Golf Not Fun Anymore - Too Slow

[rmc26]

I used to be obsessed with golf. I loved tinkering with clubs and would spend hours a week on this site. 

 

I was in my early twenties with limited commitments.

 

Today, I have completely given up the game based on the time per round. 

 

It is not longer fun, more often than not it is down right frustrating. 

 

Golf has been ruined for me and I have replaced it with other activities. 

 

It is not so much the overall amount of time, but more so the acknowledgment that I am wasting time. Time spent sitting in a cart getting sunburned for no good reason so some clown can plumb bob and practice swing like he's on the PGA. 

 

In fact, I blame the PGA. I don't watch golf anymore either. 5-6 hours for a twosome. 

 

It makes me angry just thinking about it. 

 

It is a shame I cannot enjoy a game I learned playing with my father. A game we could walk, talk, joke, and still finish in 3.5 hours. 

 

I wish courses had strict time limits and enforcement. Here in CO 5+ hour rounds are the norm. 

 

I'd rather go hiking or fishing if I'm going to out all afternoon. 

 

 

 

[MtlJeff]

Are these public or private courses? Here at public courses it's pretty similar, but i regularly play in <4 at my private club

[seis]

I played a dreaded weekend round yesterday. We finished in just under 5 hours. One of our playing companions had a decent front nine but on the back we started to wait on the tee and in the fairway for the group in front of us. With each hole our companion grew more frustrated and his back nine score ballooned. Clearly he was not enjoying golf at that point, so I can understand your golf angst.

[stevopagolf]

I joined a modest private club and can't go back. During the week it is 3-3.5 hours.  3:45.... Add in drive time and warm up it's a 6-7 hour ordeal at most public courses around me.  I

[david.c.w]

Not all golf is 5 hours.  You need to find a course and a time that will accommodate your schedule.  You may need to pay more or play at a sub-optimal time.  If you are playing with kids or friends you can make up fun little games while waiting.  Chip around the tee box to see who can get closer to a tee marker.  In the fairway use extra balls and play bocce ball.  

 

Yes it can take some time, but for me slow golf is better than no golf.

 

[ApostateDrive]

I'm on of those weirdos that is just as happy on the range practicing and tracking swing/flight numbers to compare to previous data, as I am playing a course. Tbh, I probably enjoy the range more. 

 

Sorry the game has gotten no fun for you.

[Louis_Posture]

56 minutes ago, rmc26 said:

.

 

Today, I have completely given up the game based on the time per round. 

 

 

 

 

Play first out in the morning and the round will be less than 4 hours. My group (s) are always the first out and our average round is 3 hours.

[third-times-a-charm]

Same reason my wife and I stopped playing public courses and joined private - YEARS ago.

 

It's a straight up circus on public courses and no one is fixing it anytime son.

The only time I go play a public course and accept my 6-hour fate is for beer golf with college buddies.

[MattM97]

Only time my rounds are 5+ hours are when I'm playing in tournaments. 

 

If you are playing 1 course and it's that long play the first few tee times or the last few tee times. If the same you need to find a new course. 

[bellken]

Nothing wrong with hiking and fishing. I try to avoid playing in the afternoon, as, afternoon rounds go a bit slower than morning rounds.

[NoTalentLefty]

Most of the time we get done in 4 hours or less here in the Midwest playing public in foursomes. Got behind a threesome and pushed us to 5 hours but not typical .

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

Slow golf does suck and I agree to an extent the OP blaming the PGAT, for allowing 5-6 hours and the amateurs who see pros playing for millions on TV then emulate their routines thinking they'll play better.

 

I quit playing tournament golf about 5 years ago due to the ridiculously slow pace of play.

 

Only way to avoid is to play very early or very late in the day.

[MelloYello]

Only way to speed things up is to limit the number of people or to have everyone just do a better job of respecting PoP.

 

It's exceedingly hard to do either without (1) increasing the price or (2) developing the course in a rural place where going out of business is a real possibility. 

[spacecowboy]

It amazes me that courses don't have the balls to enforce a pace of play.  After all, there is a limited amount of daylight every day, especially during prime hours.  It seems logical to me that the faster the pace is, the more rounds that can be sold.  There are courses (and the list grows) that I will NOT go back to because of the pace of play.  

