All Rounds Should Be Four Hours or Less

[golfaddict77]

I’d imagine it would be rare. Not too many groups today playing a 3:15 pace would have a hole open in front of them, and a group stacked up behind them. I just find contrarian than one can call a group selfish for playing a slow pace, yet at the same time, feel untitled to play through a group moving at an acceptable pace. Anyway, enough of my musings on the subject today. I think I’ve made my position clear, agree or not .

Slower players should ALWAYS allow faster players to play through if possible. That's been a part of golf etiquette for centuries. It doesn't matter if the slower group is playing at an "acceptable pace". If the group behind them is waiting on them every hole and there is an open hole ahead, they should let the faster players through. To not do that is extremely selfish and a perfect example of douchebaggery. There is literally no reason not to let them through, other than to be a dick.

 

[bkuehn1952]

I often play as a single …

… Obviously I have no issue with people booking as singles, and feel the course is the one to do the pairing up front but if they don't...we golfers ought to look for those chances to help out by combining as much as possible.

Well said. I frequently go to the course solo when I have the bug to play but didn’t make advance plans. Your approach mirrors mine. I have had some very interesting playing companions over the years. Keep up the good work, @darthweasel

 

[Typhoon]

If a starter is going to put out singles and doubles consecutively, pace isnt the issue. But thats also not whats leading to 5 hours rounds. Everyone keeps pace, everyone finishes in four hours or less

What happens a lot is the whole courae just slows down. So everyone keeps pace… but it’s a 5 hour pace. I say to people when they come in, “ it took you 5 hours, what was up?”. They say “I dunno”. So they’re not angry, they just play slower so they aren’t waiting.

When I was a kid, the 9 holer I played was notorious for a 3-4 group back up on the 4th hole, a par 3. We used to wait for the guys to get off the green on the short 3 rd hole and then be in no hurry playing the hole just to lessen the wait and aggravation. Try to keep some kind of pace to our game even if it was a crawling one

 

[Typhoon]

Slower players should ALWAYS allow faster players to play through if possible. That's been a part of golf etiquette for centuries. It doesn't matter if the slower group is playing at an "acceptable pace". If the group behind them is waiting on them every hole and there is an open hole ahead, they should let the faster players through. To not do that is extremely selfish and a perfect example of douchebaggery. There is literally no reason not to let them through, other than to be a dick.

Problem is since Covid there is no knowledge of “golf etiquette “ with golfers. It’s so weird, I have been caddying since I was 10 and we were taught about etiquette. Now… no such thing.

 

[amarkabove]

Problem is since Covid there is no knowledge of “golf etiquette “ with golfers. It’s so weird, I have been caddying since I was 10 and we were taught about etiquette. Now… no such thing.

How is it weird that you were taught etiquette while training for a golf job, and the random newbie who picked up the game during the pandemic wasn't? I’m honestly just curious why you think that?


Does your course have a sign with a few proper etiquette rules like keep pace, play ready golf, no carts on the tees or greens, etc. posted in the pro shop? Every muni in my area has some variation of that sign posted in at least one place, typically more. Maybe that would help?

 

[darthweasel]

If a starter is going to put out singles and doubles consecutively, pace isnt the issue. But thats also not whats leading to 5 hours rounds. Everyone keeps pace, everyone finishes in four hours or less

It can be a contributing factor. Course I used to play a lot (Meriwether) was notorious for this. You might have one 4-some on say...hole 8 that is on a snails pace. They are going to finish in 5 hours...maybe worse. The marshals actually do say something to them but with little power to make them skip a hole, it does little.

It was no unusual to have 4 holes with a single on each and a foursome behind them. Seen it many times.

So thought experiment: the singles pair up, then as the singles behind catch up, add them to become a foursome, catching up on say...hole 10.

They are now a foursome and immediately behind the turtles on the 10th green. Now instead of 4 holes being covered waiting people, there is one. And the foursome behind that at one point would have been waiting on hole 6 would now be able to be on hole 9...obviously they likely would not catch up that quick, but certainly by hole 12 or maybe 14 they would...

Would they not save time? For that matter, the 4th single back would save a half hour or more of empty waiting time...3rd one 30-45 minutes...the people behind the back foursome...

