How fast is too fast?

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Albatross 2024 Club
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With the talk of speeding up play, I was curious, at what point does the speed of a round keep someone playing in their first few rounds, or someone that enjoys playing but doesn't want to put in the additional time needed to really get better, from being able to enjoy the round and not feel like they're just being rushed off the course? How fast is too fast for the beginners and part time weekend hackers? Does it really matter to anyone?
 
I'm not shy about telling the group to slow down. The last thing I need is to feel like I'm in a race! It's meant to be a relaxing time, that said I don't mind getting through a round in 3.5-3.75 hours. Too fast and I'll leave the game/group.

I should probably add that I walk 99.9% of the rounds I play. The courses I play are also far from flat! Nothing annoys me more than being hurried by a group in a cart when the course is full.
 
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At the point it turns into speed golf I guess, so maybe 2:30 for 18.

As a beginner we would usually have a foursome ranging between 95 and 120, and we never struggled to finish in between 3:30 and 4 hours.
 
I think anything faster than 3:00 could be considered pretty damn fast and bordering on too fast for a walking foursome. I don't think I'm a slow player but I absolutely HATE to feel rushed by the group behind and it throws me for a loop mentally.
 
I'm a mid-high handicapper and I enjoy fast rounds. Some of my best scores have been during faster rounds. I've had a couple fall golf 18 hole rounds completed in 2:30 hours. Nothing I hate more than having to wait every shot. Makes me impatient, tense and causes me to over-think my shot.
 
There is a point were I have caught myself playing to fast just because there was open course in front of me, and it is tiring to do so. I think anything under three hours walking is good, now put me in a cart and all bets are off, I love the rhythm of a fast round.
 
When it is fast enough that I feel rushed over the ball. The last time this happened the foursome I was in finished in 3:20 and I had one guy telling me they normally play in 3:10. Whatever.
 
Depends on the course, the size of the group and if walking or riding....I mostly play and walk at Bethpage and its nearly impossible to play in under 4hrs walking....and that is early in the morning and not waiting to hit any shot....but I have also played at a friends country club as a twosome in a cart and played 18 in under 3 hours (and I never felt rushed or felt like I was playing too fast)

When the guys in the group are more impressed with the round time over their scores you are playing to fast......
 
I don't know that there's such a thing as too fast for me. I almost always play alone on sparsely populated courses, so it's a real shock when I get put in a group or have to wait on the group in front of me. I've left in the middle of rounds just because I had gotten to a point where playing through wasn't an option.

I guess it's not really the pace of play that is an issue for me, it's more of whether I have to wait for the group in front of me. I can't stand waiting for anything. It just feels like wasted time.
 
When it is fast enough that I feel rushed over the ball. The last time this happened the foursome I was in finished in 3:20 and I had one guy telling me they normally play in 3:10. Whatever.

Well "scuddy wuddy doo da day" for him.
Many people are more concerned with how fast they take vs how much they enjoy golfing. It even seems to be more important than how well they played. To be honest, when I am done in less than 4 hrs I am sad my golf day ended sooner than later. I don't play golf to run through and wish away rounds that I don't get to do all the time, as much as I want, or whenever I want. I want it to be something I experience, not something to race through. if I want to do that I'll go to the range.
 
I think to fast is if your being or feeling rushed on every shot. Not saying take sweet time either but getting to your ball, ready to hit and then move on. Riding a cart and havin no one in front of you and finishing in 3hrs or so probably isn't rushed.
 
If I'm a single, walking, I'd say 3.25 hours is about as fast as I care to go on a fairly flat course. A foursome in carts playing in less than 4 hours, to me, is a bit rushed. But if I'm playing in a foursome, it's a social event, usually, and I don't want to feel rushed at all.
 
When I walk, I'm good with 3-3.5 hours. I'm not a speed golfer, nor am I a fan of slow.

I like to be productive and not wait. But I don't have a problem slowing it down a little bit and enjoying myself.
 
My home course is usually 3:15 to 3:45 depending on how many of us there are and how busy the course is - we always walk. Even though there is some form of a club competition every weekend, I have only once had a round take 4 hours so I can't complain

I think for beginners, as long as they can keep up with the general pace of play, regardless of how long the complete round takes, and don't feel like they are being rushed over every shot, then they are more likely to stick at it. I know if I felt I was being harried over every shot, I would be less likely to enjoy the round and wouldn't be in as much of a hurry to come back again
 
In Arizona, I played with a young man who was mentally disabled. Also in our group was a very accomplished Senior amateur player.

He shot a 68, and the young man shot 110. When we got to the clubhouse, I told everyone I'd rather play with the mentally handicapped guy any time. He would hit, then hurry to his ball and hit again. The guy who shot 68 was SO SLOW - rehearsing his practice swings with full setup positions, lining up his putts then backing away at the last second (EVERY time, and years before Jim Furyk ever did it) - I was ready to break the guys clubs!

My advice to a beginner: develop a pre-shot routine that is not overly drawn out. Also, learn to develop habits that keep you moving along when you aren't actually hitting the ball (e.g. park the cart where you can exit the green and go quickly, take more than one club to your ball if it is cart path only, play ready golf, watch your ball intently on a wayward shot so you can find it quickly, write your scores on the next teebox and not at the green, let faster groups through right away, if your'e on your 3rd or 4th putt don't mark it and read it from both sides, bemoan your bad shots on the way to where they are rather than engaging in a "woe is me" soliloquy on the tee, don't give or get lessons during play, tell jokes on the tee when you are waiting for the group ahead to clear the fairway and not when they already have, and did I mention ready golf???, etc...)

