These guys made me sick...

[Bravo]

We have had just a stunning spring. It got firmly in the 60's the first week of March and has stayed between 65 - 81 since then. We only had two days of hot weather and I walked and carried on one of those and just about melted.

This week we've had superb weather with highs in the 70's under cloudless skies. I usually don't play during the week but decided to sneak in a late afternoon round. One of the guys in my regular group has 3:00 tee times every Thursday.

I told SWMBO that surely we could play in three to three and half hours and I would be home easily by 7:00. We had a foursome and got off right at 3:00. I love playing fast - you get in a rythim where everyone hits and the round flies by.

I am playing with a guy who is a ton of fun...he is the life of the party type - always cracking jokes..he is in the cart with me.

The other two guys are slow as hell. One of them does not play much golf and was all over the place...in the woods left and right. The other one is Mr. Deliberate. He stands over the ball for about ten seconds before taking his first practice swing. Then he stands over it for ten seconds before taking his second practice swing. Then another ten seconds before the shot.

The group ahead of us takes off and leaves us behind. I am aware we are slow and then I figure it out: the other guys in our group are playing Granny Golf. Player A hits his shot to the left side of the fairway and player B hits his to the right rough. They get in the cart and ride to player A's ball. Player B sits in the cart despite the fact that his ball is 25 yards away. He watches Mr. Deliberate go through his three swing routine and hit. And he waits while Mr. Deliberate puts his club in his bag. And then Mr. Deliberate takes the wheel and they drive the 25 yards over to player B's ball - and the process starts all over again.

This is frigging frying me mentally. On the front I was striking the ball better but got several bad breaks and was struggling. I was making bogey after bogey on a stunning weather day and was miserable. And to top it off - Mr. Deliberate and his partner were winning....I swear I was about to pack it in after nine.

We got to the back and I said to my partner that I was going to turn it on. I shot two over with one birdie and we got the bet back to even...but it took us 4:15 to play and I got home at 7:30.

I cannot understand grown men who play like this. It's maddening...

 

[DaveE]

The group in front of us was playing like that in our scramble last Sunday. One of the ladys in their group slows everything down. She's nice, but just drives you crazy when you have to play with her.

When they were on the green we could even see her doing the plumb bob thing while we sat and waited. They had at least three open holes in front of them but just played on oblivious to the fact they were holding everyone up.

I think these are the same people who get in the express lane with a basket full of groceries or wait until the cashier rings everything up to start looking for their checkbook.

 

[Lamma]

There is nothing more annoying than average Joe's playing like every shot from the fairway is like they're playing at the 18th on Augusta and need to birdie to take Greg Norman into a playoff. Same on the putting surface. If the person can't read the green correctly the first time they've taken 3 minutes to do so, they ain't gonna get it right by taking 3 more minutes.


I've been in the situation where I'm spraying balls all over the place but I've always simply just picked up my ball if I think I'm beginning to slow the group down. As bad as I am that's a rare occurence but I'm always conscious and courteous both to those I'm playing with and those behind me.

And slow play can be a killer to anyone no matter their skill level.

 

[Woosey]

i had a round like that today, i was playing with a mate of mine (lady) who plays off 5, and the four ball ahead just refused to let us through despite us being far quicker, im sure its because i was playing with my mate.

They were hitting ok drives, but only going like 180 - 200 yards max, so i smoked a 345 yd drive down when they let us through.....that felt good

shot 6 over today and for the first time in a while carried (im a lazy boy!)

 

[Quentin]

The group ahead of us takes off and leaves us behind. I am aware we are slow and then I figure it out: the other guys in our group are playing Granny Golf. Player A hits his shot to the left side of the fairway and player B hits his to the right rough. They get in the cart and ride to player A's ball. Player B sits in the cart despite the fact that his ball is 25 yards away. He watches Mr. Deliberate go through his three swing routine and hit. And he waits while Mr. Deliberate puts his club in his bag. And then Mr. Deliberate takes the wheel and they drive the 25 yards over to player B's ball - and the process starts all over again.

I thought that was called Japanese golf. They actually do the same thing without a cart. They'll all walk to each others ball and wait and watch them hit it. Then go to the next and the next and the next as a group. I've witnessed this several times having lived and played golf in Seattle.

