Anyone think playing too fast is actually in poor etiquette?

There's a slow play thread every week, but in a moment of self-reflection yesterday while playing 9 holes, I realized that I might be as much of a problem as the slow people.

I've got a busy job, a wife that works outside of the home, 2 kids and another on the way. Golf is important to me, and I've quit all of my other hobbies to make room for golf, but still, I have limited time to play. Every time I can squeeze in a round, it's a luxury. My wife is cool with me playing one 18 hole weekend round per week (which is more than a lot of married guys with kids get to do), but for us junkies, that's not enough. I have to figure out where I get my other golf time in, and usually it is when there is a slow day at the office, or I can get in 9 holes around lunchtime and be back at work in 90 minutes (there's a course a few minutes from my office), or something like that.

As a result of the above, I play fast. It's not that I don't enjoy the time breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the company of friends. It's that I'm on a tight schedule and may not have the luxury to do that. I've noticed that over the years I've adapted my game to my schedule. I have no preshot routine. I do a quick read of my putts as I approach the hole and then fire away. I actually jog between shots or walk very fast. I never take 5 minutes looking for a lost ball (so I take more penalty strokes than probably necessary)... but all of that feels natural to me. In my round yesterday, I felt like I was playing a 3hr nine. I was standing around for 5 minutes before I could hit my next shots and it was really irritating me. I looked at my watch when it was over, and the nine took a couple minutes UNDER 2 hours, which is actually a darn good time. That's when I realized that maybe I'm the problem here.

I try hard not to play up on people, but I know I probably do it. I try hard to appear relaxed and not stress out the group in front of me (or the group I'm playing with), but unconsciously I know that I'm probably rushing everything along. Maybe that's poor etiquette too, no?

On those rare days where the course is empty, I will play 18 in maybe 2:15-2:30 and not feel rushed at all. A casual observer may wonder what that idiot is doing jogging between his shots though. :D

Is scoring low a higher priority or playing fast?

I'm probably one of those guys who is a bit faster than normal but if the people in front are staying on pace, I'll slow down my walking if necessary, take a bit more time leaving a tee, etc. What I'm trying to do though is get into a rhythm and when the opportunity to hit the ball and go, I seem to play a bit better.

If you can't play well play fast.

kudos to [b]vbb[/b] for his self-awareness, as not many people can even fathom the other side of the coin. personally, i find this topic to be incredibly timely as just yesterday i was having an in-depth conversation in regards to this very issue. the result of the discussion was two equally unhappy team captains. in other words, a perfect compromise.



looking forward to reading the posts in this thread.

you should be able to play as fast as you want, if you catch a group in front they should let you play through anyway.

if your playing with others they will slow you down.

if your bothering playing partners who play at a "normal pace" by getting them to speed up then yes thats not great, but apart from that should be fine!

Balance is tough to find. I am a 4.3 index and rarely lose balls however, I do like to take my time to pick the right club and read putts. With that said I have comfortably played in 3.5 hours. However, once I got placed in the first group out and the marshal gave us an early warning that we were the pacing group. Well, the guys I played with were swinging while I was swinging, walking ahead in my field of vision and walking off the green before I finished putting. They didn't seem to carry at all about their score or any sort of etiquette. Anyway, we finished in round 3 hours and many times the marshal seemed to be lurking. I went to the restroom after the round and after I came out, the guys I played with were bellied up to the bar. It seemed like they were in such a hurry only to get to the bar. I understand golf means many different things to many people but my desires were completely ignored that day. I believe everyone should work to play in 4.5 hours as a max, but everyone must be aware of etiquette and try to make the game enjoyable for all in the group.

[quote name='tesuquegolfer' timestamp='1413385670' post='10292039']
Balance is tough to find. I am a 4.3 index and rarely lose balls however, I do like to take my time to pick the right club and read putts. With that said I have comfortably played in 3.5 hours. However, once I got placed in the first group out and the marshal gave us an early warning that we were the pacing group. Well, the guys I played with were swinging while I was swinging, walking ahead in my field of vision and walking off the green before I finished putting. They didn't seem to carry at all about their score or any sort of etiquette. Anyway, we finished in round 3 hours and many times the marshal seemed to be lurking. I went to the restroom after the round and after I came out, the guys I played with were bellied up to the bar. It seemed like they were in such a hurry only to get to the bar. I understand golf means many different things to many people but my desires were completely ignored that day. I believe everyone should work to play in 4.5 hours as a max, but everyone must be aware of etiquette and try to make the game enjoyable for all in the group.
[/quote]

4 and a half hours really??? in a group of 4?

