[clekr]

This is for those who say “What’s the hurry, you’re retired, relax.”
CONTEXT:
I’ve played golf for over thirty years. I’m a bogey golfer; roughly a 15 handicap. My regular Saturday group can easily get around 18 holes in 3:40 with no one in front of use.
POINTS:
You are not the only one out there to play. There are 28 people behind you for every hour of open tee times remaining in that day. They would like to enjoy their round just like you. If you take five hours to play, no one else will play in less than that for the rest of the day.
Most public golf courses expect you to get around in 4:15.
Very good and even average players will generally not have their best rounds when they have to spend a lot of time waiting for the group in front of them.

That being said, think of it this way. Let’s say your game is bridge/checkers/pickleball. You start your game with your group and after seven minutes of play someone comes into the room/court and says that play must stop – lay down your cards/checkers/paddles. Of course, you may socialize amongst yourselves. After three minutes you are permitted to resume play. Another ten minutes goes by and again you are told to stop play. After two minutes you resume. Another eight minutes goes by and you have to stop again. This time for five full minutes. But, of course you enjoy this delay because you are socializing. And so it goes on for the next three hours. Play for a few minutes then have to lay down your cards/checkers/paddles with an opportunity to socialize.

I'm retired too - but I don't want to send a couple of hours a week watching the group in front of me enjoying themselves. And, I'd be happy to play with you whether you shot 80, 90, 100 or 200. As long as you do it in 4:15.

[mac9]

Today we were a foursome followed by a twosome. The foursome in front of us were 4 very elderly gents who played painfully slow causing us to wait on every tee. The twosome behind us hit into us on 2 holes. I went back to talk to them to explain that the elderly fellows were causing us to wait on every tee. He rather nastily told me to hurry it up or they would continue to hit into us. I told him that he must be of pro caliber to be able to, as a twosome, catch up with our foursome! Then my "Tourettes" kicked in and they decided to wait on every hole without hitting into us. What a shame that it has to come to that. By the way, the three of us posted 2 under and one was 5 under!

[mert1506]

If you want to talk, go sit at a table somewhere.

[Indydealmaker]

Originally Posted by justjim

Scarecrow: Your "kidding" of course-----I like to BS just as much as the next guy but I also want to finish my round of golf by dark. When socializing is holding up your fellow golfers, its bad golf etiquette.

Ready golf is playing within the prescribed time for that particular course...not playing to stay ahead of the group behind.

[clekr]

Your position on the course should be behind the group ahead of you. Not ahead of the group behind you.

If you are consistently unable to keep up with groups ahead of you, you should evaluate whether or not you are playing from the right tees.

We want you to have fun - but, we want the people behind you to have fun too.

I've heard slow players say they paid so they'll play as fast as they want. The people behind you paid too. They have the same right to a pleasant round!

[asianthree]

ready golf is what we play 18 champ in less than four hours is not rushing

[renielarson]

You all scare me. I have never golfed before but I want to learn. I want to play the courses. I know I will be slow as a beginner. I may have a lot of questions to ask the others playing with me. It may look like I'm socializing but I will be trying to learn and do my best as a beginner.

However, you won't know I'm a beginner. You will get impatient with me. I will feel intimidated...especially if you make comments about how slow I am.

You all scare me with wanting to learn and wanting to play.

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by brightspot01

You all scare me. I have never golfed before but I want to learn. I want to play the courses. I know I will be slow as a beginner. I may have a lot of questions to ask the others playing with me. It may look like I'm socializing but I will be trying to learn and do my best as a beginner.

However, you won't know I'm a beginner. You will get impatient with me. I will feel intimidated...especially if you make comments about how slow I am.

You all scare me with wanting to learn and wanting to play.

no worries if you are just learning allow play thru for the more experienced, after all none of us was born with a club in their hand

[Indy-Guy]

I see many players that I feel that are playing from the wrong tees and that adds to a longer less enjoyable round of golf for them and the players with and behind them.

On the Championship courses if you look at the score card it reads that for men if you are more that a 18 handicap you should playing the white tees. That means if you are not shooting 90 or less from the blue tees on a regular basis you need to move up to the white tees. Not my opinion it is on the score card on every Championship course score card in The Villages. Which tee box you use has nothing to do with age it has to do with ability.

I also see many men playing the black tees on the Executive Courses that aren't even close to the greens on a regular basis. If this is happening I suggest you move up to the gold tees. Not only will you score better but you will enjoy your time on the course and the people with and behind you will appreciate it. Also by using the gold tees on the Executive courses you will find the distance is more like the distances on the Championship par 3's are from the Championship white tees.

I have a 21 handicap. I play the white tees on the Championship courses and the gold tees on the Exec courses. If I moved back a tee box it would not be fun for me or the people around me.

Golf should be enjoyable and playing from the correct tee box is a major step in the right direction to an enjoyable round.

