We Need To Talk About Slow Play

Also on the point of younger golfers, as someone who came through that bracket of playing at province and national level competitions, it would be typical for a Junior competition to last for in circa 5 hours. The low handicapp strokes ones anyway. Alot of players are methodical about their routines, but also are afforded the time to spend looking over putts especially.

So it wouldn't be uncommon for some players to maybe take that as the "standard". Why when playing at the highest level, do one thing, then drop that standard when you play club level? That's the arguement there that I think has some validity.

I was used to playing the avg time of golf before I reach that level of junior golf, but I fully appreciated the extra time allowed to really focus on putting and discussions with a caddy, and something that was a noticable change when playing weekend club competitions.

Just something to think about, it's not even dedicated to Juniors. The Junior cup last year held in my place was notoriously slow, it was avg 5 hrs a round. Stroke play and there was certain groups of players that just took their time over putts, personally I'd no problem as it slowed the general pace down and there was more time to focus on putting, but it did cause some grief.

TheDoc wrote: »

Always find it amusing that people sweat bullets to shave a few minuntes off what is a four hour game on average.

Fully agree if someone is perplexingly slow that can be frustrating. But I also find it just as frustrating with the lads who just bomb around the course, walk across lines, hit the shot just as I finish mine, refuse to help looking for a ball so they can storm down to theirs.

Sorry but if you want to play a quick game, stop playing golf. It's a 4 hr game on average, shaving a few minutes off is ridiculous. I'd also advocate if your "in a rush" to go or do something after your game, don't come out at all.

Personally find the lightning brigade alot more infuriating and distracting then slow players.

I'm not a slow player but I'm not fast either. I've a routine I go through, that to be fair has a purpose and isn't some random rubbish. And I do it because it works for me, and its why I play of the handicap I do.

I do sometimes question however the routines higher handicappers go through, when it is clear its providing them no benefit other then them feeling the need to "have" a routine, cause it's the "done" thing. In no way want to sound elitist, but a pre-shot routine has a very specific purpose, it's not for show.

Oddly enough I've probably sped up this season, after cutting my pre-shot routine out. something that I was working on last season intently is second nature now, so I was able to remove it from my routine, and speed up a fraction.

I agree, in pricipal as i have also played with 'manic try to get around in 3 hrs brigade' and its no fun either
But my point again is - if a golfer is READY to play when it becomes their turn,
then 20/30 seconds to incorporate the most lavish preshot routine is not a problem for anyone.
But the small 30seconds here and there caused by not being focused on whats required (yardgage/club etc) soon ads up and the 4 hour round your talking about quickly becomes 4 hrs 30mins plus!! Thats the big problem, not preshot routines imo.

TheDoc wrote: »

Always find it amusing that people sweat bullets to shave a few minuntes off what is a four hour game on average.

Fully agree if someone is perplexingly slow that can be frustrating. But I also find it just as frustrating with the lads who just bomb around the course, walk across lines, hit the shot just as I finish mine, refuse to help looking for a ball so they can storm down to theirs.

Sorry but if you want to play a quick game, stop playing golf. It's a 4 hr game on average, shaving a few minutes off is ridiculous. I'd also advocate if your "in a rush" to go or do something after your game, don't come out at all.

Personally find the lightning brigade alot more infuriating and distracting then slow players.

I'm not a slow player but I'm not fast either. I've a routine I go through, that to be fair has a purpose and isn't some random rubbish. And I do it because it works for me, and its why I play of the handicap I do.

I do sometimes question however the routines higher handicappers go through, when it is clear its providing them no benefit other then them feeling the need to "have" a routine, cause it's the "done" thing. In no way want to sound elitist, but a pre-shot routine has a very specific purpose, it's not for show.

Oddly enough I've probably sped up this season, after cutting my pre-shot routine out. something that I was working on last season intently is second nature now, so I was able to remove it from my routine, and speed up a fraction.

I dont think anyone expects it to be less than 4 hours, it's when it starts heading for 4.5 and more where people get pissed off. Shaving one minute off a hole amounts to 18 in a round which is significant.

I don't believe your (slow) routine has got you to your handicap (around 10 from memory). I've seen scratch golfers with very simple quick routines and 28 handicappers with incredibly slow routines. The only routine required is to take care over alignment and something that triggers your focus/full attention for no more than 10 seconds.

