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What is the primary reason for slow play?

What is the primary reason for slow play?

  • Golfers who aren’t ready to play on the course

    Votes: 189 58.5%

  • Playing tees too long

    Votes: 105 32.5%

  • Golf technology - lasering the pin on every shot

    Votes: 28 8.7%

  • Personal technology - cell phones are the devil

    Votes: 38 11.8%

  • That 5th practice swing

    Votes: 143 44.3%

  • Reading putts from 360° and using a protractor

    Votes: 118 36.5%

  • Tee times only 8 minutes apart

    Votes: 148 45.8%

  • Alcohol

    Votes: 63 19.5%
  • Total voters
    323
OneFootShort said:
In theory, I agree. In all practicality, I don't. Kind of like being on the highway. The speed limit is 65. If you're in the left lane and someone is going faster than you, regardless if it's over the speed limit or not, most let them pass.
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What if you're on a one lane road behind a string of cars all going the speed limit?
 
ntanygd760 said:
Keep in mind this is if they are actually slower, by a good amount then stated pace of play. Not that they are on a 4 hour 5 minute pace and the groups behind can play in 3.5 hours
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"Stated pace of play" is a recent policy enacted by course operators so that the pro shop staff and , or, marshalls are relieved of their duty to deal with offending slow group (s).
Again, the traditional policy stating "if the group ahead is a hole or more in front then the group (s) behind should be permitted to play thru". This simple policy worked great for 100 years.
People and, or, players hanging their hats on "4:15 stated pace of play" are a major cause of slow play and, or, significant part of the problem.
 
More then happy to ask a slower group with open holes ahead but under our admitted stated slow pace of play to let a faster group through, that works 97% of the time but never going to force a slow group who is under stated pace of play to skip a hole or anything.

Sadly at a muni that isn't super hard attracts players who shouldn't be at a full size course yet.
 
ntanygd760 said:
More then happy to ask a slower group with open holes ahead but under our admitted stated slow pace of play to let a faster group through, that works 97% of the time but never going to force a slow group who is under stated pace of play to skip a hole or anything.

Sadly at a muni that isn't super hard attracts players who shouldn't be at a full size course yet.
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I haven't found lower skilled players to be the main culprits of slow play. It's the players who know better but think they need 3 minute preshot routines because they once read an article in Golf Digest saying that's what all the best players on tour do.
 
I agree there are way more of those. But we get some weird groups every once in a while where like the most experienced player has played 3 times and the others shoot like 200. I tell them to wait till they get to 2 shots over the par and move the ball 10 yards short of the green and go from there. They honestly just don't know any better.

The groups with 4 dudes walking and the worst is a 12 who take 4:45 minutes without waiting on a single shot are the ones I truly hate.

One or two times a year you get the group that just hasn't played at all totally clueless and just can't play at all or able to speed up who we give a refund to on the 3rd hole and send them on their way.
 
Personally I think herd mentality is a problem. All four players gotta go watch everyone hit. Then go to the next ball, etc. Drives me nuts when the group won’t follow ready golf at least partially.
 
I had a work outing a few weeks back with 3 other players. Two were bogey golfers (like me) and the third hadn’t played in over a year.

So we chose up teams and played 6 holes of best ball, 6 holes of alt shot and 6 holes 2 man scramble.

The kicker from a pace of play perspective: we played Stableford, so once a team got past bogey they’d just pick up instead of lining up that 14 footer for zero points.

We seem super obsessed with stroke play in the States. Our friends in the UK tend to play a lot more Stableford. I can see why. Much quicker.
 
Yesterday our group had 12 players, that is three foursomes. We were first out with tee times of 6:15, 6:24, and my foursome teed off at 6:33. We walked off the 18th green at 9:40, so a 3 hour and 7 minute round. The two foursomes ahead of us each played at a about a 3 hour pace, maybe a few minutes less than that.
Regarding the recent trend of course operators adopting "OUR PACE OF PLAY POLICY IS 4 hours 15 minutes", I question how that length of time was decided. I think if a course operator wants to proclaim a pace-of-play policy the time should be closer to 3 hours than 4 hours.
 
5150 said:
I had a work outing a few weeks back with 3 other players. Two were bogey golfers (like me) and the third hadn’t played in over a year.

So we chose up teams and played 6 holes of best ball, 6 holes of alt shot and 6 holes 2 man scramble.

The kicker from a pace of play perspective: we played Stableford, so once a team got past bogey they’d just pick up instead of lining up that 14 footer for zero points.

We seem super obsessed with stroke play in the States. Our friends in the UK tend to play a lot more Stableford. I can see why. Much quicker.
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I believe most paying customers want to get their money's worth and play every shot themselves, so while alternate shot or scramble would absolutely speed up play, it's a hard one to sell.
 
DG_1234 said:
I believe most paying customers want to get their money's worth and play every shot themselves, so while alternate shot or scramble would absolutely speed up play, it's a hard one to sell.
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I would agree with you there.

Personally I don’t equate lining up my triple bogey putt with getting my money’s worth, but I know many people do.

I suppose that’s a bit of what I’m getting at regarding our obsession with stroke play.

There’s a bit of having one’s cake and eating it too going on here, to me, for the player who complains about slow play, but insists on putting out for an 8 to “get my money’s worth.”
 
5150 said:
I would agree with you there.

Personally I don’t equate lining up my triple bogey putt with getting my money’s worth, but I know many people do.

I suppose that’s a bit of what I’m getting at regarding our obsession with stroke play.