[Golfingnut]

It is the same in all sports. Some folks go to the big game and then get stressed out because they cannot get out of the parking lot in 5 minutes with 1000's of cars trying to do the same thing. Some folks have to drive 10 MPH over the speed limit on the highway. It has more to do with the make up of their personality than it does with being hot. My bet is the same folks claiming that would have another reason in February. I have been here for 3 years and have only one time at Bacall witnessed truly slow play. Just because those in front are going slower than your group does not mean they are slow, it means they are going at their pace and not yours. I keep seeing where marshals will not do anything. I have witnessed Marshals speeding folks up and it works. The day I referred to at Bacall, we seemed to crawl around the course yet when we came in, it was 1 hour 50 minutes and I think the normal is 1 hour 45 minutes. Really, would that give me a stroke. NO. Chill out and enjoy or perhaps play a sport that will allow you to burn off some of your anxiety. Now if they are exceeding the allowed time, insist that the Marshall does something.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by scarecrow1

First rule of golf: You can't be in any hurry when you go to play golf. Plus you're retired. Chill out and you won't be so hot !!!!

I am guessing that you are just kidding or you haven't ever played golf. Socializing/ chatting on the golf course and holding up play on the golf course is like taking a nap on the tennis court. Or farting in church. People may not say anything about it but it is extremely unpopular. Nine holes should be finished in an hour and a half and no more than an hour and 45 minutes, especially if you are playing from the forward tees on an executive course
.
There isn't any reason for slow play even if you are a beginner. Play with someone experienced and pick up after double par. Clear the green when you are finished and move your golf cart to the the next tee to mark your score or make comments. No one wants you to be intimidated and everyone wants you all to enjoy the game but you should take lessons FIRST where they will reinforce that golf etiquette dictates moving to keep up with the group ahead of you. Have your club ready to hit and take two or three clubs to the shot if you don't know which one you will want to use so you don't have to walk back to the cart to exchange a club. Don't look for lost balls, drop another one. Watch where your partners ball lands and they will watch for you. Take extra balls so you won't be looking for a lost ball in the tall grass or in the water. It is safer anyway, who knows what lurks in the tall grass or water. Go to the practice green to practice.

No one is being mean to you by expecting you to keep up with the group ahead of you.

Even first time beginners can keep the pace of golf. That doesn't mean rushing, it means paying attention. You will get the hang of it soon and see very shortly that slow play ruins the game for everyone and slows up the entire course for everyone behind you for the rest of the day. If an ambassador asks you to speed up here in The Villages, YOU are playing REALLY slow. Chatting and enjoying is one thing, but having conversations while people wait behind you is another.

http://golf.about.com/od/golfetiquet...playtips_2.htm

[rustyp]

Go on the reservation system and look up an executive course, example Hilltop. You will see the tee times for the day. On Hilltop the times are 9 minutes apart. Translated that means you have 9min X 9holes = 81 minutes (1hr 21 minutes) for a round on that course. Independent of what tees, capability, etc. that is what the system allows for. If you take longer than the formula allows then the tee times start backing up. Now put yourself in the position of arriving for your tee time and waiting since the course is backed up. This delay becomes cummlative throughout the day. This also applies to the championship courses but they are on the wave system. The time between the first wave and second wave needs to equal maximum time for 9 holes of golf or tee time delays will begin. I find the alloted times are plentiful for a round of golf. The biggest time consumer I observe is golfers going to each others ball and waiting for them to hit rather than going to their own ball and getting ready for their own turn. Go to the Villages golf school and take the introduction course. They do a good job of explaining the system. They will emphasize play ready golf and help you understand why and what this means. Ready golf does not mean being unreasonably rushed.

[Mimivillager]

Originally Posted by brightspot01

You all scare me. I have never golfed before but I want to learn. I want to play the courses. I know I will be slow as a beginner. I may have a lot of questions to ask the others playing with me. It may look like I'm socializing but I will be trying to learn and do my best as a beginner.

However, you won't know I'm a beginner. You will get impatient with me. I will feel intimidated...especially if you make comments about how slow I am.

You all scare me with wanting to learn and wanting to play.

Don't worry, as long as you play an executive hole in 9 minutes and keep up with the group ahead of you, you will be fine. If you feel you cannot do that, just pick up the ball and go on to the next hole.
Gracie, said it all so well!

[scarecrow1]

Start earlier in the day and you won't have to finish in the dark. Nothing said about having a good time in golf etiquette. Relax you'll live longer.

[buzzy]

Originally Posted by rustyp

......The biggest time consumer I observe is golfers going to each others ball and waiting for them to hit rather than going to their own ball and getting ready for their own turn.

Beginner question: Isn't it inconsiderate (and unsafe) to go on past the ball that is farthest from the green, until that player has hit it?