Golf takes too long...amiright??

[soregongolfer]

All of our local courses have 9 hole options.  I am surprised to hear many folks don't have the option. 

 

Wasn't there talk recently of offering options of fewer holes for "busy" millennials?  I know a few of our courses have added tee boxes to every hole making them par 3's for those busy millennials with precious little time lol.  

[RainShadow]

Using the "word" "amiright"  should disqualify this thread from further activity........

Am I Right?

[Cliffy2020]

That’s the other beauty of a nice solo 9-hole sesh.  Playing two balls.  Especially if wanting to test something new (AVX did NOT work for me).  Play two different balls from the same spot like a 1 man scramble.

 

Or, play a number 1 ball vs a number 2 ball straight up as a competition.  Maintaining tee ball honors throughout really makes a difference on the par 3’s since you know exactly how and what player one hit!
 

Lastly, one of favorites.  I’ll play 1 ball conservative and another ball aggressive. Really fun to see how the scores pan out and good mental practice for the next full round when I just need a Ho-hum par to win, a birdie to tie, or a miracle to win that stupid press bet my wallet can’t cover!

[Ferguson]

On 3/1/2021 at 10:45 PM, wattage said:

Hey Golf WRX community-

I'm interested how many others wish 9 hole bookings were an option. As a father of 2 young children I am super crunched to squeeze golf into a day, and have walked off the course after 14-15 holes a lot lately. I know I would get more golf days if I could play 9. 

If interested please include your location in this thread.

Thx

BW

 

 

Interested to hear what you learned from the poll data. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lefthack]

So the last couple days have been nice and the club has allowed carts out. I was able to play 9 holes using 3 balls in under 90 minutes. Had I played a single ball straight, I could have been done in about an hour.

 

I can do that mid day and it's a non issue. Can't do that walking 18. A good break from "the office" for sure.

[Cwing]

9 hole options available everywhere around me.

[mizuno player]

I may be in the minority here. I like a 4 hour round. 2 each 9. If it's really nice out and we're having fun and playing at a steady pace I can handle 4:15. 

 

I used to play with a group that wanted to play in no more than 3:30. Too fast can be as unenjoyable as too slow. 

 

I heard somewhere that  the waiting is the hardest part. 

 

We have 9 hole rates in my area but it's not very coat effective in my opinion  

[wattage]

On 3/6/2021 at 7:26 AM, MtlJeff said:

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this but 9 hole golf just seems like such a bad value too

 

It's always like 70$ for 18, and like 54$ for 9

 

It's like, cmon man that math doesn't add up!

Totally agree with the poor pricing of 9-hole offerings. I have 2 ideas on getting more 9-hole options. 

15 hours ago, Bonneville85308 said:

Instead of playing 9 hole rounds when time is limited, I just find a course with an empty tee sheet at twilight where I can fly around and play 18 holes in 2.5 hours or less. Easy to find here when its 110 degrees out in July, not at all in peak tourist season.

 

Many courses here give a 9-hole rate if you want to tee off the back nine during the first 60-90 minutes of play of the day.

 

If I am playing a morning round, I usually insist on getting one of the first few tee times of the day. As a result, I don't think I've had a round over 4:00 as a foursome during the past 200 rounds, and most are around 3:20-3:30.

 

If there was a course that only allowed twosomes and singles out for the first hour of the day, perhaps at shorter tee time intervals but a higher rate, with a policy that you must play in under 3 hours for 18 holes, I would give that course a lot of my business.

