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THP pace of play

JB said:
Team format?
I think people underestimate how long they spend talking each shot over with their teammate.
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Yes, even when you play alt shot and the pinehurst/chapman formats you go over strategy on which shot to hit or what you want left on the next shot. A minute or 2 doesn't seem like a lot, but do that 18 times and you just added a half hour onto a round that you don't normally have with your weekend foursome.
 
sposey013168 said:
I will disagree on the competition part. I play in mostly money games (that is the greatest competition) and pace is fine.

I think its more what Donne said, its new courses and things like that.
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I think you need to separate money games from Tournament play (esp stroke). While both being competition they are different animals. I play money games every weekend 25 to 30 person skins game with side games in almost every foursome. Typically we play in around 3:30. IMO experience generally you are playing with people you know and at a course your familiar with. Both which help to speed things up. Also when you consider depending on the game putts being coincided and people picking up being out of the hole. It helps speeds things up.

My longest rounds each year are tournament rounds. It is amazing how many people slow up when playing in tournaments - Reading putts from everywhere on the green, 30 practice strokes, to not knowing basic rules and having full discussions about the rules. I quit playing tourneys for along time because I couldn't stand being out the 5+ hours.
 
The Milk Man said:
I think you need to separate money games from Tournament play (esp stroke). While both being competition they are different animals. I play money games every weekend 25 to 30 person skins game with side games in almost every foursome. Typically we play in around 3:30. IMO experience generally you are playing with people you know and at a course your familiar with. Both which help to speed things up. Also when you consider depending on the game putts being coincided and people picking up being out of the hole. It helps speeds things up.

My longest rounds each year are tournament rounds. It is amazing how many people slow up when playing in tournaments - Reading putts from everywhere on the green, 30 practice strokes, to not knowing basic rules and having full discussions about the rules. I quit playing tourneys for along time because I couldn't stand being out the 5+ hours.
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That is true, Its funny how our club championship has slow pace of play and how many times do you see 10 handicaps not breaking 100, perhaps we overthing in things like that :D
 
The Milk Man said:
I think you need to separate money games from Tournament play (esp stroke). While both being competition they are different animals. I play money games every weekend 25 to 30 person skins game with side games in almost every foursome. Typically we play in around 3:30. IMO experience generally you are playing with people you know and at a course your familiar with. Both which help to speed things up. Also when you consider depending on the game putts being coincided and people picking up being out of the hole. It helps speeds things up.

My longest rounds each year are tournament rounds. It is amazing how many people slow up when playing in tournaments - Reading putts from everywhere on the green, 30 practice strokes, to not knowing basic rules and having full discussions about the rules. I quit playing tourneys for along time because I couldn't stand being out the 5+ hours.
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That is true, Its funny how our club championship has slow pace of play and how many times do you see 10 handicaps not breaking 100, perhaps we overthink in things like that :D
 
As posted by others, competition, socializing with old and new friends, unknown course all add up to the round time. While I truly enjoy golf with thpers if it's 5+ hours I would not enjoy it as much. 4.5 hrs max I'd think. If it wasn't a event and competing round, I bet a lot of thpers 4somes can clock in a round sub 4 hrs
 
In addition to the stuff already mentioned by others, I'll add that the different formats and having a teammate contribute. I think most of us are used to tending to ourselves and playing when we are ready. Formats and teammates can bring extra thinking into the mix, which means discussions and pauses to think stuff over. It can add a little time to the round.
 
tequila4kapp said:
In addition to the stuff already mentioned by others, I'll add that the different formats and having a teammate contribute. I think most of us are used to tending to ourselves and playing when we are ready. Formats and teammates can bring extra thinking into the mix, which means discussions and pauses to think stuff over. It can add a little time to the round.
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maybe, but the couple events i've played in weren't really team events and were still on the slow side.
 
cbaker2882 said:
No one who plays slow thinks they play slow. Similar to how no one cruising in the left lane of the freeway believes they are the issue.

All it takes is one group as well. if one group near the front is slow, then everyone behind them is stuck.
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My thought as well. Sums it all up.
 
I’m almost a year into this forum. I have never been to a THP event. My dissent here is probably going to draw some criticism, and perhaps it’s deserved. If there are other (non-event) golfers on the course, I think it is common courtesy to maintain pace of play. If the course is closed for an event, that’s an entirely different matter.

I’ve been part of events on closed courses and they were great fun. We certainly did not maintain pace of play. I’ve also been on a course behind events, when the course was not closed, and they were among the worst golf experiences I’ve had. But not always. I can’t remember being in an event when the course was open to others, except when there was a decent-sized open block between the last outing group and anyone else.

I understand the competitive spirit, new venue, great company, and all those things that can drive slower play. But just because they can doesn’t mean they should. Compared to golfer me, I consider THPers as a whole to be more accomplished, passionate, informed, and more frequent players on pretty nice courses. I joined this forum because I saw a group of people who were passionate about the game, loved to share what they knew, and were both students of and ambassadors for the game.

What kind of message does it send to others when a THP event takes, say, 5.5 hours and slows down the rounds of nonparticipants?

What’s more, you’ve put the course in a bad way. You’ve given them a lot of business, so they don’t want to tick you off, if for no other reason than you might write about it when you get back home. On the other hand, they don’t want to antagonize nonparticipants, either.

