[tiereenny]

IMHO, slow play breeds bad golf. I know that I like to keep a quicker pace. A usual round for me if I am playing alone takes about 2:15-2:30 max

2:15 is way too quick for me, but taking 95 strokes I can do 3 hrs no problem. I played with a guy who liked to play that fast and I was actually running to keep up as he had an electric cart. I lost him on the first dbl bogey. He was fw, greens, putt, pick it up. Leave the flag in.

This is a big part of the problem. Far too many slow players don't know that they are slow, and will fight to the death defending that belief. And it's nearly impossible to educate a person who doesn't feel that he needs to educated.

Yep, denial is hard to negotiate with. Then take a guy like me who takes 90-100 swipes at it and your playing a 4.5 hr round at best. I play quickly because I know I'll slow down at a couple points per side for ball searches or three putts so I just try to use my time where it is needed.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Fowler was quickest. If he'd drop his sunday solid orange I'd be a fan.

[RicyReetred]

Kind of ironic, seeing as that kid had his ace revoked for slow play.

[tiereenny]

Kind of ironic, seeing as that kid had his ace revoked for slow play.

Ironic? I see it as timely since the kid was probably ruining the other two guys pace or momentum.

[BalaGire]

Some good tips there I have regular members at te club that sign me up as the 4th on the tee sheet for Sunday. We got around in under 4 hours sunday it wad nice.

But they def waste a ton of time on the greens. They are all in the same field so have a lot in common- but it's not my place to instruct them. I'm perfectly happy with 4 hours anyday.

[rhybrisee]

I had an interesting pace of play situation today. There was a foursome ahead of me and I think they just were not very thoughtful or considerate of what they were doing. They were very loud and very slow the entire time. So, I just would not rate them highly for course etiquette.

Anyway I get onto the tee box for 3. Holes 2, 3 and 4 run side by each in up and down fashion for the most part. That is particularly true for 3 and 4 as they virtually border each other.

From what I could see, the foursome ahead of me decided to drive just as the guys ahead of them were taking their second shots. So instead of waiting in the tee box for 4, they ended up driving pretty close to the guys ahead of them and then waiting out where their tee shots landed. As you might have guessed by now one of them landed his tee shot onto the right side of the 3rd fairway, the fairway I was going to be driving into from the tee box for 3. So instead of being back in the tee box for 4 as I was about to tee off on 3 he and his cart were on the right hand side of the fairway I was about to drive into.

While the right hand side is not the place to be on 3, I am still very reluctant to tee off when a guy is standing right in what is a very likely landing area for my drive. So they ended up waiting to hit their approach shots and I ended up waiting before I could drive down the 3rd for the most part because they had taken their tee shots earlier than they should have and then landed at least one of them into the 3rd fairway.

They seemed pretty oblivious to the whole thing because they could clearly see me standing there in the tee box for 3 and they were not yet able to take their 2nd shots on 4. All it would have taken would have been for that one guy to get in his cart and move off into his fairway while I drove my tee shot on 3. Does it sound like I am being unreasonable or do you think he should have moved off into his fairway and waited there so I could tee off on 3? It was not like he was close to being able to hit his approach shot. The guys ahead of his foursome were nowhere near ready to leave the 4th green and anybody with eyes could see that.

I agree, It's really annoying when people are oblivious to the greater situation around them... The funny thing is they probably thought they were playing fast because they were waiting to hit and by blocking you off didn't seem to think anyone was really riding their ass either. So no doubt if you caught up to them they would say something like... "Jeez, the guys ahead of us have been holding us up all day..." Which may actually be somewhat true but doesn't excuse the fact that sitting in your fairway when they had no where to go was just plain ignorant...

I like playing midweek when as few groups are out on the course and I can cook through a round. For me by myself this is still a 3:15 to 3:30 round so maybe I'm slow... ;-).

[Tusanoc]

This is a big part of the problem. Far too many slow players don't know that they are slow, and will fight to the death defending that belief. And it's nearly impossible to educate a person who doesn't feel that he needs to educated.

You nailed it! The same can be said on tour.

[Ornamiviant]

From the same magazine:

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/...075400,00.html



How the average hacker can pick up the pace of play

You may never play as quickly as Christopher Smith, the World Speed Golf record holder (who once shot a 65 in 44 minutes). But you can learn a lot from his lighting-fast ways.

1. Eliminate Practice Swings
"Let's say the average guy shoots 100, and each practice swing takes two or three seconds. That adds up to around five minutes per player per round, or 20 minutes for a foursome. Work out a good routine without them. In my 15 years of playing speed golf, I've never found that not taking a practice swing is detrimental to my game."

2. Stop Obsessing over Yardages
"You don't need to pace off the distance to the last inch. If you can tell yourself, this shot is about 150-ish yards, that's plenty. That's what most of us need in our games. A lot more 'ish.' "

3. Cut Out the Laser
"You look at golf in recent years, and we've gone from pin sheets to lasers to lasers that tell you temperature and elevation. A lazy brain is an ineffective brain and all these devices make us lazy. Maybe a Tour pro can benefit from so much detailed information. But in the hands of the average player, I would argue that all a laser does is slow things down."

4. Don't Read Too Much Into It
"We watch TV and we see guys reading putts from all angles and those fancy graphics that tell us the exact line the ball is supposed to follow, provided it's hit at a pace that will leave it precisely 17 inches past the hole. Talk about slowing down the game! You try that kind of thing yourself, and you're so overloaded with information you can't possibly perform. Go with the read you get in the first five seconds. Your first instincts are as good if not better than what you're going to get after all that other stuff."

I have been using the no practice swing method and it works. Actually started doing it in preparation for playing with JB at the outing since I heard he was a speed golfer. I have had great results with it so far. 2 & 3 seem to almost be at odds with themselves. I have become a much quicker golfer since I got my Skycaddie. I don't need to pace anything off and I'm no longer worried about yardage since I know the numbers I need to hit. I agree on 4. I take a good look behind the ball and that is it. I would consider myself an above average golfer in terms of pace of play

[AdvertisingPo]

I wish marshals policed slow players more. It just doesn't happen.

Interesting article, thanks Smalls!

I agree. Ours sits under a tree next to the Bathroom ,Talking on his cell phone. When you do say something to him .I'll check then he hands you a bushiness card to sell insurance.

[bQXHsKzS]

Same here....I almost never take practice swings before a shot unless I'm in the rough where I may take one swing to see how my club is going to feel going through the stuff

I have been using the no practice swing method and it works. Actually started doing it in preparation for playing with JB at the outing since I heard he was a speed golfer. I have had great results with it so far. 2 & 3 seem to almost be at odds with themselves. I have become a much quicker golfer since I got my Skycaddie. I don't need to pace anything off and I'm no longer worried about yardage since I know the numbers I need to hit. I agree on 4. I take a good look behind the ball and that is it. I would consider myself an above average golfer in terms of pace of play

[LOVEBoy]

Played in a threesome for a 36 hole qualifier on Monday with the fastest player I ever played with. He hits 230 down the middle, doesn't take a practice swing or waste time around the greens. I am a pretty fast player as well, since I don't take practice swings other than less than full shots and I am ready to hit as soon as its my turn. Of course, we waited every shot for all 36 holes yet, we had 5 holes open between us and the group behind us. I think the key is to play ready golf, and to be ready to hit when its your turn. It seemed like a shot was in the air before the last shot landed. Prepare for your next shot as your walking/driving to your ball, and as your partner is playing his shot. Get out of the cart, take a few clubs and walk to your ball (drives me nuts when people wait to be driven up to their ball 10 yards away from the cart partner).