[quote name='Your-away!' timestamp='1413385863' post='10292073']
[quote name='tesuquegolfer' timestamp='1413385670' post='10292039']
Balance is tough to find. I am a 4.3 index and rarely lose balls however, I do like to take my time to pick the right club and read putts. With that said I have comfortably played in 3.5 hours. However, once I got placed in the first group out and the marshal gave us an early warning that we were the pacing group. Well, the guys I played with were swinging while I was swinging, walking ahead in my field of vision and walking off the green before I finished putting. They didn't seem to carry at all about their score or any sort of etiquette. Anyway, we finished in round 3 hours and many times the marshal seemed to be lurking. I went to the restroom after the round and after I came out, the guys I played with were bellied up to the bar. It seemed like they were in such a hurry only to get to the bar. I understand golf means many different things to many people but my desires were completely ignored that day. I believe everyone should work to play in 4.5 hours as a max, but everyone must be aware of etiquette and try to make the game enjoyable for all in the group.
[/quote]

4 and a half hours really??? in a group of 4?
[/quote]

As a max! I think 4 hours is a good pace.

[quote name='finalist' timestamp='1413384337' post='10291841']
Is scoring low a higher priority or playing fast?
[/quote]

Good question. The obvious answer is scoring low. I try to score as low as possible everytime. My issue is that I'm not entirely sure that slowing down helps MY game. Maybe it does, but I'm not convinced. I've scored some of my best scores playing alone and fast, or with one other playing partner who is also playing relatively quick. The thing is I don't FEEL rushed. I've actually tried slowing down, taking more practice strokes, reading putts more, walking slowly, etc... but that doesn't result in lower scores, at least not for me. I play better when I'm in a good rhythm and can hit the ball, go to it and hit again.

edit: that isn't to say I play recklessly. I'm not rushing about. I just don't take a long time to play. I have one simple swing thought for almost every shot outside of a touchy chip, and I get that thought in my head, set up, and pull the trigger. The longest time I take on a shot is making sure my grip is right. If my grip is off I have to stop, reset my hands, and approach the ball again. When my grip feels good, I have my swing thought and just hit the ball. I feel that slowing down allows for all sorts of distracting thoughts to creep in my head.

[quote name='tesuquegolfer' timestamp='1413385919' post='10292081']
[quote name='Your-away!' timestamp='1413385863' post='10292073']
[quote name='tesuquegolfer' timestamp='1413385670' post='10292039']
Balance is tough to find. I am a 4.3 index and rarely lose balls however, I do like to take my time to pick the right club and read putts. With that said I have comfortably played in 3.5 hours. However, once I got placed in the first group out and the marshal gave us an early warning that we were the pacing group. Well, the guys I played with were swinging while I was swinging, walking ahead in my field of vision and walking off the green before I finished putting. They didn't seem to carry at all about their score or any sort of etiquette. Anyway, we finished in round 3 hours and many times the marshal seemed to be lurking. I went to the restroom after the round and after I came out, the guys I played with were bellied up to the bar. It seemed like they were in such a hurry only to get to the bar. I understand golf means many different things to many people but my desires were completely ignored that day. I believe everyone should work to play in 4.5 hours as a max, but everyone must be aware of etiquette and try to make the game enjoyable for all in the group.
[/quote]

4 and a half hours really??? in a group of 4?
[/quote]

As a max! I think 4 hours is a good pace.
[/quote]

for me thats still a little too long, 3 hours 2 ball, then approx 15 mins per player after that, 4 hours for a 4 ball should be max imo but it does depend how good the other people are, if your hitting 10 shots per hole your going to take longer than someone hitting 4 shots

I played with a guy once that jogged between shots. He was a long-distance runner and felt he could merge his running and his golf into one effort.

I play quickly, but use a cart and try to be first off on a weekday. On that day, he wanted to play early to have an unobstructed "run" around the course. We teamed up very well and neither of us had to wait since we played "ready golf".

Can't remember the time of the round, but needless to say it was quick. My wife and I went out to breakfast afterwards rather than the usual lunch.

Yes

It's all about consideration of the other people on the course. Play at whatever pace you want, but DON"T force other people to play at that pace!

You wanna play slow? Go ahead, but just let faster players play through. Why is that so freakin' complicated for some people to understand?

