5.0 Hour round at Lakeview

[Toughpar3]

We’ll it was no carts allowed due to rain but I blame the slowness on beginners and/or players not knowing how to speed up. 3 groups in front of mine there was almost 2 holes open. The group ahead of the slow group had at least a hole open. Don’t think there was a marshal out either due to no carts allowed? Pro shop did the best they could by reminding players about pace etc as they made the turn at 9 but some groups just need a marshal to literally stay with them to go faster

[Albatross]

I feel ur pain. Played Dundee yesterday at 11 am, didn’t know it was ladies day, first 2 holes took 40 mins,

[Benz]

Just one more reason why there should be some level of registered training/certification for players who want access to better courses and/or tee-times.

IMO, there are just too many people out there who simply do not know how to maintain a proper pace during busy times. As with the golf swing itself, many (most?) people often learn what to do from their golf buddies. Bad habits are learned as easily good ones, and often are. So, having some sort of formal uniform training in golf etiquette, rules, pace of play, etc. would benefit all concerned. Courses especially would benefit by having more guests trained in best practices on the golf course that would improve pace of play and overall customer satisfaction.

No one wants to implement barriers to participation or to perpetuate the notion that golf is elitist. However, training beginners in the basics of the game ultimately benefits all involved.

[Goalpost]

Just one more reason why there should be some level of registered training/certification for players who want access to better courses and/or tee-times.

IMO, there are just too many people out there who simply do not know how to maintain a proper pace during busy times. As with the golf swing itself, many (most?) people often learn what to do from their golf buddies. Bad habits are learned as easily good ones, and often are. So, having some sort of formal uniform training in golf etiquette, rules, pace of play, etc. would benefit all concerned. Courses especially would benefit by having more guests trained in best practices on the golf course that would improve pace of play and overall customer satisfaction.

No one wants to implement barriers to participation or to perpetuate the notion that golf is elitist. However, training beginners in the basics of the game ultimately benefits all involved.

I hate slow play as much as the next guy but not sure how in the world you could implement and monitor that.

I'm not sure the issue is solely not knowing how to keep pace, although that is part of it, I'm thinking a lot of it comes from why keep pace in a look at me, me first, don't give a damn about anyone else attitude that is creeping into society as a whole. Paid my cash so why should I accommodate anyone else, my right to be here and do what I want.

The overwhelming majority of us here get it and try and keep pace with the group in front, we have the odd moment where we fail but get back in position, or try to, but seems like an influx of new particiapnts really don't care to which only makes the situation worse.

[Arthur Dailey]

A few weeks ago we got paired up with a woman who had never golfed before. She wanted to play from the white tees on a course that plays about 6,300 yards from those tees.

This course has multiple tee set-ups including a white/red, red only (about 5,000) and a set of 'gold' tees at the start of each fairway playing about 3,500 yards. They even have a red/gold scorecard.

There are currently days when I play the white/red set of tees.

We were able to negotiate her way through 9 holes in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Despite the fact that she sometimes took 3 shots to get to the fairway from the tees.

And I believe that she enjoyed her first round. She also watched us fix multiple ball marks, replace divots and smooth out bunkers while explaining the importance of golfers doing this.

[Arthur Dailey]

Paid my cash so why should I accommodate anyone else, my right to be here and do what I want.

Slow players seem to fall into the following categories:

1. Playing from the wrong set of tees.
2. The 'I don't care' crowd you mentioned.
3. Those playing for money. Meaning every shot counts. Follow 'honours'. Line-up every putt, etc.

[midlifecrisis]

That's brutal. Five hours is completely unconscionable on a course with the tees so close to the previous green. Four hours is too long for that compact, relatively flat course.

[tywl]

We all have the misfortune of a slower day on the links, but also get surprised by the pace some days as well.
If a course I play is very slow on a regular basis...I just don't go there anymore.
However, its all relative...if you need to get somewhere at a certain time after the round...I am sure you will want to keep moving

Just need to enjoy your playing partners/scenery more when waiting or test your meditation skills...the same complaints will be made till we go 6 feet under

Fall golf and beautiful fall colours are knocking on the door

[ARL67]

I feel ur pain. Played Dundee yesterday at 11 am, didn’t know it was ladies day, first 2 holes took 40 mins,

Good thing I had the first tee time that day, that was my first visit to Dundee this season. I saw several ladies queuing up when I left 18.

