Pace of Play

[Uisce Beatha]

http://www.golfmagic.com/...?sp=&v=8&uan=2514

Players in US Tour events are allowed 40 seconds to play their shot if they are first to play from the tee or fairway on a par-4 or par-5. And they are allowed a full minute around the green (including bunkers) or on the putting green - more than enough time for most handicap golfers to four-putt, hurl their club and reach the next tee!

One minute to play the stroke from the putting green?  Anyone else call  on this?  If the policy was enforced Jim Furyk wouldn't make it to the turn on Thursday.

I'm glad slow play is getting extra attention from the pro tours.  I've said a million times that slow play is caused by slow players.  And slow players are probably, at least in part, slow because they take their cues from professional golf broadcasts.

[campy]

I've always been a proponent of "ready" golf, and I have always felt that outside of tournaments, "honors" really has no place, if you are ready to hit, hit. 

I played a couple of league nights this year that turned into marathons strictly because of the back and forth "who is away" banter and not being ready to hit when safe to do so.  That being said, lately I have been slow for no other reason than having my head up my ass, and not paying attention to others around me. 

[Uisce Beatha]

I've always been a proponent of "ready" golf, and I have always felt that outside of tournaments, "honors" really has no place, if you are ready to hit, hit. 

I played a couple of league nights this year that turned into marathons strictly because of the back and forth "who is away" banter and not being ready to hit when safe to do so.  That being said, lately I have been slow for no other reason than having my head up my ass, and not paying attention to others around me. 

I'm glad to hear you say that.  I played out of turn quite often the other day but we don't stand on honor order at all.  I'm basically just used to going second behind whatzhizarsehole.   

That was a hell of a slow round though wasn't it?  I didn't check the clock but it must have pushed five hours.  Busy course on the weekend.  Unfortunate but that's how it is.

[campy]

I've always been a proponent of "ready" golf, and I have always felt that outside of tournaments, "honors" really has no place, if you are ready to hit, hit. 

I played a couple of league nights this year that turned into marathons strictly because of the back and forth "who is away" banter and not being ready to hit when safe to do so.  That being said, lately I have been slow for no other reason than having my head up my ass, and not paying attention to others around me. 

I'm glad to hear you say that.  I played out of turn quite often the other day but we don't stand on honor order at all.  I'm basically just used to going second behind whatzhizarsehole.   

That was a hell of a slow round though wasn't it?  I didn't check the clock but it must have pushed five hours.  Busy course on the weekend.  Unfortunate but that's how it is.

We could of sped things up a little if I had gone with my first instinct of wrapping your cousins 3-wood around the next available tree on the 1st hole.

Nothing slows play more than spending 3 minutes over the ball on every tee, chanting to yourself "I'm am not getting outdrove by a 3-wood, I will not get outdrove by a 3-wood...god damn it, I am going to get outdrove by a 3-wood" then duffing one to the ladies tees.

[Uisce Beatha]

LOL.

The only reason he's using that thing is because he has a bad wrist and elbow.  He hits the driver just as well when he's on form and gets me by 40 yards at least.

You get used to it.   

[spacey]

lol. I'm used to getting my ass handed to me by a guy wielding a 3 wood. Nothing new there. Yeah, it was a slow round, and the guys following us made sure to bitch about it loudly enough for us to hear as they walked into the clubhouse, but seriously we never fell more than a hole behind the twosome in front of us, and always managed to fill the gap by the next hole, so what was there to be done about it? I hate slow play as much as the next guy, but on a Sunday morning anything sub-5 hours is pretty much going to have to be acceptable.

One of my best friends, who's incidentally one of the best golfers I know, can be infuriating to play with. He's got one of the longest pre-shot routines I've ever seen, spends what seems like hours reading every putt, etc. His dad is just as bad, so I have to guess that's where he learned it. They're a tough group to play with because I want to yell "hurry the *fudge* up!" at them, but I still want him to be my friend. What to do, what to do?

