Getting really frustrated by the length of rounds.

[Burglar]

Weekends are rough; always events, scrambles, tournaments, etc. If I want to play on the weekend, I try to tee off when it's still dark or at sunrise. Otherwise, I just prepare myself for the long round. Pack a lot of snacks, water, maybe hit 2 balls, and just try to enjoy the day. It's like going to a Walmart or Costco on Saturday at noon on the 1st of the month...you know it's going to be a zoo even before you get there, so no sense in getting worked up when you're actually there.

 

Seems like the way to avoid long rounds is to tee off very early, avoid weekends, play expensive or private courses, or play when it's 110+ degrees. Playing only 9 holes is also a good way to get a quick "round" in, but I know a lot of folks don't like playing only 9.

[Ghost_556]

Someone mentioned the major offenders in another thread recently: Foursome, two carts, they ride together to each ball and wait and watch while each hits. Then they chat before and after each player hits their ball. Then they chat up the cart girl alongside a green they just finished on.

 

Ready Golf. Keep it moving. Please stop with the range finder. Bones McKay could give you the yardage and the club and it wouldn't help when you plow up a divot 8 inches behind the ball. The ball rolls 20 yards, they move up and repeat the whole process. 5 1/2 hours easy.

[thug the bunny]

**Unpopular opinion time**

 

Its all those darn baby boomers!! My father just retired, my wife's mother just retired. Both have picked up golf, both are terrible. Dad used to play, used to play with some very good golfers. Used to be a member out at Champions in texas, we still go see Jackie Burke every now and then. Still my father is slow as molasses and it isn't talking junk because he would 100% agree with me.

 

Its that time, in most baby boomers lives when they have decided to retire. 76.8 million of them flooding the courses. No where better to be than staring at the grass grow around the golf ball while they line up their putts.

 

Now i am not saying all baby boomers are slow golfers, but lets face it, to your average joe baby boomer who plays one week a month, a 6 hour round wont matter as long as they make the 2 footer for bogey they slaved over for 25 minutes to achieve.

 

Was my guess that the golfers holding everyone up from the OP were older individuals correct? I know the 2 groups ahead of me today, with literally 3 holes between them and the next group, were all baby boomers.

 

Its great for the young workforce, terrible for the 6 hour rounds we will have to endure.

 

Yeah, that's a generalization. I am a "baby boomer" and can make my way around the course expeditiously. I hit the ball, I find the ball, I hit it again. Not much to it. The other "boomers" I play golf with move quickly as well. Yes, there are "boomers" that play slowly, just as there are millennials who play slowly, high handicappers and low handicappers as well.

 

There is no one "group" that is the cause of slow play.

 

Thanks Sean. I don't agree with applying name tags to slow players. I have played slow rounds behind bluetooth playing high fiving blah blah blah millenials as I have behind blue haired seniors as I have behind African Americans as I have behind Asians as I have behind young low cap studs as I have behind our local skins group trying to keep that $25 in their pockets. There is no true demographics to slow play.

[BIG STU]

Just had this experience last week on a Friday of all days, not even a weekend. The course let 12 drunk clowns play 36 holes and hold up the entire 36 hole track all day.

 

Of course the marshalls go home at 4:00 and the pro shop closes at 5 - so everyone playing gets left out to dry with idiots on the course. Pissed to say the least.

 

The solution, in FL, is to pay $10k a year to become a private course member, or 'deal' with 5+ hour rounds.

It is the same here in the Grand Strand area

[MrJones]

I've tried to play the same RTJ course twice this last month. Neither time was I able to finish my round. We call a week in advance and get the earliest tee time available. Both times as a twosome (always assuming we'll be paired).

 

Both rounds we were sent out as a twosome behind several, and no offense to anyone here but, AWFUL foursomes.

 

2.5 hours for 9 holes may not seem like forever until you're a twosome playing well. My buddy and I could easily play 18 in that time. We hit and then sit and play on our phones or talk about work. It felt like an eternity.

