Awesome Idea !

[Weirfan]

Great points, I'm always concerned that I don't play fast enough, could just be my perception.

I'm happy just to use a laser, I try and get to my ball if I'm not in anyone else's way, get my yardage, pull a club and be ready for my turn.

Had trouble convincing guys I used to play with, that if we have a cart just drop me at my ball with a club and I will walk up to where your ball is.

Old boss would just sit there waiting for you to hit, used to drive me a bit crazy, ended up having to turn down free corporate rounds because I stopped enjoying the pace of them.

On a busy course , as long as you have the group in front of you within reach/ sight then you are moving at the pace of the course ahead of you. Everyone can have a bad hole or stop at the turn to pee or grab a dog and beer , flag the bevy cart down for a round for the group and slip out of position temporarily then when you get to the next par 4 tee box the group ahead is on the green already ....just recognize and get back in position.

regarding players waiting for you to hit. Ready golf is always encouraged but my guess is less than 50% play that way. Neither is right or wrong unless the group not playing it is out of position. I often make the suggestion to play ready golf to groups that I am trying to give a nudge to.

I see a lot ( as both a player and a marshal) where some people are uncomfortable based on their ability ( or lack the of )to have anyone in front of them when they are hitting. If I am playing with someone new and my ball is further down of theirs , I will always ask if they are ok with me going ahead to my ball.

[Weirfan]

I wonder if what we'll see is just a continual 'moving of the goal posts,' where eventually 5hrs will be considered acceptable by course staff. I do remember reading lots of comments to this effect on here about public weekend play.

I think for some courses those goal posts have already moved at least on weekends. Bond Head and Royal Stouffville are two where if you play on a busy day anytime after 11am chances are good the round will be 5 hours. My last two rounds at Bond Head not on a weekend ( and they will be my last two rounds there ever) were over 5 hours.

I rarely ever play weekends unless I am on a boys weekend or vacation and then I am not really concerned about the pop.

I have marshalled Fridays and Saturdays and last year 300 + player days were not uncommon. That is a lot of golfers of all ages, shapes, and abilities on a tough course.
On those days we are happy with anything under 4:30 and would say 95+% of the groups came in at or under .....with work .

Pop is a factor in customer satisfaction , might not be #1 but it is up there so in the courses best interests to keep it respectable. As always, you want to play fast, play mid week and early. Our lead group every week day is done in under 2.5 hours.

[rulie]

When I started playing, the norm was 1 1/2 hours per nine holes, or 10 minutes a hole, walking. I recognize that things have changed on courses - more distance from green to next tee, longer holes for example. For the the groups that I play with now, our norm is 3:45 for 18 holes, foursomes, walking a modern course (includes weekends).

[Pingeye2_fan]

On a busy course , as long as you have the group in front of you within reach/ sight then you are moving at the pace of the course ahead of you. Everyone can have a bad hole or stop at the turn to pee or grab a dog and beer , flag the bevy cart down for a round for the group and slip out of position temporarily then when you get to the next par 4 tee box the group ahead is on the green already ....just recognize and get back in position.

regarding players waiting for you to hit. Ready golf is always encouraged but my guess is less than 50% play that way. Neither is right or wrong unless the group not playing it is out of position. I often make the suggestion to play ready golf to groups that I am trying to give a nudge to.

I see a lot ( as both a player and a marshal) where some people are uncomfortable based on their ability ( or lack the of )to have anyone in front of them when they are hitting. If I am playing with someone new and my ball is further down of theirs , I will always ask if they are ok with me going ahead to my ball.

Biggest problem I had with ready golf, maybe it was the old boss again, was he would yell out "nice shot" every time someone hit the ball no matter what kind of result someone got.

"Nice shot" rang out at the top of my back swing too many times, then I realized he wasn't watching what other people were doing but watching the flight of the ball.

It was bad enough that I started passing up free rounds at places like Rattlesnake and Glen Abbey.