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Slow Play - How Long Does It Take You?

JB

JB

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Interesting article on the THP Home Page today about the slow play of golf. Less about the debate of slow play being an epidemic (that has been done), but asked some questions about your rounds specifically.

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/?p=23721
 
Great article which Im sure will have lots of very informative responses.

For me personally I consider things slow if it takes beyond 4 hours and 15 minutes on the weekend (put 4.5 on the home page but I think thats too high).

Just this past Sunday I played a round with cart path only at 3:45 and it was great to just move along at a nice solid pace, no one was rushed, we had a few holes were we had to look for balls but went about our business and finished in a good time.

5 hours for me means from the time I leave my house to the time I get home we could be talking about being gone for 6-7 hours on a weekend to play a round of golf which is just not something I have any interest in at this point in time.

What drives me crazy is courses that speak to a 4.5 hour pace of play but do nothing to enforce it whatsoever. I also thing people should be playing the correct sets of tees and that doing so would help alleviate some of the slowness but thats for another discussion.
 
I'm a little slow, but not that bad. When I start to set up to when I hit it is probably where I'm slow. But my last time out our foursome did play in under 4 hours walking. The times are getting out of hand, and I think the tour players is a solid point. They take FOREVER. It would be interesting to have a rule put into place to really limit their times and see if anything happened to the scores.
 
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drp3434 said:
I'm a little slow, but not that bad. When I start to set up to when I hit it is probably where I'm slow. But my last time out our foursome did play in under 4 hours walking. The times are getting out of hand, and I think the tour players is a solid point. They take FOREVER. It would be interesting to have a rule put into place to really limit their times and see if anything happened to the scores.
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There is a rule in place. They just dont enforce it.

Here is an honest question though. If you know you are a little slow, why not try and correct it?
 
I was just party to a 5 1/2 hour tournament round this week...never experienced something like it, never will again. It was ridiculous. My typical round is about 4:15, and my expectation playing with a foursome and group in front of us is 4-4.5 hours. I can live with that.
 
I think it's hard for any person to truly state how long it takes for them to play a round of golf. I can say that it takes me 3 hours (example) if playing alone but that means absolutely nothing when on the course with 3 other players, and subsequently other groups in front of you.


Few things that I think contribute from a course perspective: high bunker count, big greens, some holes that are cart path only


Personally, I'm okay if a round takes 3 hours or 5 hours. I try not to be in a rush doing something I enjoy but I also don't like waiting on each shot NOR do I want people behind me waiting to hit on each shot.


Guess I don't have a great answer as there are just so many variables that come into play. I do play ready golf, I'm aware of how to get numerous players into a position where they can hit when it's their turn but ultimately all it takes is 1 golfer to slow down an entire course.....and this is where marshals come into the picture but they often are few and far between.
 
JB said:
There is a rule in place. They just dont enforce it.

Here is an honest question though. If you know you are a little slow, why not try and correct it?
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I do work on trying to pick it up. I don't know what it is, I'm just weird. It just takes me, what I think is a little longer than normal, to get comfortable in my stance and get lined up before I swing.
 
Anything over 3 hours for 1-2 players and over 3.5 hours for 3-4 players would be considered slow IMO. I do typically try to go to the course during slower times so I can easily achieve or better these times.
 
I think anything over 4 hours is slow, and anything approaching 4.5 is ridiculous. At the course I was a member of, 3:30 was pretty much the norm. It was a full length course (6900) with large, fast hard to read greens. Their was a large number of elderly players as well. To think an hour longer than was necessary St that course is acceptable at other courses is pretty silly.
 
Well said. I think most people just don't think they are slow or just don't care.

If you want to chit chat, that's great, but let's do it in the patio over a drink or a meal. Not saying we can't talk driving or walking to our ball but when it's your turn just go ahead and hit.

I think little things like that or walking all around the green to make that 55 footer for a 97 could really speed up the game and everyone still enjoys the game.
 
when we dont wait for anyone, not making any effort to play fast, a ound will be done somewhere between 3:30 and 4 hours, but the courses I play are usually packed and a bit slower.

I have to admit tough, I do enjoy the pace of a 4:30 round the best, its just more relaxed to me.
 
I'd like to think I'm not slow, but if everyone else thinks that too I could just be naive. In the round yesterday, it took 4:45 and we waited on every hole, but were only 2 minutes off pace. I think some courses set their pace too long and people think they can take their time because they are ahead of an arbitrary pace. I think 4 should be the standard, and courses should try to get back to that pace however they can.
 
As a full 4man flight with my girlfriend and her parents (mid 60s), all walking, we get around in 4 hours.
With just the girl, we can get round in sub 3 hours, still walking, still searching balls because we're not all that great at golf. (usually takes more like 4:30-5h, being held up by people who play and move slow. Lots of new players on our course.)*

Don't oggle the other players from adress to when their ball stops moving somewhere in the distance. Don't discuss when it's your turn to play.
Move to your ball, think what you're going to do while you're on the way, get the club, hit the ball. Distribute work sensibly. Putt to finish if you're close to the hole. It's not hard to speed up your play.


