What is wrong with the 5 hour round?

[Ronald Montesano]

JC,
To answer your question, there is nothing wrong with a five-hours round.  Five hours equals 300 minutes, which equals less than 20 minutes per hole (20 minutes per hole would be a six hours round.)

I've always laughed at the "old country" folks who claim they play 18 holes in 3 hours.  If I play by (not with) myself in the early morning or the early evening, I can make it around in 3 hours.

It's nice that Melvyn goes so far back (hundreds of years, it seems!) that he can tell us what golf was and was not meant to be.  I don't mind a little endurance challenge with my golf.

I recall the GW Bush brag during his/their time in office, until he gave up the game, about getting around in Kennebunkport in as brief a period of time as possible.  If you are after brief in all your endeavors, then here is a bucket list for you:

--guzzle your next bottle of wine without taking a breath;
--ride a speedy cab through your next tourist destination without stopping for a postcard nor a photo op;
--TIVO your way through every show you've recorded, ignoring the commercials and the program, until you reach the end;
--Read the two cover flaps of your latest book purchase, buy the Cliff notes and skip the original work altogether.

I've little time for the golf snobs who dictate how quickly a round must be completed.  I respect your right to voice an opinion in support of 3 hours rounds, but I'll not list it as the sole way to enjoy the game.  If you want to play that quickly, find off-hours in which to do it; I and perhaps others won't adhere to such strict guidelines.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jason,

I've never played a 5 hour round when there wasn't a group in front of me, unless I was playing 27 or 36 holes.

When it comes to playing five hour rounds, I'm happy to concede that you have far more experience in this area than I do.

3 hours and at the most 4 hours is more than sufficient for a foursome to play 18 holes ..... without rushing.

[Jon Nolan]

A five hour round is hell.  My rhythm is 100% wrecked and although the score is secondary to the experience I don't like shooting 10 strokes higher than I feel I might have under better circumstances.

However, to extend the point, I think the conversely extreme three hour round is a crappy experience also.  I've played plenty of morning nines in under 90 minutes and my personal low is 70 minutes.  That was alone, playing well and not pulling the flagstick (so technically not golf, right   ) although on a course registering 6/10 or so in walking difficulty .  I constantly read on discussion boards how foursomes regularly manage three hour rounds and all I can think is (a) bullshit, (b) executive 5500 yarder or (c) how in the hell can you have fun doing that and who do you know to get the first tee time every day?  I guess (a) is fairly uncool so apologies as necessary and for those who can legitimately pull it off and enjoy it... fantastic, more power to you.  Not for me though.

Put me down as happy somewhere between 3:45 and 4:30.  Time enough to enjoy.  Not too much time so as to become ungrooved.

[Gary Slatter]

I PREFER NOT TO PLAY WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ONLY CONCERNED WITH "PLAYING" QUICKLY. 
some courses can't be played in 3 hours
some golf games are fun even when you are on the course for 5 hours
some golf games are very social and are more than hitting and walking
some courses (Old Course, Elie, Panmure, etc.) are 3 hour courses, many are not

[archie_struthers]

 

Ronald  great points particularly about the wine .....and golf has those that believe it should be savored also....for me the fun in playing is to keep a rhythm of sorts during the process...and for this reason I choose to play either early or late to achieve that aim

[JC Jones]

3 hours and at the most 4 hours is more than sufficient for a foursome to play 18 holes ..... without rushing.

How do you know when you admit that you dont have enough experience in 5 hour rounds?  Perhaps you'd enjoy them more, you dont know.

[Gary Slatter]

I am straight away concerned that anyone who enjoys the game can ask such a question.

Why would anyone enjoy a 5-6 hour game when you can have a good 18 holes in the morning, a fair to good lunch then another 18 holes in the afternoon spending close to 6 or so hours for both rounds.

Golf is not an endurance test, its meant to be enjoyable, 5-6 hours for a round of 18 holes is not actually normal. Yes, I expect it happens and from what some say on here it’s a fairly regular problem in some places, but that does not make it right nor would I call it value for money either. I would not want to constantly repeat that experience.

Melvyn

ever have athree hour lunch?

[Anthony Gray]

  Five hours of anything is tuff for anyone with ADD.

  Anthony R Gray ADD GCA DMD PC

[Ronald Montesano]

You forgot PITA, the most important modifier of all.

[Bill_McBride]

Do you have somewhere better to be than at the golf course?  If so, why not just go there and not to the course?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Every round played at the Dixie Cup this year took longer than 4 hours.  In fact, my round with Mayhugh and Hutto took longer than 4 hours and we finished 3 holes ahead of the group who teed off after us.

I thought we played at a decent pace but the intense competition may have slowed us a bit!

[Anthony Gray]

  Rustic Canyon at this years KP was my longest round ever. Without shade it was tuff.

  Anthony

[JC Jones]

Do you have somewhere better to be than at the golf course?  If so, why not just go there and not to the course?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Every round played at the Dixie Cup this year took longer than 4 hours.  In fact, my round with Mayhugh and Hutto took longer than 4 hours and we finished 3 holes ahead of the group who teed off after us.

I thought we played at a decent pace but the intense competition may have slowed us a bit!

And what a great time it was.  Not once did I look at my watch to see how long the round took.

[Patrick_Mucci]

3 hours and at the most 4 hours is more than sufficient for a foursome to play 18 holes ..... without rushing.

How do you know when you admit that you dont have enough experience in 5 hour rounds?  Perhaps you'd enjoy them more, you dont know.

If I learned anything over the last few years, it's how precious time is.

