[desmond001]

First I don't want people that play in leagues to think I am attacking leagues in general because for one thing I do not even know if the behavior I notice locally is just that, a local phenomenon.

Now that the leagues are in full swing a number of the local courses are just jammed with them. Today I was stuck behind two leagues that had the tees from about 3:30 till 5:30 this afternoon. I did not even make an effort to "play" in the sense of going around the course today as I knew I would not get anywhere. So once I got onto the 3rd and 4th holes I just kept going up 3 and down 4 waiting for the crowds to dissipate on the other holes. There was nobody behind me so nobody cared what I was doing.

The group that got off later in the day was obviously a ladies league and they were fine, moved right along at least as much as they could. I say as much as they could because the league ahead of them contained the most belligerent groups of slow players I have ever seen.

From the tee box on 4 I can see all of 5 (a par 3) the 6th fairway and green, the tee box for 7 all of 8 (another par 3) and the tee box for 9. I could see that the golf carts were just piling up all over the place.

As an example, as I was looking across to the 8th green I could see these four guys standing there. I was hitting multiple balls as it was clear that I was going nowhere in any hurry and there was nobody foolish enough to even try to be out there behind me so I was all alone. So I whacked a drive from the tee box on 4. Same four guys just standing around the green at 8. Whacked another drive from the tee box on 4 and they are still basically just standing there. So now I decided to stop and see what the heck they were doing. As you might have guessed, they were playing the you are away game. So with golf carts stacking up all over the place, they got closer and closer to their goal. They started each at about 20 feet from the cup. Eventually at a pace that made paint drying seem exciting, they finally got to within a couple feet of the hole. The pace was agonizing to watch. They stood over these putts forever and then of course would only putt if they were the one that was away. Worse than that not one of them would do anything in preparation for his putt while one of the others was putting. Frankly I just don't even know how you could make a putt standing over it for such a long period of time. I don't know if it is contagious or not but I have never seen four guys that all stood over putts for such inordinately long periods. In some cases there were frozen in place over the putt for 15-20 seconds at a time.

By the time they were done, these four guys had taken over 6 minutes to putt out. It was probably closer to 8 minutes and I really do not know how long they were really up there because they were there before I really started to pay any attention to them. By the time they were done there were two groups of ladies waiting at the tee box for the 8th and a third group coming off of 7 headed up to it.

Is there something extra special about these leagues that makes this behavior acceptable? I don't get it. You would think they were putting to win the US Open. In fact I don't really know what they were doing because I can't stand over a putt that long and have any chance of making it.

By the time the ladies league could finally finish the Pro Shop door was locked. I don't think I had ever seen that before. The gals had to have teed off between 5:00 and 5:30 and the last of them got off the course at 8:00 with the darkness fast closing in. That is 2 hours and 30 minutes for 9 holes!

Anyway I thought I would ask here. Is slow pace common within the league crowd?

[TOPERink]

HA! I just joined a new men's league this year. I've played in my "Work" league for a few years. That league is slow as hell because we encourage anyone and everyone to come take a stab at it. The men's league at my home course however encouraging if you want to call it that has a wide range of skills within and we/they play just as slow if not slower. Its insane, but moreso I think because almost every group has that rules guy. Which is not a bad thing, but if anything debatable comes up, then yes they debate it. I think this is good to get a proper ruling however, they argue it more than they resolve it. Also, we consider each league night a "tournament" and therefore each shot is critical to each player.

Ultimately, the leagues are pretty funny to me now that I'm a part of one outside of work and I think they do play awfully slow!

[Biradallo]

I think league play is slow everywhere...if I see a league going on I just don't even bother going out most times. I don't mind a little waiting but I just don't have time to wait for that kind of back up.

[SeelaypeKet]

Most leagues are slow, but some are not. I work at a golf course in the summer and there are a few leagues that consistently play at or faster than our "expected" pace. Our men's league is very slow though.

[Indoendris]

This is my my first year in a league of 55+ seniors, and from what I hear, 5+ hour rounds are the norm. However, the first 18 I played with them went relatively quick - around 4:15/4:30. The league I formerly played in was a 9 hole league, and 3 hour rounds were not unusual. I've found that it only takes a few slow players to bring the league to a standstill. But, from what I hear, all leagues are SLOW!

I play in a Saturday foursome that goes out early inthe morning, and we finish in less than 3 1/2 hours. I love that pace!

[LongaDonga]

i avoid our course like the plague on tues and thurs if i cant get on before 9am
anytime after that and youre looking at a 6hr round

[bertanu]

I play in a league every Wednesday night. The pace is slow, but I am in the A flight. We get put out in the front of everybody and I think the highest handicap is a 20 in the A group. It moves fairly quickly in the front and I guess it slows down towards the back.

[suilusargaino]

League = Plague

[Edifsdubs]

I've played in a mens league for a very long time, maybe close to 30 years, and it is super slow. Slow to the point it gets backed up pretty easy if anyone out front has a issue (ie lost ball or something). We only play 9 holes each week, but it can be 2 1/2 + hours pretty easy. We talked about this issue at our league meeting this spring and everyone agreed to play ready golf, but it seems nothing changed.

[bertanu]

I wonder if there was a handicap limit, would a league go faster?

[Pdarasenko]

That's just the way it is. I don't even try to go out and play after work during league season (except for the 2 I'm in). You just gotta expect it and adjust your schedule around them.

[avarberickibe]

The course I play in my women's league at has the leagues go off on one side and leaves the other nine open for people just coming to play. Also the women in my league have an unofficial rule that once you hit double par +1 you pick up your ball to keep the pace of play up. There is one group of ladies in the league that don't follow everyone elses unofficial rule so we all usually try to get out before them. This group of ladies also doesn't like to allow faster players to pass so it can be very frustrating at times. This course also usually only has one league going a night. Except Wednesday when there is an older men's league that plays but they tee off around 3 and the my league doesn't go off until 5.