The high handicappers are probably looking at your routine think if they do that they'll get down at some stage. You can't condone slow routines for lower handicappers just cos they play off a low handicap. That suggests the better you get the slower you get so we end up like Kevin Na :eek:

josie19 wrote: »

I dont think sanyone expects it to be less than 4 hours, it's when it starts heading for 4.5 and more where people get pissed off. Shaving one minute off a hole amonts to 18 in a round which is significant.

I don't believe your (slow) routine has got you to your handicap (around 10 from memory). I've seen scratch golfers with very simple quick routines and 28 handicappers with incredibly slow routines. The only routine required is to take care over alignment and something that triggers your focus/full attention for no more than 10 seconds.

The high handicappers are probably looking at your routine think if they do that they'll get down at some stage. You can't condone slow routines for lower handicappers just cos they play off a low handicap. That suggests the better you get the slower you get so we end up like Kevin Na :eek:

I think 4hours in an average length golf course is also too slow . You should be aiming to be finished in 3h 45 max

TheDoc wrote: »

Always find it amusing that people sweat bullets to shave a few minuntes off what is a four hour game on average.

Fully agree if someone is perplexingly slow that can be frustrating. But I also find it just as frustrating with the lads who just bomb around the course, walk across lines, hit the shot just as I finish mine, refuse to help looking for a ball so they can storm down to theirs.

Sorry but if you want to play a quick game, stop playing golf. It's a 4 hr game on average, shaving a few minutes off is ridiculous. I'd also advocate if your "in a rush" to go or do something after your game, don't come out at all.

Personally find the lightning brigade alot more infuriating and distracting then slow players.

I'm not a slow player but I'm not fast either. I've a routine I go through, that to be fair has a purpose and isn't some random rubbish. And I do it because it works for me, and its why I play of the handicap I do.

I do sometimes question however the routines higher handicappers go through, when it is clear its providing them no benefit other then them feeling the need to "have" a routine, cause it's the "done" thing. In no way want to sound elitist, but a pre-shot routine has a very specific purpose, it's not for show.

Oddly enough I've probably sped up this season, after cutting my pre-shot routine out. something that I was working on last season intently is second nature now, so I was able to remove it from my routine, and speed up a fraction.

I actually find the maniacs rushing around worse because they are overly aggressive about everyone else's pace whilst the slow player is oblivious to everyone else. They seem to deem everyone not a fast as themselves slow.

I played an open on the Monty last year with a guy getting aggressive about slow play. We were 3hours 40mins for a 4 ball which is fairly quick. He was giving out walking off the 18th (actually he started on the 1st before anyone had hit) about the pace of play when one of the four ball decked him, told him to shut it and casually strolled on. The guy later followed us into the clubhouse and apologised if he ruined or round by giving out.

TheDoc wrote: »

Always find it amusing that people sweat bullets to shave a few minuntes off what is a four hour game on average.

Shave a minute off each hole and you save almost 20 mins...

Shave 10s a shot and you save another 10 mins or so, it all adds up.

I don't have time for people running around the course, more worried about the time it takes than the score they shoot, but 4 hours should be a slow day for 3 ball strokes.

I'd love to see a full time sheet on a weekend do 3.45, where does this happen?

Carpo86 wrote: »

On the professional end I simply don't understand why there isn't a rules official out there in EVERY round with EVERY group timing EVERY player. Doing so would make enforcing the rules much much simpler surely?

Pretty much all PGA Tour events have multi-million dollar prize funds. Surely the argument isn't that doing such a thing would be prohibitively expensive? And if isn't that what is it?

Gutless I reckon. Don't want to risk upsetting the "talent". Hence why we see a 14 year old get penalised. Easy target.

alxmorgan wrote: »

But the point is that this is slowly becoming the exception rather than the average. 4 hours for a 4 ball is, I would reckon, acceptable to practically all. Add a half hour and people start getting annoyed. Make it 5 and people are fit to kill.

For as long as I've played golf I consider a game about 4 hours. In terms of weekend comps, I'll always assume its going to take 4 hours.

If there is a stroke competition, I'll factor in it taking longer. Not due to players having poor practice and being slow in terms of attitude, but just factoring in that stroke play takes longer when it requires everyone to finish the hole, and we've all had or seen that 10 or 11 on a hole that sucks up time, **** I've done it plenty of times myself.

But would agree with some of the good points being made here.

Have a read of the green while waiting on your go. To be honest you shouldn't be standing around gawking, you should be focusing your put, so when it's your turn your ready to go. Granted if your first to shoot, take that time to have a read.

