behind the idea, as a forecaddie eliminates most of the time you would spend searching for a ball/getting a yardage/reading a green/repairing the course, the only issue is I don't think the economics behind it could ever work.
 
Caddies would help speed up play just for the ready golf aspect haha.
 
NO.....If they get too involved, heads will roll
 
Then that course would close in no time. If you tried to charge someone who might have gone ‘over time’ due to someone else in front, good luck trying to collect and getting any repeat business.
 
I think it could be very possible that a caddie could speed up play. Especially, if the are stationed off the tee down where you expect to hit the ball. They could easily see where a ball landed and mark it if harder to find while you wait for others to tee off and drive there.

Plus, helping you with reads and possible distances, I could see lower scores as well. Keeping everyone moving a bit quicker and happier with the scores.
 
Played this past Saturday with a caddie - we were stuck behind a 4 some 3 in carts (CPO) and one walking with a caddie.

They were holding up the entire course and got into a verbal argument with f bombs.

I think the player with the caddie was really struggling.

Our group finished in 4:15 - I had some really bad struggles on a few holes - he definitely saved me time racking bunkers

I think caddies could help move pace of play along
 
Well we had spotters and caddies at Erin hills and it was still a 5.5 hour round.

The Straits course requires caddies and a 4 hour round is fast.
 
We must live in different golf worlds, lol. Most of my rounds (with cart) are in the $20.00 range. I couldn’t afford to pay much more and play very often considering I’m usually paying for two kids to play too.
 
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While I like the idea of a caddie, I would not pay for one, nor would I play regularly at a course that mandated them.
If you give a monetary incentive to caddies for speedier play, then they will push the players and that would really p-off a lot of players...even the quicker ones like me. I guess I live in a pretty great area as we don't seem to have too much trouble with slow play. Sure, sometimes it happens, but honestly it doesn't bother me that much. I am out there to have a good time and enjoy the outdoors. I'm not in a race.
 
Always the players fault, even if it's the caddies fault.
 
A very intriguing idea, I think for courses that have them it would work great, for courses that don't, what if you got a bump back or shop credit if you finished under a certain time?
 
IceyShanks said:
A very intriguing idea, I think for courses that have them it would work great, for courses that don't, what if you got a bump back or shop credit if you finished under a certain time?
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I brought that up in another thread, but it brings into other issues. If you are on pace then come upon a group that is slowing you down... probably more frustrated than if you weren't in a place to "lose" something besides just the time.

The thing of it is, 99% of slow groups have no idea they are slow. So playing through is not always an option, especially if there is some reward that now that group is for sure now not getting.
 
Caddies could help, but their use would also make golf less affordable for a significant number of golfers. Loss of revenue would prevent their use on most courses I believe.

As employees, their wages would be passed on to the golfer in the form of higher green fees.

Even as an employee or not, every time I have used a caddy, there was always a gratuity involved. Add that to the green fees.

The biggest factor of slow play is timing. That being the time/day most golfers play. I play mon-thurs, and hardly ever see any slow play. Fri-sun is where slow play happens. Probably Saturday AM being the worst. This is is the only time an employed person has to golf, which puts more golfers on the course.. Plus being a weekend, most of these golfers have other things going on, which limits their time for a relaxing round. They are some what rushed, which multiplies the slow play problem for them.
 
mancest said:
I brought that up in another thread, but it brings into other issues. If you are on pace then come upon a group that is slowing you down... probably more frustrated than if you weren't in a place to "lose" something besides just the time.

The thing of it is, 99% of slow groups have no idea they are slow. So playing through is not always an option, especially if there is some reward that now that group is for sure now not getting.
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Yep, most slow players I play or interact with, have no idea they're that slow.

The nice thing is myself and my normal group are known as faster golfers, so at least when we do come up behind a group and they realize it's us, they typically let us play through.
 
WLG1952 said:
Caddies could help, but their use would also make golf less affordable for a significant number of golfers. Loss of revenue would prevent their use on most courses I believe.

As employees, their wages would be passed on to the golfer in the form of higher green fees.

Even as an employee or not, every time I have used a caddy, there was always a gratuity involved. Add that to the green fees.

The biggest factor of slow play is timing. That being the time/day most golfers play. I play mon-thurs, and hardly ever see any slow play. Fri-sun is where slow play happens. Probably Saturday AM being the worst. This is is the only time an employed person has to golf, which puts more golfers on the course.. Plus being a weekend, most of these golfers have other things going on, which limits their time for a relaxing round. They are some what rushed, which multiplies the slow play problem for them.
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Couple things: not sure if caddies are employees, or independent contractors that work at the course. There is a big distinction in costs involved and others that know better can correct me/clarify.

And yes, slow play is usually worst on the days when the course is busiest. It is also when the green fees are most expensive... Ideally this is when speeding up slow play helps the most, turn 5+ hour rounds into 4-4.5 hour rounds. I also think this is when you will get someone that will pay more to play a speedier round vs someone who is playing weekday or twilight rounds.
 
You know I wouldn't mind playing with a caddy on a course like Chambers Bay. But on most courses I can read greens... even with a strange read.
 
I am one of those that refuse to pay what I think is too much for golf. One reply mentioned an extra $20/25 for a faster round, that's all I want to pay. Pretty much refuse to pay $30. I would play two maybe three times as much if the cost was lower. I think added cost will drive people away and keep them from ever starting to play.
 
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