[Taj44]

Originally Posted by BogeyBoy

We played today, by chance there was a group behind us that we know. I have played with them and they are not slow players. Also by chance, we had an exceptional round, birdies and pars and fast play. They were two holes behind us when we finished, but ahead of the "prescribed" pace. If I read you right they should pick up the pace just because we were playing faster than normal? (By coincidence there was no one in front of us but usually if we are playing and the group all gets pars or birdies I expect to wait at the next tee.)

First of all, congratulations on your exceptional round and fast play. But, in my experience, the times when you have a great round and are able to play faster as a result, are few and far between. You were lucky, and apparently there was no one in front of you holding you up. Nine times out of ten, there is a group in front of you that will be holding you up, or that you will just keep pace with. And there is probably someone in front of them going at a certain pace. I played here all summer, and I can think of only a couple of times when we did not have to wait, and played right along, finishing in under 4 hours. And that was in the summer when things are slow. With birds coming back, and golf courses more packed, it isn't going to get any better. We're not what I call great golfers, we have handicaps in the low teens, but we play along, not talking when its our turn to hit, always ready, etc., don't spend a lot of time looking for balls. We all need to be considerate of the people behind us. If you keep looking back and seeing people waiting on your group all the time, then you're holding people up! If you have no where to go that's one thing, but if you have an opening in front of you, speed it up!

[QUOTE=tghoul;299925Too many golfers don't play "ready golf". You don't have to rush to play a round in under 4 hours.[/QUOTE]

Now under 4 hours is expected.Come on people!! You don't have to rush to play a round under 4 hours?What happens if you hit a stray shot? Are you allowed to look for it?What happens if you need to use the restroom? Wait until the round is over?No practice swings?Geez..no talking to anybody on the course..it might slow you down.Golf is supposed to be fun ...not a drill .

[BogeyBoy]

I guess I have accepted that sometimes you have to wait for the group in front of you. As long as the round takes around the "pace of play" time I think that is okay.

We could be somewhere where the only course around is shutting down due to lack of play. Instead we are lucky to live where not only are there many courses to play but new ones are still being planned and constructed.

If you really need to play FAST or SLOW you could always join an exclusive country club where very few rounds are played. Then you could work with the starter to make sure you play when there is no one in front of you (if you are that fast player) or no one behind you (if you want to take your time). Of course the downside to that is the membership fee - could easily be $50,000 at some places; the annual fees; the minimum you have to spend at the restaurant every month; tipping the bag boy; tipping the guy who wipes down your clubs; etc.

I think I'll stay here.

[Taj44]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan

Now under 4 hours is expected.Come on people!! You don't have to rush to play a round under 4 hours?What happens if you hit a stray shot? Are you allowed to look for it?What happens if you need to use the restroom? Wait until the round is over?No practice swings?Geez..no talking to anybody on the course..it might slow you down.Golf is supposed to be fun ...not a drill .

No one said a 4 hour round is expected. We do say we faster players do enjoy it when it (rarely) happens. No one said, no practice swings. But I have played with people who instead of taking one or 2 swings, take about 10. No one said, no talking on the course. But you shouldn't be talking and holding up the golf course telling your buddies a joke when it is your turn to hit. All we're asking for is common courtesy - they call it golf etiquette.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Taj44

No one said a 4 hour round is expected. We do say we faster players do enjoy it when it (rarely) happens. No one said, no practice swings. But I have played with people who instead of taking one or 2 swings, take about 10. No one said, no talking on the course. But you shouldn't be talking and holding up the golf course telling your buddies a joke when it is your turn to hit. All we're asking for is common courtesy - they call it golf etiquette.

I absolutely agree with your post Taj. I am sure that I do not play as well as you do, but I have been playing for 40 years and I dislike the shenanigans. I played with a foursome for years that were all men (including Sweetie) but me, and I didn't hit as well as they did, but they didn't mess with a lot of practice swings, they were ready for the next shot, watched where an errant shot would go for the group, didn't take forever looking for a ball in the water or the bullrushes, it was enjoyable and not at all hurried. They were all much better golfers than me and I loved watching their strong hits and precise placement, but I kept their pace. I really do not enjoy slow golf. I lose my concentration. You don't have to rush shots or putt with the pin in to do this.

[mulligan]

I've been reading all of this with interest. I'm a gonnabe, I play golf, but not enough yet to really improve my game, and Mrs mulligan is going to give it a try when we move down. She said she would be concerned about getting out in front of some faster players, and holding things up. All that being said, what's wrong with letting a group behind you play through? When I have been in that situation up here in the great white north, that seems to take all the pressure off.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by mulligan

I've been reading all of this with interest. I'm a gonnabe, I play golf, but not enough yet to really improve my game, and Mrs mulligan is going to give it a try when we move down. She said she would be concerned about getting out in front of some faster players, and holding things up. All that being said, what's wrong with letting a group behind you play through? When I have been in that situation up here in the great white north, that seems to take all the pressure off.

