We've launched the new forums! Read more here

How would you speed up the game?

jdtox

jdtox

Lord Tox
Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
May 20, 2011
Messages
58,967
Reaction score
70,181
Location
Michigan
Handicap
5
Lots and lots of talk about how slow the game is and has become. We see it on tour every week with 5+ hr rounds, even a typical weekend round can take upwards of 5 hrs around here. For many it takes the of fun out of the game. Obviously hackers like us aren't going to have a shot clock or officials to speed things up, they barely enforce the rules on tour and to see a ranger on the course moving things along is unheard of.

What do you think is the cause of slow play and how can we all do our part to speed up things up?
 
Normally it comes down to too much time on and around the green at all levels.
At the tour level, they have to do something. 6 hour rounds is just too much for the viewer and networks.
But until they are willing to penalize, nothing changes.

Local courses won't do it, for fear of consumer backlash. Tour wont do it, because some of the big names are the culprits.
Everybody talks about strokes and cash, but the best way to penalize the tour player is with FedEx points.
 
The course has to set expectations and have the system in place to enforce it. We have several courses around here that provide the expected pace of play and how they will enforce it. They also have knowledgeable rangers/marshalls that can monitor and enforce the expectation.

I have yet to play those courses in more than the expected time.
 
All I can speak for is my course.

1. Make onesome and twosomes pair up. I do not care of they do not want to be paired. That slows down the day

2. Have the rangers make each foursome keep up with the group ahead. make them speed up or leave the course.

3. If you are learning, that is great, but 7 shots is enough and pick up the ball if people are waiting behind you.

4. Do not take days looking for a ball. If you cannot see it after a few minutes, it is only a ball, move on
 
1. Ready Golf. I mean unless you made a birdie on the previous hole then it doesn't matter who tees off first. But if the guy who made birdie is on his phone or shuffling thru his bag on which club to hit then someone should just tee off.

2. Walk to your ball if you and your cartner are on opposite sides of the fairway. I bring my rangefinder and 3 clubs to decide what I'll hit. I'll also bring my putter and walk from the fairway to the green. I don't mind walking on occasion if it means we can play a bit quicker.

3. Don't mark your ball on a putt 5-6 feet and closer. Take your time, get your line, and putt it out. No need to mark and walk away then go back to it after two others have already putted. Also some generosity on gimmies of bottom of the putter grip or whatever.

4. Pickup if it's a blow-up hole. Happens to all of us. Nothing wrong with that.
 
On tour everyone is on a clock. 13 minutes per hole anything over that and everyone gets a 1 stroke penalty

On courses where I play I want marshals to move a group ahead a hole or two if they fall behind.
 
Biggest cause of slow play I have seen is pre-shot routines and standing over the ball too long before pulling the trigger. It seems the people who do that also want to have a conversation all the time rather than being ready to hit when its their turn. When the two are combined its a nightmare.

Just be decisive. Get your yardage (range-fingers make things extra fast) and pick your club, take a practice swing or don't and hit the ball. On the greens, figure out your line while your playing partners are looking at theirs, and be ready to putt. You don't need to look at every putt from 4 different ways.
 
Want to speed up play quickly...

Make alignment lines on golf balls illegal. The amount of time golfers use, marking and getting their line exactly right leads to more slow play than almost anything I come across.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #9
JB said:
Want to speed up play quickly...

Make alignment lines on golf balls illegal. The amount of time golfers use, marking and getting their line exactly right leads to more slow play than almost anything I come across.
Click to expand...

Interesting thought, one could probably argue they would spend even more time trying to find their line with nothing to look at.
 
I'd also add that on the busiest days of the week, tell the people that place the pins to not go overboard. No need for tons of hole positions right on ridges etc. More putts = slower round for everybody.
 
I would agree that most of the time wasted is spent on the greens. Putt for dough right? But I also like the mention of the pre shot routine, I think guys like Day and Spieth are ridiculous and people see that on tv which then carries over to amateurs
 
I think on tour there needs to be stronger penalties and they're actually enforced.

For the local courses, I think peer pressure from within the group or civilized banter from outside would help speed things up. I fear what happens most often is the entire group may be slow and no one realizes it and the pressure from outside the group is usually fairly hostile rather than civil.
 
Ready golf. Limit practice swings and pull the dang trigger. Consolidate time around the green (you can all make reads while people putt, not just when it's your turn). Those alone could knock off 30+ minutes for a foursome.

On tour, these guys know what they can do. Until they enforce and penalize them where it hurts, nothing will be done. They have the ability to go faster, but simply choose not to because of the rules (or lack of enforcement).

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
How would you speed up the game?

The courses that amateurs play can set forth pace of play, but short of a Marshall following each group, it’s hard to enforce.

I think it’s on the players to do more. Go with the mindset of “play ready golf”. If you are in the fairway and your playing partner is offline a bit behind you looking for his ball, don’t wait for him to find it. Play your shot and that will save time.

Also being cognizant of a hole being “lost”, short of match play or in a tournament, we are playing for fun. It’s ok to take double/triple bogey max and get on to the next hole.
 
JB said:
Normally it comes down to too much time on and around the green at all levels.
At the tour level, they have to do something. 6 hour rounds is just too much for the viewer and networks.
But until they are willing to penalize, nothing changes.

