Match PLay to Speed Play?

[Tim_Weiman]

Jeff:

I have played a fair amount of golf across the pond, especially at Ballybunion with local friends. There is no doubt they play much faster than Americans and that match play contributes a great deal.

But, it is also the UK culture.

Quite a few years ago I went with Russell Talley out to Saunton. Russell had injured his ribs playing football, so only I could play.

The pro sent me off following four members playing for the winter club championship. I waited for them to clear the first green before teeing off.

I next saw them when I arrived at the 16th tee where I had to wait just a few minutes for them to finish on the green.

When I finished Russell and I had lunch in the club house.

All four members individually came up to me and apologized for the delay they caused.

Can't even imagine that happening in the States, unfortunately.

[Ben Voelker]

...
The crux of this problem is the pre-shot routine for the high handicapper.  If it takes 1 minute for every stroke by the time you find the distance, take 2 practice swings, line up, waggle and hit, that's 20 extra minutes for the high handicapper as opposed to the low  handicapper (per golfer!).  While 1 minute may be an exaggeration, I was being a single golfer yesterday for 3 holes that easily took that long and was clearly a high handicapper.  He was brutally slow and walked slowly to boot.
...

And where did he learn that pre-shot routine? From low and plus handicappers. You may have played with a slow high handicapper, but it is unfair to make generalizations. I've played with a high handicapper putting up a 109 that was mad enough to spit tacks at the slow low handicapper that was grinding for his 80. The foursome round took right around four hours, because of one guy, while we high handicappers are used to getting around in three hours.


The crux of the problem is personal habits of individuals.

Garland,

My apologies, of course I am referring to habits of individuals.  I am by no means suggesting that all high handicappers are a problem or even most for that matter.  I am simply stating that a 95 vs. a 75 clearly takes longer, particularly when magnified by certain rituals (pre-shot routines, multiple practice swings, distance aides, etc) that add significantly to the time taken to hit a shot.  I am probably an advocate for exactly what you are; walk briskly, be ready when you get to the ball, hit it and move on.  IMO, this should be a far easier change than going from stroke to match play, but it takes a true educational campaign, not a snappy catch phrase.

[Matthew Petersen]

...
The crux of this problem is the pre-shot routine for the high handicapper.  If it takes 1 minute for every stroke by the time you find the distance, take 2 practice swings, line up, waggle and hit, that's 20 extra minutes for the high handicapper as opposed to the low  handicapper (per golfer!).  While 1 minute may be an exaggeration, I was being a single golfer yesterday for 3 holes that easily took that long and was clearly a high handicapper.  He was brutally slow and walked slowly to boot.
...

And where did he learn that pre-shot routine? From low and plus handicappers. You may have played with a slow high handicapper, but it is unfair to make generalizations. I've played with a high handicapper putting up a 109 that was mad enough to spit tacks at the slow low handicapper that was grinding for his 80. The foursome round took right around four hours, because of one guy, while we high handicappers are used to getting around in three hours.


The crux of the problem is personal habits of individuals.

Garland,

My apologies, of course I am referring to habits of individuals.  I am by no means suggesting that all high handicappers are a problem or even most for that matter.  I am simply stating that a 95 vs. a 75 clearly takes longer, particularly when magnified by certain rituals (pre-shot routines, multiple practice swings, distance aides, etc) that add significantly to the time taken to hit a shot.  I am probably an advocate for exactly what you are; walk briskly, be ready when you get to the ball, hit it and move on.  IMO, this should be a far easier change than going from stroke to match play, but it takes a true educational campaign, not a snappy catch phrase.

Far more than the pre-shot routine is the issue that a guy shooting 95 has probably been on a number of time-consuming ball searches, while the guy shooting 75 probably has not.

But that of course gets back to the truth that it's individual habits and we shouldn't paint with a broad brush.

[Garland Bayley]

Far more than the pre-shot routine is the issue that a guy shooting 95 has probably been on a number of time-consuming ball searches, while the guy shooting 75 probably has not.

But that of course gets back to the truth that it's individual habits and we shouldn't paint with a broad brush.

Well, if you choose to play golf courses from the dark ages of GCA, then you get what you get.

Once again, a generalization based in prejudice, not reality. There are a lot of guys that can shoot 75 that will end up doing a lot of ball searches on certain courses, while guys that shoot 95 won't be doing those ball searches on the same course.