Anybody go Rory Sabbatini on a slow player?

[FredZollner]

Just curious how everyone handles the slow player.  Particularly in two situations: 1) the casual weekend round and 2) in tournament play where a warning is given by an official.

 

I did a Rory one time on a guy that was searching for his ball on 2 or 3 consecutive holes and an official came up and warned ALL of us in the group. Three of us pled our case with the official to no avail. I was mildly livid and two of us marched to the next tee after putting out and teed off while the lost ball player was fiddling on the green. 

[b.helts]

If I ever “go Rory Sabbatini” on anything or anyone I give all of you permission, nay, a directive to immediately kick my a**. 

[jholz]

I've never had it happen in competition, so can't speak to that. But, for a casual round, I just make sure the group(s) behind us know that I am not the problem, then I go find a nice shady spot out of the way and enjoy watching the clouds go by. 

 

What? Dude's forcing me to spend more time on the golf course?  What a crime!

[caniac6]

Never. 

[Loki]

44 minutes ago, FredZollner said:

...an official came up and warned ALL of us in the group. Three of us pled our case with the official to no avail.

I have always thought this was bush league for an official to do this.

 

I once played in a tourney where one of our threesome dropped out after 9 because he wasn't playing well (was, what a baby). The other guy was notoriously slow. We lost time on the threesomes ahead of us and held up play behind us. I let it be known it wasn't acceptable, not that it made any difference. 

[Superfast2.0]

No, I've never won an Olympic medal in response to someone's slow play.

[DLiver]

My #1 rule for golf: don't be a dick. YMMV

[mark m]

Ever go Van Rooyen? What Sabo said to Ben Crane never bother me. It was a little over the top, but the tour has been weak in addressing slow play. Sometimes guys get frustrated for all kinds of reasons and vent. It's not ideal, but it does happen, and it's no biggie most of the time. 

 

1. The group of 30 or so guys in our game keep a good pace overall. We have a couple of slower guys, and you may have a slower round if both are in your group. But it rarely goes more than 4:30. Most rounds are 3:50 to 4:10. If there is a slow group of outsiders on a 5:00 pace in front of us, we call for the ranger and he typically can get them moving.

 

2. Tournament rounds can be an issue. My group was once warned in a state championship due to one really slow guy in our group. I knew the stated policy - the entire group is first warned and perhaps later all are penalized, but you do have the right to contest the penalty after play. I appreciate that our state association has the policy. But it's not ideal. But better than nothing. They just don't have the bodies to time individual players. But if you did, it would be instantly obvious who is slow. Between holes I asked him to pick it up and that I would contest any penalty he caused. The other guy didn't say anything, but he agreed. I later talked to him about it. The slow guy picked it up slightly and we were not penalized. But it was stressful as we were being watched.

 

3. I have played in interclub fourball match play (gross) for 30 years.  I have been Captain 4 times, and in that role I typically go first or second. I need to be there early to meet the other Captain and exchange line-ups, etc. And I calculate our $$ game after. We were lucky in that none of our best players were slow. I front loaded our lineup and put our slower players last. (Other teams also put slow players last.) We did well. When not Captain, I was often placed last and had to play against very slow players. Because it was match play, and there was no Committee or officials on site, nothing could really be done to get these guys moving. So I didn't say anything. Sometimes we would finish 3 or 4 holes behind. One time a couple of teammates came out and checked - as they didn't really believe we were still out there! I recall one time when my brother and I had walked out to our tee balls on a par 4, and our opponents were sitting on the bench back on the tee! I kid you not. Frankly, a lot of this is gamesmanship and horrible etiquette. It didn't work for them. Last year I asked not to be put last anymore. I told them I paid my dues (20 years). I've always been a team guy and not a prima donna, but I've had enough of this stuff. And we have a number of good younger players who can better fill that role. So they put us early and we set a good pace for the others. It's more enjoyable. 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by mark m

[snagy2000]

We walk most of our rounds and I have a "Sergio" in our group who also likes to pace off putts, etc. on the greens. After hitting my ball, I just start walking up the fairway or off the green towards the next tee box. If I happen to get paired with one of these types in a tournament, I do the same thing.

 

At my old club, I was playing with a guy who's a 20+ and he likes like to wipe his grips multiple times before every shot as well as take forever on greens and we usually are looking for his ball a lot. We were playing as a twosome one time and got caught by a foursome. I just shook my head, giggled and reminded him he was 20+ handicap. He's gotten a little quicker on the course since then.

