An Alarming Trend in my Area - Waiting

[Grand Stranded]

Thanks for the sound advice....

You sound like and angry, albeit fast, player. I will do my best to get off your lawn.

You made me chuckle there, thanks!
Didn’t mean to come off angry, but I honestly feel what I said was true.
Full disclosure? When I lived up on the Island, there were plenty of days I went out with three buddies, drank, smoked cigars and flirted with the cart girl. I’m sure there were a bunch of times people behind us were calling us names.
When I played as a single, I blended in with the pace of the group. Learning to play at a busy muni, you learn to either be patient, or find another hobby.

 

[BigMac]

So one of my main partners hits the ball 275 consistently and can crank it out to 300+. Unless we have no one behind us and are playing with just us or friends I ask him to just hit an iron on drivable 4s.

I got to think this is just an education thing for a new player.

If we have a big hitter in the group, we'll all hit before them and then they can wait if they think there's a danger. That way there's only one person left to hit instead of all of us stacked up waiting. Efficient golf.

 

[Grand Stranded]

Hahaha

I will say one thing I absolutely loathe about Charleston golf is that NO ONE PLAYS THROUGH. It’s just not a thing here and is absurd

Lol yes, I’ve noticed the same thing. I’ve seen it, but it’s very rare.
I never see anyone wave up a group on a par 3 down here either.

 

[wazzubrew]

Part of it may be bad distance judgement (although clearly not in your case when they are on the green and the you know the hole distance). I played a course with temp greens so my GPS was useless and the markers were way off, so I really struggled with distance judging and using the right club. Can I hit it 275? Yes. Will I probably? No. Are those guys 265 away, or 300 away? Couldnt tell ya, but I would rather be safe than sorry and not be thinking about that as I step up to the tee box.

Asking friends how far something is away and then receiving the widely varied answers I do means none of us are probably very good at distance judging. We still play ready golf and are realistic about our abilities but throwing a possibility out there as to what theyre thinking. I havent noticed the extreme you described, and our public munis are packed with new golfers

 

[BigMac]

Part of it may be bad distance judgement (although clearly not in your case when they are on the green and the you know the hole distance). I played a course with temp greens so my GPS was useless and the markers were way off, so I really struggled with distance judging and using the right club. Can I hit it 275? Yes. Will I probably? No. Are those guys 265 away, or 300 away? Couldnt tell ya, but I would rather be safe than sorry and not be thinking about that as I step up to the tee box.

Asking friends how far something is away and then receiving the widely varied answers I do means none of us are probably very good at distance judging. We still play ready golf and are realistic about our abilities but throwing a possibility out there as to what theyre thinking. I havent noticed the extreme you described, and our public munis are packed with new golfers

We know our home course (and our tendencies) really well, so it's pretty easy to judge when we're safe to hit. If I'm playing a different course or am in doubt, I'll shoot them with the rangefinder to see if we should hit or wait. I'll give a generous margin for error as I'd rather wait than accidentally hit into somebody, but if they're 300+ yards out there's no way I'm hitting them even with my best shot on my best day.

 

[YukonLiving]

You obviously have never played with someone that’s hit a 3i 390 yards.....

Lol!

Haha! Nope, never played with someone who hit driver that long, let alone a 3i!

 

[Raiderboost]

We know our home course (and our tendencies) really well, so it's pretty easy to judge when we're safe to hit. If I'm playing a different course or am in doubt, I'll shoot them with the rangefinder to see if we should hit or wait. I'll give a generous margin for error as I'd rather wait than accidentally hit into somebody, but if they're 300+ yards out there's no way I'm hitting them even with my best shot on my best day.

Yeah if they are 300+ then I’m good to tee off. I’m not going to carry a drive that far. I might get to them but it would be after some rollout which I’m ok with. I won’t get mad if I’m 320 out and a ball rolls by my foot. Now I would get mad if I’m 280 out and a ball lands within a few yards of me.

 

[WLG1952]

Since Covid, I have seen a noticeable uptick in rounds of golf where my group is stuck behind a group who waits for the green to clear on every hole before teeing off. Just the other day, I noticed 3 different groups acting in this abominable way. That was just my line of sight.