 

I'd like to see rates based on the pace of your play with a surcharge for lagging behind the group ahead of you which gets credited to those that you are holding up.  Easily done with GPS.  I'd feel a little better about a 4.5 hour round if i knew that some douchebag a few holes ahead of me was subsidizing my round.

[caniac6]

I play most of my rounds during the week, and we play in 3.5 hours, or less. Our course is going to close next year for a renovation, and the finished product will be a more difficult course. This will result in longer, less enjoyable rounds. I’m going to play a lot of different courses while our course is closed, and if I don’t like the changes, I’ll join somewhere else.

I

[sittingbull]

Good one less golfer on the course..

[erikro]

Play 9 holes. Try a par 3 course. I don’t think slow play is a private vs public course issue.

[tatertot]

Live in central Iowa, and am in the same boat ... can't afford a private club, and there is no more "sub-optimal" time. Tee sheets are full 7-days a week. Went off as the second group off the other day ... it was a 4 1/2 hour round. We could have skipped a hole, but who wants to skip a hole as the second group out? Have not seen a ranger all year, at any course. 

 

The culprit is Covid ... so many people "work" from home now, they have a lot more free time. Pre-Covid, I'd go out and play 36 holes on a weekday afternoon between noon and 6. Those days are a distant memory.

[Wooley12]

I'll just leave this here. May need to unmute the vid

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq--0iBAFmN/?img_index=1

[AngryGilmore]

1 hour ago, tatertot said:

Live in central Iowa, and am in the same boat ... can't afford a private club, and there is no more "sub-optimal" time. Tee sheets are full 7-days a week. Went off as the second group off the other day ... it was a 4 1/2 hour round. We could have skipped a hole, but who wants to skip a hole as the second group out? Have not seen a ranger all year, at any course. 

 

The culprit is Covid ... so many people "work" from home now, they have a lot more free time. Pre-Covid, I'd go out and play 36 holes on a weekday afternoon between noon and 6. Those days are a distant memory.

Me too.  I live in Des Moines and it is getting harder to get a tee time.   I sometimes have to play Coldwater in Ames if I have a day off because it isn't terribly crowded in the mornings.

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

1 hour ago, tatertot said:

Live in central Iowa, and am in the same boat ... can't afford a private club, and there is no more "sub-optimal" time. Tee sheets are full 7-days a week. Went off as the second group off the other day ... it was a 4 1/2 hour round. We could have skipped a hole, but who wants to skip a hole as the second group out? Have not seen a ranger all year, at any course. 

 

The culprit is Covid ... so many people "work" from home now, they have a lot more free time. Pre-Covid, I'd go out and play 36 holes on a weekday afternoon between noon and 6. Those days are a distant memory.

We have played a course that has 3 9s for past 15 years, until covid we could easily play 27, sometimes even 36 on a Sunday morning in about 4/4 to 5 hours, haven't been able to play even 27 in over two years due to the course being packed and play slows exponentially with the past 9am tee times.

[Chunkitgood]

This is speculation mixed with experience:

 

I’m old enough to remember (or believe I remember) a time when the people who played golf generally seemed to know how to play golf, when you had to learn a decent swing to get the ball in the air, or you pretty much gave up.  At least I knew a lot of people who tried to play golf and decided to pursue other hobbies pretty fast.  Right around 2003 for some reason there seemed to have been a tipping point, a confluence of Tiger Woods and “game improvement” irons and big headed drivers after which everybody all of a sudden became “decent ball strikers” without learning how to actually strike the ball properly.
 

Is it possible the desire to make golf easier has just made a round last longer?

 

Hollow or foam filled clubs aren’t clubs.

[68bronco]

2 hours ago, erikro said:

Play 9 holes. Try a par 3 course. I don’t think slow play is a private vs public course issue.

I’m on the opposite end of you.  Most folks at our CC would rather pickup than wear the “slow golfer” badge of shame, therefore we can still get around under 4 hrs even with a packed tee sheet.

 

I rarely see people give the same care or the courtesy of a waive through on a public track.

