The etiquette I grew up with and live by is if there is an open hole ahead of you, you let people play through. Not sure what the big deal is letting someone through.

I use it as a chance to look like a pro to them. I don't ever take it too serious anyways (music, beer and hit whenever ready no matter what). I like to take driver on every hole (usually I play safe) and goo for every pin. They only remember the really amazing shots. They shoot 130 I'll have a few extra penanlty strokes and not be too upset.

I got randomly paired up with one guy at the JW Marriott course in San Antonio. My wife and I had a few days to our selves, without kids, so it was supposed to be relaxing. The course that day was empty, and I finally got a round of golf to relax. But this guy I got paired up with - I have never seen someone play so fast in my life. Walking right up to the ball, hitting, and immediately bend down to pickup club or whatever and get in cart and driving off before the balls even stops. Worse because of this he would have to ask me where it went after almost every shot. Never read a putt, never hit a putt inside 5 feet (apparently those were gimmes) and would be walking toward the hole with the flag while I am making my final putt, two times putting the flag in the hole while my ball was on the way!

I finally realize I am exhausted from trying to keep up and I couldn't believe we already reached 9 holes - I look down and see we have been on the course for 1:20. I faked a work phone call and told him to go ahead and I enjoyed the rest of my day playing 2-3 balls and relaxing.

In hindsight, I should have just split up before the first hole, but "tried to be social" - God forbid not to be - and look where it got me. In the long run though, these types of distractions should ultimately make me a better player to try and concentrate on me and not let it bother me, but this was a tough one.

We go to the JW for a week each year and play every day. It's always deserted. In 6 years we've never had to wait on a tee boX or in the fairway. I'm not sure why they paired you up.

they didn't...it was one of those things where I happened to be waiting on the grounds crew to get out of the way on #1 and the dude drove up - can't say enough about how friendly he was, and I didn't want to be a d***, thinking if I offer up to join he might decline so he can be by himself...alas, no.

to my anger too, they were punching the greens that day, and I got out ahead of them but they had top dressed them and they were a bit scraggly so it made putting impossible. It was about 123 deg that day too (first week of Aug).

CapCity12thMan said:

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I finally realize I am exhausted from trying to keep up and I couldn't believe we already reached 9 holes - I look down and see we have been on the course for 1:20. I faked a work phone call and told him to go ahead and I enjoyed the rest of my day playing 2-3 balls and relaxing.

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I would've ditched the guy too, and I probably would've told him to knock it off about the putting and always asking where his ball went. But 1:20 seems about right for a twosome with an open course.

I played with my father-in-law last weekend in small town Oklahoma. It was 45*, windy, and overcast. The course was supposedly a top-10 public course in the state, but it was in bad shape with slow greens. All that said, I wanted to get the round over with and played a little faster than normal (I still read most of my putts though and shot distances). My f-i-l plays at an average or above-average speed but also hits it about 190 and shot 105. We played the front in 1:15 and finished 18 in 2:40. I think 9 minutes/hole is more than enough time for 2 people if playing ready golf.

yeah, if I end up with a random pairing on an open course, I'm generally spending about 2 holes to figure out if I want to make a call about stay vs. ditch. If the guy is playing like he's trying to get to a fire, then I'll just tell them I'm worried I'm holding him up and that I'm going to fall back (the cell phone is a good prop). If the guy is slow as molasses, then I may come up with an excuse that I have a commitment after the round, am trying to hurry along, and don't want to make him rush. I'll also try to pick a spot so that I'm basically gone and out of his way without him having to wait at all. So basically as politely as possible ditch him. Not to be a completely anti-social *****, I don't do this just to do it. I'm fine with playing with someone else.

1:20 may be about right fir a twosome on your home course on an afternoon afterwork. But at the JW Marriott that is flying.

What course?

agsalaska said:

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1:20 may be about right fir a twosome on your home course on an afternoon afterwork. But at the JW Marriott that is flying.

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Good point. I'd definitely take a little more time playing a nice course. I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be, but I hate slow rounds. A buddy and I would routinely ride 18 in 2:15 in high school when the course was open.

I mentioned playing in 2:40 with my f-i-l. We played the day before, and it was a different story. We had a foursome that also include my wife's uncle and his buddy. We were first off, let three groups play through because two of the players were both slow and bad, and took almost 4.5 hours. The two slow guys would spend a good 3-5 minutes looking for balls that were clearly in hazards. There were a couple instances where a group was on our tail and the two guys were fishing for balls with their retrievers.

Pahdz said:

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What course?

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Cimarron Trails in Perkins. A pretty nice layout for a small town, but bad shape.

I play La Cantera every spring with a guy who loves to go down there and hunt for golf balls. Granted, you can spend about 5 min off the fairway in the brush and find 10-15 solid golf balls, but it's just not for me. The course is usually wide open, but I still don't feel right about not keeping pace (especially to hunt golf balls), even if we're not holding anyone up.

proudaggie02 said:

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agsalaska said:

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1:20 may be about right fir a twosome on your home course on an afternoon afterwork. But at the JW Marriott that is flying.