[bertanu]

I think leagues are helping out courses now. I know it is a pain for regular golfers to try and play at these courses during league time. If a golf course can slam their holes at 5 on a Wednesday. I say power to them. That is revenue coming in and gives them money to make the course nicer for everybody else.

[Pdarasenko]

I wonder if there was a handicap limit, would a league go faster?

No, that only helps keep the compitition closer. Stroke limit per hole helps somewhat, but with the way leagues are, on the most-part more to have fun than play serious golf, it's just going to be slower.

[JackieC]

I wonder if there was a handicap limit, would a league go faster?

I doubt it. From what I've seen around here once a league tees off they act as though they own the course and will play at whatever pace they feel like. I made the mistake of playing behind one once, never again will I do that. I saw groups that would get to a tee and just sit to enjoy a soda or beer before teeing off the next hole. I think it took me as a single walking I started at 3:30 after work and had to walk off on the 15th because I couldn't see anymore it was too dark. Which means it took me almost 5 hours to play 15 holes. Never again will I attempt to play on a league day.

[casinobonbone]

I went to a local course and did not know it was a league night. I wasn't allowed to tee off til 4:45 because of the league. However, the league was playing the front and they started going off at 4:30. I arrived at the course at 3:55. That alone doesn't make sense. You're telling me 4 guys in a league are going to catch up to me playing by myself?

Anyways, it comes to 4:45 and they pair me with 3 other singles and send us to 10. Something they could have done an hour before. Well there were two 2somes in front of our 4some. The two 2's were told to play together and they went against the starters request and played separately. Shouldn't have been a big deal, but the first 2some was out there taking their good ole' time, throwing back a lot of beers, walking at a snail's pace to their ball (cart path only). Our foursome played 9 holes in 3 hours and 15 minutes!!!.

This is absurd. The league prevented anyone from teeing off. They had an hour where not one person took the tee (3:45-4:45). Where is the logic?

All this did was push every non-league golfer that came in from around 3:30 to 5:00 back. Like I said, I arrived at 3:55. There was one person on the putting green. By 4:15 there were 30-40. Many were just talking and getting in peoples' way. While many were the league, a lot of others were like me... waiting to play.

[Edifsdubs]

I doubt it. From what I've seen around here once a league tees off they act as though they own the course and will play at whatever pace they feel like. I made the mistake of playing behind one once, never again will I do that. I saw groups that would get to a tee and just sit to enjoy a soda or beer before teeing off the next hole. I think it took me as a single walking I started at 3:30 after work and had to walk off on the 15th because I couldn't see anymore it was too dark. Which means it took me almost 5 hours to play 15 holes. Never again will I attempt to play on a league day.

I see nothing wrong with that. When our leagues are on the course, the course is basically closed for them. It is a matter of being selective as to when you play.

My home course has evening leagues on Tuesdays and Thursdays that play just nine holes each week. This keeps one side open for everyone else. It is just a matter of picking the correct time to play. Leagues do not go off until 4:00pm both days, so everyone knows that if you want to play 18 those days, you simply have to come early to tee off before the league start start on the side they are playing, or play later in the evening.

Wednesday and Thursday days, there are ladies and senior league's that play the entire course (18 holes) going off at 8:00am. So again the members all know full well that you either play early to be off before leagues, or you play after 12:00 noon to be behind the leagues.

It is the same story on weekends and holidays. There are simply peak times on the course where you don't want to be there. I have no problems playing league days, weekends and holidays as I know when to go and when not to go. So many seem to just show up right in the middle of leagues or other events that a clearly posted on our board for weeks in advance, but then get upset about slow play. Never makes sense to me.

[Edifsdubs]

I went to a local course and did not know it was a league night. I wasn't allowed to tee off til 4:45 because of the league. However, the league was playing the front and they started going off at 4:30. I arrived at the course at 3:55. That alone doesn't make sense. You're telling me 4 guys in a league are going to catch up to me playing by myself?

Anyways, it comes to 4:45 and they pair me with 3 other singles and send us to 10. Something they could have done an hour before. Well there were two 2somes in front of our 4some. The two 2's were told to play together and they went against the starters request and played separately. Shouldn't have been a big deal, but the first 2some was out there taking their good ole' time, throwing back a lot of beers, walking at a snail's pace to their ball (cart path only). Our foursome played 9 holes in 3 hours and 15 minutes!!!.

This is absurd. The league prevented anyone from teeing off. They had an hour where not one person took the tee (3:45-4:45). Where is the logic?

All this did was push every non-league golfer that came in from around 3:30 to 5:00 back. Like I said, I arrived at 3:55. There was one person on the putting green. By 4:15 there were 30-40. Many were just talking and getting in peoples' way. While many were the league, a lot of others were like me... waiting to play.

Learn when the leagues play, what days, what times etc. Play earlier, or play later that day. Pretty simple stuff.

[cut sifted ephedra sinica]

the course I played at last year had leagues Monday-Thursday afternoons and it was a similar story. I dont think it was nearly as bad as what you were describing, but its inevitably going to slow the course down when you have a number of foursomes going out that a playing with at least something at stake, be it pride or actual money. I would do the same thing you did, throw down a bunch of extra balls and practice all sorts of shots and putt them all out.

The course I play at now doesnt seem like they have any leagues in the afternoons, and only have their mens club on saturday and sunday mornings. I was able to play 18 with my dad yesterday in about 3 hours.

[herbalviagra]

I call and ask the course if I want to play after work since leagues are so common at the time of the day. They will let me tee off before the league if I get there early enough. Otherwise, I just stay away.