 

 

Great idea on 1-2somes early in the day! 
 

it seems making money is the pure motivation-somewhat understandably at public courses. I know courses don’t make ‘that’ much money and the overhead is steep.
**Dreaming here** Wouldn’t it be great to have routing that allows multiple 3-5 hole loops giving Uber flexibility of starts/end points, perhaps simple daily fees for the people with loads of time in their hands. 
Or a course run simply for the player experience, early times for fewer or pace-proven golfers. Maybe GPS tags (like bandon) to track pace of groups and actually make admin decisions based on that data. For these ideas to be possible you need some freedom from tight budget/finances/profit, which creeps into the private or specialty zone  

[wattage]

And for more practical solutions: 

Course asks players checking in if they want to share their round. Players that do are given something (GPS tracker, a Gold Medal...whatever) and their name/time is marked on the tee sheet. Someone seeking a 9 hole loop inquires in proshop if any back 9s are available. If so then that player pays for 9 (HALF of 18 fee, not 60-70% of 18 hole fee!!) and then front 9 player must return the thing (GPS, Gold Medal) into proshop to get their 50% credit. This ensures no stowaways and limits loss to course. 

This is purely a service feature, for the golf community, not a money maker per se. If the course advertises it when players book times, then a nine hole seeker would know in advance that 9 holes are an option (as opposed to just a 2 hour window of notice). GPS trackers would assist in estimating the time frame but costly devices that might get lost.

 

Really this only takes hold if advertised. The market for this isn't huge but again if advertised the market might grow.

Thoughts??

BW

 

[Old Timer]

Actually the course I joined has an agreement  with a nine hole course that allows us to play there free including free golf cart. If we only want to play a quick nine we can book a tee time there. However the course we belong to has a monthly free so we can play as long as we want or as short as we want. We can quit after nine and we don't lose money because we only played nine holes. We play three times a week all year long weather permitting. 

[cbeau166]

These poll results make no sense. If people didn't want to play just nine holes, then giving them the option to play nine holes should make no significant difference in the amount they play. But these poll results are suggesting that if you gave players the option to play nine holes, they would deliberately play less golf overall just to spite you for offering it.

[HackDaddy360]

On 3/10/2021 at 8:50 AM, mizuno player said:

I may be in the minority here. I like a 4 hour round. 2 each 9. If it's really nice out and we're having fun and playing at a steady pace I can handle 4:15. 

 

I used to play with a group that wanted to play in no more than 3:30. Too fast can be as unenjoyable as too slow. 

 

I heard somewhere that  the waiting is the hardest part. 

 

We have 9 hole rates in my area but it's not very coat effective in my opinion  

I agree with this.  
 

Golf is a time commitment.  Not just in terms of the time it takes to play but the time it takes to practice as well.  
 

If you’ve ever been (or are) legit good at golf then you know it takes thousands of hours and dedication to really get “good”.   

Making the game “faster” for pace of play reasons is something I’m fine with for the casual golfer.  I’m actually fine with it for better players but let’s be real - as a better than scratch handicap I can go out with other better than scratch handicaps and if we hustle we can play 18 in 3 as a foursome with no traffic. No problem at all and that’s walking. 
 

To me, the issue with pace of play is people not knowing basic things like:

- leave your bag between the green and next tee when putting. 
- finish our your putts quickly. 
- get up to the ball and pull the trigger 

- don’t grind on every shot/round 

- actually help people find their ball if it’s lost. 
- if the ball is plugged, get group consensus on where to drop and do it. 

The list goes on.  That’s a long way of saying that the compounding of a lot of JV habits adds significant time to a round of golf - regardless of skill level - and that impacts the rest of the players.  
 

All of that said - it’s golf.   Enjoy the scenery.  Being outside.  The care and complexity that goes into designing, building,  caring for and then playing a golf course.  It’s an art form.  
 

So if you don’t have 4 hours to play a game that takes four hours - you should make more time to play.  It’s worth it.  
 

 

[Under2hours]

On 3/10/2021 at 11:50 AM, mizuno player said:

I may be in the minority here. I like a 4 hour round. 2 each 9. If it's really nice out and we're having fun and playing at a steady pace I can handle 4:15. 

 

I used to play with a group that wanted to play in no more than 3:30. Too fast can be as unenjoyable as too slow. 

 

I heard somewhere that  the waiting is the hardest part. 

 

We have 9 hole rates in my area but it's not very coat effective in my opinion  

Anyone saying 3:30 is too fast would  be asked to leave our foursome.....  3:30 & we wonder why we were so slow.....

