hmmm, just thought of something relating to slow play.....

[RayG]

What say your local club, muni, or men's group (or ladies group) were to establish standards for "Pace of Play" (not 'Speed of Play, totally different) for your course? Say, 4:15 as an average. A reasonable number unless your one of those 3 hour freaks (like I said not "Speed of Play"). Either walking or riding- I think that can be achieved by both pretty easily.

But- here's the catch: on a particular day EVERYONE (up to a reasonable amount for that morning) goes out as a single, plays 9 holes, and follows along with a 10 minute interval and receives their "Pace of Play" rating. No playing through- everyone plays at a normal pace that they are used to. Marshall's and/or Ranger's keep track of who backs things up and sends them back (taking into account various factors like lost ball, tough hole, etc...) with a 'bad' Pace of Play rating. This would go on for a couple of weeks until some kind of consensus is reached for all members. This would certainly separate the wheat from the chaff, or not. Deciding who the slow poke is in a group is always tough- others see the hacker and figure "that's him", but it's usually the guy with the top notch $500 driver and $1200 irons who cant hit without going over every lesson and 6 reads of a 2 foot putt. Putting everyone on the same playing field might embarrass the slow pokes enough to realize that IT IS THEM.

Have these 'rating's days every once in awhile (with players randomly chosen) to keep everyone on the up and up and to let the slow pokes, who can ask to be chosen to improve their rank, get a better rating-NOBODY wants to be 'that guy' (gal), right?

Higher ranked PoP'ers get the coveted early times, later times are assigned according to ranking.

Wishful thinking, I'm sure- but it just hit me as totally doable in certain situations.

 

[War Eagle]

With most golf courses struggling to turn a profit, this would take a TON of resources to do. It's an interesting idea, for sure, and would be nice to reserve those preferred tee times though.

 

[wadesworld]

Yeah, most courses have barely enough resources to run normal rounds, so trying to setup such a system would be a challenge. Not to mention the political problems of "I'm a dang member and nobody is going to tell me how fast to play."

 

[Scrap Iron]

So many reasons this couldn't work. I can only golf in the early morning with your idea I wouldn't see the course if I were the slow player

 

[Speedliner]

How about courses charging per hour instead of round with prime times costing more.

Would folks play faster with skin in the game, or just stress more over cost when others are slowing them down.

Mostly joking, but unfortunately consideration for others isn't the motivator it used to be. How do you incent people to go fast.

 

[blugold]

I like the intent, but I don't think its feasible by any means.

I am in the minority here that thinks that slow play isn't really that big of a deal. Unless you have somewhere to be, I don't mind having the excuse to be outside on a golf course for an extra hour.

 

[Kobey]

Are there a lot of slow play problems at private courses and ones with good rangers? I've been under the impression that it is more of an issue at public courses.

 

[blugold]

Are there a lot of slow play problems at private courses and ones with good rangers? I've been under the impression that it is more of an issue at public courses.

I would assume that there are some members of private courses that feel that they can take as long as they like. Since they paid their dues and all.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I don't see it as a big enough problem where I live and play. My home course has very few slow play complaints. League and skins on the weekends can be a grind at times, but we are working to make those things better. Most of our members would rather spend time outside on a golf course than just about any place else, so very few complain. Most of our members are good about allowing faster groups to pass as well and that helps. I know this is a issue at some places but not where I live and play. Good to live in rural America.

 

[Fourputt]

So many reasons this couldn't work. I can only golf in the early morning with your idea I wouldn't see the course if I were the slow player

Then it might inspire you to do better.

 

[tgtt]

How about courses charging per hour instead of round with prime times costing more.

Would folks play faster with skin in the game, or just stress more over cost when others are slowing them down.

Mostly joking, but unfortunately consideration for others isn't the motivator it used to be. How do you incent people to go fast.

