No need to change anything. They go hand-in-hand.

So true. You are such a fair person, Polar Bear.


And I am proud to brag that Dilly is my friend too.

My husband and I began playing golf less than a year ago, when we moved to TV. We took lessons, but we are still learning...We probably take a couple hours to play nine, shame on us! Not everyone is a pro like the person who started this thread. Plus, take in account the weather, heat and humidity, can slow down the best golfer! We have been known to let faster groups play thru if we felt we were holding them up. Most decline, are not in a hurry...We are retired, what's the rush? If you are in a hurry, maybe you should find a different sport to play...

This past Tuesday a friend and I played Bacall. The tee time system assigned another pair to the foursome. Both of these guys had to be in their mid-80's. They informed us that they would be playing from the green tees, and they did.

They probably averaged 6 shots per hole. After two holes one of them, Ed, suggested we might enjoy the game more if we didn't always try to make the green off the tee. I hit my next tee shot into a large trap and it me 2 shots and a hand ball to get out.

We thoroughly enjoyed playing with these guys. They stopped after 6 holes. The starter and ambassador knew them by name. I'd like to think I might enjoy the same status when I am their age and, hopefully, still playing.

The game should be fun and not just based on time or ability.

OK, you have given us the viewpoint of someone who has played the game for less than a year. The USGA, which is our governing body for golf in this country said that slow play "threatens the long-term health of the game".

And that is why you crossed the road.


This is so hard sometimes for beginners to understand. But I was taught as a beginner, and know from playing with many beginners, that beginners can keep the pace of play and not only enjoy the game but make it enjoyable for all on the course. I hope all folks new to the game take the beginning golf lessons offered. Then no one will growl at them under their breath for slowing down the course for the entire day.

I'm sure I played with the same guy (Ed) yesterday at Bacall. Yes, everyone there knew him. He plays 7 days a week. And by the way, he's 92+ years old.

:bigbow:

not in the villages---
Elsewhere working people with families will quit if they can't get 18 holes in 4+ a little hours.
When they retire and move down here they will pick it up again.

Hot damn. That must be the guy. How lucky are we to have played with him!!!

Quite a thread---I'm sure the National Organization for Women would have a field day with this one
I rarely play executive courses, but last time I did I was stuck behind a foursome of women----Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Paula Creamer, and Michelle Wie---yeah, they refused to pick up after 10 shots, played the wrong tee for their abilities, talked incessantly and kept fishing for golf balls. I was annoyed until I saw they were being held up by the foursome of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickleson and Dustin Johnson.
Point is that you will NOT see any of those players on executive golf courses. Who do you see?----beginners (of both genders), octogenarians and perhaps some with disabilities---none of whom are "slow" by definition. Others play to be with a spouse or friend, even if they are pretty decent golfers, which would not be a hold up either.
I agree the main problem is ATTITUDE, not gender. There is a small minority that feel "entitled", since they "paid" for free golf by virtue of living here. They are the same people who rope off seats at the squares, stand up to take photos at the Sharon, talk on their cell phones at the movies, etc. and therefore will spend 3 minutes lining up a putt for a 14 on an 89 yd par three. I think they are the forerunners of the "me" generation that I see increasingly prevalent everywhere else. Thankfully, there aren't very many in TV.
The rest of the slow play could easily be remedied by mandatory good golf school for repeat offenders, as long as the ambassadors are free to identify them.
As far as the "what's the hurry" crowd goes, as one poster put it, golf is a serial sport. Some may want to chit-chat for 3 hours on the course, but most do not. I wonder if they feel the same way about sided by side drivers on an interstate going 45 mph. There are 70 pages of weekly activities on the calendar at TV, many will be amenable to dawdling---but the golf course is not the place. And btw, I also hate when women golfers leave their cigar butts on the greens