I am sympathetic with the tone of the subject line. I find it somewhat ironic if people have rush through what is supposed to be a recreational activity. Sometimes I think it becomes a badge of honor to say how fast you played (I'm not intentionally speaking of anyone in this forum), rather than being conscious of how much you enjoyed it, how well you played, etc.
I, too, wish golf didnt take so much time and have plenty of other things I would like to get home and do. I think part of the problem that we can't do too much about is the legacy of 18 holes rather than 8 or 12 or something. I try to stay in the present though and enjoy the time I am spending.
Another part of the problem is that in the US, one is required to post their every score for handicap. I very rarely compete with my handicap so I have no interest in inflating it. Rather I use it as a marker of how much progress or lack thereof I am making with my scores. I like to make progress.
I think it is VERY important though to be considerate of ones playing partners and other groups on the course.
I am also bothered by absolute statements of how long a round should take. I dont begrudge anyone their 3 hour round. I hope no one begrudes me my 4 hour round if I am playing alone AND holding no one up. Why does it take me 4 hours? a) I don't like to hit until I'm completely ready b) I like to spend my five minute allotment looking for a ball, and c) I like to do the best I can on every shot. Sometimes that means looking at a putt from all 4 sides. Sometimes that means taking a while to pull a club or deciding what kind of shot to play. Most tour players do this kind of analysis, and I am convinced it helps scoring. If I am more concerned about being social than in my score, or need to keep up with a certain pace of play, or if I only have 2.5 hours to get 18 holes in before dark, etc, I compromise on a, b, and c. Part of life is compromising. I accept that. Its not my nature to walk up to a five footer, take a cursory glance and swat at it, but I realize many people are happy to do that, and thats ok. Its a big world, as someone here says.
Another factor is the course. If you are playing your own private club that you might play 50 times per year, your pace will naturally be faster than if you are playing a nice, difficult course for the first time, perhaps with long distances between greens and tees. On the latter, not only will you not know where to hit it, where not to hit it, how the putts break, etc, but you might also want to check out the scenery and the architecture. A private course player will, in general, have a much different idea of what is a normal time to play a round of golf than a public course player who travels around a lot. And they might both be right (or wrong as the case may be).
Some slow play (like at Rancho Park in LA) is not caused by the players themselves, but by the spacing of tee times (6 minutes, the last time I was there), Like an overcrowded freeway, even if everyone wants to go fast, it cant be done.
Lastly, there are two kinds of slow players. One who is aware that he is slow and tries to be considerate, and ones who are unaware. The latter unfortunately are more common, and they bother me too.