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Good point. I'd definitely take a little more time playing a nice course. I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be, but I hate slow rounds. A buddy and I would routinely ride 18 in 2:15 in high school when the course was open.

I mentioned playing in 2:40 with my f-i-l. We played the day before, and it was a different story. We had a foursome that also include my wife's uncle and his buddy. We were first off, let three groups play through because two of the players were both slow and bad, and took almost 4.5 hours. The two slow guys would spend a good 3-5 minutes looking for balls that were clearly in hazards. There were a couple instances where a group was on our tail and the two guys were fishing for balls with their retrievers.

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That stuff annoys me too. I have a few other relatives that I have to poke with a cattle prod on occasion. They are more oblivious than anything else and would take 6 hours if I let them.


I usually get out once a week after work and if its two of us we easily finish 18 in 3 hours or less and that's taking the necessary time to score. 4 of us can finish in 3 if we have too but we will leave strokes out there if we do. We generally do not like playing that fast as a 4.

My point earlier was I get just as irritated by guys that think golf is a race and expect others to race along with them as I do the oblivious slow players. Maybe my experiences have been unique but I have run into it quite a few of them over the years.

For example, lets say I am in a 3some and there is a 4 in front of us that is playing at an acceptable pace. I see guys all the time actually try to pressure the 4 some. What for? Just relax. Take an extra practice stroke. In my competitive golf life, which is limited to a bunch of local tournaments, a few regional and state tournaments years ago, and constant gambling which keeps me competitive today, is that slow play is the biggest weakness for the most people. People just don't know how to handle it. Some don't know how to handle acceptable pace.

If I had to bet someone, anyone, for all the marbles, I would want the round to take as long as possible.

I don't care about honors on the tee box but I do generally believe it should be practiced thru the green. Obvious exception would be if someone was searching for their ball or work called or something. I have never understood why anyone would want to putt out of turn. Generally speaking.


Rant over.

_lefraud_ said:

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I play La Cantera every spring with a guy who loves to go down there and hunt for golf balls. Granted, you can spend about 5 min off the fairway in the brush and find 10-15 solid golf balls, but it's just not for me. The course is usually wide open, but I still don't feel right about not keeping pace (especially to hunt golf balls), even if we're not holding anyone up.

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I don't like stuff like that either because I don't like breaking the pace of the round no matter what that pace is. . We have a few guys that live on the course and sometimes people will want to stop and get a drink or some ***** I don't even like going in at the turn and I wont if I can avoid it especially if I play good on the front.

I played The Quarry last summer and was under par on the front hitting 8 greens. I went in and got a drink and hung out long enough to cool off a bit. I got out on 10 and hit my drive in the apartments. It somehow came back into play but I still started the back 6-6. I was on 13 or 14 before I seemed to re adjust to the heat. Shot I think 34-42 or something. I did the same thing at my home course a couple of weeks later when my playing group all ordered lunch so I went in with them. I went into 10 -2 and came off the 12 green +3.


Don't know why that happens to me. I just know not to do it.

Don't know why I am ranting. I just got over a stomach virus and feel like talking I guess.

that's a shame to hear, it's been probably 5 years or more since I've been out there to play it, but it was in great shape then.

Unless it's match play, I never got why someone would care that if one guy is at 140 and ready to hit, why should he stand there and pull his pud to wait on a guy at 150 but is just now driving up to his ball. Cart pairs cause this situation all the time. If guys aren't playing ready golf, that's a lot of pud pulling added up over 18 holes.

As far as putting out of order, the time it usually makes sense is when whoever is away is taking awhile to get to the green. Maybe they just hit out of the bunker or something. I don't see why 3 guys standing their pulling their puds makes sense. If someone is ready, fire away. If I'm the guy away, it gives me that much more time to collect myself and read my putt. If I'm closer, ready, and you aren't ready anyway, then I may want to go while I'm feeling the flow. Now if I think I may get a read from you, then maybe I'll decide it's worth it to wait. But many times it doesn't matter.

Not on the green, I generally like it because not playing honors is distracting. I do not want to wonder what is going on around me. I don't want to hear someone make contact right when I am making my transition, or even worry I might here it. It also significantly reduces the possibility of someone getting hit by an errant ball. And if I am sitting at 110 because I had to lay up I don't want someone sitting at 15 who went for the green up there in front of me about to hit. Then there is the wind.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not that picky. If you and I are sitting 5 yards a part and I am two yards closer to the green and have club in hand and you are just pulling up I am going first. I prefaced this by saying generally.

On the green, I just see it different than you. I have always watched every putt. I think you can learn something from every putt. And if I am 4th to play on a green that gives me more time to look at my putt and 3 other rolls to watch. I see that as an advantage.

I don't know. Maybe I overthink things.

DannyDuberstein said:

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As a father of 2 kids who have a ton of their own sports and activities, the 30-45 minutes that efficient (not rushing) golf may save is sometimes the difference between me deciding to play or not. Or the difference between finishing a twilight round or having darkness end it 3-4 holes short. So it's not exactly trivial to me.

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Understood. When necessary I have no problem playing fast.