Although I prefer to play faster (normal round for a foursome at my club is 3:30 to 3:45 with no one in front of us, which is about my ideal place), I can make do with whatever pace my group is playing at as long as it's under 5 hours and I don't have somewhere I need to be. The one thing I've noticed is that If I do get in with a slow bunch, I'm always the one that has to instigate them letting faster groups through ...

[quote name='vbb' timestamp='1413384060' post='10291783']
There's a slow play thread every week, but in a moment of self-reflection yesterday while playing 9 holes, I realized that I might be as much of a problem as the slow people.

I've got a busy job, a wife that works outside of the home, 2 kids and another on the way. Golf is important to me, and I've quit all of my other hobbies to make room for golf, but still, I have limited time to play. Every time I can squeeze in a round, it's a luxury. My wife is cool with me playing one 18 hole weekend round per week (which is more than a lot of married guys with kids get to do), but for us junkies, that's not enough. I have to figure out where I get my other golf time in, and usually it is when there is a slow day at the office, or I can get in 9 holes around lunchtime and be back at work in 90 minutes (there's a course a few minutes from my office), or something like that.

As a result of the above, I play fast. It's not that I don't enjoy the time breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the company of friends. It's that I'm on a tight schedule and may not have the luxury to do that. I've noticed that over the years I've adapted my game to my schedule. I have no preshot routine. I do a quick read of my putts as I approach the hole and then fire away. I actually jog between shots or walk very fast. I never take 5 minutes looking for a lost ball (so I take more penalty strokes than probably necessary)... but all of that feels natural to me. In my round yesterday, I felt like I was playing a 3hr nine. I was standing around for 5 minutes before I could hit my next shots and it was really irritating me. I looked at my watch when it was over, and the nine took a couple minutes UNDER 2 hours, which is actually a darn good time. That's when I realized that maybe I'm the problem here.

I try hard not to play up on people, but I know I probably do it. I try hard to appear relaxed and not stress out the group in front of me (or the group I'm playing with), but unconsciously I know that I'm probably rushing everything along. Maybe that's poor etiquette too, no?

On those rare days where the course is empty, I will play 18 in maybe 2:15-2:30 and not feel rushed at all. A casual observer may wonder what that idiot is doing jogging between his shots though.
[/quote]

Based on your description - I would agree that you're being disrespectful for trying to play too fast.

With respect - you shouldn't put your own selfishness of schedule onto your playing partners (if they want to jog with you) NOR on the people in front of you as a single. Again with respect - it's why single golfers generally have no status at golf courses. If you don't have the time - don't play. You're not the only person with kids and a wife. Just tell her you have to stay late at work like the rest of us cowards.

There's a joke that goes something like this:

A married man goes to work. At lunch time he calls his mistress and they go to a hotel and have an afternoon of wild sex, drinking and debauchery. They fall asleep in each others arms. Around 8pm he awakens - gives his mistress a kiss, gets dressed and goes home. Before he goes inside he slips into his golf shoes.

His wife is livid. "Where have you been???" she demands.
"I can not tell a lie" he says "This afternoon I took off from work, took my mistress to a hotel and we made love and carried on all afternoon. Then I fell asleep in her arms and I awoke only a few minutes ago - and I came right home."
She looks down at his feet "...yeah yeah, you've said that before....but your feet tell me that you've been golfing again, Einstein!."

3:30 to 3:45 is my comfortable pace. Four of all us walking with rickshaws or Stewart golf motorized carts

I can live with 4 hrs. (at a private club)

4+ irritates me as it feels like a snowplow is in front of me on a highway during a weak blizzard

Don't get me started on the big money scrambles - where you play in 8somes - and it takes 7 hrs ... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Absolutely, this campaign to speed up play has turned a lot of people in egomaniacs.

[quote name='ChipDriver' timestamp='1413388838' post='10292493']
[quote name='vbb' timestamp='1413384060' post='10291783']
There's a slow play thread every week, but in a moment of self-reflection yesterday while playing 9 holes, I realized that I might be as much of a problem as the slow people.

I've got a busy job, a wife that works outside of the home, 2 kids and another on the way. Golf is important to me, and I've quit all of my other hobbies to make room for golf, but still, I have limited time to play. Every time I can squeeze in a round, it's a luxury. My wife is cool with me playing one 18 hole weekend round per week (which is more than a lot of married guys with kids get to do), but for us junkies, that's not enough. I have to figure out where I get my other golf time in, and usually it is when there is a slow day at the office, or I can get in 9 holes around lunchtime and be back at work in 90 minutes (there's a course a few minutes from my office), or something like that.