The point is, you can shoot a huge score and still maintain a good pace (it's not that your're speeding; you simply need to keep up with the group ahead or not be a speed bump for the group behind). Slow play usually comes from bad habits when shots are not actually being played.

Pace of play is the #1 complaint from golfers in general. As you progress in golf, it's likely that you'll appreciate quick play as well. So yes, as a beginner, you definitely want to develop good habits that keep pace up.

Good luck and welcome to the greatest game ever invented!!!
 
There is no such thing as too fast for me. If 18 holes could be played in 2 hours consistently, I would play more golf. The only thing that gets me out of sorts is trying to playing even faster than normal to compensate for someone in my group who is very deliberate, particularly if we are being pushed from behind.
 
and did I mention ready golf???, etc...

As a first year golfer (starting in July) I couldn't agree more. Some of my best shots were "rushed" - 1 practice swing and then the shot. Lots of time as a beginner we think about ALL the foundation info, the tips and tricks, etc.. leading to mental overload and mis-hits. Keep up the pace and if you really want practice off the range grab a rainy or colder day and get out there alone. When no one is around play 2, 3 or 4 balls at once. :)
 
No such thing as too fast.
 
Everyone has their own pace in life. My internal clock is set at 4 hours and has been for decades. If I play in under 3:30 I usually feel like I flew through it and likely didn't play my very best. On the other side if a round takes more than 4:30 I feel like it is taking an eternity and I just want it to end. Funny how we have an internal clock or pace that determines whether we think we are going fast or slow.

I think whether you ride or walk, time of day, and how large of a group you normally play in has a big part in what we individually think is fast or slow. I have always walked in my 40 years of playing but will take a cart 4-5 times a year, usually on vacation or an event where everyone is in a cart. Personally I hate playing in a cart and usually will score a few shots higher, especially on a wide open course where it's just "hit and go". Walking allows me time to consider my next shot and a bit of time to recover after a poor shot.

I would say to find a pace that works best for you as an individual and then match that up with who, when and where you play to maximize your enjoyment. If you feel like you play your best in under 3 hours then play early in the morning with a cart as a single or a twosome. If you have all the time in the world then tee off mid-day with a walking foursome.
I guess I'm in the middle of those two extremes. When I'm going to play 18 holes I set out a 6 hour block of time which includes getting my gear together, arriving to the course early to hit balls and warm up to prepare for the round. I also have an idea how fast play will be that day depending on my tee time. If I have an early time my expectation is pace should move along pretty well. If it's late-morning to mid-day then I would expect it to be a bit slower(more people are out there on the course,,,,it's going to be slower).
Where things start to go south is when fast players tee off 9:00 or later and expect to be able to whip around the course in 2:30 hours, or the opposite where a slow walking foursome tees off at 7:00 and backs up the whole course.

The fact is this game has always been time consuming. This is nothing new by any stretch but in today's fast paced world golf has a tough time of fitting the mold so there's a lot of talk on how to speed it up. For me the 4 hour standard fits me very well and I have no reason to change. If I want to do something at a faster pace I'll go run a 5K!
 
Too fast is an excuse slow people make to justify or deflect criticism of their slowness.
 
Too fast is an excuse slow people make to justify or deflect criticism of their slowness.

Agree with this 1000%
 
I have a love/hate relationship with pace...
I hate having to wait to get my shot in...it throws me off and usually bad things happen when I have to wait longer than it takes to take 2-3 practice swings.
But then again, I also hate it when I reach 18 when I'm in a nice flight.

So too fast = when it feels like I didn't get to play a full round even though I walked 18 and feel the need to get to the range after a round just to get some extra shots in...(could also be because I used to go around in 110 and now I'm shooting somewhere between 85-90 - I miss those 20 extra shots per round...*NOT*)
 
There is no such thing as too fast for me. If 18 holes could be played in 2 hours consistently, I would play more golf. The only thing that gets me out of sorts is trying to playing even faster than normal to compensate for someone in my group who is very deliberate, particularly if we are being pushed from behind.
I like to move at a good clip, and have finished a solo round in ~3 hours before. Most of the times I play, I've played the track so many times that I don't care to really look at the course, but some really nice courses ... I think I'd like to soak it all in. Not to the tune to a five hour round, but ...

What I don't want to do is feel rushed, especially when I'm playing at a good clip (fast enough that the course is satisfied with my pace of play). When that occurs, bad things happen and I'd like to enjoy my round. I didn't pay $40 or more to feel rushed and miserable. If people I am playing with are slow and we are being pushed from behind, I will suggest that we let the group behind us play through, and if that doesn't work ... will wave them through on my own. If they're stacked up like pancakes behind us, I'll play ready golf and when the groups behind us complain, I'll simply say "It's not my fault, I'm playing as fast as I can!"
 
If I have to jog between shots to keep pace, it's too fast.

I have always been taught that the proper position to be in is immediately behind the group ahead, not immediately in front of the group behind. I am not a slow golfer, but I do not rush.

I also think it is a bit funny that fast golfers think that their pace is the correct pace.
 
Ain't nobody jogging between shots. Except for somebody with abnormally short legs.
 
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