Tee it Forward

[funk-like]

Slow play has little to do with the tees you play. I'm a 6 handicap, I don't hit my driver more than 225 and from the Whites I can shoot low/mid 70's and from the Blues I can shoot high 70's or 80/81. When playing on my own, I can play 18 holes walking in less than 2 hours (if I don't have to wait for the groups ahead). My point here is that from the Blues or Whites, my speed of play is the same, it has more to do with your routine, how you line up your putts on the green and your ability to play ready golf (when playing with others).

[Wknd_Warrior]

IMO walking ahead of the guys you are playhing with has more to do with the angle than the yards. When you are causing the other guy stress to hit his ball you are in the wrong place. That could be 10 yards or 100 yards.

I personally wouldn't actually walk "80 yards" ahead under most circumstances, this might start to feel rude to me. The pace of my foursome isn't being slowed by guys not walking up to their layups while someone goes for it in two.

[John]

I can't understand how anyone would find this "rude" makes 0 sense to me. I'm out of your line maybe 80 was an exageration but regardless you should be at your ball ready to hit your shot when it's your turn and the easiest and quickest way to accomplish that is to be at your ball ready as long as it doesn't put you in danger. Rude, man there are some prudes on this board.

[nokids]

Private courses are different. I complained about pace of play being too fast last week at Hunt Club. The Head Pro said it was the first time he heard that. lol.

People are playing speed golf. Chill the *** out!

[Big Johnny69]

I can't understand how anyone would find this "rude" makes 0 sense to me. I'm out of your line maybe 80 was an exageration but regardless you should be at your ball ready to hit your shot when it's your turn and the easiest and quickest way to accomplish that is to be at your ball ready as long as it doesn't put you in danger. Rude, man there are some prudes on this board.

I've seen you hit, 80 is not an exaggeration!!!

[BC MIST]

My ideal playing length of a course is one that forces me to hit every club in my bag on approach shots. Using 5 iron distance times 36 results in a 5940 length, one where I would be using a disproportionate number of short irons. Rather, 5 iron X 38 or 39 works better for me.

Turf conditions also should be considered when selecting tees. Greensmere Legacy black tees for normal turf, but I will play the whites tees when there is no roll, so the effective playing length is the same as playing from the blacks. Interestingly, when I play our gold tees, 6800 yards, my factor tends to actually go down. Partly because of Geoff's point above that often playing from shorter tees brings more of the trouble into play.

The solution to slow play is so simple. Play faster - walk faster.

[BC MIST]

I can't understand how anyone would find this "rude" makes 0 sense to me. I'm out of your line maybe 80 was an exaggeration but regardless you should be at your ball ready to hit your shot when it's your turn and the easiest and quickest way to accomplish that is to be at your ball ready as long as it doesn't put you in danger. Rude, man there are some prudes on this board.

Agree. When you watch the Tour telecasts, particularly the LPGA, the longer hitters are always at or near their ball, not waiting beside the shorter hitting ones. As long as they are still and not on a player's line of play, it reduces overall playing time.

[Marcos]

I'm also a fast player. I tend to lose what little concentration I have when I wait too long. So for me, a foursome should be able to play a round in 4 hrs. flat on a normal course walking. Some courses are a bit longer to walk beetween tee's but most are acceptable.
Playing whites or senior tee's or blues is pretty much the same time but my score differs from one tee box to another.

[Txxxxxxx]

I don't mind if people are ahead of me playing ready golf, but what is annoying, is when people are standing around the green when you're playing your approach. I've seen this when someone has a power cart and is standing up by the green waiting as you hit your approach.

Otherwise, the pros do it, I don't mind ready golf. As long as I don't feel rushed.

[jmwhite]

I don't mind if people are ahead of me playing ready golf, but what is annoying, is when people are standing around the green when you're playing your approach. I've seen this when someone has a power cart and is standing up by the green waiting as you hit your approach.

Otherwise, the pros do it, I don't mind ready golf. As long as I don't feel rushed.

Nothing worse than trying to chip with people on or next to the green.

[jimmyc]

If i'm thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty yards ahead in the left side of the rough or fairway and not in anyones way or line i can't see how that would be an issue for you at all? Removed from the golf course? Get a life.

So do you teleport to that spot or do you walk up while I am trying to play with bag chatter and the typical old man selfish attitude of ready golf. 9/10 that spout ready golf really mean its my turn all the time. Ill gladly play a round with you and show you how there is never a need to move 80 yards up on another golfer. If you play with guys that take that long, they are the problem not needing to get to your ball 80 yards up. Is this where I say something witty like get a life to insult you?

Edit:

My entire routine from getting to my ball to putting club back in bag is 15 seconds. As is all golfers I play with. Maybe this is why we don't have to resort to poor etiquette to accomplish pace.

[golfisforfun]

Bag chatter actually bothers you??? What ??? C'mon, you must be kidding! I could never play in your group. You guys must be trying to shoot 59 every round!!!

I'd love to have people surrounding the green when I am hitting my approach. An audience would be awesome!

[jimmyc]

If you walk ahead (which I do a lot) you should stay well out of the other player's projected line, and you should be obviously looking at him so he knows that if he's offline, you will have time to duck. A lot of times, it's good to have somebody in front of the shooter, because they get a better perspective on where his shot ended up (you who always hit the fairway, have pity on us who do not!).