 

First round we quit after 9 after the Marshal said he'd get us through and never did. The second round we waited for about 20 minutes to play a par 5 #13. After we finished we drove back and played 10, 11, 12, and 13 over again. The old clowns in front of us, who'd been playing a scramble format mind you, were still putting on 14 when we finished 13. It had already been 3.5 hours so we headed home.

 

 

I would have loved to at least been paired up with other players to slow us down OR have management arrange the tee times better when they knew they were going to send us out as a twosome with no where to go.

[trumb1mj1]

Please stop with the range finder.

 

I actually think range finders speed up play. No matter the skill level, people are going to want to know the yardage so it sure as heck beats walking off yards or fumbling with a cell phone for GPS info.

[jli2636]

Please stop with the range finder.

 

I actually think range finders speed up play. No matter the skill level, people are going to want to know the yardage so it sure as heck beats walking off yards or fumbling with a cell phone for GPS info.

 

I would normally agree with you, but I saw a guy laser a point and then walk MAYBE 5-10 yards away and lasered again. That is excessive. You should be able to do that small of math in your head and be able to figure it out without having the use your range finder again.

[spacefinger]

I've seen marshalls at our local muni kick plenty of groups off the course.

 

Usually they'll give them a warning to pick up the pace, but if they are still in a similar position by the time he circles back around again...GOODBYE!

[Chief Illiniwek]

Our courses suck, but happy to be in the rural Midwest. Anything over 4 hours gets people pretty riled up...

[Jwin323]

It makes sense that the majority of the players would be baby boomers since they're the biggest generation. And now have the most free time. And many of them being retired don't have any sense of urgency to move quickly (or even average or normal pace).

 

I do on occasion wish some of them would choose more of the times to play when the 9-5 guys are at work. But they pay their money too.

 

I’m a 9 to 5 baby boomer, when should I play?

[lawst4days]

**Unpopular opinion time**

 

Its all those darn baby boomers!! My father just retired, my wife's mother just retired. Both have picked up golf, both are terrible. Dad used to play, used to play with some very good golfers. Used to be a member out at Champions in texas, we still go see Jackie Burke every now and then. Still my father is slow as molasses and it isn't talking junk because he would 100% agree with me.

 

Its that time, in most baby boomers lives when they have decided to retire. 76.8 million of them flooding the courses. No where better to be than staring at the grass grow around the golf ball while they line up their putts.

 

Now i am not saying all baby boomers are slow golfers, but lets face it, to your average joe baby boomer who plays one week a month, a 6 hour round wont matter as long as they make the 2 footer for bogey they slaved over for 25 minutes to achieve.

 

Was my guess that the golfers holding everyone up from the OP were older individuals correct? I know the 2 groups ahead of me today, with literally 3 holes between them and the next group, were all baby boomers.

 

Its great for the young workforce, terrible for the 6 hour rounds we will have to endure.

 

Yeah, that's a generalization. I am a "baby boomer" and can make my way around the course expeditiously. I hit the ball, I find the ball, I hit it again. Not much to it. The other "boomers" I play golf with move quickly as well. Yes, there are "boomers" that play slowly, just as there are millennials who play slowly, high handicappers and low handicappers as well.

 

There is no one "group" that is the cause of slow play.

 

Thanks Sean. I don't agree with applying name tags to slow players. I have played slow rounds behind bluetooth playing high fiving blah blah blah millenials as I have behind blue haired seniors as I have behind African Americans as I have behind Asians as I have behind young low cap studs as I have behind our local skins group trying to keep that $25 in their pockets. There is no true demographics to slow play.

 

Wait so you both didn't approve of my gross generalization? I mean I did even state "Now i am not saying all baby boomers are slow golfers"

 

I also think millennial's can play slowly too... but we cannot sit here and honestly believe that the 76.8 million new retirees getting into the game they idealized growing up as leisure, aren't going to make rounds slower.