[MikeW2]

Many years ago in a club championship, my first actually got paired into a threesome with one of the guys beyond slow. I didn’t know either of the other members as I was 22 and both guys were early 50’s and our paths rarely crossed. The non slow player was kinda snarky from first tee but I was focused on myself and really paid no attention to it. It was SLOW. The guy took a ton of practice swings behind ball, then beside the ball, would recheck, regrip, you name it he had every slow player stereotype there is. We fell two full holes behind group in front of us. Head pro drove out to us on 7th green to let us know to pick it up. Snarky guy is visibly pissed off because he’s not slow at all. Slow guy does not change his pace at all. We finish the front 9 and slow guy has made the turn in 49. Large group of members is hanging around and is kinda giving snarky guy the business about our pace of play. He is totaling up front 9 ( he had slow guys card) and yelled at the top of his lungs “FORTY-NINE!!!???!!!, you didn’t hit one f****** shot that was worth the wait!” Slow guy was kinda embarrassed as he did this in front of everyone and withdrew. Snarky guy actually became quite friendly on back. Told me he’d been dreading this pairing since day it was posted, slow guy was notoriously slow with very little etiquette for anyone else. Apologizing for being crabby and for the outburst but added the outburst had been brewing for years.

[Hawkeye77]

3 hours ago, FredZollner said:

Just curious how everyone handles the slow player.  Particularly in two situations: 1) the casual weekend round and 2) in tournament play where a warning is given by an official.

 

I did a Rory one time on a guy that was searching for his ball on 2 or 3 consecutive holes and an official came up and warned ALL of us in the group. Three of us pled our case with the official to no avail. I was mildly livid and two of us marched to the next tee after putting out and teed off while the lost ball player was fiddling on the green. 

 

Well that showed him I guess.  Easy to get frustrated, we all do, but Sabbatini admitted he didn't handle it properly and apologized for his behavior, so that is also part of "going" Rory  --- did you as well?

[ChipNRun]

One-day tournaments in the local amateur circuit can be frustrating.

 

We are playing by the rules of golf - no exceptions - so on occasion a player will fall behind if he hits a couple of really bad shots.

 

What we sometimes do is have the first player holed out go onto the next hole and tee off. Then, that leadoff person will move ahead a bit to watch the tee shots of the other two. This normally gives us a jump in time and helps get us back on schedule. (Sometimes it calms down the struggling player if he knows someone is spotting his next tee shot.)

 

BTW, the rule change to a  three-minute limit on searching for wayward ball has speeded up play in these one-day adventures.

 

First circuit round of year usually painful. Half the newbies just don't know the rules of golf.

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by ChipNRun

[Steele47]

Yeppers.

[nitram]

More like Doc Holliday from Tombstone - "You know, Ed, if I thought you weren't my friend, I just don't think I could bear it".

[Blonde Line Lizard]

Bad golfers + garbage amateur/local golf tournaments + the rules of golf = 5+ hours of frustration.

[phizzy30]

No, but I've gone Rory S. on a few occasions on golfers who almost hit us repeatedly on the course and never once yelled fore. 

[phizzy30]

3 hours ago, nitram said:

More like Doc Holliday from Tombstone - "You know, Ed, if I thought you weren't my friend, I just don't think I could bear it".

One of my favorite movies of all time. 

[FredZollner]

17 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

 

Well that showed him I guess.  Easy to get frustrated, we all do, but Sabbatini admitted he didn't handle it properly and apologized for his behavior, so that is also part of "going" Rory  --- did you as well?

Actually, it did. It was the fifteenth hole and I was leading the tournament. I was NOT going to lose that tournament because of a slow play penalty due to another player. Once he saw that we had a teed off, he got the memo. And reasonably kept up the final 3 holes. 

 

If it were a casual round, my reaction would have been completely different. And it would depend on it were a buddy or just some random player. Maybe a joke or two, then maybe a subtle comment about keeping pace with the group ahead, then maybe a direct comment to the group about hitting when ready, then maybe a direct comment to the slow player directly. 

 

Regarding apologies. He apologized to me for his slow play. 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by FredZollner

[Hawkeye77]

18 hours ago, FredZollner said:

Actually, it did. It was the fifteenth hole and I was leading the tournament. I was NOT going to lose that tournament because of a slow play penalty due to another player. Once he saw that we had a teed off, he got the memo. And reasonably kept up the final 3 holes. 

 

If it were a casual round, my reaction would have been completely different. And it would depend on it were a buddy or just some random player. Maybe a joke or two, then maybe a subtle comment about keeping pace with the group ahead, then maybe a direct comment to the group about hitting when ready, then maybe a direct comment to the slow player directly. 

 

Regarding apologies. He apologized to me for his slow play. 

 

So not really like Sabbatini at all, just one hustle up to a tee box.  Not as much drama as was implied. 
 

“Hey mate, we all need to pick up the pace finishing up, you’ll help us out, right?”  
 

That so hard?

[MtlJeff]

I guess i'm rarely in a position where i even can do this. At my club which is private, the pace is never slow enough where i would walk out on someone. There is one player who is famously slow, however he KNOWS he is slow and always tells playing partners they can go on ahead if they want since he enjoys playing alone anyway

 

In outside tournaments , i guess i don't play enough of them where it becomes very frustrating. I expect 5-6 hour rounds frankly. Internal tournaments at my club are all <4.5 hour rounds. My 2 CC rounds this year were actually both under 4 hours

[Ferguson]

I'm guessing both Rory and the OP would think nothing about stealing a marble rye from an unsuspecting old woman. 