If your waiting to hit from the fairway, make sure you've your club ready to go. Pet hate of mine, but you'll have three guys hit and a forth THEN starts working out his yardage and club selection.

Leave your bag/buggey/trolley in a conveniant place that leads you to your next shot/tee or place of movement. Don't leave your bag over the otherside of the green, having to cross back over when the hole is done.

Carry a few tee's in your pocket. For god sake their tiny, don't be having one in your pocket and standing on the tee going "ugh anyone got a tee".

If your playing a hole that has an OB or hazard from the teeshot, and your bag has to be left away from the tee, bring a spare ball. Don't have to walk all the way back. Bring up a spare and throw it to the side of the teebox.


I'd assume the above is common sense but it happens alot. But I don't think that's an inherent or growing problem in golf, that's just stupidity, or someone never told or picking up on the common sense stuff.


@josie19. My pre-shot is definitely not slow and it has a very specific purpose. Similar to what you've outlined it's to do with aligment and initial takeaway, although who's isnt

I've the benefit of playing with my Da and his friends, and being the youngest, so if I was ever slow they wouldnt hesitate letting me know. They made a serious intervention when I was younger about my aggression after bad shots which was well recieved and I stopped, and they made a comment once about sometimes lagging behind when I'm lighting up a smoke, and that's fair enough addressed that aswell.

I've only ever REALLY come across two guys in my club who were ACTUALLY slow. I had been told about this pair in advance, so I "kinda" knew what to expect. We weren't holding anyone up so I didn't feel the need to make comment, and it didn't bother me that much. But I guess I have avoided playing with either of them again so maybe it did bother me.

But I think it's important to segregate the slow play from bad practice/habbits/ attitude from slow play due to "poor" or "bad" golf. As I said above in a stroke competition I'll just expect it to take longer due to people having bad holes or making mistakes. I'd never get rowdy or annoyed over that, and I don't think it would be right either to get aggrevated about someones slow play, if its solely down to them playing poorly on the day.

Also playing of six now, good finish to last year :P

John Divney wrote: »

I'd love to see a full time sheet on a weekend do 3.45, where does this happen?

That's the million dollar question. It doesn't happen, but why doesn't it happen ?

I'd venture that most groups who play in the first hour or so of a timesheet will be around in little over 3 hours, and certainly under 3.30ish. Where does the delay start ? I know in my club there's one group of guys who play around 8.30am and you just know that if you're after them on the sheet its going to be a slow day, they're regularly on the 15th tee when the group ahead of them finishes on the 18th. They seem to be the cut-off between normal pace and slow pace, for whatever reason. Their defence is basically "we were around in 3.45, what's the problem ?", ignoring the 3 clear holes ahead of them and the guys waiting on every shot behind them.

I'm not an advocate of running around the course, but there's simply no reason for any round not to be approx or slightly under 4 hours.

SnowDrifts wrote: »

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Amateur

"I've paid my fee, I'm out here to enjoy myself so I will take my time."

This is the one that gets me the most. Fine if it's your own private golf course. But I paid my fee too and I don't want to be standing around constantly waiting for you. So either hurry the f&*k up or get out of my f&*king way.

Usually this attitude goes together with the let no-one through attitude too. :rolleyes:

charlieIRL wrote: »

When I'm planing on playing a round I have always allowed 3.5 hours and more for a 4 ball.

Absolutely, I think everyone factors in 4 hours when considering to play or planning etc, and that's fine. But it doesn't mean it has to actually take 4 hours all the time.

It depends a little on the course too though, 4 hours on a lot of courses can seem an eternity, to be fair on a real big layout you can play briskly and still take 4 hours, if there's lots of walking between greens and tees.

charlieIRL wrote: »

That round in Esker wasn't our fault as Rikand said. Just out of curosity - how long did it take the first groups to go around??

Just thinking of Portumna as well, our round was fairly long there too and I don't think any of us were playing slow and we weren't held up and it was still well over 5 hours. Only delay was on the 18th when i had to run back to the 17th green for my skycaddie.

When I'm planing on playing a round I have always allowed 3.5 hours and more for a 4 ball.

For esker hills. I think 4.15 (could be wrong...I think reganovski clocked us) for a 3 ball....which ain't quick but the gap between us and next group of 3 balls at 17th tee box was very noticeable as stated above.