 

Put it this way, if there were 76.8 million just "people" who retired, at whatever age they were at today, they would also begin bogging down golf courses. That's 76.8 million individuals who would possibly decide in their newly allotted off time, they might pick up golf, which has a proclivity of being the game of choice for "people with time", historically.

[tobybear]

Slow play is exactly why I joined a course again this year - Let me preface with its 2 minutes from my house 36 holes - as muni as it gets.

 

It was a great price and the whole reason was to be able to play early and late in the day without waiting. I'm 32 years old and around a 5 handicap. When playing very early or late - mostly for practice and fun, not to be "grinding" it out, I have the bluetooth speaker on ( but not disruptive ) on my Sunday bag with a half set and a few balls, a range finder and a few beers. Putting things out ( not cleaning my ball unless very muddy ) I can play 9 in less than an hour easy. I would prefer to play more in the afternoon but slow play and a young family prevents that. I love to compete when I can but if this is what golf is for me now I'm ok with that.

 

 

Again because I HATE slow play my old game plan was always:

 

Call up the course evening before I wanted to play and talk to the proshop - this was usually a weekend. Ask when the first tee time was and then ask to tee off before that group as a single full green fee with a cart. I always would explain my situation in a nice way and be polite. Just explain that I play fast and I'm a decent player. Never had a problem!

One time I played 18 in around an hour and 45 min - walked into the proshop and the guy said " how was the front? " I replied " Played all 18 man, thanks for letting me out so early" and I handed him the cart key - He was shocked, honestly and I was happy to be home just after 9am to make breakfast for my wife & I.

[BiggErn]

Slow play is exactly why I joined a course again this year - Let me preface with its 2 minutes from my house 36 holes - as muni as it gets.

 

It was a great price and the whole reason was to be able to play early and late in the day without waiting. I'm 32 years old and around a 5 handicap. When playing very early or late - mostly for practice and fun, not to be "grinding" it out, I have the bluetooth speaker on ( but not disruptive ) on my Sunday bag with a half set and a few balls, a range finder and a few beers. Putting things out ( not cleaning my ball unless very muddy ) I can play 9 in less than an hour easy. I would prefer to play more in the afternoon but slow play and a young family prevents that. I love to compete when I can but if this is what golf is for me now I'm ok with that.

 

 

Again because I HATE slow play my old game plan was always:

 

Call up the course evening before I wanted to play and talk to the proshop - this was usually a weekend. Ask when the first tee time was and then ask to tee off before that group as a single full green fee with a cart. I always would explain my situation in a nice way and be polite. Just explain that I play fast and I'm a decent player. Never had a problem!

One time I played 18 in around an hour and 45 min - walked into the proshop and the guy said " how was the front? " I replied " Played all 18 man, thanks for letting me out so early" and I handed him the cart key - He was shocked, honestly and I was happy to be home just after 9am to make breakfast for my wife & I.

 

 

How long if you clean your ball more?

[Mignuz]

As many maybe know, in Italy we play weekly tounaments.

Sunday I played in a threesome, first tee time of the day.

We shot 74, 76 and 79 in 3 hours and 20 minutes, not running.

Tuesday I played in a 4some, 3th flight of the tournament.

We shot 75, 80, 82 and 95 (a 23 - hcp) and our round lasted almost 5 hours.

I'm pretty sure that the difference was the approach to the shots and not only the facts that the second rounfd we were 4 and not 3.

the 23 handicap took waaaaay longer routine than the others and even the pace was "relaxed".

So the problem is that the players have a a pro-like routine and they don't speed up after hitting a shot, going to their ball and being ready to play.

I add that, as me and my wife are members in a GC and we have a cart, we usually play 9 holes in 1 hour, driving the cart and not having anyone in front (it's lovely to play at 18:00 p.m. with no one in the coure!).

So speeding up golf it's possible, but it's maily a matter to educate golfers.

