Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

Bravo! A reasonable proactive response. Golf is supposed to enjoyable. All too many golfers want to fly through the game so that they can go. . . where? The PGA has published that 4 to 4.5 hours for a country club type course is a normal speed (about 15 minutes per hole). See http://www.playgolfamerica.com/Graph...ng_to_play.pdf

I've played alot of golf and don't understand anyone thinking 4 1/2 hours is a long time to play 18.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.

[Taj44]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

...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.

[actor]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

I've played alot of golf and don't understand anyone thinking 4 1/2 hours is a long time to play 18.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.

you have. You are supposed to keep pace with the group in front of you. Hope I don't have to play behind your group very often.

[l2ridehd]

Look at the slope and the distance of TV courses. They are easier and shorter then you are used to playing. I play a lot of championship courses and the pace of play should be maintained based on the course you are playing. Most TV 18 hole courses should be completed in 4:00 to 4:15 maximam. If you are taking longer play a shorter tee box. Yes you should enjoy the game, but so should every one else on the course. There are so many things you can do to speed up play. Take the course on golf etiquette, play ready golf, manage your time on each hole, move to the next tee box before recording scores, place your cart and clubs on the far side of the green close to the next tee, pick up after double bogie, first person in the cup should replace the flag, (after picking up their clubs and are ready to move to the next hole), and many other things you learn as you play. There are so many simple things everyone can do to speed up play if we are all considerate of the others on the course.

Saying I am going to enjoy the nature and to h*** with everyone else is not one of them.

[ncr2482]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Look at the slope and the distance of TV courses. They are easier and shorter then you are used to playing. I play a lot of championship courses and the pace of play should be maintained based on the course you are playing. Most TV 18 hole courses should be completed in 4:00 to 4:15 maximam. If you are taking longer play a shorter tee box. Yes you should enjoy the game, but so should every one else on the course. There are so many things you can do to speed up play. Take the course on golf etiquette, play ready golf, manage your time on each hole, move to the next tee box before recording scores, place your cart and clubs on the far side of the green close to the next tee, pick up after double bogie, first person in the cup should replace the flag, (after picking up their clubs and are ready to move to the next hole), and many other things you learn as you play. There are so many simple things everyone can do to speed up play if we are all considerate of the others on the course.

Saying I am going to enjoy the nature and to h*** with everyone else is not one of them.

Amen to that....

[Taj44]

Actor and l2ride - well said.

[BowleesCreekYachtClub]

Originally Posted by dwbevan

BowlesCreekYachtClub - where do we find the Good Golf Seminar - Is that also at Palmer and we will hear about it when we take our lessons? Thank you for sharing.

As stated previously you can get the information at this address which you must cut and paste into your browser as it does not seem to link automatically.

http://golfthevillages.com/golf-in-the-villages/

The Good Golf School is FREE - always good.


Good Golf School Schedule
January through December 2010
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday Mornings – January through April
Thursday Mornings – May - December
Colony Cottage Regional Recreation Center
(Located on the corner of Morse Blvd. and Colony Blvd. near Rt. 466A)
January 6 January 20
February 3 February 17
March 3 March 17
April 7 April 21
May 20 June 17
July 22 August 19
September 16
October 7 October 21
November 4 November 18
December 2

[spk7951]

Originally Posted by Taj44

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.

While I do agree with you it does not always play out this way. Earlier this summer when playing on Kilimanjaro we had a group of four in front of us that was slow, or so we thought. The group in front of them was moving along quickly. On the 6th tee the ambassador showed up and asked if everything was ok. One of our group then complained about our concern for the slow play in front of us. The ambassador told us that while there was open fairway between the group in front of us and the next group he was not going to say anything because they were on time and the 1st group was ahead of schedule. But the more I thought about that I disagreed because sooner or later that day the trickle down effect was going to come into play.

[nitehawk]

maybe ambassadors should carry guns - before you play you should be told the pace of play and if this pace is not maintained you will be asked (told) to leave the course.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

maybe ambassadors should carry guns - before you play you should be told the pace of play and if this pace is not maintained you will be asked (told) to leave the course.

Theres that gun thing again.

[golf2140]

We played Cane yesterday afternoon. We waited on every hole. Toward the end of the round the group in front had at least two open holes. The courses are packed because of renters and birds returning. Also there are some course closures for over seeding. Hope it gets back to normal soon.

[BogeyBoy]

Our group played over the weekend. We were never slowed down by the group in front of us, but there was a big backup right behind us, wonder what that was all about? Took us 7 hours and 10 minutes to play.

[Indydealmaker]

There are absolutely no rules anywhere that require your foursome to keep pace with the group in front of you as long as you are playing the speed recommended for the course. That is like saying that the driver ahead of you on the interstate driving the speed limit is obligated to get out of your way because you are in a hurry. Let's be reasonable here.

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

There are absolutely no rules anywhere that require your foursome to keep pace with the group in front of you as long as you are playing the speed recommended for the course. That is like saying that the driver ahead of you on the interstate driving the speed limit is obligated to get out of your way because you are in a hurry. Let's be reasonable here.

It is not a "rule" of golf, but is accepted etiquette. Your position on the course is behind the group in front of you rather than in front of the group behind you. If the ambassador tells you your group is 5 minutes ahead of pace, do you sit in the cart for 5 minutes? The stated pace of play is not a minimum, but should be a maximum.

Play on any golf course is a cooperative effort of all players to maximize enjoyment of all. Groups that fall well behind reduce the enjoyment of all who play immediately behind them and for the rest of the day. Groups who push others, hit into them in their haste, also adversely affect the golf experience of others. Nobody is asking anyone to rush their game, just play at a pace that keeps the groups in contact with each other and minimizes delays.

And your analogy is flawed because on the interstate, there is a passing lane to allow faster vehicles to pass. Perhaps another analogy would be the driver on the interstate who rides in the passing lane at the same speed as the vehicle in the right lane and refuses to move over because he/she is going the limit, so no one should be going faster.

[ncr2482]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

There are absolutely no rules anywhere that require your foursome to keep pace with the group in front of you as long as you are playing the speed recommended for the course. That is like saying that the driver ahead of you on the interstate driving the speed limit is obligated to get out of your way because you are in a hurry. Let's be reasonable here.

.

You are correct regarding not having to keep up with the group in front of you as long as you maintain your pace of play. Saying all that, I played today at Cane Garden(foursome), started on Jacaranda at 8:54 and did not finish until 1:30.