*When we learned to play, learning how to move at a decent pace was high up on the list. If you're going to take 130 strokes, you can still do it fast and not hold up your group.
 
Some of the courses I play are pretty good at keeping players on pace (Waverly Woods, CAA_BEAT's home course is one). Other courses (Andrews AFB, Lake Presidential not so much). I think the pace of play time does vary per course. IMO if you aren't the first couple groups out that 4 1/2 - 4 1/2 hours is around the right amount of time.

I play most of my rounds these days at Andrews (also where the president plays alot and when he is there is slows pace of play on a couple courses due to his security as well as the spacing required in front and behind his groups). Anything under 4 1/2 there in a non tournament/shotgun is considered fast by those who play. In a tournament or weekend shotgun you can expect 5 1/2 - 6 hour round which I have refused to participate in as a result and will go play somewhere else if the only thing available is shotgun on the weekend.
 
The "anything past this is too long" pace at my home course is 4.5 hours. With a riding foursome, 4 hours is pretty much the expectation. That pace was arrived at by sending a magnitude foursomes with a cart out for 18 over many years and recording the time it took for them to complete 18.
 
I'm pretty fast. I was lucky enough to be 1st or 2nd group out for both THP events I attended and finished in good time. I start getting frustrated when my foursome is playing slower than a 3.5 hour pace. Quickest solo 18 was 6:14-7:56. The only reason I know because I went straight after work and was wondering if I'd have enough light to get the round in. Also had to play through two groups of walking high schoolers that were practicing.
 
Slow play doesn't bother me, but there are varying degrees that approach craziness. If I'm by myself I can get around 18 in about 2 1/2 hours. Usually a 4-4.5 hour round on the weekend is fine with me. When you start seeing 4.5+ hour rounds that starts to test me.

I'm conscious of slow play and always like to play ready golf, but there is a fine line of moving the group along & feeling pushed/rushed.
 
I don't mind slow play, but I haaaaate waiting. I guess they almost go hand-in-hand, but there are some exceptions. I am a very fast player as I play ready golf and rarely take practice swings. With an open course, I can get a round completed in about 2 to 2:30 hours at a moderate pace.
 
One problem is that people's definition of what constitutes slow play is different.

I do not consider myself a slow player. I laser my shot (if doing so) from the cart. I have my club pulled and I'm standing by my ball while I'm waiting. When it's my turn, I take my one practice swing and then hit. Most groups I play with, I'm out of the cart and have hit my tee shot before the rest even get up onto the tee. I go back to the cart, put the club away quickly and then am ready to move to the next shot. If it's cart-path only, I take 4 clubs out to my ball to ensure I have the right one. I try to be efficient in my cart movement and my planning. I move to the next tee before writing down scores.

With that said, while I certainly can play fast, I don't consider myself a super-fast player either. I'm going to take my one practice swing. I'm going to take some care lining up my 4-foot putt. I enjoy being out on the golf course, and as long as my group is keeping pace, I'm not going to run around at a breakneck pace just so I can sit and wait more. I am just as annoyed by the guy behind me demanding to finish 18 in 2.5 hours as I am the guy in front of me that's on a 5-hour pace. If the course is clear in front of me, I can generally finish in 3-to-3.5 hours, which I think is perfectly reasonable.

I don't really know that you can blame the PGA tour. Yes, they do often play slowly, but it's crazy to expect them to step up and "just hit it" when they've got tens of thousands of dollars riding on each shot, not to mention perhaps the difference between keeping their card or not. Where they could improve I think is in shot preparation. Often you'll see them waiting, and then once the green is clear, they'll start their discussion about what club to pull and the 2-3 stroke practice swing routine. If they would concentrate on doing all that while they're waiting, things would speed up considerably.

Honestly, I think it's a combination of things that lead to undue slow play. In no particular order they are:

1) Golf carts. Honestly I believe the game would be faster if more people were walking, not fewer. Cart path only days are HORRIDLY slow and even the 90-degree rule slows things down. The need to move from ball-to-ball is the biggest factor in slowing things down. When walking, both players can go straight to their own ball.

2) Players' reluctance to pick up. I play a lot of rounds at a low-cost course which attracts a lot of people new to the game of golf. I'm amazed at how often I'll see someone hit their 6th shot into a bunker, then hit 3 shots to get out of the bunker, and then still go putt. Or the infamous, "I'm going to reload" on the tee.

3) Players' general cluelessness. I see situations all the time where people are still sitting in their cart while the group in front is walking off the green. Or they'll go up to the green with their ball not yet on, and they'll only have one wedge. When they find out they have the wrong wedge, they have to go all the way back to the cart. And of course they'll hunt for that TopFlite like the fate of the world depends on it.
 
wadesworld said:
One problem is that people's definition of what constitutes slow play is different.