I am confused. Are these new players, who don't fully understand? I know courses have been inundated with newbies looking for something to do outside, and I'm totally fine with that, but anyone who spends even a minute paying attention on a golf course knows the protocol on when you should tee off behind the group in front of you. Where could these guys possibly learn this?

I walked up to the tee a few weeks ago, where a group of young guys were waiting, and one of them turned to me and said "sorry, man, the guys in front of us are just leaving the green now." It was a 440 yard par 4. I'm not exactly the confrontational type on the course (I like to use the course as my zen place,) but I did respond to the kid "you guys are probably safe to hit." He laughed, and continued to wait.

I know my post has turned into a rant, so back on topic:

Is anyone else seeing this? How have you handled it?

I've seen it, and have discussed it with others. The discussion was more on a humorous note.

However, part of what said kind of made some sense.

By waiting for the green to clear before teeing off, the player(s) are giving themselves the option of playing from tee to hole out, without interupting their own playing pace of play. Their playing rythem, tempo, and timing stays the same from tee to hole out.

To me, for some strange reason, this uninterrupted playing of the entire hole kind of makes sense.

 

[BigMac]

Yeah if they are 300+ then I’m good to tee off. I’m not going to carry a drive that far. I might get to them but it would be after some rollout which I’m ok with. I won’t get mad if I’m 320 out and a ball rolls by my foot. Now I would get mad if I’m 280 out and a ball lands within a few yards of me.

I try to stay in that safe zone in between dropping balls on people and being the jackass that waits until they're 400 yards away to hit a 160 yard shot.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

I typically abide by my rule of if it doesn’t directly affect me, it doesn’t bother me. But, if I’m waiting on a group to tee off on a Par 4 and the landing zone is clear (200-300 yards) and you wait until the green is completely clear, I’m gonna make a funny comment to give you a hint. Then, I’m gonna just hurt your feelings until you do tee off! You brought this upon yourself!!

 

[Raiderboost]

I try to stay in that safe zone in between dropping balls on people and being the jackass that waits until they're 400 yards away to hit a 160 yard shot.

We have a couple par 4’s at my course that I can carry the ball into the green. I’ve had a couple times I went ahead and hit and didn’t catch it quite perfect and landed just short when waiting for people so it’s scared me some. Of course when I do wait I usually don’t hit one worth waiting. Most of the groups I play in though are fast enough to catch up the next hole if we do though so it’s not worth the risk of hitting someone.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

Yeah if they are 300+ then I’m good to tee off. I’m not going to carry a drive that far.

I would hesitate. I started with a 180 yard drive. By near the end of the season I was out to 225 yards pretty consistently. I may have even hit a 240 yard drive. (It was an estimate, so hard to say.) I'm tall and have long arms. I have been told me hitting 300 yards is not unlikely.

 

[Smiter]

Haha! Nope, never played with someone who hit driver that long, let alone a 3i!

I could tell you a tale, repeated twice with witnesses but I fear it too much for most to process.

(Hit a hard pull/hook over a hard hill, hit the downslope and roll out 100+ yards to a hard dogleg left green that is GPS 390ish out).

 

[wazzubrew]

We know our home course (and our tendencies) really well, so it's pretty easy to judge when we're safe to hit. If I'm playing a different course or am in doubt, I'll shoot them with the rangefinder to see if we should hit or wait. I'll give a generous margin for error as I'd rather wait than accidentally hit into somebody, but if they're 300+ yards out there's no way I'm hitting them even with my best shot on my best day.

A range finder would certainly mitigate our issue. None of us have one

 

[mski]

I had the draws so bad last season I waited for other greens to clear

 

[YukonLiving]

I could tell you a tale, repeated twice with witnesses but I fear it too much for most to process.

(Hit a hard pull/hook over a hard hill, hit the downslope and roll out 100+ yards to a hard dogleg left green that is GPS 390ish out).

Around here, that would need to be some serious elevation change to get 100 yards of roll out! Our greens are pretty soft and sticky.

I’d love to see someone bomb one out there that far though!