[Uisce Beatha]

Yeah, it was a slow round, and the guys following us made sure to bitch about it loudly enough for us to hear as they walked into the clubhouse, but seriously we never fell more than a hole behind the twosome in front of us, and always managed to fill the gap by the next hole, so what was there to be done about it?

I don't think it was ever a full hole gap to be honest.  We never fell more than half a hole behind and waited on at least 14 tee boxes.  I certainly didn't try to "pick it up" as there was nowhere to go.  If I'm going to have to wait on the next tee box I'm definitely in no rush to finish this hole in record time. 

*8==>*heads for sure.  I honestly didn't realize that was them in the clubhouse.  I might have had something smartarse to say if I had.  You'd have to be blind not to notice the entire course was playing at five hours.

[spacey]

I don't think it was ever a full hole gap to be honest.  We never fell more than half a hole behind and waited on at least 14 tee boxes.  I certainly didn't try to "pick it up" as there was nowhere to go.  If I'm going to have to wait on the next tee box I'm definitely in no rush to finish this hole in record time. 

No, you're quite right. I guess I was looking at it from the perspective they would have had playing behind us, where they wouldn't have always seen the guys in front of us, but had plenty of opportunity to see that we definitely weren't holding up play. I'm like you, though, if I'm going to be waiting anyway, there's no reason to rush. Makes for a very frustrating round.

I figure if you can't stand a 5 hour round, don't play on Sunday or else join a private club. That being said, play is generally way too slow, regardless of day of the week. Nothing worse than watching a guy line up a putt for 5 minutes and still miss it, and badly, only to go through the same thing. And it happens all the time. I blame the PGA.

[campy]

I don't think it was ever a full hole gap to be honest.  We never fell more than half a hole behind and waited on at least 14 tee boxes.  I certainly didn't try to "pick it up" as there was nowhere to go.  If I'm going to have to wait on the next tee box I'm definitely in no rush to finish this hole in record time. 

No, you're quite right. I guess I was looking at it from the perspective they would have had playing behind us, where they wouldn't have always seen the guys in front of us, but had plenty of opportunity to see that we definitely weren't holding up play. I'm like you, though, if I'm going to be waiting anyway, there's no reason to rush. Makes for a very frustrating round.

I figure if you can't stand a 5 hour round, don't play on Sunday or else join a private club. That being said, play is generally way too slow, regardless of day of the week. Nothing worse than watching a guy line up a putt for 5 minutes and still miss it, and badly, only to go through the same thing. And it happens all the time. I blame the PGA.

and the guys following us made sure to bitch about it loudly enough for us to hear as they walked into the clubhouse,

I must having been changing shoes when the Clubhouse comments were made, though I heard quite enough flapping on the course.  It is probably a good thing I didn't hear them as I am certain I would have said something.

[E-A-G-L-E!]

One minute around the greens - yeah, right. 


Mark me down in the ready golf category, too.

[Fuzzy]

I don't think it was ever a full hole gap to be honest.  We never fell more than half a hole behind and waited on at least 14 tee boxes.  I certainly didn't try to "pick it up" as there was nowhere to go.  If I'm going to have to wait on the next tee box I'm definitely in no rush to finish this hole in record time. 

Nothing worse than watching a guy line up a putt for 5 minutes and still miss it, and badly, only to go through the same thing. And it happens all the time. I blame the PGA.

IMO, the single worst influence the PGA has on amateurs.

On a side note (and routine golfhos threadjack) I have a good friend who would make the old Sergio (grip, regrip, regrip, regrip, rinse, repeat) seem positively lightning fast. Only it's not with the grip. He steps in, waggles, left foot back and look at the target, step in, left foot back and look at target, step in, etc.

And at least 3-4 times a round after doing that routine he'll back out completely and change clubs. Along with being a "who's away" disciple (which isn't necessarily bad but he just doesn't do anything to be ready until others have hit) I get burned out playing with him by June every year.