This is the way to go and I've been saying it forever now. In my area it should be $8.00 an hour and base the round at 4 hours. Pay $32.00 before teeing off and settle up after. Those that don't care to play 5+ hour rounds can still do so happily. Marshals will have to do their job though and note when a group gets held up without being allowed to play through. This is the way to go, IMO.

 

[blugold]

This is the way to go and I've been saying it forever now. In my area it should be $8.00 an hour and base the round at 4 hours. Pay $32.00 before teeing off and settle up after. Those that don't care to play 5+ hour rounds can still do so happily. Marshals will have to do their job though and note when a group gets held up without being allowed to play through. This is the way to go, IMO.

I like the idea. But I would hate to be the fast player stuck in the group with the slow player who is slowing everybody down.

 

[Speedliner]

Are there a lot of slow play problems at private courses and ones with good rangers? I've been under the impression that it is more of an issue at public courses.

Yes. I have been at private clubs where an "entitled" member thinks they can do as they please, but it is mostly a public course challenge.

It also likely depends on location. Here in Philly metro and likely any densely populated area, courses are crowded on weekends. IME things are better very early if you can get an early tee time. I can generalize that around here the most serious players get up early to play. Therefore the quality of play is better, awareness of golf courtesy superior. As the day drags on, so does the pace of play. A 9 or 10 AM tee time around here means a 5-6 hour round for certain. There is a course nearby, a nice one, with one fairly open area where several holes run parallel, or in-line, with other holes dog legging into the direction of those holes. It isn't a tight area, but later in the day, errant shots are always spraying all over the place. It's like walking through mortar fire. Balls come from all over, from folks who don't know to yell fore, or don't even know where their big slice went. It's funny in a way. I've been hit 3 times there. Early in the AM its not an issue. Late AM, early PM it's like watching the videos of Baghdad.

Anyway, it's generally better at private courses...less crowded, familiar people.

 

[Tbonafide]

Yes. I have been at private clubs where an "entitled" member thinks they can do as they please, but it is mostly a public course challenge.

It also likely depends on location. Here in Philly metro and likely any densely populated area, courses are crowded on weekends. IME things are better very early if you can get an early tee time. I can generalize that around here the most serious players get up early to play. Therefore the quality of play is better, awareness of golf courtesy superior. As the day drags on, so does the pace of play. A 9 or 10 AM tee time around here means a 5-6 hour round for certain. There is a course nearby, a nice one, with one fairly open area where several holes run parallel, or in-line, with other holes dog legging into the direction of those holes. It isn't a tight area, but later in the day, errant shots are always spraying all over the place. It's like walking through mortar fire. Balls come from all over, from folks who don't know to yell fore, or don't even know where their big slice went. It's funny in a way. I've been hit 3 times there. Early in the AM its not an issue. Late AM, early PM it's like watching the videos of Baghdad.

Anyway, it's generally better at private courses...less crowded, familiar people.

3 times?!! Surprised no one's gotten seriously hurt.

 

[Lefty78]

Are there a lot of slow play problems at private courses and ones with good rangers? I've been under the impression that it is more of an issue at public courses.

Not at my club. We are supposed to play in four hours or less on weekends. There is lots of griping and complaining if anyone takes more than that. It can drag out to 4:15 or 4:20 on slow days. During the week, one of the foursomes I play with, walks and finishes in under three hours.

I quit playing the public course up the road because of five hour rounds on the weekends.

 

[syndicate559]

I encounter slow play issues on public and semi-private courses all the time. It drives me crazy. Speed of play isn't my main concern, but I play ready golf and when I get to my shot, I want to hit it, not stand there for 5 minutes thinking about all the different ways to screw it up (I'm currently reading "Fearless Golf" . The only thing I would worry about is another way to discourage new golfers from taking up the game. Selfishly, I wish I was the only one on the course when I play, but we need more players coming into the game to keep it healthier and financially sustainable for all of us. If it worked, though, I would be one happy camper.

