Marking balls irritates 😤 me...

[pktaske]

23 minutes ago, Imp said:

I'd argue that more slow play happens more at the tee and fairways than on the green from marking/not marking balls. If your hill you're defending is that someone had to wait for someone to mark their ball is "slow" then that's up to you. But respectfully, it's such a small percentage of time having to wait vs all the other "places" during a round that could be sped up, that it's negligible. 1) it probably doesn't happen every hole. 2) If you have to wait for the same person to mark (before you go "but 18 holes worth x time") after their approach shot, it means they are probably a better player than you because it seems they're always closer to the hole than you are. Step your game up. 3) If it's after their 1st putts, why not let them finish out/up? 

 

 

You're not wrong about it being one of the less offending time-wasters. My issue with marking the ball when I started the post was really not about time - just its annoyance with everyone 'having' to do it. But if you have a person that won't put till every single ball is marked, that's going to have an impact not only on time but on your nerves.

 

[chippa13]

The peeve for me are those who mark 2-3 footers instead of just tapping in and getting out of the way.

[Imp]

1 hour ago, chippa13 said:

The peeve for me are those who mark 2-3 footers instead of just tapping in and getting out of the way.

I've you'd played some of the greens I have, those 2-3 footers may not just be "tap ins'.

 

[Mr. Bean]

4 hours ago, pktaske said:

It does slow down play if someone won't putt till you mark your ball. Alot.

 

I am afraid I have to disagree with you on that, especially to that 'a lot'.

 

Most people are able to check their putting line while someone is walking around (well, some are not but they are not able to do lots of other things as well...) but very few are actually ready to putt the second another player's ball stops. Combining those two there really is a sufficient amount of time for a player to walk to their ball, mark it and pick it up, especially if they start walking as soon as the ball has stopped, even before, if ever possible. In real life all that walking and marking happens when the other player is preparing for his putt, rather seldom when that player has already taken their stance and really IS ready to putt.

 

Slow play is a sum of lots of things and working around and on the green consists of many things which can be a problem if not handled properly. But I seriously doubt that marking one's ball is one of the crucial things slowing play down, I believe there are lots of other things that come first.

[david.c.w]

I have never had a round take longer due to people marking balls.  If a foursome is slowed down by marking balls, they are slowed down by every little thing on the golf course:

• Not moving around the course correctly, be it walking or with carts
• Marking scorecards on the green
• Not reading the green while others are reading or preparing to putt
• Not having a club out when it is their turn on the tee
• Ordering a triple stack club sandwich at the turn, and then asking for the bread to be toasted
• Not watching where their ball went
• Not watching where everyone else ball went
• Searching for someone else's ball before finding theirs
• Searching for lost balls in a lake with an extension ball grabber
• Searching for lost balls in an environmentally sensitive area
• Searching for lost balls literally anywhere
• Getting to the tee box 5 min late
• Taking a phone call while playing
• Telling the same 4 minute story for the 8th time in 2 years on tee box
• Just generally being deliberate about anything and everything

It is not the ball marking procedure, it is the sum of all the above.  We all know the slow players.  Don't blame it on marking balls, unless they are marking to putt out for an 11.  (And it is because they are taking an 11, not the marking)

Edited December 3, 2020 by david.c.w

[jholz]

6 hours ago, Sean2 said:

I use the line on the ball as well. By the time it is my turn to putt, I already figured out what it's going to do. I don't wait until it's my turn to figure it out. 

 

Yes, I do this as well - I recognize the way I worded my post could give one a different impression. I was speaking about placing my ball "on line" rather than the process of determining what the line might be. 

[chippa13]

6 hours ago, Imp said:

I've you'd played some of the greens I have, those 2-3 footers may not just be "tap ins'.

 

I've told this story before of the time I was paired with a 2-some and one of the guys was a snail on the green. He would mark everything. He would crouch behind the mark and painstakingly work to get his ball lined up just so. It was exhausting. On the 7th green he had his marker down. He crouched and lined up his ball. Backed off it and apparently didn't like the line so he went through the process again. He was down there picking up and placing his ball a few times. Finally, his buddy says,"You do that a few more times and it will be in the hole". I did my best not to laugh but the guy got completely bent out of shape. He proceeded to putt and then stormed off the green and straight to the next tee muttering about how he couldn't believe his buddy would insult his integrity like that. Me and the buddy shared a glance and a chuckle.