Agree that people shouldn't be dumb about ready golf as far as getting in the way. That's just a precursor of poor etiquette, and ready golf or not, some people can be dumb about it. And I can understand not wanting to worry about being distracted after you start your routine. Much of that just boils down to communication. This is something my regular group does well. It's also one of the reasons we're able to play quickly but not rush. There are a lot of little efficiencies gained over 18 holes if you have a group that flows well together, communicates well,, and doesn't give all those little segments of time away over 18 holes.

Agreed.

t - cam said:

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This thread sure illustrates how picky everyone is.

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I think it's more preference than picky. A guy I play with more than anyone is a bit "slower" than me, takes a few extra practice swings, more time around the greens, etc. I prefer he play faster at times, but by no means is he actually "slow". My point is that is all relative, and I'm sure most on here are really too "picky", they just have more of a preference.

We play ready golf. But my definition of ready golf may be different that someone on here.

This slow play vs. fast play debate is fun.

I'm generally a very fast player and play alone 90% of the time. But, I understand that I can't fly around a course and piss off everyone else around me.

Last April, I played Apple Rock in the early afternoon as a single. I told the course to pair me up if necessary. But, they stuck me by myself. After about 4 holes, I caught up with a foursome of old women in front of me. They probably had glaucoma and bad hips, so they played really, really slow. No worries. I slowed down and tried to enjoy the day out of the office.

It didn't take long for a group of men behind me to start running up my butt. I got hit into several times on the fairway and twice on greens. On #6, I went to put the flag back in the cup, took probably three steps from the hole, and had a ball hit the green. We met up at the tee on #7 (I had to wait for Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia in the fairway). I asked them to cut that shi_t out or we'd have some problems moving forward. "We didn't see you. Why don't you play through the women?"

On #8, they hit their tee shots into the green once my foot touched the fringe. When I got to the turn, I told the starter, skipped a snack at the turn, and jumped in front of the women. Finished the back nine at a very comfortable pace playing with Barry Switzer's former defensive coordinator and LB coach at OU.

CTGilley said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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Recreactional golf has been in decline for over a decade for a reason.

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This was my thought from the beginning.

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Awesome!!!!!

Less golfers, Less money, faster rounds!!!!

Kind of like the gym... My break is in January... I am there 11 months out of the year when the rest of them are not!

Tangent here, but have you noticed the new gym model??? Will charge you 10 bucks, 14 bucks a month. They know that so many people will simply not come. And for 9.99 they wont call to cancel because they think ahhh, next month I will start.

I was talking to the owner of Texas Family fitness at one of there locations. We had a bet going on with a buddy of mine on how many people were actually members at this gym. My buddy said 1200, I said 5,000.

As of 3/1 they had 15,211 paying members at this one specific location. The place can only hold about 75 people...

I have played several rounds with a buddy who slapped one of these on the crown of his driver:





Dude usually scores between 100 - 116. Drinks beer on the course, plays his music loud as f..k and talks smack as if he's Jack Nicklaus in his prime. He's a hoot though.


Mr. Bond can attest. He's played a round with him.

as I mentioned, given my situation (away from kids for a couple of days, nice course, nice day)...I don't care if 1:20 is reasonable. I don't want to spend 2:15+ either, but I want to at least enjoy my day. Playing super fast is not enjoyable, and neither is playing super slow.

Further backstory - I had just come off a weekend tournament where I shot 68 in the first round, only to follow up with a 77 in the second round to lose by 2. This was coming at the end of a good season for me here on the local amateur scene and missing out on that first place finish ended up costing me some points that would have allowed me a few exemptions in some other events and things. As such, having a course "all to my self" that day was a chance to reset and concentrate on things and reassure myself my 68 wasn't some fluke. I enjoy the ability to hit shots other than range balls, on an actual course and be able to accurately measure distances and stuff...not all of us have a Trackman. I enjoy that kind of stuff because it makes me a better player and being a better player makes me happy. I'm pretty simple in that regard.

The opposite end of that - some days when I just roll out by myself and get randomly paired up on a busy day - I accept it and all that comes with it. I think playing in a sea of distractions makes me a better player too. Just as mentioned above, some days I just don't have to accept it.

07fta07 said:

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I don't care if you shoot 70 or 120. If you have decent golf etiquette and don't play slow, I have no problem. Everyone has to start somewhere.

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Great thread read as a noob golfer. Lots of great tips & points of view. It is pretty intimidating getting into the game in your 40's.

CTGilley said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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Recreactional golf has been in decline for over a decade for a reason.

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This was my thought from the beginning.

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I don't care who I play with, if they're having fun then I'm having fun. No need to take it seriously, enjoy the day and the game!

REMARCH11 said:

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CTGilley said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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Recreactional golf has been in decline for over a decade for a reason.

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This was my thought from the beginning.

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I don't care who I play with, if they're having fun then I'm having fun. No need to take it seriously, enjoy the day and the game!

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Pretty much sums up my approach on the game now a days. I don't play enough to take it seriously. I won't let bad golf ruin my day out or bad partners. I'm playing golf and honestly prefer it take a while. I can shoot a 75 or a 95, I'm still having fun.