[Benzo]

Thankful for a private club. A 4 hour round is long

Benzo, what club do you belong to in SJ?

woodcrest (which isn’t totally private but reserved mornings and expensive times Kees the public at bay)

[1Mordrid1]

I think a lot of slow play is a lack of etiquette and knowledge but sometimes it is just an utter disregard for the other people playing on the course. But it can come in all forms. The guy who always wants to hit last on the tee box and never chooses his club until after everyone else has hit. The high handicapper that spends more than 5 minutes looking for a lost ball several times per round. The foursome playing low stake quarter skins but everyone in the group takes takes 3 minutes each to read their putts. The guy who hits his drive 225 yards but waits to hit his second shot at the par 5 when he is still 280 yards out. The guy who goes through a lengthy pre-shot routine and then stands over the ball for 30 seconds before pulling the trigger just to top it 70 yards down the fairway. The group that plays from the tips but no one in their group hits 250 yard drives. And the worst is a group with any of these that just refuses to let anyone else play through.

 

There are a few course here that I avoid because 5 1/2 hour to 6 hour rounds are the norm.

[mesquite2]

Thankful for a private club. A 4 hour round is long

Benzo, what club do you belong to in SJ?

woodcrest (which isn’t totally private but reserved mornings and expensive times Kees the public at bay)

Nice, played there a few times when it was private. I play at Valleybrook on Tuesdays. We have a big group, most of our group are members at all the Jaworski courses.

[TollBros]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

[rsj1360]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

[trumb1mj1]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

[rsj1360]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

The vast majority of time there is waiting is because the course is full (over full). In addition, different people are different and there is no way a group of 70 yr olds should be expected to move at the same pace as a bunch or teenagers.

 

I have empathy and understanding for people that are different than I am. I have respect for them and their differences.

 

Sounds like you are self-entitled speedster.

[radiman]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

The vast majority of time there is waiting is because the course is full (over full). In addition, different people are different and there is no way a group of 70 yr olds should be expected to move at the same pace as a bunch or teenagers.

 

I have empathy and understanding for people that are different than I am. I have respect for them and their differences.

 

Sounds like you are self-entitled speedster.

 

Regardless of age or ability. If you are slowing down everyone behind you, you need to figure out a way to move quicker, or start letting groups through plain and simple.

[Gnomesteel]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

 

I hear the same thing form kids at The First Tee where I've been coaching for several years.

[trumb1mj1]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

The vast majority of time there is waiting is because the course is full (over full). In addition, different people are different and there is no way a group of 70 yr olds should be expected to move at the same pace as a bunch or teenagers.

 

I have empathy and understanding for people that are different than I am. I have respect for them and their differences.

 

Sounds like you are self-entitled speedster.

 

Like I said, you are the problem here. You are slowing down courses and ruining it for everyone else.

[rsj1360]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

The vast majority of time there is waiting is because the course is full (over full). In addition, different people are different and there is no way a group of 70 yr olds should be expected to move at the same pace as a bunch or teenagers.

 

I have empathy and understanding for people that are different than I am. I have respect for them and their differences.

 

Sounds like you are self-entitled speedster.

 

Like I said, you are the problem here. You are slowing down courses and ruining it for everyone else.

You are making assumptions. But I'll stick by my analysis that.you are self-entitled speedster".

[MtlJeff]

I'm not sure golf could ever reasonable expect a pace of play of say, 3 1/2 hours. Many people can play at this pace without much effort on a normal course, but there are too many people who aren't in good enough shape, and don't want to take carts. You still have to walk at a brisk pace and play ready golf to play in that time and there's too many groups that can't do this. Anyone at a country club probably can name 30 guys who just aren't in good enough shape to keep a good walking pace. Remember golf is still a 8-10K walk.

 

4 1/4 to 4 1/2 seems fair enough to me (though i play faster typically as i get out early)

 

But if you can't free up that amount of time then golf isn't for you. We don't NEED golf to be for everyone. It shouldn't be. It wouldn't be good for the environment if everyone played it

 

I've given this example many times over the years, but my wife is a competitive horseback rider.....Rare that anyone in that field is ever talking about "growing" the horseback riding sport. It's even more time consuming then golf.

