Today there was a three some in front of me and I was playing as a single. They played fairly quickly as a group but as a result was waiting all the time on the group in front of them. After number 2, we waited on the tee box together almost every hole.

At what point do you extend the offer for a single to join you or if you're the single do you ask to join?

To me it would help the single not wait on the threesome and the threesome not wait on every shot on the group in front of them.

Do some people have such a stick up their ass that they don't want to play with people they don't know? I kind of view it as a dick move to not invite someone to join if you're all waiting but that's just how I was taught the game.

A dick move would be them not allowing you to play through or go around them. But why is it their problem that they only have 3 in a group, and that you're playing alone? If I was in that group, I wouldn't offer for you to play either, but I'd let you go around or play ahead. I don't like playing with strangers, does that make me a dick? I also wouldn't take up an offer to play with 3 strangers (such as your case). I'd simply go around or just wait (if they won't let me play through).

One caveat would be if I had just joined a private club, or a single was looking for a group at my private club. But as far as being on a muni somewhere...no thanks.

I used to play as a single a lot after work, which meant I spent a lot of time on the tee box waiting. My personal policy was if a group of 3 or less came up to the tee box before I hit my drive, I would ask if they wanted to join.

But for the most part, I've experienced that most groups will ask if you want to tag along

Is a private club and I've been a member less than. A year and trying to meet people.

I wouldn't think twice about asking a threesome or twosome behind me to join if we were on the tee box together.

I always think the single should be invited. I would give them the opportunity to do so - 2-3 holes, and then ask to play through. I can very well see some people just want to be with their usually group/friends and don't want an additional distraction. If this is the case though, they should just tell you to play through.

There wasn't really a spot to play through as they were waiting on a group as well.

I had no expectation to play through, but it would help pa email of play for their group, me, and the foursome behind me

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A dick move would be them not allowing you to play through or go around them. But why is it their problem that they only have 3 in a group, and that you're playing alone? If I was in that group, I wouldn't offer for you to play either, but I'd let you go around or play ahead. I don't like playing with strangers, does that make me a dick? I also wouldn't take up an offer to play with 3 strangers (such as your case). I'd simply go around or just wait (if they won't let me play through).

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You'd let a single play ahead of you when you're waiting on almost every hole (as the OP stated)? I would never do that. If I was in OP's place, I'd play 2-3 balls and work on hitting shots so that I wasn't waiting on the tee box.... assuming I could do this in a manner that did not hold up the group behind me.

I took my young daughter out to play 9 around 3:30 on Easter afternoon. We got paired with a dad and his HS-aged daughter. They were slow, he was giving her a lesson on every shot (she was hitting multiple shots without regard to me and my daughter), and she was pissed at him for critiquing everything. It took 45 minutes to play the first 2 holes because the group in front of us was playing 4 hackers but also had 4 kids running around. I said adios to the dad/daughter I was paired with, jumped the slow group on #3 (who was 2.5 holes behind), and played the last 6 holes in an hour.... hitting tons of practice shots.

Bottom line: If I'm playing solo, it's usually at a non-peak time & I'll call it quits early if the pace is unreasonably slow and I can't find a gap to fit in.

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A dick move would be them not allowing you to play through or go around them. But why is it their problem that they only have 3 in a group, and that you're playing alone? If I was in that group, I wouldn't offer for you to play either, but I'd let you go around or play ahead. I don't like playing with strangers, does that make me a dick? I also wouldn't take up an offer to play with 3 strangers (such as your case). I'd simply go around or just wait (if they won't let me play through).

One caveat would be if I had just joined a private club, or a single was looking for a group at my private club. But as far as being on a muni somewhere...no thanks.

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I always enjoy playing with strangers. My dad and I take golf trips together all the time and as a twosome we get paired up with others all the time. One twosome we have become great friends with and they live in Philly. Well, they are member at both Pine Valley and Merion so we go out there and play them. Moral of the story is you never know who that person or persons may be.

Exactly. I met done really cool people at Bandon playing with strangers.

I generally like playing with strangers. I never hesitate to invite singles or twosomes to join if there's room. When I play as a single I like getting grouped with other people. I feel like golf has a definite rhythm and it works better playing in a group rather than playing alone.

Exactly. It would benefit all of us so all of aren't waiting. It would even the pace out

It is usually hard to read situations on the golf course. Could be the group ahead of the group immediately in front of you are all together and they are not sure how fast/slow you play and they are reluctant to offer to have you join them and finish far behind their friends. It is so easy to let you play through them if the course is open up ahead, perhaps the group in front of them would also let you play through.

