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Do Course Marshals hold the key?

Golferbest

Golferbest

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So this previous weekend I played a VERY challenging course. It took precision, course managment and as much luck as I could put in my pockets :)
With the course being difficult and a pretty good turn out for the course my fiance and I still only played a 4.5 hour round. We ended up partnering with a single about hole 7 bit pace of play was rather fluid.
This course had something I had not seen in awhile.. a marshall that enforced. Now I dont want anyone to envision dirty harry in a golf cart, but this man knew his job and performed it quite proficiently.
This got me to thinking about a few other courses ive played that either disnt have a Marshal or had one that just sat there smoking a pack of cigerettes but never did anything to help pace.
Now I imagine that being a marshal can be somewhat difficult aand takes a certain personality to get someone who is completly irate they took a snowman to speed up pace. However, if marshals did their job the way it was meant to be done would some of thr slow pace pick up?
 
I have honestly never seen a marshall on the course. It may be the courses I regularly play, but I imagine having a good one would help speed up play.
 
Our course has quite a few Marshalls, but I haven't witnessed them doing anything. I wish they would make the slow groups pick up the ball and move on to improve the pace of play occasionally
 
Saratoga National is a course near us that does this. They monitor every cart and each cart will tell you the pace of play you are on and if you are ahead and behind. When they see a slowdown someone comes out and tells you to speed up. In fact pretty much every time you ride by a marshal they look on their screen to see what your POP is. I always found it annoying, but I can say I've never had a really slow round there because of it.
 
I think a Marshall with the right personality could help but those individuals are too hard to find. I think courses need to work on offering incentives for faster pace of play. Teaching people to play ready golf and maybe offering coupons or discounts on future rounds if they can get their round done in a certain time frame could help.
 
Courses around me, even many of the cheaper ones, have Marshalls. Now, not all of them do the job well and some only have the job of cleaning up tees and fixing greens. Ones that actually enforce pace of play and know what they're doing are a rarity in my travels.
 
That sounds like an exceptional marshal, I have had them to tell us to speed up when we are waiting on the group ahead every hole and we can see that group waiting of the group ahead of them. That is frustrating to say the least. Common sense and a friendly attitude can really make a marshal as effective as the one in the OP.
 
A marshel is great if you course has them most courses in my area do not have them or only on very busy weekends
 
I've rarely seen marshals on any course I've played, but I do think if all courses had them and they knew their job well it could help with pace for sure.
 
I've never seen a Marshall do anything but enforce cart path only. Of course, I play crappy golf courses…
 
Not sure he was doing so great if the round was still 4.5 hours...
 
I've had experiences on both ends of the spectrum. Some Marshall's are so nice and understand how to actually to their job that you actually feel bad about getting out of position and want to do the best you can to keep up. Then there are the Marshall's who come and chew you out for slow play when there is a group in front of you on the green, one on the tee and one in the fairway in front of them. I think they can definitely impact the pace of play with the right knowledge, the right approach and consistent enforcement. Now, how do we get one of those guys on every course?

JM
 
We had marshals on a few courses that I worked at in the past. Most of them knew their jobs, and everyone on the course does as well, but it's getting them to do the job, and THEN the person or group that's behind needs to listen. This is where the issue comes along. If the marshal is doing his/her job and giving a warning to the group for slow play, then a 2nd with the addition of being moved back into position. I've never had a group not pick up the pace at this point, but I have had to go out to the course and make an appearance for a group. Usually is was the drunk guys who don't play much, but usually I was nice, made my point and they got in line. Thankfully, this was at a course near a military base, and usually it was a group of guys who work there. It didn't take much to let them know I know their CO (or could find out who it was), and his/her number and if they continue to act up and be disrespectful a call would be made.
As for the other courses, it didn't happen much and usually a group was honest and knew they weren't keeping up. In all the years I worked on courses, I never once had to move a group.
 
