Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. I took this picture a couple of years ago a the Hampton Court Place Golf Club with my buddy Kirk!
I was amazed by the awesome scenery of this royal course. If you get a chance to play it, I would recommend that you do!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Slow play is no fun on the golf course!
Today was a fantastic day on the golf course. The Bay of Quinte Golf and Country Club was in great shape, the greens were fast, and my foursome was first-rate! Although I did not adjust to the speed of the greens at all, playing a new course is always fun and exciting.
During the round, it rained, the wind picked up, my push cart broke, and I could not adjust to the speed of the greens (oh yeah, covered that already). Some would look at my round and suggest that I might have been able to do something better with my time, but I would unequivocally disagree with that suggestion. Today was a great round because of our group. Everyone played like gentlemen and the stories were funny and numerous!
Working our way round the links did pose a bit of an etiquette dilemma. On a side note, as most of you know, I am adamantly against slow play. As a foursome, we strive to finish our round in approximately 4 hours give or take 15 minutes. Today, we finished in 4 hours and 10 minutes. So, we were right on our target time and the recommended time by the course. After the fourth hole, we let a twosome in a cart go through and merrily went on our way. On the fifth hole, a foursome showed up behind us. The did wait for some shots, but for the most part, I think, they did not have to wait that much. Behind this foursome was two, twosomes who did not join up.
The foursome was always about 3/4 of hole behind us. They never really got closer, but were rarely out of our sight line. They likely matched our speed and carried on their way. Unfortunately, I felt as if they were pushing us quite often. It was nothing they did, but as a rule I do not like to hold anyone up if they are playing faster.
At the end of the day, we did not let the foursome through because they were never that close where the opportunity arose. I think we made the right decision by not waiting for 15 minutes for them to catch us then play through, but it has been a long time where I have felt like I was holding up the course.
So my question to you is: should we have waited the 15 minutes to allow this group to play through?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Slow Play in Golf, Is it a Problem?
Henrik Stenson is not happy about being “put on the clock” on the 15th hole at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend. He attributes to this poor play down the stretch to the ruling that his group (the last group) was out of position. This is not a usual ruling, but it generally is not enforced on the last group with the tournament on the line.
I did not watch the tournament, but Pete at White Dragon Golf has a good wrap up on Stenson’s views worth reading. We could discuss the merits of the call, but I have always viewed a rules official as someone who levels the playing field, but should not determine the outcome of any match. I am not sure this is the case at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and will sit on the fence as to whether it was the correct call or not.
What does being put on the clock actually mean? This information below is from golf.about.com. They have covered the topic pretty well. I have only cut part of the article out, so there is more about fines if you want to read on.
PGA Tour slow play rules and penalties are based on what the tour calls “bad times.” Let’s say Group X has fallen off the pace and is out of position (meaning, too much space – usually a full hole – has opened between this group and the group ahead of it).
A rules official or Tour official will notify all players in the group that the group is being put “on the clock.” Once a group is on the clock, PGA Tour officials begin timing each player. Once that timing of a group begins, each player has 40 seconds to play each stroke, except in the following cases when he has 60 seconds:
- He is the first of his group to play from the teeing ground of a par-3 hole;
- He is the first to play a second shot on a par-4 or par-5;
- He is the first to play a third shot on a par-5;
- He is the first player to play around the putting green;
- He is the first to play on the putting green.
Slow play is a problem in golf! We have discussed this topic (natural flow, May I Play Through) several times and this weekend, Rule 6-7 Undue Delay / Slow Play might have cost a professional golfer about $500,000! Yes, about a half of a million dollars! Quite a bit of cash for just a few seconds here and there.
Depending on your perspective, the ruling this weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational might seem excessive. However, from a player who has endured 6.5 hour rounds in tournaments, slow play is a problem in golf. Unfortunately for Henrik Stenson, according to his perspective (and a person’s perspective is a person’s reality) being “put on the clock” was uncalled for and eventually cost him the chance to win.
I have never been put on the clock and generally, I play pretty quick. So a couple of questions to all the readers out there: Do you think slow play is a problem in golf? Was Stenson’s slow play ruling fair? Have you ever been called for slow play? Have you ever wanted to call someone for slow play? What are you thinking?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Slow play is one of my pet peeves in golf! I find that waiting on every hole is frustrating and fuels my negative talk about golf and life in general! Playing with or behind players who are more focused on talking, having a libation, or watching every play from every position should not be allowed on my course! Slow play…grrrr….where is that marshal!
Can I play through?
I have talked about slow play before and many people have chimed in with their frustrations. (See May I Play Through and Can I Play Through for more details) I realize that this topic can push the buttons of most golfers, however it is an important topic that many amateurs seem to overlook.
There are some players who are naturally slow players. Others like a very quick pace. The natural flow of a round of golf, for these diverse players, is completely different. It is this natural flow that I want to discuss.
The natural flow of any player is not limited to their golf swing. The tempo of their swing is extremely important and generally correlates with how long it takes a player to loop around the course. The natural flow of a player encompasses their swing, their routines, how fast they walk between shots, their decision-making, etc. Every action during their round of golf is part of their natural flow of their round.
Natural flow is critical to low scores in tournaments. How many times have you played with people who stated they are a single digit handicap, yet shoot in the 90s! I realize it can happen once in a while, but not two or three days in a row. If asked about their challenges, they would suggest that they are just having a bad day. However, under closer scrutiny, they have changed their natural flow and it was completely messed up.
Novice amateurs try to ape a better golfer. This is a great practice (learning from others), but not during a tournament. I have played many rounds with players who completely change their natural flow under the pressure of competition; interestingly, the times I score the best is when I keep to may natural flow and ignore theirs. Sometimes this is challenging when playing with extremely slow competitors, but if it is their natural flow, there is nothing one can do. To compensate for slow play in tournaments, I have developed some techniques that work to keep my natural flow.
I will let you know what they are, but before I do I would like to know what you think. Am I crazy to think there is a natural flow to a persons golf game? Inquiring minds want to know!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
With a goal of improving Canadian golfers’ overall enjoyment of the game, the Canadian PGA and Golf Canada support the TEE IT FORWARD initiative.
“TEE IT FORWARD is aimed at helping golfers have the best possible experience on the golf course by playing from a set of tees best suited to their abilities. The initiative encourages all golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance.” (Golf Canada)
Driver Distance Recommended Yardages to play:
This not just a Canadian initiative, the PGA and USGA are supporting partners as well. “When you TEE IT FORWARD, you hit more lofted irons into greens, putt for birdies and pars more often and play faster and score better! Many amateurs are regularly hitting approach shots on a par-4 hole from 185 to 205 yards. The fact is, most bogey golfers only hit approach shots generally with any accuracy from within 170 yards. When you TEE IT FORWARD, you have the potential to hit approach shots from 145 to 165 yards.”
TEE IT FORWARD received great feedback in 2012 from golfers nationwide (USA) who reported:
Coming Through!
The TEE IT FORWARD program is great for golf and last nights round is a perfect reason. My friend and I were playing behind a twosome of women, who in turn were playing behind a threesome of men. The threesome of men were very slow. So slow that the women played two balls each and were still waited on every hole. The men in front had several holes open in front of them and would not let the women play through. The most frustrating aspect of this entire ordeal is that the two of the men rarely hit the ball further than 150 yards! In stead of playing from the whites, they should have moved up to the golds. It makes a difference of about 30-50 yards a hole. It would definitely have sped up play. For those who may be asking, we did join the women and still had to wait!
TEE IT FORWARD is a great program for golf! It will definitely improve the pace of play and the enjoyment for those on the course. I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 