As a result of the above, I play fast. It's not that I don't enjoy the time breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the company of friends. It's that I'm on a tight schedule and may not have the luxury to do that. I've noticed that over the years I've adapted my game to my schedule. I have no preshot routine. I do a quick read of my putts as I approach the hole and then fire away. I actually jog between shots or walk very fast. I never take 5 minutes looking for a lost ball (so I take more penalty strokes than probably necessary)... but all of that feels natural to me. In my round yesterday, I felt like I was playing a 3hr nine. I was standing around for 5 minutes before I could hit my next shots and it was really irritating me. I looked at my watch when it was over, and the nine took a couple minutes UNDER 2 hours, which is actually a darn good time. That's when I realized that maybe I'm the problem here.

I try hard not to play up on people, but I know I probably do it. I try hard to appear relaxed and not stress out the group in front of me (or the group I'm playing with), but unconsciously I know that I'm probably rushing everything along. Maybe that's poor etiquette too, no?

On those rare days where the course is empty, I will play 18 in maybe 2:15-2:30 and not feel rushed at all. A casual observer may wonder what that idiot is doing jogging between his shots though.
[/quote]

Based on your description - I would agree that you're being disrespectful for trying to play too fast.

With respect - you shouldn't put your own selfishness of schedule onto your playing partners (if they want to jog with you) NOR on the people in front of you as a single. Again with respect - it's why single golfers generally have no status at golf courses. If you don't have the time - don't play. You're not the only person with kids and a wife. Just tell her you have to stay late at work like the rest of us cowards.

There's a joke that goes something like this:

A married man goes to work. At lunch time he calls his mistress and they go to a hotel and have an afternoon of wild sex, drinking and debauchery. They fall asleep in each others arms. Around 8pm he awakens - gives his mistress a kiss, gets dressed and goes home. Before he goes inside he slips into his golf shoes.

His wife is livid. "Where have you been???" she demands.
"I can not tell a lie" he says "This afternoon I took off from work, took my mistress to a hotel and we made love and carried on all afternoon. Then I fell asleep in her arms and I awoke only a few minutes ago - and I came right home."
She looks down at his feet "...yeah yeah, you've said that before....but your feet tell me that you've been golfing again, Einstein!."
[/quote]

Haha! I appreciate your honesty though. To maybe clarify a little bit, I'm not pulling a Sabbatini and running ahead of my playing partners to the next hole or anything. And again, I'm not hitting in to the group in front of me or rolling up on people asking to play through when I'm a single. I do try to maintain a respectful distance between myself and the group in front, and I wait for the wave through rather than force the issue by saddling up to them on the tee box. In fact yesterday, I waited til the group in front had completely left the green and moved on to the next tee before hitting my approach. I hit my approach, got the putt down in two, then went to the next tee and they were STILL teeing off. Instead of get up right behind them while they teed off basically forcing them to ask me to play through, I stayed way back and let them have their space, and didn't go to the tee until they'd left the tee.

I don't play like a jerk or try to force my playing partners to rush... at least not consciously. But I do play my shots fast, and I do play ready golf most of the time, so if the other people in my group are at their shot, I'll go up near my ball and wait as long as I'm not in their line of sight or ball flight path rather than wait with them at their shot (unless it is jammed packed on the course and I'm just going to have to accept the fact that it is a 4:30 round, which does happen.

But in an ideal world (for me) everyone would speed up!

[quote name='vbb' timestamp='1413385992' post='10292091']
[quote name='finalist' timestamp='1413384337' post='10291841']
Is scoring low a higher priority or playing fast?
[/quote]

Good question. The obvious answer is scoring low. I try to score as low as possible everytime. My issue is that I'm not entirely sure that slowing down helps MY game. Maybe it does, but I'm not convinced. I've scored some of my best scores playing alone and fast, or with one other playing partner who is also playing relatively quick. [/quote]

In your OP you stated pretty much every round you play is fast. Wouldn't reason show that of course your best scores are going to come from playing fast because almost all of your rounds are played that way?

Maybe if you played about 50/50 rounds fast/slow then you could make an argument.

Unless you're trying to play speed golf, then in a word, "NO", slower groups need to learn basic etiquette of allowing faster groups to play through, unless the course is just jam packed and they're waiting as well, which in that case, just need to accept the fact it's crowded.

Whew......

Finally, a [s]fast play that will morph into[/s] a slow play thread.

[quote name='vbb' timestamp='1413389695' post='10292617']
[quote name='ChipDriver' timestamp='1413388838' post='10292493']
[quote name='vbb' timestamp='1413384060' post='10291783']
There's a slow play thread every week, but in a moment of self-reflection yesterday while playing 9 holes, I realized that I might be as much of a problem as the slow people.