It would still take time to play those three holes whether they were waiting or in line...and feels like groups starting later would have some room to move up.

Is it THE answer? Absolutely not. Could it be A contributor? Personally I believe it could. I think it is one of several factors. And as others have pointed out in the thread, for the singles combining, meeting someone new, it is going to take a bit longer for each hole leading to less waiting, the foursome is going to take longer than the 2 and then 3-some, so they will have a better flow and feel to the round and finish 45 minutes faster than they would have leading to a 4-1/2 round instead of 5...

Would it always work? Doubt it. people are people and some people suck. But it feels like an easy way to contribute my little piece to making the game a tiny bit better for those around me.

It is possible I am missing something but the times I have had opportunity and done things of this nature it has felt like the round pace improved. Anecdotal, one persons experience but I believe worth considering.

 

[Sean]

Slower players should ALWAYS allow faster players to play through if possible. That's been a part of golf etiquette for centuries

It seems with more frequency these days slow groups don't care if they are holding people up. We've had to skip a hole(s) in some instances.

 

[BigMac]

It can be a contributing factor. Course I used to play a lot (Meriwether) was notorious for this. You might have one 4-some on say...hole 8 that is on a snails pace. They are going to finish in 5 hours...maybe worse. The marshals actually do say something to them but with little power to make them skip a hole, it does little.

It was no unusual to have 4 holes with a single on each and a foursome behind them. Seen it many times.

So thought experiment: the singles pair up, then as the singles behind catch up, add them to become a foursome, catching up on say...hole 10.

They are now a foursome and immediately behind the turtles on the 10th green. Now instead of 4 holes being covered waiting people, there is one. And the foursome behind that at one point would have been waiting on hole 6 would now be able to be on hole 9...obviously they likely would not catch up that quick, but certainly by hole 12 or maybe 14 they would...

Would they not save time? For that matter, the 4th single back would save a half hour or more of empty waiting time...3rd one 30-45 minutes...the people behind the back foursome...

It would still take time to play those three holes whether they were waiting or in line...and feels like groups starting later would have some room to move up.

Is it THE answer? Absolutely not. Could it be A contributor? Personally I believe it could. I think it is one of several factors. And as others have pointed out in the thread, for the singles combining, meeting someone new, it is going to take a bit longer for each hole leading to less waiting, the foursome is going to take longer than the 2 and then 3-some, so they will have a better flow and feel to the round and finish 45 minutes faster than they would have leading to a 4-1/2 round instead of 5...

Would it always work? Doubt it. people are people and some people suck. But it feels like an easy way to contribute my little piece to making the game a tiny bit better for those around me.

It is possible I am missing something but the times I have had opportunity and done things of this nature it has felt like the round pace improved. Anecdotal, one persons experience but I believe worth considering.

The problem is that you're still going to have the accordion effect. No matter how much the people behind combine, they're just going to catch up with the turtles and be stuck behind them - and then the groups behind them are going to catch up to them, and everybody is still going to be waiting. It'll be more compressed because you'll have groups of 4 waiting instead of 4 singles or 2 groups of two or whatever, but as the other golfers behind keep catching up, it just packs everybody tighter on the course. Unfortunately, the slowest group on the course sets the pace of play for everybody behind them, and one group can bring an entire course to a crawl.

 

[Bus]

The problem is that you're still going to have the accordion effect. No matter how much the people behind combine, they're just going to catch up with the turtles and be stuck behind them - and then the groups behind them are going to catch up to them, and everybody is still going to be waiting. It'll be more compressed because you'll have groups of 4 waiting instead of 4 singles or 2 groups of two or whatever, but as the other golfers behind keep catching up, it just packs everybody tighter on the course. Unfortunately, the slowest group on the course sets the pace of play for everybody behind them, and one group can bring an entire course to a crawl.

This is the problem in a nutshell, in addition to there just being way too many of those turtles.

 

[NeverWiff]

I'm pretty sure AI is gonna solve this (artificial intelligence, for any Luddites in the house). They say it's the next big thing, so.... let's put it to good use!!

 

[Typhoon]

How is it weird that you were taught etiquette while training for a golf job, and the random newbie who picked up the game during the pandemic wasn't? I’m honestly just curious why you think that?