[nsxguy]

On 3/10/2021 at 11:50 AM, mizuno player said:

I may be in the minority here. I like a 4 hour round. 2 each 9. If it's really nice out and we're having fun and playing at a steady pace I can handle 4:15. 

 

I used to play with a group that wanted to play in no more than 3:30. Too fast can be as unenjoyable as too slow. 

 

I heard somewhere that the waiting is the hardest part. 

 

We have 9 hole rates in my area but it's not very coat effective in my opinion  

 

Totally agree.

 

3:45 - 4:15 for a 4-some is a nice comfortable POP*.

 

Once played in 3:15 and coming off the 18th green I remember thinking I felt like I just started.

 

 

* - coming from NYC I was used to a minimum of 4.5 hours and often 5 hours (on the weekends of course) - so you either get used to it or go to the beach instead.

[nicelife]

I'm all in on less. When it's smooth 18 is great. On a slow weekend 12 15 18, I'll take off if I'm satisfied. I will note that I have a season pass so I don't pay anything after the initial cash dump. On weekdays I will sometimes head over to the city course near work for a lunch loop. I can play 5 holes and be back to my assigned area in an hour or I can be late and play 9. There are a few other loops, as short as 3 holes. If you want all gas all the time fun 3 holes par 4, par 4, par 5 is it!

 

[RoyalMustang]

I grew up on a 9-hole course and we were always able to play after school. It was ideal.  

 

In Dallas, we have very few 9 hole courses or even 9-hole options. It is kinda silly if you ask me.  Lets assume everyone is retired or doesn't have a family and has 4+ hours to blow on an 18-hole round, plus warm up, plus travel time.  6 hours for a round puts it out of reach for a lot of us with other commitments. 

 

Not to mention that professionals are busier than ever.  The whole "doing business on the golf course" doesn't really exist like it did 20-30 years ago.    At my course on the weekdays, 95% of the people playing are retired or taking a day off from work.  

[RoyalMustang]

On 3/3/2021 at 3:38 PM, MtlJeff said:

 

I'm surprised you're not at a private club. Is it more the guys you play with don't want to join?

 

I couldn't deal with public courses. At least around here, they are so poorly run and unless you play at 6AM it's a 5 hour round. Not to mention no one replaces divots or repairs green marks. 

 

I play 70 rounds in a normal year and i'd say <5 of them are at public courses. There's maybe 2 around here that i usually do as part of charity vegases or work outtings

 

it is getting bad here. Our 9 hole course is 1st come 1st served.  On the tee box there is a line of people going off in groups of 1 and 2; these are typically newbies and don't know that ettiquette calls for pairing up if people are waiting.  Course says they don't have funds for a starter: seriously? Just give someone a free round for every 4 hours worked.  You can roll up to the tee with 6 people in front of you and wait 30 minutes to tee off.  

[GSDriver]

"N" is for nine.  Sometimes 9 holes is all you can play but it's better than not playing at all that day 🙂  From:  The ABCs of Golf circa late 1990s

 

Golf only takes too long when people in front take too long.  We play 27 holes every Sunday, in about 4.5 hours, depends who's in front of us on third 9, first 18 is between 3.0 and 3 1/4 hours.

[uitar9]

Since working from home I started playing 9 holes twice a week after work and still play 18 on the weekend. 

 

Its still great being able to play.

[Quasimoto]

I agree with Mizuno Player and Hack Daddy.

Golf is a multi-experiential event - the weather, the scenery, the wildlife, the fellowship all contribute to the game itself. We usually play between 3:45 and 4:15 depending on how the course is moving. I have no desire to rush around as quick as possible and leave out the rest of the experience. I may stop and enjoy a hawk diving on a mouse or mole. It only takes 30 seconds and doesn’t hold anyone up.

The most enjoyable rounds are approx 2 hrs per nine.

There is a sign at the practice green at my course that list 5 etiquette points.