As stated before, it depends on the situation. If there was room a group or two ahead, I would try to play through as a single. If the course is obviously crowded with nowhere to go, I'd prefer to join the 3-some than continue as a single and wait. I have also met a lot of great people this way, as well as some not so great people. More often than not, though, it works out fine.

After about 2 holes, I will just put myself out there and ask.

That said, I'll oftentimes take the opportunity to play 2 balls (sometimes even 3) when I'm a single and the course is stacked in front of me.

Danny.

At what point do you not play 2 balls if the group behind you is waiting on you?

Just depends. If they run up behind me, I'll ask if they want to join me and I'll switch to 1 ball. If they run up on me, there is no one behind them, and I'd like to keep the 2 ball going, I'll just let them thru. But if it's stacked in front of me and they aren't on top of me, I'll just keep rolling with 2.

I blame the course for not pairing a 3 and 1 up. If don't like it get more friends.

I may be a dick here, but this kinda crap is what causes slow play. If you don't bring four then don't beech about playing with strangers.

On a weekend/peak time, the course needs to be vigilant about pairing. Non-peak times, that's not practical. Sometimes we have to *gasp* communicate with each other and be reasonable.

I agree they should have paires us up from the start. I generally like playing with people and before I joined my club would always play the munies as a single Saturday and Sunday morning and get paired with incomplete groups.

When the course is full of 4 somes the 3some and single should play together whether they want to or not so you don't have 2 groups waiting on the tee to hold the groups up behind you

And get more friends is a dick thing to say I think. Why do I have to get more friends to enjoy the game? What if I just moved and don't have any and this is my way of meeting people.

I think that attitude contributes to this to a degree. The you should only play if you have a 4 some.

That's not exactly what he said. He said if it's peak time and you don't have a 4some, plan on playing with strangers, which I agree with.

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A dick move would be them not allowing you to play through or go around them. But why is it their problem that they only have 3 in a group, and that you're playing alone? If I was in that group, I wouldn't offer for you to play either, but I'd let you go around or play ahead. I don't like playing with strangers, does that make me a dick? I also wouldn't take up an offer to play with 3 strangers (such as your case). I'd simply go around or just wait (if they won't let me play through).

One caveat would be if I had just joined a private club, or a single was looking for a group at my private club. But as far as being on a muni somewhere...no thanks.

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you sound like a people person...

seriously tho, i play with strangers all the time and ive met some awesome people. Business connections, celebrities, ceo's, and also the occasional jackass.

Ask on Number 2 to join. if they dont let you join then kindly ask to play through

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And get more friends is a dick thing to say I think. Why do I have to get more friends to enjoy the game? What if I just moved and don't have any and this is my way of meeting people.

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Pretty sure he's referring to 3's who won't let a single join, not to you as a single.

I don't get the people who are so far up their own ass that they can't spend a few hours with a stranger on the golf course. The majority of people I now play with were met by joining up on the course. Hell, that's how I met the group I've tailgated with the past few years.

If there wasn't an open tee time for an hour an a half before and after me wouldn't you consider that a pretty peak time? not Saturday or Sunday morning, but when you're staring at the tee sheet and know what's going on as a starter you should pair people up. That's one of the benefits you should have having a starter, unless he's an idiot

A lot of starters are idiots. There's the issue

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A lot of starters are idiots. There's the issue

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That's my point. A tee time and a starter should be used to judge and manage crowds.

Peak tee time or not a single is going to catch up to a 3some quick and need be matched up when possible.

And I didn't mean you have to have to 4 to enjoy the game. Just that you should expect to play with someone if you don't have 4 and your right to beech about pace is forfeited if you're an odd number or playing alone.

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A lot of starters are idiots. There's the issue

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That's my point. A tee time and a starter should be used to judge and manage crowds.

Peak tee time or not a single is going to catch up to a 3some quick and need be matched up when possible.

And I didn't mean you have to have to 4 to enjoy the game. Just that you should expect to play with someone if you don't have 4 and your right to beech about pace is forfeited if you're an odd number or playing alone.

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Gotcha. And I completely agree. If you don't show up with 4 you should fully expect to be paired with someone and not ***** about it.

I guess the only saving grace in the whole thing is we still finished in 4 hours. But the rhythm was screwed up all day and that's what was frustrating.