Does your course have a sign with a few proper etiquette rules like keep pace, play ready golf, no carts on the tees or greens, etc. posted in the pro shop? Every muni in my area has some variation of that sign posted in at least one place, typically more. Maybe that would help?

We were taught etiquette to be caddies back when I was 10….. not now..

And yea, there are signs before you go out to play, things are also printed on the score cards

 

[Typhoon]

It seems with more frequency these days slow groups don't care if they are holding people up. We've had to skip a hole(s) in some instances.

That was something I mentioned exactly. A group of women finished an hour behind the group ahead of them. 9 holes , not 18. 12 minute tee times. One of the women came in and said,” that was fun, the people behind us wanted to play through but we didn’t let them.”

 

[Nerdy]

This screams 6 hour round today

 

[BigMac]

Yesterday's round, playing 18 as a foursome with two of us walking, two in a cart, playing split tees (one lady player on the forward tees, the rest of us on blues), was 2:53. No rushing (it actually felt slow a couple times), but no waiting on any shots either, and we play ready golf.

 

[BriMac]

3:30 today and waited a bit a few times. Nice pace. I love 3:30 - ready set go pace.

 

[JB]

3:30 today and waited a bit a few times. Nice pace. I love 3:30 - ready set go pace.

Based on the thread you must have been sprinting

 

[F.N.G]

State your case on why that shouldn’t be the case and prove me wrong

Would depend on Carts or no carts, length of separation of green and next tee. Also how hard is the course a 150 slope with lots of separation between holes that is hilly and walking a 4.5 hr rounds is acceptable. But the bench mark “should” be 4 hours and definitely nothing over 5.

 

[BriMac]

Based on the thread you must have been sprinting

My sprinting days are over. Can walk 4 miles in 3.5 hours though

 

[mson]

I really could have used this as a mandatory rule in yesterday’s round. Finished the round in 5:15 and was 2-3 groups backed up starting from hole 2. This is a really wide open and shorter course that you can walk with a foursome easily in under 4 hours. Watching the two groups in front of me clearly not playing ready golf was the most frustrating part.

 

[Typhoon]

This screams 6 hour round today
View attachment 9256912

Hope you called work and told them you’d be in a week from next Monday….

 

[JB]

Hope you called work and told them you’d be in a week from next Monday….

That’s actually the case since he is playing in the Worldwide Golf Championship next week on THP, one of our many Experiences

 

[Neveo]

Slower players should ALWAYS allow faster players to play through if possible. That's been a part of golf etiquette for centuries. It doesn't matter if the slower group is playing at an "acceptable pace". If the group behind them is waiting on them every hole and there is an open hole ahead, they should let the faster players through. To not do that is extremely selfish and a perfect example of douchebaggery. There is literally no reason not to let them through, other than to be a dick.

my wife and i play a pretty fast pace , amazed how many people are clueless or offended about allowing us to play through as a twosome ...

 

[Daddio]

State your case on why that shouldn’t be the case and prove me wrong

There is no logical case to be made IMO. 4 hours should be way more than enough time for any 4some to play a casual round. Used to be able to count on it but golfers continue to play slower and slower every year. Lucky that things are a little better around here than in some other locales. Rarely see 4 hour+ rounds and many golfers are still courteous enough to let faster groups play though. Yesterday we had a 2some of 30 somethings in a cart drive back to the teebox on the P5 7th to let our 4some of oldtimers through even though me and another guy were walking. That round likely would've taken @4 hrs had they (and the 3some we later caught on the back) not asked us to play through.

 

[BigMac]

We played in a charity scramble today, it was a 4:41 round and it was aaagoniiiizing. It was good company and we had lots of conversation and laughs, but my heart goes out to any golfers anywhere who have to endure this kind of PoP as their usual rounds. It's so hard to keep any kind of flow when you're standing around waiting that long between shots.

 

[Bus]

Skins game I played in yesterday I was in the 3rd of 4 foursomes. I was the only one in the group under 70 I'm fairly sure. Almost everyone walking. Played in 3:48. Nobody in my group was doing anything even remotely resembling rushing, at times it was bordering on what felt like slow.