[pktaske]

5 hours ago, david.c.w said:

I have never had a round take longer due to people marking balls.  If a foursome is slowed down by marking balls, they are slowed down by every little thing on the golf course:

• Not moving around the course correctly, be it walking or with carts
• Marking scorecards on the green
• Not reading the green while others are reading or preparing to putt
• Not having a club out when it is their turn on the tee
• Ordering a triple stack club sandwich at the turn, and then asking for the bread to be toasted
• Not watching where their ball went
• Not watching where everyone else ball went
• Searching for someone else's ball before finding theirs
• Searching for lost balls in a lake with an extension ball grabber
• Searching for lost balls in an environmentally sensitive area
• Searching for lost balls literally anywhere
• Getting to the tee box 5 min late
• Taking a phone call while playing
• Telling the same 4 minute story for the 8th time in 2 years on tee box
• Just generally being deliberate about anything and everything

It is not the ball marking procedure, it is the sum of all the above.  We all know the slow players.  Don't blame it on marking balls, unless they are marking to putt out for an 11.  (And it is because they are taking an 11, not the marking)

Add unnecessarily marking balls to your list. Every bit counts.

[Abh159]

On 12/2/2020 at 12:53 PM, pktaske said:

I wonder if this was more a mental OCD thing?

 

I can't tee off if there is a broken tee, leaf, etc within a foot of my ball. Drives me nuts. And if there's a chance of hitting even the smallest tree limb or leaf in my backswing? I might as well pick up.

 

I have a hard time understanding how it's okay for you to spend time removing every broken tee or leaf/stick within a foot of your ball, but it's not okay for someone to spend 5 seconds marking their ball on the green.

 

I'm marking pretty much anything outside of 6 feet unless I've already lost the hole. It's probably more out of habit at this point but I hardly think the 2-3 minutes total per round you spend marking and replacing your ball is causing a slow down on the course or within your own group.

[Circaflex]

I don't personally care if someone marks their ball or not, its never one of those things that bothers me. However, I do understand some it does bother so I will try and mark my ball unless its really obvious it wont be in their line of sight at all. No harm no foul IMO.

[sethdavidsdad]

There are a lot of bad putters and guys that can't handle pressure that blame a ball in their vision for missing putts. I have had guys as me to mark when my ball is 4 to 5 foot to the left of the hole. I do it because it common courteously if asked. That being said, in stroke play tournaments I always mark. My regular group we only mark if it's in someones line, we play fast don't waste time.

[Imp]

Makes me wonder if this thread is being watched by ClubProGuy. He got a new sponsor for his #TNML. 
 

LOL

[Greenie]

I think it comes down to common sense and or etiquette. I'll get irritated on the lack of common sense part. The etiquette part I don't unless of course the lack of common sense over takes the etiquette part.

 

I rarely mark my ball unless it's in some ones line, some one requests that I do or the ball needs cleaning. I like to putt with a clean ball. 

 

I am respectful of others. I did the line thing for awhile. It wasn't for me and I thought it slowed down play.. We have a guy that still does it and even though I think it slows down play I understand he likes it, he feels it helps him make more putts so carry on, mark your ball, and line that line up.

 

If someone requests I mark my ball because it bothers them because of line of sight or of course in their line no problem from me. If you are one of those that feels all balls should be marked just to be marked sorry I don't get it. A single paired up with our threesome one time and this guy freaked out that we didn't all mark our balls on the first green. We said oh we just go with the flow on that. The solution for him was to mark his ball and let us all putt out then he would do his thing. The guy couldn't stand any ball on the green and we couldn't get use to marking when it didn't make sense. Not every ball was in his line of sight.

 

In my group I don't see marking your ball as a problem. It's kind of a flow thing because we play ready golf. We have people marking or not depending on what they need to do or want to do. We putt when it make sense and putt out the close ones or pick up depending on how close. Occasionally someone will mark a closer one because they need to think about it. No problem. 

 

What I can't stand. The person that rolls one up to a foot needs to mark, and wants to wait because they are now closest to the hole. Now the guy has to move his mark because he is in someone's line. Maybe even several times. He finishes up with lining up his ball, plum bobs around the hole and putts out. Talk about irritation. If you are close to the hole putt out and get out of the way..

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by Greenie

[Ri_Redneck]

I clean my ball before every putt because I have a phobia of sand granules costing me a stroke. Wierd I know!

 

BT

[LeoLeo99]

On 12/3/2020 at 10:04 AM, chippa13 said:

The peeve for me are those who mark 2-3 footers instead of just tapping in and getting out of the way.

Had a guy mark a 12 inch putt on my line with a poker chip today.  Then he had to move the poker chip out of my line.  I was laughing on the inside thinking about the reactions from some of you.  I yanked my birdie putt something awful and still hit the poker chip.  Lol.  Guy was a great putter, though.  Stroked it like Rickie with his Newport. 

[chippa13]

I would have tried to putt then mark in his way just for the laugh. 

[Carl Spackler3]

Regular group if your not in the way, literally, we just putt. I also find playing with strangers go the extra  distance etiquette wise at first, you can lighten up as you read the group. But I agree the guy who needs to pick up after every putt is not doing pace of play a favor