[Soloman1]

I don't go all turbopepperkiller and threaten to rip their heads off because golf is just like being shot at in real life...

 

A little humor can get the point across. Things like, "Sheesh (insert name), our clothes are going out of style waitin' for you. Let's pick it up a little..."

[larrybud]

On 9/8/2021 at 5:20 PM, FredZollner said:

Just curious how everyone handles the slow player.  Particularly in two situations: 1) the casual weekend round and 2) in tournament play where a warning is given by an official.

 

I did a Rory one time on a guy that was searching for his ball on 2 or 3 consecutive holes and an official came up and warned ALL of us in the group. Three of us pled our case with the official to no avail. I was mildly livid and two of us marched to the next tee after putting out and teed off while the lost ball player was fiddling on the green. 

 

I frankly don't blame you, and these excuse makers for the slow player are annoying. lol. 

 

It's one thing if the slow player gets the penalty, but when it affects the whole group, you have to do what you have to do to avoid getting a penalty. I think if I got warned (or penalized) a 2nd time, I would ask to speak to the official in charge and plead my case, and ask "what am I supposed to do?" if one guy slows the entire group down.

[clinkinfo]

13 minutes ago, larrybud said:

 

Do they? IME slow players have no idea they are the problem.

When groups are leaving them on the green and going to the next tee, after getting put on the clock.... Yeah, they know.

[larrybud]

20 hours ago, clinkinfo said:

When groups are leaving them on the green and going to the next tee, after getting put on the clock.... Yeah, they know.

Nah, they are in their own world. I've played with those guys all the time, clueless.

[RSinSG]

Yesterday in league play we started on 14B. My foursome are all walkers and there were 2 walkers in the 14A group waiting for the riders to show.

 

There are 3 groups in this league that you do not want to play behind and when signing up we always look for where they are. (Yes, we’ve told the pro multiple times. He makes announcements and nothing changes.)

 

We didn’t know the 2 in front of us, but when George drove up to make them a threesome I didn’t think slow play would be an issue as George is an 80 year old former (current) hippy-like free spirit who is not shy about telling you how he feels about something. 
 

George introduced himself to the 2 guys and says “We play fast here.” They all tee off and I notice one of them has a wonky swing with lots of PSR swings and rituals and I know things weren’t going to end well.

 

We ended up waiting on the two guys several times and after 8 holes George drives back past us saying he’s told them several times to speed up as they were two holes behind and the two wouldn’t pick it up. George packed it in and headed to the pro shop.

 

The now twosome played a little faster but they never pulled away from us. Now we have 4 groups to avoid.

Edited December 3, 2021 by RSinSG

[PoolPond]

On 9/8/2021 at 5:31 PM, b.helts said:

If I ever “go Rory Sabbatini” on anything or anyone I give all of you permission, nay, a directive to immediately kick my a**. 

I assume going Rory means to leave your playing partner behind and go to the next hole when they are taking an unnecessary amount of time to hit a golf ball in a PGA tournament? 

 

Why would you want your "Word not allowed" kicked for that?  Rory was applauded by all but 3 or 4 players when he got back to the locker room and for numerous tournaments after.  He was sending a message to all purveyors of nonsense. The message is working.  Ironically slowly but surely. There are a handful of slow players on tour and everyone knows who they are and everyone hates playing with them. The one Rory left behind was one of the worst. One of the best ping pong players but one of the slowest golfers on planet earth. 

 

I just played a round at the Apache Course at Desert Mt in AZ last week.  Me, my dad and my two sons (17 & 14). We played from 2 different tee boxes, holed every shot, had no one in front of us and played in 3 hours and 5 min. It's too easy to do and can be done while playing bad golf. 

 

I will never fault Rory for what he did.  No doubt the guy is a class A goofball and probably not someone I'd typically hang with but, I love what he did.  I would never have the guts to do it myself but if I did, I would not then request to get my "Word not allowed" kicked. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by PoolPond

[milesgiles]

the tour 'rule' is 40 seconds (ish) to hit.  If someone is obviously going regularly beyond that, call them out. Time them in your head. I do it with chums who are slow. Not tried with a stranger, but then no one carries a gun here..

Edited December 7, 2021 by milesgiles

[hammersia]

We have a very tricky long uphill dogleg to the left, big trees and trouble all the way up the left and more rubbish on the right.

 

I was playing in my usual foursome group with my mate “Bob” (sarcastic but v amusing slightly older guy). I spent about ten minutes hacking around in the trees on the left whilst he played the hole properly.

 

Finally got off the green, I turned to “Bob” and said “just to let  you know, can you pick the pace up, you’ve lost a hole there”. Very amusing it was. 

 

 

[Carl Spackler3]

It would be nice if rangers/ officials simply did their job. Pace of play is treated like solving a calculus formula with your toes.... in reality it is the easiest thing to fix and even easy to monitor prior to a problem