I've got a busy job, a wife that works outside of the home, 2 kids and another on the way. Golf is important to me, and I've quit all of my other hobbies to make room for golf, but still, I have limited time to play. Every time I can squeeze in a round, it's a luxury. My wife is cool with me playing one 18 hole weekend round per week (which is more than a lot of married guys with kids get to do), but for us junkies, that's not enough. I have to figure out where I get my other golf time in, and usually it is when there is a slow day at the office, or I can get in 9 holes around lunchtime and be back at work in 90 minutes (there's a course a few minutes from my office), or something like that.

As a result of the above, I play fast. It's not that I don't enjoy the time breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the company of friends. It's that I'm on a tight schedule and may not have the luxury to do that. I've noticed that over the years I've adapted my game to my schedule. I have no preshot routine. I do a quick read of my putts as I approach the hole and then fire away. I actually jog between shots or walk very fast. I never take 5 minutes looking for a lost ball (so I take more penalty strokes than probably necessary)... but all of that feels natural to me. In my round yesterday, I felt like I was playing a 3hr nine. I was standing around for 5 minutes before I could hit my next shots and it was really irritating me. I looked at my watch when it was over, and the nine took a couple minutes UNDER 2 hours, which is actually a darn good time. That's when I realized that maybe I'm the problem here.

I try hard not to play up on people, but I know I probably do it. I try hard to appear relaxed and not stress out the group in front of me (or the group I'm playing with), but unconsciously I know that I'm probably rushing everything along. Maybe that's poor etiquette too, no?

On those rare days where the course is empty, I will play 18 in maybe 2:15-2:30 and not feel rushed at all. A casual observer may wonder what that idiot is doing jogging between his shots though.
[/quote]

Based on your description - I would agree that you're being disrespectful for trying to play too fast.

With respect - you shouldn't put your own selfishness of schedule onto your playing partners (if they want to jog with you) NOR on the people in front of you as a single. Again with respect - it's why single golfers generally have no status at golf courses. If you don't have the time - don't play. You're not the only person with kids and a wife. Just tell her you have to stay late at work like the rest of us cowards.

There's a joke that goes something like this:

A married man goes to work. At lunch time he calls his mistress and they go to a hotel and have an afternoon of wild sex, drinking and debauchery. They fall asleep in each others arms. Around 8pm he awakens - gives his mistress a kiss, gets dressed and goes home. Before he goes inside he slips into his golf shoes.

His wife is livid. "Where have you been???" she demands.
"I can not tell a lie" he says "This afternoon I took off from work, took my mistress to a hotel and we made love and carried on all afternoon. Then I fell asleep in her arms and I awoke only a few minutes ago - and I came right home."
She looks down at his feet "...yeah yeah, you've said that before....but your feet tell me that you've been golfing again, Einstein!."
[/quote]

Haha! I appreciate your honesty though. To maybe clarify a little bit, I'm not pulling a Sabbatini and running ahead of my playing partners to the next hole or anything. And again, I'm not hitting in to the group in front of me or rolling up on people asking to play through when I'm a single. I do try to maintain a respectful distance between myself and the group in front, and I wait for the wave through rather than force the issue by saddling up to them on the tee box. In fact yesterday, I waited til the group in front had completely left the green and moved on to the next tee before hitting my approach. I hit my approach, got the putt down in two, then went to the next tee and they were STILL teeing off. Instead of get up right behind them while they teed off basically forcing them to ask me to play through, I stayed way back and let them have their space, and didn't go to the tee until they'd left the tee.

I don't play like a jerk or try to force my playing partners to rush... at least not consciously. But I do play my shots fast, and I do play ready golf most of the time, so if the other people in my group are at their shot, I'll go up near my ball and wait as long as I'm not in their line of sight or ball flight path rather than wait with them at their shot (unless it is jammed packed on the course and I'm just going to have to accept the fact that it is a 4:30 round, which does happen.

But in an ideal world (for me) everyone would speed up!
[/quote]

Don't know if this would work - but try this - I used this strategy during the ages of 3-9 for my kid:

Play 9 holes in the afternoon during the week. It tended to be less crowded, and as a single I was often alone. So IF I had to wait, or not - I often got to play 2 and sometimes 3 balls. Got a good mixture of play, lots of practice - didn't rush, and finished in about 2 to 2.5 hours.

Hope that helps.