 

[Speedliner]

3 times?!! Surprised no one's gotten seriously hurt.

You'd be surprised. A drive hitting you in the arm doesn't hurt much. I've never been hit in the head, with a ball that is.

 

[DawgDaddy]

Interesting thoughts but at our local muni there are just too many folks that play only a couple of times per year. Yes they certainly are slow but it may be quite a while before they had a "pace of play" rating. At our course if you want to play a round in a decent time on the weekend you must get a tee time before noon, after that the non golfers and learning golfers pretty much invade the course.

 

[ArmyGolf]

I think that until courses have 1 Marshall for every 3 holes or something there is really nothing that can be done. Maybe just on busy weekend days. Stupid problems like players waiting for the green to clear when they are 265 yards away and their drive only went 240 will never go away unless someone forces them to shoot.
I will play devil's advocate and just say that I get highly irritated when I have a group of speed golfers behind me thinking they have the right to slow the course to a crawl while they play through 4some after 4some after 4some. I'm 105 yards from the green waiting for it to clear and all I hear from the teebox "Hurry up! hurry up! Let's go! Play through?" You are golfing on a sunny Saturday early afternoon. If you showed up thinking you have the right to play in 3 hours, you are either misguided or have never played here before.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I think it helps to play at off peak times if you can. I never play in the middle of the day on weekends and never on holiday's unless it is either real early or real late. Slow play can't be avoided everywhere all the time, but it helps to avoid the super busy times if you can.

 

[mbowker64]

Why not factor it into handicap? The longer it takes has a negative effect on your handicap.

 

[Kobey]

Why not factor it into handicap? The longer it takes has a negative effect on your handicap.

Then the sandbaggers would all play as slow as possible.:act-up:

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

One of my local courses has an implemented pace of play. They map out the entire course. With the time expected per hole, and there are "mandatory" arrival times per hole on a sheet that they out on our carts per tee time.

It kind of goes like this. Say our tee time is 10:00 AM, the first whole is a 423 yard par 4, that requires 12 1/2 minutes, and we should report to hole two by 10:15, I'll take a picture of it next time I play, it works and they have strict Marshall's traveling around the course. It's easy for them because it's one of those- in neighborhood courses so it works


Sent from my iPhone 5, using Tapatalk 2

 

[ArmyGolf]

One of my local courses has an implemented pace of play. They map out the entire course. With the time expected per hole, and there are "mandatory" arrival times per hole on a sheet that they out on our carts per tee time.

It kind of goes like this. Say our tee time is 10:00 AM, the first whole is a 423 yard par 4, that requires 12 1/2 minutes, and we should report to hole two by 10:15, I'll take a picture of it next time I play, it works and they have strict Marshall's traveling around the course. It's easy for them because it's one of those- in neighborhood courses so it works


Sent from my iPhone 5, using Tapatalk 2

This right here is the key. If any course has enough strict Marshall's all of this can be avoided but I haven't even seen 1 Marshall on course since last September, let alone multiple, let alone strict ones.

 

[Kobey]

This right here is the key. If any course has enough strict Marshall's all of this can be avoided but I haven't even seen 1 Marshall on course since last September, let alone multiple, let alone strict ones.

There's the balance point again. If the marshalls are too lenient, people may play too slow and the faster golfers will complain and might go elsewhere. If they are too strict, pace of play may improve but the slower players will complain and might go elsewhere. So they have to try and maintain a happy medium. It might seem like a no-brainer to us, but to the owner of the course, whatever makes them the most money is the way to go. There's no way for them to make everyone happy.

I'd like to see the stats on how many people are actually bothered by slow play and want marshalls on the course pushing them. We see a lot of articles and threads about it because we're a lot more into golf than the average person. The guys I normally golf with can't even imagine going to a golf forum and talking about it. They consider me weird for doing so. So are we the majority or the minority? I wonder what most recreational golfers would consider a good pace for a round.