Mulligan.

Not to worry. These conversations pretty much deal with play on the 18 hole courses and not the executive courses. Although it is wise to learn not only how to hit the ball, but the ins and outs of what people call etiquette, the executive courses are very friendly to beginners with your choice of tee placement. For rank beginners, after 10 shots, pick up until you are a little better and don't worry too much if you lose a ball. We have all been beginners and believe me, I hit the ball like one now.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by mulligan

I've been reading all of this with interest. I'm a gonnabe, I play golf, but not enough yet to really improve my game, and Mrs mulligan is going to give it a try when we move down. She said she would be concerned about getting out in front of some faster players, and holding things up. All that being said, what's wrong with letting a group behind you play through? When I have been in that situation up here in the great white north, that seems to take all the pressure off.

Check out my earlier post on how my wife managed when she took up the game, she was nervous/concerned about pace at first, but had no issue.

Please do not read my post as mean spirited, with my finger pointing at you lecturing about being slow, I am not trying to be. I am just sharing my experience as a long time golfer.

As far as playing through, IMO it should never be used on a "full" golf course. By full course , I mean a course where almost every tee time is taken (likely in TV from now until May). On a full course, your group has an obligation to all groups behind you to stay in position. By stay in position, I mean you are ahead of the time for the course or you are keeping up with the group in front of you. If your group falls out of position, IMO you MUST do whatever it takes to get back into position, you should not let the group behind you play through.

If your group cannot stay in position then there is likely more than just one group that is being held up. Allowing a group to play through will make things worse.

On the other hand there are times when allowing someone to play through makes sense and is a nice gesture. An example would be the course is not crowded, there is no one in front of you and a twosome is behind your group of four. It is a judgment call you will quickly learn with experience.

FWIW. I have played on courses where if a group falls out of position, they are asked to please speed up, if they do not, they are asked to take there ball to a place that is "back in position".

[Indy-Guy]

Please excuse me as I type very slowly. So I don't think I will give my opinion as someone would be done reading it before I can finish typing it.

Enjoy your day even if it isn't going as fast as you would like.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

For rank beginners, after 10 shots, pick up until you are a little better and don't worry too much if you lose a ball. We have all been beginners and believe me, I hit the ball like one now.

The standard rule is to pick up after double par - not 10 shots. In fact when my wife first started playing, she would pick up after 3 shots and putt the remaining shots. Now she is holing out in 3-5 normally.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by zcaveman

The standard rule is to pick up after double par - not 10 shots. In fact when my wife first started playing, she would pick up after 3 shots and putt the remaining shots. Now she is holing out in 3-5 normally.

You are right of course. It has been a long time and I forgot.

[Taj44]

We played at Orange Blossom yesterday, in 4 hours 2 minutes. The expected pace of play listed on the OB score Card is 4 hours 7 minutes. It was a nice comfortable round. The guys in front of us struggled with lost balls, etc., but managed to keep pace. They didn't look like they were hurrying. I asked the Ambassador about whether or not they can do any real "rangering" on The Villages golf courses. He said "yes, they can tell people they have open holes in front of them; they can tell people they are off pace; and he said they can ask people to skip a par three if they are more than 15 minutes behind". He also said that most ambassadors are hesitant to say or do those things. Maybe it varies from course to course. It would be interesting to see if some courses are continually slower, or don't enforce the pace of play, than others.

[ajbrown]

Finally back in the saddle in TV. Played our first round of 10-11 winter at GlennView. FWIW, Front nine: 2:03 (good), back nine: 2:15 (9 minutes to the bad). I could not tell why the backup existed as the groups I could see in front of me all were in position. I did what I could for pace of play as I was in my pocket 3 times , I remember a time when I really could play this game and hope it returns!

One thing I did notice which will not help pace of play is that the yardage markers at 25 yard increments from 75 - 250 have been removed. I suspect there were breaking? I wonder if at all courses or just GV? It is too bad they could not have found a way to leave them, as it really helped with selecting a club. Possibly the developer has negotiated a great margin on the sale of every GPS yardage device

[Indydealmaker]

I read a report that said a significant percentage of backups are created as the result of scheduling tee times too closely together, particularly if there is a par 3 within the first 5 holes.

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

I read a report that said a significant percentage of backups are created as the result of scheduling tee times too closely together, particularly if there is a par 3 within the first 5 holes.

I have seen this where I play out of in MA. The course does not have tee times. On a Sunday you arrive, check in and get on a list. The third hole is a Par 3. In past years folks would tee off of the first hole as soon as the group in front got out of range. There was always a wait on the third hole, often two groups on the tee.

This summer they changed how you tee off of number one. You did not tee off until the flag was taken out of the hole by the group in front of you on the first green.

I am not sure how this affected the overall time, but it did solve the long wait on the third hole.