Another factor of slow play is high scores.
I hadn't' really considered this until I got paired with 3 guys out at Legacy Ridge a few weeks ago. I think we were the 3rd group out, I walked and they carted. They were great company, and no complaints about my round with them, but each shot probably 100+. That is a lot of trips with the golf cart, fishing out and returning clubs, drive golf cart to the next ball to be hit, rinse and repeat. They were also slow on the greens, not really doing any sort of ready-golf. Surprisingly we did not hold up the group behind us, even though we were 3rd out.

[DriveItHome]

Slow players seem to fall into the following categories:

1. Playing from the wrong set of tees.
2. The 'I don't care' crowd you mentioned.
3. Those playing for money. Meaning every shot counts. Follow 'honours'. Line-up every putt, etc.

I'd wager that the majority falls on 1 and 3, with not quite as much as 2. Most people are decent human beings and understand when they are being a nuisance and will do their best to accommodate. I have been in a situation only once that I can think of where #2 applied. It was Father's Day and a family decided it was time to take dad out for his yearly game. Mother and daughter were atrocious, son was a molecule better, and the father would have been a typical 100s shooter. It was awful. I think they were a hole behind walking off the second green. We almost came to blows on one of the front 9 holes were for a second time we yelled from the tee "hurry up". The son, who couldn't have been more than 16 at the time threw his bag down and started charging backwards. His father grabbed him by the arm and they moved on. Luckily they went in at 9 to grab a lunch so we jumped ahead. This well before cellphones were a normal thing to carry around with you so when we saw the opening on 10 we jumped on it and told the starter what had happened and he told us to go ahead. As we were putting out on 10 we saw the group behind us had already hit and the family got into it with them on the 10th tee for jumping ahead, even though they had taken probably 15min to go in and get their food. We finished a full 3.5-4 holes ahead of them. We were driving away when we saw them teeing it up on 16 from the road.

However, the number of times I have been paired with someone who greatly overestimates their ability and plays the blues or blacks I have lost count.

[Weirfan]

Slow players seem to fall into the following categories:

1. Playing from the wrong set of tees.
2. The 'I don't care' crowd you mentioned.
3. Those playing for money. Meaning every shot counts. Follow 'honours'. Line-up every putt, etc.

While these three are likely contributors, in my personal experience as a player and mire importantly as a golf course marshal they are by a long shot not the only, nor the worst reasons.

I could site a dozen , maybe more reasons for slow play and for your list and for mine none of them are absolutes. We had a guy lose 39 balls over 18 holes, he was within our expected pop parameter and did not slow play. I have seen guys shoot 130 play much faster than guys who shoot 75. Plus every course is a bit different.

If there was one factor that is close to but not an absolute at my course it would be walkers are often a problem area that require intervention. We are 73% carts 27% walkers.

That said it is all about expected pace of play. Everyone has a different idea of what that should be and it varies by course, by time of day and day of the week.

the vast majority of rounds where I play come in under our POP target. , our, Tagmarshal Pace management system is set at 4:30 for prime time, busy days. this was established based on extensive analysis of average time to play each hole over 1.5 seasons. As i've said before we are a very, very busy course. Last performance metrics report was Average round time of 4:20 iirc. That said, in my 40+ rounds this season I think I have had 2 there that have been more than 4 hours. I walk 95% and play almost exclusively midweek mornings. My 20 or so rounds at other, mostly private clubs) have all been 4 hours plus , granted at least half were in competitive events or at a men's day/night where guys are having fun and drinking beers etc .

5 hours is definitely excessive and it would be best to feed that back to Lakeview. While I have played it many, many times , not for quite a few years. Always remember things moving well. However, golf courses are way busier now than they have been in some 20 years.

[SeanAvery2point0]

While these three are likely contributors, in my personal experience as a player and mire importantly as a golf course marshal they are by a long shot not the only, nor the worst reasons.