 

 

[naval2006]

At our little club we are working on slow play and it’s paying so far. We’re in winter so lines are threesomes and we managed to walk four hour rounds (almost 5 hours with medal-play foursomes). We’re also training the group of new players to pick up pace of play. A couple of Sat. ago I played with a newbie. The guy shot 120 but never missed a ball, he counted all his shots and he never had to get back to fetch his pull cart. He and I played the round in 3:30 hours. 
 

The fact is most people are pleased with less time on the course and the new ones are eager to get a handicap to compete. It could have been the other way around and the speed up program should have to be cancelled. A handful of courses in my area are going that way, too.  

[Barfolomew]

Golf would be fine if it were 12-14 holes only.... I usually burn out after that anyways lol

 

....and why folks taking forever on the greens, its not a tourney just a casual round.....  Its not playing the wrong tees its the greens that kill pace

 

If you suck just hit cause it wont matter, if youre good just hit it too cause you know how

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Barfolomew

[mark174ace]

I played at 6:45am on Saturday and had a 4hr and 20 minute round. I was not amused. It was a muni course with a short distance from the green to the next tee for the most part.  I consider myself fairly perceptive and a lot of people took up golf during covid in my state and pre-shot routines and standing over the ball frozen has gotten a lot worse. Most likely comes from watching golf on tv.

[jordan2240]

I'm with the camp that thinks one of the main issues is people trying to copy what they see on television.  God forbid more people start using aimpoint.  Perhaps it might benefit courses to start handing out pamphlets listing ways to increase pace, though that might not do much without an active ranger.  At the very least, they could have a large poster in the pro shop listing pace-of-play tips and direct each golfers' attention to it.  I'll also add that courses can cause their own issues as well but cutting rough too high.  If everyone has to spend 3 minutes looking for shots that aren't that far off the fairway, it greatly impacts pace.

 

And perhaps walking the course is a better option than riding.  Gives you a similar benefit to hiking and allows you to vary your pace as necessary, though it won't eliminate waiting in all cases.

Edited June 27, 2023 by jordan2240

[SnowbirdTom]

Ready golf is the solution.  Teach it, preach it and enforce it.  If your playing partner is fetching his club and you’re ready, hit the bloody ball and don’t wait for him/her to figure out what club and then get ready.  I see it far too much as an active ranger and politely discuss it with slow groups.  The first time.  Second talk is a bit more firm. Third, the group being held up is allowed to play thru. After that, grab your stuff and see ya later.  Have full support of management on this.
 

This goes even on league play nights.  Tossed one guy on his third warning when he got lippy.  They were two holes behind and holding up 2/3rds of their league and another one behind them.  Next week, they were on pace of play.  🙂

[Denny100]

22 hours ago, rmc26 said:

I used to be obsessed with golf. I loved tinkering with clubs and would spend hours a week on this site. 

 

I was in my early twenties with limited commitments.

 

Today, I have completely given up the game based on the time per round. 

 

It is not longer fun, more often than not it is down right frustrating. 

 

Golf has been ruined for me and I have replaced it with other activities. 

 

It is not so much the overall amount of time, but more so the acknowledgment that I am wasting time. Time spent sitting in a cart getting sunburned for no good reason so some clown can plumb bob and practice swing like he's on the PGA. 

 

In fact, I blame the PGA. I don't watch golf anymore either. 5-6 hours for a twosome. 

 

It makes me angry just thinking about it. 

 

It is a shame I cannot enjoy a game I learned playing with my father. A game we could walk, talk, joke, and still finish in 3.5 hours. 

 

I wish courses had strict time limits and enforcement. Here in CO 5+ hour rounds are the norm. 

 

I'd rather go hiking or fishing if I'm going to out all afternoon. 

 

 

 

 

If youd rather go hiking and fishing, the easy question would be why not go hiking and fishing? particularly as you dont demand your hiking and fishing be over quickly yet do demand that of your golf (which you dont enjoy anyway)

[ND2005]

I flat out won't play a public course unless I can get a tee time before 8am. Sometimes even 7:30-8:00am is dicey, just takes one or two groups to ruin it for us all and the marshals don't enforce anything.