I do not consider myself a slow player. I laser my shot (if doing so) from the cart. I have my club pulled and I'm standing by my ball while I'm waiting. When it's my turn, I take my one practice swing and then hit. Most groups I play with, I'm out of the cart and have hit my tee shot before the rest even get up onto the tee. I go back to the cart, put the club away quickly and then am ready to move to the next shot. If it's cart-path only, I take 4 clubs out to my ball to ensure I have the right one. I try to be efficient in my cart movement and my planning. I move to the next tee before writing down scores.

With that said, while I certainly can play fast, I don't consider myself a super-fast player either. I'm going to take my one practice swing. I'm going to take some care lining up my 4-foot putt. I enjoy being out on the golf course, and as long as my group is keeping pace, I'm not going to run around at a breakneck pace just so I can sit and wait more. I am just as annoyed by the guy behind me demanding to finish 18 in 2.5 hours as I am the guy in front of me that's on a 5-hour pace. If the course is clear in front of me, I can generally finish in 3-to-3.5 hours, which I think is perfectly reasonable.

I don't really know that you can blame the PGA tour. Yes, they do often play slowly, but it's crazy to expect them to step up and "just hit it" when they've got tens of thousands of dollars riding on each shot, not to mention perhaps the difference between keeping their card or not. Where they could improve I think is in shot preparation. Often you'll see them waiting, and then once the green is clear, they'll start their discussion about what club to pull and the 2-3 stroke practice swing routine. If they would concentrate on doing all that while they're waiting, things would speed up considerably.

Honestly, I think it's a combination of things that lead to undue slow play. In no particular order they are:

1) Golf carts. Honestly I believe the game would be faster if more people were walking, not fewer. Cart path only days are HORRIDLY slow and even the 90-degree rule slows things down. The need to move from ball-to-ball is the biggest factor in slowing things down. When walking, both players can go straight to their own ball.

2) Players' reluctance to pick up. I play a lot of rounds at a low-cost course which attracts a lot of people new to the game of golf. I'm amazed at how often I'll see someone hit their 6th shot into a bunker, then hit 3 shots to get out of the bunker, and then still go putt. Or the infamous, "I'm going to reload" on the tee.

3) Players' general cluelessness. I see situations all the time where people are still sitting in their cart while the group in front is walking off the green. Or they'll go up to the green with their ball not yet on, and they'll only have one wedge. When they find out they have the wrong wedge, they have to go all the way back to the cart. And of course they'll hunt for that TopFlite like the fate of the world depends on it.
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I have heard the walking thing plenty of times, and I just don't buy it. Carts do encourage people to be more social, but I've been behind social walkers, and it is MISERABLY slow. In general walkers tend to be a bit more of the serious golfer who understands proper etiquette around here, but the same players in a cart vs walking will be faster in the cart nearly every time.
 
Waiting on every shot drives me absolutely insane. I find it almost impossible to get in a rhythm and keep my patience. I guess I'll have to work on that if I'm ever going to make it on tour lol.

I'm not a fast player, I think slower in my mind than in reality. Playing solo I can get around in 2-2:15 taking my time, with a buddy and no waiting it takes near 3 hours. I think everyone playing ready golf would help a lot, most have gotten better at it. Courses send players off every 6-7 minutes doesn't help either. I know they need to make revenue, but when they do that it's going to be backed up no matter what
 
With like minded players, 4 hours is very easy. Considering that rushing is just silly. Jrod and I played a number of rounds this summer starting at 5:30 and finishing by 8:00 and that included taking extra shots and the occasional wait.

I think people getting drinks all the time, stopping at the turn, talking instead of golfing, and just being slow movers is a major contributor. Never really been big on any of those things. I can make it four hours without getting a hamburger thanks.
 
Walking and riding has little to do with slow play. Putting a slow person on foot will never alleviate slow play.
 
I play anywhere from 3:30 to 4:30 depending on whome I am playing with. I think a round of golf shouldn’t take more than 4hrs. Anything beyond is slow.
 
I like keeping rounds to 3.5 - 4 hours when I am playing with people and if playing as a single, I can generally be done within 3 hours.

I know personally I have taken little steps to make sure my pace of play remains relatively quick. Since I incorporated a rangefinder into my bag, I try to get a yardage while one of my playing partners is hitting.

I also think familiarity with a course truly helps. If I have played a course, I generally have an idea of what I am going to hit off the tee. Par 3s are slightly different as I need to know pin placement and then get a yardage. But on courses I have not played before, I do find myself studying the hole a little bit as I get to each hole.

But it drives me nuts when there are two people in a cart, they drive up to a ball in the fairway or rough, wait for people on the green, hit their shot and then proceed to the other person's ball, look for it, find a yardage, hit their shot and then finally go on their way.
 
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