Local courses won't do it, for fear of consumer backlash. Tour wont do it, because some of the big names are the culprits.
Everybody talks about strokes and cash, but the best way to penalize the tour player is with FedEx points.
Click to expand...

dang didn't even think about fed ex points.... that makes a lot of sense though. Keeps people from losing a tournament or immediate money that day, but it holds a penalty for later in the year and keeps you from being a habitual slow player because that can add up quickly... seems fair to me
 
mikeg_74 said:
The courses that amateurs play can set forth pace of play, but short of a Marshall following each group, it’s hard to enforce.

I think it’s on the players to do more. Go with the mindset of “play ready golf”. If you are in the fairway and your playing partner is offline a bit behind you looking for his ball, don’t wait for him to find it. Play your shot and that will save time.

Also being cognizant of a hole being “lost”, short of match play or in a tournament, we are playing for fun. It’s ok to take double/triple bogey max and get on to the next hole.
Click to expand...

One of the biggest issues of slow play is nobody thinks they play slow.
I want to preface this by saying that I dont think anybody does it out of ill will or bad intent, but rather they just have never been told they are slow and when it finally happens, rather than adjust, defense sets in.
 
JB said:
One of the biggest issues of slow play is nobody thinks they play slow.
I want to preface this by saying that I dont think anybody does it out of ill will or bad intent, but rather they just have never been told they are slow and when it finally happens, rather than adjust, defense sets in.
Click to expand...

I agree and that’s why if someone is super sensitive to it, as a player I can do more to help offset it.

Now at some point you have to have a chat and say, speed it up we’re holding people up or encourage them to let a ball be lost and drop another.
 
Turn out of bounds stakes into hazards.

Don't set the tee markers pointing towards trouble, it's only going to encourage a bad swing and lead to people having to search for a ball or reload.

Quit putting the pins in stupid places that will lead to more strokes needed around the greens.
 
I don't mind talking. I dont mind a practice swing or two. even reading the green once or twice is fine.....


but be reasonable with expectations.
-Talk when in the cart or while people are generally all busy/not swinging.
-practice swing on weird ish lies or chips are fine, but if you're not a legit low handicap, then you're just wasting time in my opinion and you always hear, "man that practice swing was the one"
- putting..... read the putt from behind the ball. take your gut instinct. If you have a chance to see it from other views do it, but don't waste time wandering. if its like 40+feet from the hole? just whack at it haha. you should be able to guestimate a line without stalking a putt that you're going to miss 99.9% of the time
 
1. Make OB the same penalty as a water hazard.
2. Allow ice jacking after asking to play through and not being allowed. (I hate when guys don't want to let me and/or my group to play through when we're faster)
3. Fine normal every day players for not keeping place. Credit card on file, and a $$$ amount fined based on how slow you are (Only to the group holding up the course). Although if the rangers did their job, things would be moving just fine I suppose.


This whole topic is maddening though...because as people have mentioned, many courses and obviously the PGA Tour...don't enforce anything...one bit. It's ridiculous.
 
Ive always said FedEx points is the way to go on tour. As for the rest of the golf world, a universal gap in between tee times would help and limit the number of walk ups. If you cant fill your tee sheet enough to stay in business, lower your prices. Dont just shove as many groups out on the course as you can.

Outside of those, its already been said. No one thinks theyre the slow player. Theyll blame it on the guy who is duffing it all around the course yet take their time to make sure they feel like a pro when around the greens.
 
mikeg_74 said:
The courses that amateurs play can set forth pace of play, but short of a Marshall following each group, it’s hard to enforce.

I think it’s on the players to do more. Go with the mindset of “play ready golf”. If you are in the fairway and your playing partner is offline a bit behind you looking for his ball, don’t wait for him to find it. Play your shot and that will save time.

Also being cognizant of a hole being “lost”, short of match play or in a tournament, we are playing for fun. It’s ok to take double/triple bogey max and get on to the next hole.
Click to expand...

The courses i play here that have no issues with slow play the tee is placed in the window on the cart, the Marshall's have a tee sheet and they are constantly driving around the course and checking to make sure groups are on pace. They let the group not on pace know as well as telling the groups behind them they have spoken to the slow group
 
It's a lot of little things that add up over the course of a round. Whenever I get stuck behind some slow golfers I find myself mumbling "Dude...hit the freakin ball". Last Monday I played 18 with my regular foe. The course was clear and we played, leisurely, in 3 hours and 15 minutes. Normally, a round there takes at least 4 hours...if you are lucky and don't get behind "those" guys. The extra hour, or so, is accumulated 30 seconds at a time by guys who aren't ready to go when it's their turn. What's the deal? Do they not decide what to do next while they are waiting to hit? Is that putt really going to get easier to make if you stare at it a while?
 
Begin teaching ready golf at an early age.
 
Offer discounts for faster play. Hit the turn in less than 100 minutes? Get a dog and a brew on the house. Finish your round in less than three and a half hours? 25% off your next round. Take more than four and a quarter hours? Can't take a tee time before 0930 on your next round.

My kids are first tee participants, and they get the etiquette of pace of play drilled every class. Who minds the flag stick and when, how to get on and off the putting surface and tee box in a timely fashion. I think it would be good for more courses to make First Tee for grownups a more accessible thing so it becomes more plain what proper pace of play actually is. Then slow players would stick out like a sore thumb.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top