This is a much more realistic response and I agree. If you can carry on without being at all in issue ( line, sound, distraction etc) I agree. That said you would never get that chance in our group. Ive seen maybe 10 practice swings a round per player. Ive seen maybe 1 step off for club change a round. We can all see and are almost savant like with yardage. One will guess one will measure while the player gets ready. The guess is almost always close enough.

[jimmyc]

Yes, because I want to look up and see where the person is. You can talk to me behind my I play. Play tunes. Talk to the rest of the group but I do not want to kill someone on a golf course and bag chatter has my brain looking to make sure I don't hit at the person.

But we do play competitively every round. No round means nothing. There is always cash on the line. Every hole has skins. Maybe that is the difference?

[golfisforfun]

I don't think it is the competitive nature or playing for cash that changes things, I think it is just each person'a personality. I am very laid back, I don't care if everyone is talking while I hit, or walking by, or crumpling up a bag of chips... That kind of noise doesn't bother me or make me lose my concentration. I have been known to even be talking just before starting my takeaway!!!

Is golf the only sport where you need dead silence to play?

[golfisforfun]

And I think it is up to your playing partners to be sure they don't get hit, they need to watch each players swing, and be ready to move out of the way if necessary. The player taking the shot just needs to worry about themself, and hitting the ball...

[John]

I'm with you golfisforfun, jimmyc I think i would take a big pass on ever playing with you after reading your posts.

[John]

Then again i don't think you would want to play with me as im obviously rude, without etiquette and really just a selfish old man trying to play some quick golf at the expense of my playing partners. Next time i play

[jimmyc]

I am not saying silence matters. Fear of killing someone, regardless of who should be responsible is the problem with just going ahead. If it can be done safely and without causing unneeded stress on the player who by rules of golf has the floor, then go nuts. Everytime I get paired up with a retired golfer that thinks pace of play is the most important rule of golf, they simply keep waling between their shots. regardless of circumstance. If you ask them to stop they all say the exact same thing. I play ready golf. It has become the excuse for being selfish. I 0played 18 holes in 2 hours if I have the course to myself. Ive never been a slow golfer. I played with one. Nothing in this thread would have improved it. The rule of 30 seconds at your ball would have. If you cant pick a club, get ready to play and strike the ball within 30 seconds. Go player tiger woods golf on some video game system and get off the course.

[jimmyc]

Then again i don't think you would want to play with me as im obviously rude, without etiquette and really just a selfish old man trying to play some quick golf at the expense of my playing partners. Next time i play

Spouting get a life gets you that rep.

[Kilroy]

OK, this is getting a bit too confrontational. Let's get back to friendly discussion or we'll have to close the thread.

[John]

Can't we all just get along.

[sharkshooter]

...Is golf the only sport where you need dead silence to play?

ummm... tennis and chess?

I think a 30-second rule is a bit harsh, and doesn't cover the people who walk slowly and look under every tree and in every hazard for as many lost balls as they can fine.

I think enforcing a "keep up to the group ahead, or no more than 15minutes/hole" policy would be ok. Rounds would then not exceed 4.5 hours.

[THUNDAH]

Tee it forward works for men. As they get older, they lose distance and if they don't move up, the game is less enjoyable. Senior men can move up to the forward tees. Short of teeing up in the fairway, senior women still play from the same tees that younger ladies play from, which for senior women , at most courses, is like senior men playing from the back tees. Golf course architecture is improving but it still has a lot of way to go. Playing from an apropriate tee in relation to ability is a no-brainer, but gender is rarely taken into account.

[funk-like]

I played a course in Arizona called Quintero. Its one of my favorites. It has 5 sets of tees and on the scorecard they have 9 combinations of courses. A length for everyone. Why don't more courses do that?

[Txxxxxxx]

I played a course in Arizona called Quintero. Its one of my favorites. It has 5 sets of tees and on the scorecard they have 9 combinations of courses. A length for everyone. Why don't more courses do that?

Limited real estate. If you put 5 sets of tees on my course, you'd have roughly 10 yards or less on some holes between them. Doesn't make a big enough difference..

[Marcos]

Well after playing very poorly so far this year,decided to play 5600 yrds. at Metcalfe today with only my irons (5-sw) Pleasant surprise,i took 7 strokes off my last game.I enjoy playing my irons more than hitting driver or woods and had to focus a bit more on chipping and putting.
It works for me. Time was not an issue as the course was full and slow,still managing a 4:20 round for a foursome.

[Gobble_It]

I played at two golf courses and noticed that they changed white tee yardage from last year to blue tee this year. Not sure if they do that to speed up the play for some "supposedly" longer hitters !

[Swerve]

If everyone was playing at a reasonable pace, why would you ever have to walk ahead of your playing partners? Everyone would walk to the shortest hitter, that person would hit, and then everyone would continue to walk. It should be difficult to have the time to get 80 yards ahead of your playing partners (I'm not taking sides, I have done it and I also see the drawbacks of it in certain situations).

The real issue I have, and I think I posted it in a different thread, is its amazing how big a problem slow play is when apparently EVERYONE hates it and everyone plays golf walking, one-handed, with one eye closed in less than 2 hours.

[Kilroy]

is its amazing how big a problem slow play is when apparently EVERYONE hates it and everyone plays golf walking, one-handed, with one eye closed in less than 2 hours.

Those who post in a forum like this are avid, perhaps even fanatical golfers. They are not usually the problem as they are all aware of the situation. They are frustrated by the lack of awareness and caring exhibited by many others out there who can turn a pleasant 4 hour game into 5+ hours far too often. It sometimes only takes one group to bring a course to a crawl.