Gotta admit that totally opposite back to back rounds on busy courses over the Holiday has my mind a little spun about it all. I haven't seen a pace thread in a bit, and a lot of us just played holiday golf, so let's chat.
First round - The early off work/holiday group. Lots of energy, happy faces, and crazy good pace for a busy course. 2:33 round.
Second round - Black Friday delayed start. Fat and happy people, everyone wanting their golf's worth, including that $2 ball and the shot, score, and story of the weekend. 5:31 round.
And I think the difference added to the eyes wide shock of the Friday round. I just haven't seen that much outside a scramble/tournament/club event day. And I had to work my ass off raking, ball hunting, and club grabbing for everyone, and sprinting to the next tee to hit mine just to keep my group in contact with the one in front. Honestly, no offense to anyone I played with if you're reading this, but playing with an end score of roughly 95, 105, and 115 group who didn't seem to care how long anyone was out there legit reminded me of a time I volunteered to take three 8 year olds fishing and I naively, hilariously, thought I was going to get to fish and enjoy myself too. lol And my effort and frustration with all of it it definitely affected my game. I lost a ball, hit a crap wedge, and had two 3 putts that definitely could have gone a little differently if I wasn't literally sucking wind from jogging around half the damn course and just wanting to hit mine and get moving.
So what's your preferred pace out there, and how does being faster or slower than that affect your mood, play, and how you view the day/round as a whole after it's over?
First round - The early off work/holiday group. Lots of energy, happy faces, and crazy good pace for a busy course. 2:33 round.
Second round - Black Friday delayed start. Fat and happy people, everyone wanting their golf's worth, including that $2 ball and the shot, score, and story of the weekend. 5:31 round.
And I think the difference added to the eyes wide shock of the Friday round. I just haven't seen that much outside a scramble/tournament/club event day. And I had to work my ass off raking, ball hunting, and club grabbing for everyone, and sprinting to the next tee to hit mine just to keep my group in contact with the one in front. Honestly, no offense to anyone I played with if you're reading this, but playing with an end score of roughly 95, 105, and 115 group who didn't seem to care how long anyone was out there legit reminded me of a time I volunteered to take three 8 year olds fishing and I naively, hilariously, thought I was going to get to fish and enjoy myself too. lol And my effort and frustration with all of it it definitely affected my game. I lost a ball, hit a crap wedge, and had two 3 putts that definitely could have gone a little differently if I wasn't literally sucking wind from jogging around half the damn course and just wanting to hit mine and get moving.
So what's your preferred pace out there, and how does being faster or slower than that affect your mood, play, and how you view the day/round as a whole after it's over?