I could site a dozen , maybe more reasons for slow play and for your list and for mine none of them are absolutes. We had a guy lose 39 balls over 18 holes, he was within our expected pop parameter and did not slow play. I have seen guys shoot 130 play much faster than guys who shoot 75. Plus every course is a bit different.

The "worst" in my opinion, are the guys who take several practice swings only to hit the ball OB... drop another ball, take another several practice swings... likewise on the greens, people who use a line on their ball... read the putt, line up the ball, verify the line, adjust the line, read the putt.... it is PAINFUL. One of our regulars used to do this, and I told him he's not good enough at reading greens and his stroke isn't good enough to worry whether the line on his ball is aimed where he wants to start his putt... he has since gone to 'white side up' on the greens, and coincidentally his putting seems to have improved...

My all-time favourite line, albeit fairly rude... I was playing with a few members at our course a few years ago, the group infront of us spent what seemed like 6 or 7 minutes looking for a ball that was quite clearly a dozen feet or more into the woods where the 'thick stuff' is.. one of the members took a fresh sleeve of balls out of his bag, drove up to them, tossed the sleeve at them and said "take these, and next time, don't waste my ****ing time"

[Weirfan]

The "worst" in my opinion, are the guys who take several practice swings only to hit the ball OB... drop another ball, take another several practice swings... likewise on the greens, people who use a line on their ball... read the putt, line up the ball, verify the line, adjust the line, read the putt.... it is PAINFUL. One of our regulars used to do this, and I told him he's not good enough at reading greens and his stroke isn't good enough to worry whether the line on his ball is aimed where he wants to start his putt... he has since gone to 'white side up' on the greens, and coincidentally his putting seems to have improved...

My all-time favourite line, albeit fairly rude... I was playing with a few members at our course a few years ago, the group infront of us spent what seemed like 6 or 7 minutes looking for a ball that was quite clearly a dozen feet or more into the woods where the 'thick stuff' is.. one of the members took a fresh sleeve of balls out of his bag, drove up to them, tossed the sleeve at them and said "take these, and next time, don't waste my ****ing time"

was behind a guy last Monday afternoon that literally stood motionless addressing his ball for 20 seconds on every shot. He seems to have a good swing but gosh it was agonizing. Plus he walked slowwwwww and never replaced his divots ( so I did) This was by far my slowest round at my course this season at about 4:25. We were 4 in carts this day and they were 3 walkers and a cart with and 4 walkers ahead of that. It was end of day and we were the last group ( nobody behind) to come in on 18 .....so the course was not impacted , just us....thankfully got in before dark.

have seen guys do the here take the damn ball thing a few times over the years.....one time the fellow said thanks, them kept searching....true story lol

[midlifecrisis]

Cambridge GC this morning, third group out, walking, 3:30. That's more like it! As many of you know, this is an old fashioned layout with tees close to greens and pretty flat. Little opportunity to lose balls. So conducive to a quick round.

Although I'm sure the stats are accurate, I'm a bit surprised to hear that walkers are the cause of slow play 70% of the time. Course dependent, no doubt. I would have thought the guys who are less "serious golfers", more into beers and goofing around, would be in the buggies.

BTW, Cambridge is still in excellent shape (greens particularly).

[DriveItHome]

Cambridge GC this morning, third group out, walking, 3:30. That's more like it! As many of you know, this is an old fashioned layout with tees close to greens and pretty flat. Little opportunity to lose balls. So conducive to a quick round.

Although I'm sure the stats are accurate, I'm a bit surprised to hear that walkers are the cause of slow play 70% of the time. Course dependent, no doubt. I would have thought the guys who are less "serious golfers", more into beers and goofing around, would be in the buggies.

BTW, Cambridge is still in excellent shape (greens particularly).

Probably the case at courses where walkers are the exception, not the rule. Or places where there are several large walks between tees and greens. If 80% of the course is carts then a walker is definitely going to be noticed and much slower. Mystic comes to mind there. They allow walkers, but I have played there probably a dozen times and never seen anyone walking except once. Plus on some holes you have almost a 150 yard walk between tees and greens. A cart would obviously be much better in these scenarios, although I do prefer to carry myself.