Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Slow pace of play on championship courses again
Thread: Slow pace of play on championship courses again
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Old 10-12-2010, 02:03 AM
Taj44 Taj44 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosoxfan View Post
...If I'm on a championship course here and I'm averaging 15 minutes a hole I don't care what people behind me are thinking.Golf is a game to be enjoyed and not rushed through,Please all of you in a hurry stop & enjoy nature .You might just learn to relax.
On The Villages golf courses the recommended pace of play is 4 hours and 15 minutes which is faster than 15 minutes per hole. The recommended pace depends on the difficulty of the course, and our courses here are not that difficult compared to other courses I've played - just look at the course and slope ratings. Our job as golfers is to keep pace with the group in front of us. If you have open holes in front of you, you are being slow and are at fault. Period. I don't feel it is up to me to tell people how to enjoy the game, but personally I don't enjoy the game if I have to wait for some slow group in front of me. I lose my rythym and eventually my interest if it is very slow.

We've had this discussion many times - The Villages just does a poor job of dealing with these slow players. The rangers have no clout, and when we run into people who think it is their "right" to play at a slow pace, who don't care that there are people behind them who are waiting, there's not much anyone can do. I play a lot of golf, and on average we finish within the pace of play, but there are many times that the play is slower, and very few times are we able to get done in less than 4 hours, as we are waiting for the group(s) in front of us. At other courses I've played, if you are off the pace, you are given a warning, then told to pick up and move forward without finishing the hole if you continue to be slow. If they would at least give people warnings here, it would be nice.

If you are a new golfer, my suggestion would be to play later in the day - you are allowed to play 9 holes after a certain time; and/or wait until the snowbirds have left when the courses are not so clogged up, so you won't be holding people up. Thank you for asking for suggestions, and being so considerate.