Then a statement that says: “Golf is a 4 and 1/2 hour round”. Enjoy the day.

[A.Princey]

9 holes by itself is mostly a spur of the moment, last chance, last grope type situation. No way I'm planning a 9 hole round in advance without a huge time constraint or something tying my hands. 18 all the way, as much as time will allow.

[J_Tizzle]

On 3/1/2021 at 9:45 PM, wattage said:

Hey Golf WRX community-

I'm interested how many others wish 9 hole bookings were an option. As a father of 2 young children I am super crunched to squeeze golf into a day, and have walked off the course after 14-15 holes a lot lately. I know I would get more golf days if I could play 9. 

If interested please include your location in this thread.

Thx

BW

 

My club is actually pretty good about the afternoon times usually.  If its fairly open and I grab a cart, I can hammer out 18 in about 2 hours, if I walk the front 9 by myself I can do it in a little under 1.5 hours, which might be perfect when my little one comes around later this year.

[jlbos83]

Most places I play nine is an option.  Maybe not always online, but it is available.  To be fair, I don't really agree with the initial premise, except for a really slow round!  Usually I am a little disappointed around the 17th, when I realize I am almost done!

 

[Pepperturbo]

I am 100% in favor of supporting the fastest thinker, the fastest performer, and the fastest ship in the convoy.  Slower thinkers, slower performers and slowest ship in the convoy should NEVER be in the lead unless we're talking about playing Chess,  government workers and Tug boats.

 

Pace of play in golf is about the only topic where pace of play should be moderate, in favor or the masses; in the middle between the fastest and slowest players.  The fastest should go out early AM, and slowed later PM.  That way it allows All the people I know to play 18 holes of golf at a comfortable pace, and a few of us can enjoy fine cigars and the beautiful outdoors.

[naval2006]

At my course there's no carts, just walking.  On weekdays people play only 9 holes.  I guess a 9 hole cart ride feels like not enough.  Squeezing 9 holes on a weekday is more than fine.  Mind you, I live in a small city where going to a course can take from 5 to 20 minutes. 

[KingstonGolfer]

A good reason to join a private club. Play 2 or 14 holes. Same price for the month 

[bazinky]

On 2/13/2022 at 8:42 AM, Justin Spillman said:

A good reason to join a private club. Play 2 or 14 holes. Same price for the month 

 

This was the primary reason I finally went private. I could hit some balls at the range, and walk a few holes while the wife and daughter napped in the afternoon. My course has several good 3-4 hole loops that end up back at the clubhouse. I was able to get a surprising amount of golf in and still keep the family happy.

 

Also, being able to play early and finish 18 in time to meet the family for lunch at the pool makes my golf habit much more tolerable for my wife.  

 

[lefthack]

I walked the last half last year and got a new cart for Christmas, so walking is even better. With return to office Monday and Friday, I get a 7:30 (or earlier if it's light enough) tee time and I'm in the office by 9, still before most folks. 

 

I'm averaging 3 18 hole rounds a month with about 15 rounds of 9 or more. New shoes and new cart make 1:10 rounds of 9 easy. 18 takes at least 2:30 and getting that in before the office is a bit much. 🤣

[KingstonGolfer]

On 2/14/2022 at 10:02 AM, bazinky said:

 

This was the primary reason I finally went private. I could hit some balls at the range, and walk a few holes while the wife and daughter napped in the afternoon. My course has several good 3-4 hole loops that end up back at the clubhouse. I was able to get a surprising amount of golf in and still keep the family happy.

 

Also, being able to play early and finish 18 in time to meet the family for lunch at the pool makes my golf habit much more tolerable for my wife.  

 

100%. Then all the family activities they do as a bonus 

[DoubleBogeyPapi]

I live in Southern California, there are plenty of 9 hole offerings around me. Although I prefer to play less frequently and have my 2 long 18 rounds a month vs a bunch of 9's. That's my preference. I have a newborn too now so I try and keep the golf to once a month now until he's a bit older to come out with me.