I hope I have not offended any Japanese people...but this is a fact...as is the fact that Japanese people are bad drivers. If I have, :japanflag more power to ya.



~QQ

 

[DaveE]

If it's not a tournament, people should just play ready golf. It really speeds things up.

 

[Lamma]

I thought that was called Japanese golf. They actually do the same thing without a cart. They'll all walk to each others ball and wait and watch them hit it. Then go to the next and the next and the next as a group. I've witnessed this several times having lived and played golf in Seattle.

I hope I have not offended any Japanese people...but this is a fact...as is the fact that Japanese people are bad drivers. If I have, :japanflag more power to ya.



~QQ

I've noticed this too. And they like to play from the tips. But it's not really just a Japanese thing. It's really more of an overall Asian way of playing. They believe in "seeing the whole course" and that's the way they play at home.

It's totally opposite in the British Isles. I've never played there but from what I've read they will actually escort a person off the course if they take too long to play.

But here in the U.S. we have a melting pot of cultures so we get all variety and play accordingly. At any rate, I don't care what color or ethnicity a person is as long as they're not slowing down the entire course.

 

[Bravo]

Honda has a huge plant about 30 miles from here and as you can imagine -much of their management team is Japanese.

And as we all know - they love golf.

Twice I have gotten behind large groups (at least 20 players) and I have seen this same behavior. For some reason, they all want to gather round the player who it hitting to see his shot and as a result - they can play very slowly...

 

[Silver]

christ, you guys should come up here...it'd open your eyes to a whole different style of play by Asians to show you that your generalizations are pretty limited

we have a HUGE asian population in Vancouver and man, they burn through the courses up here, they are ALWAYS on our asses, no matter how fast we're playing

 

[Bravo]

christ, you guys should come up here...it'd open your eyes to a whole different style of play by Asians to show you that your generalizations are pretty limited

we have a HUGE asian population in Vancouver and man, they burn through the courses up here, they are ALWAYS on our asses, no matter how fast we're playing

Please send your fast Asians here to replace my slow ones!!

 

[dave.]

No offence Bravo,but I slightly disagree with you.I think yo should work on your own mental side of the game.Golf is a huge mental challenge and being that easily distracted is not good for your long term handicap (although its easy to have some sympathy!)

You will face players like this for ever,and to be honest,they don't sound like they played slowly,not if you got back by 7.30,so the entire problem is they simply didn't play to YOUR speed,and that bthrew your game off.I politely suggest you are offeriing your opponents a head start in every game.You are sadly easy to beat if a 4.15 fourball with no gimmies threw you off

you should have chilled out,enjoyed the weather,the scenery and your partners jokes.

As I said,and I hope you take this in the spirit its intended,but i think the problem is yours.they will be the guys picking up club trophies and you will be the serial grumpy old man.

 

[Bravo]

I don't see why Player A has to sit in the golf cart and watch Player B select his club, take two practice swings, hit his shot, clean his club, and put it back in his bag - while his own ball is 75 feet away. And then Player A gets in the driver seat and drives the cart 75 feet and watches Player B get out, check his yardage, select his club, take two practice swings, hit his shot, clean his club and return to the cart.

It is entirely unecessary.

The entire time - he should be over at his ball, evaluating his situation, selecting his own club and preparing to hit.

What I am describing here is widely described in many pro shops on posters about "Avoiding Slow Play".

 

[dave.]

hmm,I see your point,but 4 players all holing out in 4.15 isn't exactly slow.It got you riled,and imo,that put your game off,unecessarily so.

I totally see where you are coming from,but as i say,mentally you should have been able to cope with a 4.15 round.Mind you,it does sound like they had some particularly annoying mannerisms which would have wound the Pope up.

 

[caddyshackgolf]

I hate it when people play slow like that. I always try to play fast and when im not I let the group play behind me. But I hate playing with people that take forever to hit the ball and get to there ball and find the ball and all that stuff.

 

[dave.]

You guys get stressed far to easily! Chill out dudes and enjoy the weather,let these guys play their game and you play yours.4.15 for a fourball isn't slow!!