I score better by playing a faster pace. waiting between shots messes with my tempo.
But, i can adjust for slower play.Anything over 4 hours is just plain slow.

[quote name='Hateto3Putt' timestamp='1413390378' post='10292699']
Whew......

Finally, a [s]fast play that will morph into[/s] a slow play thread.
[/quote]

My favorite part is the slow play threads always end up being an excuse for play. "I wouldn't have hit that ball poorly if I had hit my shot 45 seconds earlier!"

My local course serves as an example of how to generate slow play. They have a keep pace program. Keep pace time: 4:28 for a round! 2:10 each nine with an 8 minute turn break.
You have got to be kidding me. So you get what you advertise. My regular 4 walks this in 3:45-4:00 when no one is in front of us. It's not unusual to do 4:40 or better. Years ago, I called in on the 13th tee about slow play - ranger came out and lectured me that the group ahead was on pace! That's when I learned about the advertised pace of play. Didn't matter that the group in front of us had an open hole - they were on pace for 4:28!

I learned to play while working at a course with 36 holes. One side was closed Mon. - Thurs. and employees (and a few select guests) were allowed to play the course with the maintenance crews on it. A couple of the fellas were scratch golfers and would let me join them. I immediately noticed how quickly they played. Since then I can't shake playing fast. Right now I'm working on slowing down my practice and play and hitting shots "cold." I basically ruined an outing the other day by getting upset with a couple of foursomes that wouldn't let me through as a single. My fault definitely although I can understand on a crowded day why a foursome doesn't let another foursome through, but a single - come on.

[quote name='Startzel' timestamp='1413391640' post='10292843']
[quote name='Hateto3Putt' timestamp='1413390378' post='10292699']
Whew......

Finally, a [s]fast play that will morph into[/s] a slow play thread.
[/quote]

My favorite part is the slow play threads always end up being an excuse for play. "I wouldn't have hit that ball poorly if I had hit my shot 45 seconds earlier!"
[/quote]

I don't know what this is all about, but nowhere in my thread have I a.) complained about slow players, or b.) said slow players are responsible for my bad shots. Maybe rather than preloading your arguments against what is "typically" posted, you respond to what actually was posted. I did not post here trying to disguise this as another complaining about slow play thread.

[quote name='Startzel' timestamp='1413389867' post='10292635']

In your OP you stated pretty much every round you play is fast. Wouldn't reason show that of course your best scores are going to come from playing fast because almost all of your rounds are played that way?

Maybe if you played about 50/50 rounds fast/slow then you could make an argument.
[/quote]
Well about 50/50 of my rounds ARE fast/slow. In my ideal world the course is always empty and I can always play at my own pace. But rarely does that happen. Actually I probably play more 4hr rounds than 3hr rounds, just due to the realities surrounding the course. So it's probably even more of my rounds are around that 4hr pace. I usually play with at least a 3 some, but when I get the quick 9s in, I'm usually out as a single. During the rounds that I play with other people, and especially when it is a crowded day on the course, I've tried to deliberately slow down my pace, spend more time reading putts from all angles, taking a few practice swings... basically because I have the time and there is nowhere to go. And my scores are not any better than the days where I play quickly. I didn't do a full-on scientific study here, but my scores do not seem to be improved by slowing down and doing all of the things I see slower players doing.

To the OP, "yes". Over 18 holes each of us has to find a way to fit our pace of play into the field as we find it. In other words, to a degree, adapt and adjust.

Playing too fast is only poor etiquette if you're a jerk about it. If you're right up the a$& of the people in front of you, yelling and hitting into them, then yes, rude. If you play fast and wait patiently for them to clear before hitting, then no, not rude.

At least fast players are getting out of the way so they aren't a continuous problem. Slow players are a problem all day.

[quote name='glk' timestamp='1413393568' post='10293111']
My local course serves as an example of how to generate slow play. They have a keep pace program. Keep pace time: 4:28 for a round! 2:10 each nine with an 8 minute turn break.
You have got to be kidding me. So you get what you advertise. My regular 4 walks this in 3:45-4:00 when no one is in front of us. It's not unusual to do 4:40 or better. Years ago, I called in on the 13th tee about slow play - ranger came out and lectured me that the group ahead was on pace! That's when I learned about the advertised pace of play. Didn't matter that the group in front of us had an open hole - they were on pace for 4:28!
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G...I'd be happy if they pushed people to 4:28...but that doesn't even happen. I've noticed the new signs they have as well but you need someone actively monitoring pace to be effective.