My worst experience on a course came when the last two groups in an outing decided to take thirty minute lunches after nine holes. The nonparticipant foursome ahead of us left after 9, so we went to 10. After three of us had teed off, the last two groups came to the tenth tee and demanded to be allowed to tee off because they were part of an outing. The course managed it poorly, before, during, and after, but they were in a no-win situation. I think this is why many courses take the safe route and close the course to the public on event days. Perhaps fewer courses would close to the public if event groups maintained a reasonable pace of play. I think if I were a course manager and a group like THP wanted to hold an event, I probably would not expect to see four hour or “normal length” rounds, but I probably wouldn’t expect to see them near or beyond five hours, either.

This thread has a lot of valid explanations for slow play, but they aren’t justifiable reasons for slow play – unless you have the place to yourself. If you’ve griped about a six hour casual round, maybe it was because someone was making up a league match, or had a $50 Nassau, or a foursome way over their collective head was trying the place for the first time. Did you think then that the long round was justified?

I’m not a good golfer, and our group usually consists of people who can shoot anywhere between 90 and 105. I am “that guy” in our group. I am the one who reminds, and at times nags, us to do these things:

1. Keep up with the group ahead of us. If we cannot,
2. Maintain a pace of play of at least 4.5 hours or the course’s recommended pace, and
3. Let faster groups through.

It may not be popular. It may detract from the fun. But if you are not alone on the course, it’s common courtesy.
 
Reframmellator said:
I’m almost a year into this forum. I have never been to a THP event. My dissent here is probably going to draw some criticism, and perhaps it’s deserved. If there are other (non-event) golfers on the course, I think it is common courtesy to maintain pace of play. If the course is closed for an event, that’s an entirely different matter.

I’ve been part of events on closed courses and they were great fun. We certainly did not maintain pace of play. I’ve also been on a course behind events, when the course was not closed, and they were among the worst golf experiences I’ve had. But not always. I can’t remember being in an event when the course was open to others, except when there was a decent-sized open block between the last outing group and anyone else.

I understand the competitive spirit, new venue, great company, and all those things that can drive slower play. But just because they can doesn’t mean they should. Compared to golfer me, I consider THPers as a whole to be more accomplished, passionate, informed, and more frequent players on pretty nice courses. I joined this forum because I saw a group of people who were passionate about the game, loved to share what they knew, and were both students of and ambassadors for the game.

What kind of message does it send to others when a THP event takes, say, 5.5 hours and slows down the rounds of nonparticipants?

What’s more, you’ve put the course in a bad way. You’ve given them a lot of business, so they don’t want to tick you off, if for no other reason than you might write about it when you get back home. On the other hand, they don’t want to antagonize nonparticipants, either.

My worst experience on a course came when the last two groups in an outing decided to take thirty minute lunches after nine holes. The nonparticipant foursome ahead of us left after 9, so we went to 10. After three of us had teed off, the last two groups came to the tenth tee and demanded to be allowed to tee off because they were part of an outing. The course managed it poorly, before, during, and after, but they were in a no-win situation. I think this is why many courses take the safe route and close the course to the public on event days. Perhaps fewer courses would close to the public if event groups maintained a reasonable pace of play. I think if I were a course manager and a group like THP wanted to hold an event, I probably would not expect to see four hour or “normal length” rounds, but I probably wouldn’t expect to see them near or beyond five hours, either.

This thread has a lot of valid explanations for slow play, but they aren’t justifiable reasons for slow play – unless you have the place to yourself. If you’ve griped about a six hour casual round, maybe it was because someone was making up a league match, or had a $50 Nassau, or a foursome way over their collective head was trying the place for the first time. Did you think then that the long round was justified?

I’m not a good golfer, and our group usually consists of people who can shoot anywhere between 90 and 105. I am “that guy” in our group. I am the one who reminds, and at times nags, us to do these things:

1. Keep up with the group ahead of us. If we cannot,
2. Maintain a pace of play of at least 4.5 hours or the course’s recommended pace, and
3. Let faster groups through.

It may not be popular. It may detract from the fun. But if you are not alone on the course, it’s common courtesy.
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We pay to block off tee times following ours to make sure we do not delay others on the course.
I will also say I dont think we have ever had a THP Event round take 5.5 hours. Frankly most don't take 5 hours. We do hit 4.5 quite a bit, which is slow, because of the formats being played.

When things get slow or we are EVER holding up the public, we step in and demand speedier play.

Nobody at a THP Event will ever have to worry about me not saying something about slow play. Everybody that has ever been or worked one with me, knows how seriously I take it, because it's my ass and my company's ass on the line and I view it as the most selfish act of a golfer.

I hope you get to make it to one soon though.
 
JB said:
We pay to block off tee times following ours to make sure we do not delay others on the course.
I will also say I dont think we have ever had a THP Event round take 5.5 hours. Frankly most don't take 5 hours. We do hit 4.5 quite a bit, which is slow, because of the formats being played.

When things get slow or we are EVER holding up the public, we step in and demand speedier play.

Nobody at a THP Event will ever have to worry about me not saying something about slow play. Everybody that has ever been or worked one with me, knows how seriously I take it.
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Thanks much for the clarification, JB. It's what I would expect of THP, and it wasn't clear from my reading of the thread.
 
Reframmellator said:
Thanks much for the clarification, JB. It's what I would expect of THP, and it wasn't clear from my reading of the thread.
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Always happy to answer. I have a feeling you and I would make a good pace setting team. Then on 18, when we finish, we have time for multiple drinks waiting for the next group behind us...haha
 
I like the sound of that. And if you want evidence that you can take a lot of strokes and still maintain pace, I'm your guy!
 
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