Slow play and calling players through

Obni

Assuming a slower group intends to call the following group through, when & how should they attempt to do so?
Wait on a tee-box without teeing off?
Tee-off then wait on a tee-box?
Tee-off, walk to their balls. Stand on the side of the fairway and call through?
Hit approach shots to the green, mark them, and then stand aside?
Wait for a par 3?
In the middle of a par 5?

I was just considering how the least disruption and delay could be managed.
No point in letting one group through if you doubly delay the following groups.

Thoughts?

stockdam

If there's a clear hole in front of you or if you feel you are holding up the group behind then call them through immediately - don't wait for a par three or par five to do it.

I always feel that it is best to call them through just after hitting your shot. So you could hit your tee shot then call them through. Once they have hit then walk down slowly after them and by the time you have got to your ball they may have hit their 2nd shots.

You can also do it when you are at your drives. If they are on the tee then call them through.....step aside whilst they drive. If they hit a ball into the rough then go and mark it for them. Once they tee-off you can hit your second shots but wait there until they play theirs. Then walk slowly after them and once they finish you can finish out.

That way you "merge" them through and the ones behind don't have to wait too long for you to get out of the way.

It really depends on where the group behind you are. I wouldn't wait on the tee for them to putt out. I'd hit off and if they still haven't got to the tee then I'd walk to my drive. As you indicated, you want to prevent any delays so the less time that you stand around waiting the better.

If you call somebody through but they have to look for their ball then it's ok to hit your second shots and tell them that you will call them through again once they are ready.

Sandwich

Is it just me or does anyone else feel playing thru has faded out in recent years? Reading the thread, I was thinking 'playing through- gee, remember that?'. Or is it like my Dad reminising about when a 4 ball never took more than 3 hours?
To OP, let people through imediately you think that maybe you should.

1916

I'm always consious of holding up anyone. I have no hesitation in letting anyone through, if it appears that they are waiting behind just before I play my shot, if you don't you tend to start rushing and at that rate you might as well just be out mowing the lawn. Probably the worst place to call someone is when you are actually on the green, you can obviously do it, but I would have thought mid fairway is the best, followed by the tee box. I always think its a gentlemanly thing to do, invariably your thanked for doing it and vice versa

neckedit

As Jack Nicholson Said "i'm useing the word HATE here",this is the one thread i have often thought of starting and i'm glad someone else has, the time to let a group [play through is as soon as you realise your slower than the group ahead and holding up the play behind, where you decide to do it is up to common sense. I'm not a slow player (who would declare to be?) but on occassion things transpire that slow a group, and i insist, immediatly, we call the following group through, often to the annoyance of my playing partners. I hate the feeling of making a tough game tougher by slowing others up! and then putting my self under pressure to speed up and then knock my self out of my own rythmn so to speak. Recently while playing a friendly round in a club in Kildare, my partner (14 H/c and a very swift player) and I (2 H/c and not slow) found ourselves behind a 3-ball that from hole 2, we encountered on every single tee box, for 8 holes we witnessed them top every tee shot about an average of 70 yards, and subsequently loose a hole and a half to the group in front. not once were we offered to play through. on the last 10th hole I turned to my partner and said i'm done and we walked up the fairway beside the guilty 3-ball, as we walked one of them turned to me and said "its very slow in front" as i looked up the beautifully manicured fairway we saw nobody, the group ahead were playing their second shot on 11. I bit my tongue and said nothing. It was just pure ignorance, and I will not set foot in that club again! sorry for the Rant and the bad spelling:P

Matt Santos

on the last 10th hole I turned to my partner and said i'm done and we walked up the fairway beside the guilty 3-ball, as we walked one of them turned to me and said "its very slow in front" as i looked up the beautifully manicured fairway we saw nobody, the group ahead were playing their second shot on 11. I bit my tongue and said nothing. It was just pure ignorance, and I will not set foot in that club again! sorry for the Rant and the bad spelling:P[/QUOTE]


You see this is where I would disagree with you! This group of people learned nothing from you and are oblivious to what their stupid actions caused. I work hard during the week and really love even the expectation of playing a round of the game I love so much. If on my day off I was ti encounter such carry on I cannot help but attempt to rectify it without disturbing my own game.

A simple "What are you talking about? There is nobody in front of you that is holding you up! You have seen us on every tee box that you have hit from. We are a two ball that obviously plays faster than your three ball so the sporting and mannerly thing to do is let us play through. If I wanted to play at a slow three ball pace I would have brought a suitable partner. We are going in off the course now because of your selfish attitude. Thanks buddy!"

But maybe thats just me!!

neckedit

you make a fair point, but we realised from early on that the 3-ball were members of the club and they were close to being seniors in age, I believe manners cost nothing and these three had none, far be it from me to try to educate the ignorant, as i'm sure my words would for sure of fallen on deaf ears and may of resulted in a loss of temper, by yours truly( i hate to admit that) so that was really why I chose to say nothing.

slumped

Played in Carton today on O'Meara.

Was out behind several fourballs. Slow for first 6 holes - then got to 7th and saw that the group three in front of us had lost 2 holes.

One of our group gave them a bollocking and the whole game got quicker.

It was crazy - how can you lose 2 full holes in just 8 or 9 holes. (spoke to starter and he said there should have been no gaps - ranger did not show his face.)