 

Golf should be aiming to maintain the infrastructure it has.....not grow it. More courses would be a bad thing. We don't really have the resources or land for like 20% more courses.

[TollBros]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

 

He is THE slow player. Look at any thread on here about slow play and he's the guy cheering for 5 hour rounds and screaming that everyone else is wrong to want to play faster than a sedated snail.

[TollBros]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

 

I hear the same thing form kids at The First Tee where I've been coaching for several years.

 

I don't doubt it at all. How slow it is and how long you have to wait around is the #1 complaint I hear without question. We've had kids come out, take some basic lessons, hit on the range and have a great time. We take them to the golf course and they never come back. Most of the time when I call the parents to find out why, it's the same story. He/she thought it was boring and there is too much waiting around. It's very discouraging to see so many young people quit because the old guard just won't pick up the pace and the courses don't seem interested in listening to me, the kids or the parents and just let the old codgers mosey around as slow as they want to while refusing to let anyone get around them. We really can get more young people into this game, but someone somewhere is going to have to listen to the feedback and make something like 3 1/2 hours the pace of play and enforce it. If you can't finish a 4 some in that time then play as 2 or 3 and keep pace.

[trumb1mj1]

He is THE slow player. Look at any thread on here about slow play and he's the guy cheering for 5 hour rounds and screaming that everyone else is wrong to want to play faster than a sedated snail.

 

Fast play is amazing. I can mark my ball, review my putt, take 2 practice swings, clean my clubs, lose balls, hit poor shots, take penalty strokes, shoot the sh** and never slow down anyone. Also, I play a lot of good golf when I'm not waiting around. Our foursome routinely plays in 3-3:30.

 

This whole argument that slow is better is just absurd. When is the last time you heard a golfer leave the course saying, "well that was fun but dude played way too fast"?? Never. The answer is never.

[rsj1360]

I teach juniors two days a week and have constant feedback as to why their friends are not interested in the game. The two things I hear constantly, right out of the mouths of kids 9-15 years old.

 

1) It just takes way too long. You have to stand around and wait all the time.

 

2) Golf is nothing but grumpy old men.

 

The kids say constantly how slow it is and how they don't like having to stand around and wait all the time. Also they say that golfers are grouchy old men who almost go out of their way to be slow and grumpy. Honestly if we want this game to live on, the pace needs to pick up considerably. I will take the kids out on a weekday afternoon and even though most struggle to break 100, a 4 some is done in just over 3 hours. I took three of them out on a Saturday afternoon and it took 4 hours and 15 minutes and when I asked the kids how long they thought it took, two guessed 6 hours and all of them said if it took this long every round that they wouldn't want to play anymore. And this is what courses consider an acceptable time frame. Keep people moving and hitting without significant wait time and 3 hours feels like half that. Make them sit and wait on 3 practice swing guy who needs 2 min per putt on the greens and 4 hours feels like all day. The future health of the game depends on speeding things up, significantly.

That is ridiculous. Just because kids today - because of instant gratification - have zero attention span and zero patience - doesn't mean adults have to bend to the grump young kids.

 

The kids are right, when your entire group is waiting, something is wrong. You should stop complaining about them and get the heck out of their way. If I ever get behind someone taking too much time with space between them and the next group, I ask to play through. If they don't allow it, I call the club house and try and get them thrown off the course. Life is too short to wait for people with no respect for other's time.

 

Also, sounds like you are probably a slow player...

 

He is THE slow player. Look at any thread on here about slow play and he's the guy cheering for 5 hour rounds and screaming that everyone else is wrong to want to play faster than a sedated snail.

And you are a liar. I'll never again refrain from calling someone a liar when they are outright lying. Not sure why liars think that is 1) OK and 2) helps make their case.