What is wrong with the 5 hour round?

[Ben Sims]

You know, Hunter S. Thompson was once a caretaker for the Murphy family in Big Sur.  I hope he inspired a few of those characters in Golf in the Kingdom that played golf so fervently, and quickly!!

What that has to do with this thread--other than being a shout out to Gib's quotation--I have no earthly notion.

Thanks for another one Rockstar.  You could make quite a living snuffing out threads with your language and common sense combined in a lyrical whimsy.  It's very British actually.  To convince one through superior language.  And we need more of it here.  Produce be damned...

[Kevin_Reilly]

Thanks, Gib.  Can't believe it's been so long for Rick. 

I played a four-ball in 3:30 this morning.  But we were first off at Monarch at 6:30.  Early morning golf is fast, but I'm with you...the conditions of the course and my muscles/bones leave a lot to be desired.  As a confirmed dew-scraper for the last 15 years, it's getting harder and harder every year.

To this thread, I just add this picture. 

[Mike Benham]

Rather ironic that the quote is embedded on a bench ... but so that if there was someone sitting there, you are likely to miss a part, a key part of the message.

[John Moore II]

Maybe there should be a maximum combined handicap per group of around 45 to 50 +/-.

Didn't you mean there should be a minimum combined handicap per group of around 30 to 35? We got to somehow speed up or exclude those tour wannabees that take so long to play.

Tell them to play faster or leave. Not all good players play slow. Slow play is allowed by too many because they don't want any confrontation. I've played with fast good players and slow hacks. It goes both ways.

Oh, and 5 hour rounds are terrible, should not be tolerated by anyone. I can't stand to take much more than 4 hours to play a round of golf.

[Jud_T]

quotes from our Fearless Leader in the review of The Country Club of Fairfield:

" ...the short green to tee walks that are commonplace on all Golden Age designs allow the golfer to enjoy his round here in under three hours. The lengthening practices that have marred many a good walk elsewhere has never been pursued here (remember: what would the shepherds do?)."

"As spending four plus hours on a golf course continues to become out of reach for many busy people, one appreciates finding a club where they understand the role of golf within one’s life: The game can bring friends and family together but it shouldn’t take more than a few hours as there is plenty else to be done. Fairfield’s charm is found in how man is free to reconnect with nature and do battle, all within a reasonably short amount of time."

[Dave McCollum]

I don’t have anything new to add.  If golf takes 5 hours, I don’t play.  If it takes over four, we drop another ball, double the bet, and pick it up if out of position.  If we don’t have much time and an empty course, we’ll take carts and play at our relaxed normal pace—usually around 2 hours for a 3-ball and 2.5-3 hours for a 4-ball.  If a round takes more than 3.5 hours, we’re walking and waiting on somebody ahead.

Ironically, I remember playing a very slow round at North Berwick, the place that used to have the sign that said, “A round of golf should take no more than 3 hours.”  It was our second round of the day and we endured because I wanted another crack at the Redan in the brisk breeze that day.  Got my par and we all picked up and skipped around the continental tourists ahead and finished on 17 or 18.

Here at our public course, golf is usually under 4 hours, and we do allow 5-somes, but only in carts.  We use 10 minute tee times, but will squeeze in groups.  Big tournaments are a problem if rules are not enforced.  Groups are penalized with added strokes, 2 I think, if they don’t finish in 4:10.  This doesn’t work perfectly and ruffles feathers, but it does keep the times under 4.5 hours.  I don’t play tournaments because of this.
 
I do have one question.  Why do outings playing scrambles take so long?  When they rent the entire course, we set and enforce a time limit, 4 hours, but they always use it all.

[David Smolensky]

About 90 minutes!!

[Richard Phinney]

As a transplanted Canadian playing in Scotland, I can make the obvious point that there are slow players on both sides of the pond. But there is a culture of playing more quickly in Scotland (I didn't find it so much in England) that comes partly from easy access to courses, the long summer days, and is encouraged by the handicap system.  Since it is possible to get a quick round of golf after work beginning at 6pm or even 7pm on a June evenuing, people expect to be able to.   And for the most part during the week there is no need to agonise over 3 foot putts, or look for balls, which on a tough links course can in itself add 30 minutes (6 lost balls x 5 minutes for a threesome is not very many).  While there are match play contests during the week, these obviously are much quicker than stroke play competitions.

On Saturday morning, however, and the weekly stroke competiion in foursomes, on which the handicap is based, play can be very slow, even though players know the course intimately.  First thing in the morning, if there are no slow groups, the rounds can be as short as 3 hours 40 minutes, but one or two slow (or simply struggling) groups, and those that tee up at noon can look at 5 hours.  (our treasurer gets special dispensation to head out at dawn in the summer and he is often finished and walking his dog at 7am. 

I tend to play as fast as my companions. If they are slow I will take longer over my putts; if they are fast I'll keep up.  Slow rounds are endurable as long as you aren't waiting for those in front of you.

I can understand, however, how a North American, playing a historiic links for the first time, may not want to be rushed. If there's no one about, why not spend 5 hours savouring every hole of a course you may never see again. Let the impatient members through. Soak it all in.  And, of course, you will need to spend time looking for those golf balls (a 4-ball at County Down could surely have to look for 20).
 

here  speed up  to look for balls

[Jud_T]

Bottom line:

1.  We need to adopt the UK handicap system on this side of the pond.

2.  The pro tours need to get serious about slow play penalties.  If you're a hole behind and aren't looking for a ball or awaiting a ruling, you're docked a stroke, period.  Guess what, the first time Ben Crane costs Tiger a stroke for slow play, the 5 hour round will be over.

3. The PGA Championship needs to go back to match play.

4.  All public courses need to have 10 minute spacing...Just charge the extra fin and get it over with...

P.S. I know all four are a pipe dream, so where's the f*$%ing cart girl when you need her! Oh, I can text her now on my newfangled cart GPS.  "I'll take a twelvepack of Unibroue Reserve on ice and a bag of nuts...Yes, we'll probably still be in the middle of 8 fairway while Joe Blow lines up his cheater line and plumb-bobs with his long putter to drain that 2-footer for a 9"