There’s a bit of having one’s cake and eating it too going on here, to me, for the player who complains about slow play, but insists on putting out for an 8 to “get my money’s worth.”
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My guess is that at public and private courses within the USA the most common game among foursomes are as follows:
1) most popular game I assume individual nassau matches , for example $2-$2-$4 (front back and 18) against one, two, or three of the other players within the foursome.
2)rotate partners points game (each player partners for 6 holes with each other player)
3) skins game (not ideal for only four players, but my guess is that the simplicity of it makes it a common game for foursomes to play).
4) 2-some against 2-some best ball match

So, as above , I think most common is some form of match play format rather than any 18 hole medal (stroke) play format. This is for private games of twosomes, threesomes, or foursomes. Club events and, or tournaments are usually medal play scoring contests.
 
DG_1234 said:
My guess is that at public and private courses within the USA the most common game among foursomes are as follows:
1) most popular game I assume individual nassau matches , for example $2-$2-$4 (front back and 18) against one, two, or three of the other players within the foursome.
2)rotate partners points game (each player partners for 6 holes with each other player)
3) skins game (not ideal for only four players, but my guess is that the simplicity of it makes it a common game for foursomes to play).
4) 2-some against 2-some best ball match

So, as above , I think most common is some form of match play format rather than any 18 hole medal (stroke) play format. This is for private games of twosomes, threesomes, or foursomes. Club events and, or tournaments are usually medal play scoring contests.
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Fair enough. Match play should be faster than stroke given concessions leading to ball in pocket rather than putting out.

Do you think, as you mentioned above, that the typical match play player insists on playing out to get their money’s worth?

I suspect that the weekend player with a six pack of Bud Light is probably not playing match play... and is probably stalking that triple bogey putt like Tiger.
 
5150 said:
Do you think, as you mentioned above, that the typical match play player insists on playing out to get their money’s worth?
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Absolutely, yes. My observation is that it's very rare to ever see a paying customer pick up his ball and not finish the hole (even if it's match play and he has no chance to tie that hole).
5150 said:
I suspect that the weekend player with a six pack of Bud Light is probably not playing match play... and is probably stalking that triple bogey putt like Tiger.
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I've never understood drinking on the golf course. My perspective is that the game is great by itself and does not need the influence of alcohol. I am a drinker, just never one while playing golf.
 
Subsonic said:
I think the number one reason is... I have yet to see a golfer that admits to being a slow player. Until you admit you are part of the problem, you cannot be part of the solution.
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Meet Marc. I play with him because the other two guys I play with want to include him. Marc says he has paid his green fees and he is entitled to take all the time he wants. He has actually said this. He thinks five hours for a foursome is not slow. My solution is to tee off with the other guys early in the morning because Marc hates to get up early. (Argh.)
 
Was rolling solo in a cart today behind a kid getting an on-course lesson. He was hitting two and three shots from a spot en route to 9’s and 10’s on the hole. Playing from 6,000 yards. (Why?!) I caught them on #6 and they did not let me play through. I resisted the temptation to gouge my eyes out and passed them at the turn when they stopped for a $4 boiled hot dog. 🤮
 
Acesteve said:
People forget that on a tee you can't play ready golf but rather everyone is totally in series.
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You can play ready golf on the tee. If you are next to hit, be standing beside the tee box with a club, ball, and tee in hand, instead of way over there where everybody has their clubs. Say that saves fifteen seconds per golfer times the three golfers in a foursome hitting after the first times 18 holes is almost fifteen minutes saved just by being efficient.
 
I take that as a given . In my group in the fairway or around the green, we hit in almost parallel if safe to do so.
 
AndyL0711 said:
What gives anyone the right to tell someone they can't play because, they think, you're not good enough. Talk about being an welcoming.
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When I was in high school a course we used to go to had a friendly front nine and back nine with water all over the place. The starters wouldn't let us play the back nine because we weren't good enough. When I finally got to play that nine, I realized the starters were doing us a favor.
 
WLG1952 said:
Actually heard this the other day as one of the biggest causes of slower play.

"Faster players".........

Don't shoot the messenger.
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I'll bite, what is the thinking behind this statement.
 
Gus R said:
I'll bite, what is the thinking behind this statement.
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I expect he meant that without fast players there would be no slow players. In other words, faster players complaining about slower players is the issue.
 
RealPretendPsychic said:
Was rolling solo in a cart today behind a kid getting an on-course lesson. He was hitting two and three shots from a spot en route to 9’s and 10’s on the hole. Playing from 6,000 yards. (Why?!) I caught them on #6 and they did not let me play through. I resisted the temptation to gouge my eyes out and passed them at the turn when they stopped for a $4 boiled hot dog. 🤮
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Who was giving the lesson? Someone who works at the course?

I would RAGE at that haha
 
Canadan said:
Who was giving the lesson? Someone who works at the course?

I would RAGE at that haha
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I don’t believe so. I was playing well and am very proud I was able to keep my cool. And pound back to back 280+ yard drives down the middle at their heels.
 
Sometimes I feel like slow play can be magnified by lack of management by course rangers. A couple of weeks ago my buddy and I went out in a foursome, all of us walking, and it was just horrible. There was a twosome in a cart in front of us with no one ahead of them that honestly just did not care about anyone else and were hitting multiple balls, waiting for the other to hit before going to their ball, etc. It got so bad that there were two other foursomes nipping on our heels right away.

My buddy and I have never called the clubhouse to complain about slow play, but the two guys who joined us had no issues doing so by the fourth hole. They called multiple times, and apparently the clubhouse radioed the rangers, but none ever showed up. The only time we saw a ranger was when one rode out to make sure all the carts were in on time.

A little over 3 hours to play nine holes - thankfully they stopped at the front nine and we finished the back nine in about 1:45. Easily the worst slow play experience I’ve had in my short golf career.
 
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