Our group usually plays ready golf - if there’s someone in front of us, shorter hitters will tee off first.

 

[Raiderboost]

I would hesitate. I started with a 180 yard drive. By near the end of the season I was out to 225 yards pretty consistently. I may have even hit a 240 yard drive. (It was an estimate, so hard to say.) I'm tall and have long arms. I have been told me hitting 300 yards is not unlikely.

I’ve been playing for close to 20 years now and I know what my driver swing speed is. I know there is not much chance that I can carry it over 300 even with a perfectly hit ball(unless there is a big helping wind). If they were 280-290 I would hold up but if they are 310-320 then I’m good.

 

[Smiter]

Around here, that would need to be some serious elevation change to get 100 yards of roll out! Our greens are pretty soft and sticky.

I’d love to see someone bomb one out there that far though!

Our group usually plays ready golf - if there’s someone in front of us, shorter hitters will tee off first.

First time was by accident. I meant to hit a 3i dead straight 250-260. Hard pull hook around the dogleg and I’d almost given it up for lost when dad got to the green.

I’ve done it twice again back in early 2018. It’s just one of those if you get it to carry xxx yards it’ll roll out another 100+. Hard hill sloping right at the green.

(Disclaimer, only one actually was on, the other two were green high and just right) I 3 putted the one and got up and down with the other two. The first time was my first ever 3 birdie straight stretch.

The next one I went 44/29 on a 36/36/72 course of about 6400 yards. This was hole 8 so you can imagine the rest of the nine. I was slightly upset for the back and made two eagles and 3 birdies. Had an eagle chip on 18 and missed my 5 foot comebacker, most disappointing par ever, lol.

 

[tequila4kapp]

This sounds like a recipe for homicide.

Get me on your jury and I guarantee at least one vote for acquittal.

 

[HarlettoScara]

Get me on your jury and I guarantee at least one vote for acquittal.

Make that 2.....

Never seen anything like that here. If anyone at my course rolled up to people waiting for a 440 yard green to clear then they would just put the ball down and tee off in front of them, jumping the queue straight off and carry on with their day.

 

[PapaJohick]

Hahaha

I will say one thing I absolutely loathe about Charleston golf is that NO ONE PLAYS THROUGH. It’s just not a thing here and is absurd

I play through all the time. Certain courses are bad about it though. Older people thinking smaller groups need to just slow down and enjoy the day and what not

 

[GoldenBuff]

Waiting is kind of polite. Slows things down, but has a hint of a positive. Sounds like a little outreach from the course and golf community might have a chance to help an influx of new golfers?

 

[Phil75070]

Years and years ago I played a course north of Chicago where the first hole was a downhill par 4, followed by an uphill par three with the tee directly behind #1 green, guarded by a chain link fence in between. The starter would hold you up on the 1st tee until the green was cleared and the group in front of you was on the 2nd tee. They marshalled the course seriously so that you never waited for the group in front of you all day, and if you were too slow and the group behind caught up the marshal would move you ahead. I don't recall the exact pace of play as it was many years ago but I do remember never having to wait nor being pushed.

 

[RayG]

I ran into this a couple times this last year and both times they had misunderstood the first tee instructions and applied them to every subsequent hole. Most courses here want you to tee off on #1 after they've cleared the green. It's all standard after that though. Only took a minute to sort them out.

This- but this past year it was Covid related to space out the second tee backup. First hole- Starter waits for people on Green to start putting. Normally, it's a relatively short Par 4, then a tough-ish Par 3 that might have 2,3,4 groups waiting. It helped immensely, but did not totally eliminate the problem. Still had to wait a bit for the group to clear on #2.

But there were a couple of times I had to let others know that it was only for the first hole.

 

[PuffChippy]

Golf courses need to do what a lot of gun ranges do and make you complete a short 30 minute training class and get a card to participate. It's just watching a video and it's free, but you could address so many of these problems if you just made everyone aware of what the rules were and what was expected. There was a noob in another thread complaining about all the unwritten rules in golf and he had a point - for a beginner there's a lot of stuff you just need to somehow know to navigate a round of golf and it's unreasonable to expect everyone to know what all the unwritten rules are.