You never know how much you have left, so taking 5 hours to play what normally takes me 3 or 4 hours, is a pure waste of an hour or two.
And, as much as I love golf, I also love the other facets of my life.

In addition, I have a rhythm, a tempo when I play, and extending that tempo by another hour or two is uncomfortable, if not unpleasant.

Remember, while I enjoy the comraderie and love the competition, I'm there, PRIMARILY to play golf, not to socialize, enjoy the scenery or idle my time away.

Five hour rounds are an ETERNITY and a waste of one of your most valuable assets...... time.
So, don't waste it by lollygagging on the golf course.

[JC Jones]

You're missing my point, AGAIN

What happens when you are playing "in rhythm," in a good game with your friends, focused on nothing but golf (no peeking at the ocean at Seminole) and the round takes longer than 4 hours? 

Do you dismiss it as a bad day?  Do you even look at your watch? 

[Ronald Montesano]

One man's lollygagging is another man's good, long swallow.  How often have I heard from oldsters about how little time they have left to waste!  Think back to your youth and how much fun you had, just wasting time (I think Otis Redding preached that sermon.)

You can't measure a good time, so who cares if it takes 3, 4 or 5 hours?

[Anthony Gray]

  The answer to what is wrong with a five hour round may be one hour.

  T Gray

[Patrick_Mucci]

One man's lollygagging is another man's good, long swallow.  

I wouldn't know about either 

How often have I heard from oldsters about how little time they have left to waste!

That's part of my point.  Why waste a precious commodity ? 

Think back to your youth and how much fun you had, just wasting time (I think Otis Redding preached that sermon.)

You can't measure a good time, so who cares if it takes 3, 4 or 5 hours?

I care when your 5 hour round ruins my round, especially when you refuse to let the faster group behind you, through

[Mike McGuire]

With travel, warmup and post round settle up with 2 beers - a 5 hour round can mean an 8 hour day.

And we wonder why rounds are down.

[Ronald Montesano]

Ahh, Patrick, you were going along so well, then you assigned to me a transgression that I did not commit...how could you know whether I let you through or not?  I've played fast enough behind slow enough players to know when to let others through.  Nowhere did JC nor I nor any of the other supporters of this fledgling movement preach the prickishness of forcing faster players to wait.

[Patrick_Mucci]

You're missing my point, AGAIN

I'm not missing it, I'm disagreeing with it..... again.

What happens when you are playing "in rhythm," in a good game with your friends, focused on nothing but golf (no peeking at the ocean at Seminole) and the round takes longer than 4 hours? 

That's a conflict in terms.

But, the more the round exceeds 4 hours, the less enjoyment I derive.
Is 4 hours and 1 minute going to trouble me ?  NO, but, 4:30 sure will.
Will 3 hours be more enjoyable ?  Absolutely.  Same for 3:30.
Once you start taking more than 4 hours the level of enjoyment starts to diminish.

Do you dismiss it as a bad day? 

At 5 hours ?   YES

Do you even look at your watch? 

I don't have to, my body clock has a fairly good sense of time.

[Mac Plumart]

Patrick...

I hear you, but I don't think you are hearing JC.

When I first started at Mother Merrill, prior to starting my current firm, I was told exactly what you said..."Your most valuable commodity is your time, don't waste it."  And "a day that is wasted, is a day you will never get back", etc.  And I took it to heart and worked between 80 to 100 hours per week for my first few years.  And you know what, I built a HELL of a business.  But, I didn't have a life.

So, maybe you don't want to "waste" that extra hour on the course...but maybe it isn't wasted in JC's mind...as it is what he wants to be doing.

Does that make sense?

And again, I hear you...I don't like 5 hour rounds...but maybe he just likes being on the course and an extra hour on the golf course is one less hour he has to deal with various B.S. that he wants to avoid.

Makes sense to me.

[Anthony Gray]

 5 hours at the golf course is better than 5 hours else where. I think I get it.

  Anthony

 

[JC Jones]

I don't have to, my body clock has a fairly good sense of time.

You never cease to crack me up.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Patrick...

I hear you, but I don't think you are hearing JC.

When I first started at Mother Merrill, prior to starting my current firm, I was told exactly what you said..."Your most valuable commodity is your time, don't waste it."  And "a day that is wasted, is a day you will never get back", etc.  And I took it to heart and worked between 80 to 100 hours per week for my first few years.  And you know what, I built a HELL of a business.  But, I didn't have a life.

So, maybe you don't want to "waste" that extra hour on the course...but maybe it isn't wasted in JC's mind...as it is what he wants to be doing.

Does that make sense?

Sure it does, but, your choice was to focus on your business, almost to the exclusion of everything else in your life.
I indicated that I have other pursuits that I enjoy, my family, friends, business, GCA.com, hobbies, looking a gorgeous women, etc., etc..

Had you had the misfortune to have an illness that was in the process of being diagnosed, and you were waiting for CT Scan results that would tell you if you had two weeks, two months, two years or an unknown amount of time to live, I guarantee you that you'd re-examine how you've been living your life and how you were going to apportion your time in the future, if you were lucky enough to have some.

And again, I hear you...I don't like 5 hour rounds...but maybe he just likes being on the course and an extra hour on the golf course is one less hour he has to deal with various B.S. that he wants to avoid.

His is a selfish position with no consideration given to the golfers playing behind him, golfers who want to play in 3 or 4 hours.

I mean, 5 hours, that's really playing SLOW

Makes sense to me.

Not to me, pre and post CT Scans.

[Mac Plumart]

Patrick...

that is fine.  Your point is that you don't agree with JC.  Ok. 

I see his point and I see yours.



FYI...JC when we play next week, there better not be any of this 5 hour crap going on!!!