S

SalthillGuy

I have seen people playing on their own and expecting to be called through.
A person on their own has not standing on the course.
Another one are those on buggies, where they expect to play the course in two hours.
Once you keep up with the group ahead, you can do little more.
Some courses have a time indicator after five or nine holes, stating that you should be here in xx minutes.

stockdam

SalthillGuy wrote: »

I have seen people playing on their own and expecting to be called through.
A person on their own has not standing on the course.

In 2004 the R&A decided to remove the reference to a single player having no standing. The current rules rules identify a single player as a "group" so have as much right as anyone else.

If you are holding up a single player then they are entitled to pass through (that's if you have lost a hole on those ahead).......it's only good manners to treat everybody equally and fairly.

SalthillGuy

Thanks for that.
I did not realise that rule had been changed.
Not sure I agree, but if that's it.....

stockdam

Well it's always been a sore point with me.


I used to practice a lot by myself on quiet evenings and really got annoyed by the number of ignorant people who wouldn't call me through even though the course was empty. I paid my fees and had as much right as anyone else to play. Now there are still lots of people who still don't know that things have changed.

SalthillGuy

My son is a low handicap and practices a lot on his own.
He is of the same opinion as you.

ShriekingSheet

IMO the old rule was totally unnecessary. Why should a three-ball be allowed to hold up a guy on his own, given that it will take all of 3 mins to allow him through and they probably won't see him again for the rest of the day!

I think golfers (esp more casual players) can have a general dislike for two-balls and single players because they misunderstand the protocol. Quick players who play in small groups can often have te wrong idea.

If you're in a three or four ball, on a day in which the norm is groups of that size, and a two-ball come up behind you quite quickly, it is not automatically the case that you must let them through if you are keeping your own place on the course. A good and simple explanation of "keeping your place" is that you should at least be teeing off on a par 4 when the group ahead are putting on that green. If you reach the tee and they have left the green up ahead, you are more than a hole behind.

In this situation you need to make a judgement call. If the group behind are smaller or faster and as such, quite close behind you, you should let them through. If they are not quite so close, speeding up your own game to get within a hole of the group ahead is the best option.

If you are tight to the group ahead, and there are a number of groups ahead that are largely keeping their place, you need not allow any group through as only two things can happen: 1) they play through and you simply wait on them instead of vice versa or 2) they continue to play through a number of groups, drastically delying everyone except for themselves.

There needs to be room ahead for a two ball to go into and actually be able to avail of their quicker play. I dislike groups who show up behind you expecting to play through half the course.

I think the onus is on a two ball who tees of in a three ball competition to accept that they will need to adjust their play to compensate. Only if there is room ahead of the three ball in front should they play through - but this is unlikely on a full timesheet.

SalthillGuy

You make some very good points here.
Those going on the course should understand the setup on that day.

stockdam

Well yes Sheet......of course.

A one ball or two ball shouldn't even attempt to go out on a Saturday competition day and if they do then they can expect to play at the rate of a 4-ball.

But if the course is quiet then you should allow anyone through who comes up behind you and who won't hold you back. The real secret is to let them "dove-tail" through without holding yourself up.

slingerz

wat i hate is guys cutting in front of you like say your finishing the 9th and 3 lads shoot off down the 10th in front of ya. wrecks my head

SalthillGuy

Clubs should make it obvious on certain holes, that there is absolutely no cutting in.
Every course has one or two holes where it happens.
It is most annoying and always the same people that do it.

ShriekingSheet

SalthillGuy wrote: »

Clubs should make it obvious on certain holes, that there is absolutely no cutting in.
Every course has one or two holes where it happens.
It is most annoying and always the same people that do it.

Like having a sign saying "HAVE SOME MANNERS"?

Not for me. If they cut in and held us up I'd ensure they called us through. If they were members I recognised who were doing it on a frequent basis I'd have a word with them, or ask a committee member to do so (informally), depeding on whether I thought they'd get in an argument with me or would accept the point.

SalthillGuy just struck a chord with me when he said about the sign.
IMO it's sad to see the growing number of signs on courses pointing out basic rules of ettiquette. Aesthetically, having lots of signs can just look terrible and they're usually quite cheap looking. But when you see something like on my own course, where the 10th and 1st tees are close by, and there's a sign saying "please be aware of golfers on the 10th tee" it just annoys me that guys need to be told this.

Although prior to teeing off the first does tend to be a more chatty time, and there can be a few groups queued so they feel as if they're not on the course yet but still...

If I was visiting a course and there was a sign on the 10th saying "don't cut in ahead of players on the 9th", well, IMO it would look crap.

SalthillGuy

People to not want to take it on themselves to 'have a word'. It can be very off-putting to do this.
Even committee members prefer not to get involved.
At least, that has been my experience.

ShriekingSheet

SalthillGuy wrote: »

People to not want to take it on themselves to 'have a word'. It can be very off-putting to do this.
Even committee members prefer not to get involved.
At least, that has been my experience.

Absolutely fair enough, while I might, many probably wouldn't. My point is that they shouldn't need to. And in my view it's up to the club officials to promote better behaviour, and deal with instances of poor behaviour.

I'm not talking about one off cases, but you refered to repeat offenders. If someone doing this on a number of occasions is reported to the committee, I think it's their obligation to do something.

No, I'm not at all a fan of letters or official reports. As I said, simply a quiet word to one committee member who in turn discusses the situation with the offending player(s) informally and without any public embarassment.

Doing nothing about it while complaining about it (allbeit a central part of being irish) just means it'll never improve and is likely to get worse.