Ranger behavior

[davep043]

17 hours ago, RmoorePE said:

I'm tracking with Augster. I think he is saying that if the course is crowded and slow, he enjoys that too, not that he goes out intent to play slow. Overall it is a better way to look at a slow round than being mad. Certainly an easier way to keep focused. 

I won't speak for anyone else, but I do agree with this.  I enjoy a "prompt" pace of play, I enjoy playing in 3.5 hours when I'm in Scotland, I enjoy getting done in a little over 4 when walking on my home course in Virginia, with longer walks from green to tee, and much more uphill and downhill.  But if play is slow, as it gets to be in tournaments, I tell myself, and others, that there's really no place I'd rather be than on a golf course, and nobody I'd rather be with than my golfing friends.

[mshills]

2 hours ago, davep043 said:

I won't speak for anyone else, but I do agree with this.  I enjoy a "prompt" pace of play, I enjoy playing in 3.5 hours when I'm in Scotland, I enjoy getting done in a little over 4 when walking on my home course in Virginia, with longer walks from green to tee, and much more uphill and downhill.  But if play is slow, as it gets to be in tournaments, I tell myself, and others, that there's really no place I'd rather be than on a golf course, and nobody I'd rather be with than my golfing friends.

 

This is a reasonable attitude!

 

I hate slow play.  An individual group that is conspicuously slow, has no situational awareness, is causing a backlog, and will not let people play through is totally disrespectful and inconsiderate.

 

However, such examples are the exception, not the rule.

 

Most slow play in my experience comes from tee sheets that are slap full, woods that are thick/deep and gobble up balls, high rough that gobbles up more balls, and the $5+ golf ball being gobbled that players cannot stand to lose.  When confronted with this situation, don't be the guy who bitches about the pace for the whole round.  It's not going to change anything other than make you play poorly and make your playing partners tire of your complaining.

 

I do my best to avoid situations like this, but if I see the tee sheet is slammed full, my group is keeping up with the group in front of us, and I cannot see any open holes in front, then my mind turns to thinking about my next shot, studying the lie, looking at a bird in the tree, patterns in the grass, frogs on the edge of the pond I'm bout to hit into, whatever I need to so I don't think about pace of play again.

[golfortennis]

The issue with a 5 hour round is that, IMHO anyway, you are no longer playing golf, you're standing around a lot with an occasional swing.  While one could say "where else would you want to stand around?", I can think of many places that I can do the same amount of standing around for far less money.  

 

mshills hits on one of the biggest problems:  tee time spacing.  Covid showed this was the problem, because when they used the gaps they did, pace went down massively.  Sadly, owners went right back to the methods prior to it.  While the 15-20 minute gaps used were excessive, the 7 minute gaps are just as ridiculous.

 

What I have never understood though is how course owners have gotten to the point where they are more afraid of ticking off a slow foursome, but seem to have no problem with losing the business of the 15 groups that slow group is holding up.  Courses with a reputation for slow play do lose business.

[JimmyC59]

On 7/18/2022 at 2:24 PM, LeoLeo99 said:

My group is very slow. It's one guy in our group but sometimes other slowpokes join us.  It amazes me when the group ahead of us doesn't leave us in the dust but it does eliminate any drama with the group behind wanting to play through.  Last week though, there was no one in front of us.  The group behind us was on our tail.  We dilly dallied on the turn but they never got to the 10th tee so we teed off.  The range came to visit us on the 11th tee.  The ranger told the guys behind us that we were on time but that he'd ask if they could play through.  The ranger just said hello to us so he didn't cause any drama.  The guys asked to play through after we teed off on 11.  Only one guy in our group had an issue with them playing through.  And you know it was our slow guy.  

Why don't you talk to your friends about their slow play? You're as much a part of the problem as they are.

[LeoLeo99]

5 minutes ago, JimmyC59 said:

Why don't you talk to your friends about their slow play? You're as much a part of the problem as they are.

He's not mentally stable.  Lol

 

The other guy is 85.  He can only go so fast.  

 

But thanks for your insight. Maybe you should run for office since you think you have all the answers. 

[JimmyC59]

17 hours ago, LeoLeo99 said:

He's not mentally stable.  Lol

 

The other guy is 85.  He can only go so fast.  

 

But thanks for your insight. Maybe you should run for office since you think you have all the answers. 

You're quite a Jackass.

[Pepperturbo]

POP is guided by region, course difficulty and tee sheet.  Whether a ranger has authority depends on how the course is managed.  All any course can ask is for each tee-group to keep up with the group in front of them.  No one group gets to measure their POP separate from the field, to justify not keeping up with the group in front. 

 

I am in SOCA where tee sheets are often full and walking isn't often allowed except for early morning dew sweepers.  IME, 4-5hrs is rather standard POP.  On average, the one upscale difficult course I frequent on weekends, takes 4-5hrs, depends on how full the AM tee sheet is and whether there's a tournament out front.  At my last two pvt clubs, a round could be 3hrs to as much as 6hrs if a tournament.  Plenty of courses calculate POP based on the tee sheet and course difficulty. 

[LeoLeo99]

.....

Edited July 24, 2022 by LeoLeo99

[betarhoalphadelta]

On 7/21/2022 at 11:57 AM, RmoorePE said:

 

I'm tracking with Augster. I think he is saying that if the course is crowded and slow, he enjoys that too, not that he goes out intent to play slow. Overall it is a better way to look at a slow round than being mad. Certainly an easier way to keep focused. 

 

 

I would agree, but I think the statement of "I don't have to worry about letting faster players through" belied that interpretation. If you're keeping pace with the group in front of you, you don't have to worry about letting faster players through. 

 

Otherwise I agree that a very zen approach to slow rounds is far better for your mental health than griping and getting angry. 

 

But if you prefer a slow 5 hour round for everyone on the course, because you get anxiety over a two-hole gap opening in front of you and players behind you who are more than capable of finishing in 4 hours who wonder why you can't keep up with the group in front of you and wanting to play through? That's a different story.