Seen plenty of marshalls on the course and sometimes they help with pace of play, most times not. They are walking a fine line between keeping pace going and pissing off customers who wont come back. There really isn't much of a difference between finishing a round in 4:30 vs. 4:15, so I would rather see the marshalls help find balls, etc over making a group pick up and move ahead and potentially lose that business in the future, as according to the OEMs the golf industry is losing customers.
 
I've never tried being a marshal, but I've chatted with several; it is a tough job. I agree that the marshal has to have the right personality, but to that must be added the authority. I was talking to one of the marshals at my local course just yesterday and hearing about people cussing him and sending him on his way when he asked them to pick up pace. The management needs to be willing to make it plain to everyone before they tee off that the marshals are tasked with enforcing pace of play and that it is expected the players will cooperate. When someone cusses the marshal out for doing his job, the management needs to be willing to head out and tell them their round is over and that they will be banned if it happens a second time. I think that it would be rare that things escalated to that point, but if management isn't willing to back it up, they might as well save the cost of having a marshal.
 
In my area, the typical Marshall is a retired individual riding around in order to play free golf. They will politely, or sometimes not so politely, ask a slow group to speed up. However, that request is not or rarely enforced. Free golf is not sufficient compensation to get anyone to risk a potentially hostile encounter.
 
tgtt said:
Not sure he was doing so great if the round was still 4.5 hours...
Click to expand...

I assure you the way this course is layed out. With all the elevation up and down it was a good finishing time..
 
A starter is just as important and can set the tone and expectations for the round up front, the marshall should be the foot soldier of the starter and enforce the requirements for play.
 
I have seen marshalls at probably 40% of the courses I play. I would also say, about 5% of those actually actually pushed along play. Most of them sit at the first tee and check receipts all day
 
UVaWahoo said:
In my area, the typical Marshall is a retired individual riding around in order to play free golf. They will politely, or sometimes not so politely, ask a slow group to speed up. However, that request is not or rarely enforced. Free golf is not sufficient compensation to get anyone to risk a potentially hostile encounter.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. Marshalls in the NVa area are usually retired individuals that do it only for the free golf and drive around "looking" like they are actually doing something other than enjoying the weather. When asked if they can push the group in front that is now 2 holes behind he usually says "I will try to push them" but rarely does anything happen. Unless the "slow" group is closely monitored shot for shot and hole by hole, they are never told WHAT specifically to do to speed up play ... hit when ready, putt out, etc. You mention something in the clubhouse, they say "did you talk to the Marshall?" Really????
 
I think Marshals are only part of the equation. Yes, they are good for hustling up a group that is falling behind. They should be out monitoring the course and pace of play. This would help determine the average time per round, how many rounds per day the course can handle and numerous other metrics.

The marshal only has so much power. It is up to the course and management on how they operate. Key factor is to make money, so courses are flooding the tee sheet and fitting in as many rounds as possible.
 
Never really played with a marshal just starters who remind us to keep up with the group and let faster groups through.


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I work at my course in the Pro Shop. I also marshall 2 Saturdays out of the month. Our goal is a four hour round, we come pretty close 95% of the time. My real grip with people is staying on the cart path when it is cart path only and pulling too close to greens. I think the secret to marshalling is knowing how to speak to people. I think I am a pretty good judge of people's character. You have to speak to some forcefully and to some just normal. Most people will do what you ask them but then they are some who just don't have a darn and those are the one's that you hate to see on the course.
 
Been to my fair share of courses and have only come across 2 marshals that actually stopped to speak with me. One at The Wilderness in LJ, TX. Dude was firm but fair and we were a bit slow at the time. The other was here in NKY at we happen to drop a little over a shot back of being behind the group in front of us and he was kind of a jerk about it, even though we would have caught up in 2 or 3 minutes anyway.

One thing I notice about good marshals vs bad is the direction they drive through the course. The ones driving it backwards know what the heck they're doing. Driving forwards through the course doesn't tell you at all where the slowdown is. Give me a break and move along
 
Very few have Marshalls around here. Maybe one or two just to keep pace of play but nothing like I've seen down in myrtle beach on vacation


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