[John Kavanaugh]

What purpose is served by not allowing women to tee off before 10?

[Ira Fishman]

What purpose is served by not allowing women to tee off before 10?

No idea. Old school rule that there is a primary and secondary member. It does not apply during the week so I guess it hearkens back to the days when it was assumed that women did not work. I know some clubs that apply the rule to all days though.


Ira

[Ian Mackenzie]

A Mediocre Golfer’s “Principles” for Prompt Play:


**Always keep an extra ball in your pocket for when you hit the first one in an unrecoverable place. And one for good measure for your partner.
**Never have to go back to your bag because you have run out of tees or ball markers.
**If you need a snack, do not stick in the bottom of the side pocket.
**No practice swings unless you are implementing a life changing lesson.
**No practice strokes for putts (no exceptions).
**Finish putting whenever a playing partner is raking a bunker.
**Do not ask your partner to mark his or her ball unless it is directly in your line.
**Leave your bag in the most efficient place to walk to the next tee.
**No range finders; if you cannot get a good distance from a nearby sprinkler head or the like, give it your best guess.
**Never switch clubs even if you think you pulled the wrong one.
**Never restart your routine even if you know that you should.
**Even if playing on an empty course, never survey a putt from the side or the other side.
**Fix every ball mark knowing that it will speed up play for those behind you.
**Leave the pin in.
**Offer to rake for your partner.
**Never take a cart on cart path only days unless medically necessary. And then bring at least four clubs to every shot.
**Never walk from your ball up toward the green even if you are eyeing a career round.
**Avoid walking next to the slowest walker in your group.
**Avoid all discussions about politics and investment advice.
**Remember that being 75 yards ahead is fine as long as you are not in danger or eyesight of your partner.
**Pick up if you are out of the hole or at the handicap max.
**Focus on getting to the post round drinks after hole 14.


Ira

]Love this!

This is a topic that has been reflected upon often by my golfing pals here in Chicago.The solution is just so much simpler and less expensive:-

          - GOLFERS, please be ready to hit your shot!!
It's a cumulative combo effect of:

1. Get your yardage and club selection while your playing partners are hitting
2. No need to all watch each guy go through his routine, then after he hits, you go on to next guy.
3. Cut your pre-shot routine down to 20 seconds instead of 35 seconds.
4. Start lining up your putts while others are away. If you are not in other player's lines, then put your ball down. For God's sake please if you are going to stalk your 17' par putt from all angles, please do so while your pals are hitting their 27' birdie putts!

A. Pre-shot routine of 20 seconds, instead of 35 seconds x 85 shots (average 10-12 HDCP-er) = added time per player of 21 minutes per round.
B. You can see here that ~ 20 mins per player per round can be added (or shaved) simply by modifying your preparedness to hit your shot when it's your turn.

 It can be the difference, however, between a slow round of 4:27 and a breezy casual round in 3:38.

 Sure, some routines are 25-35 seconds and no one is asking you to rush and not all players in a 4-some are doing this. But this math is spot-on.

The reality is that a guy who shoots 85-95 aint gonna do much better if he lingers over the damn ball for 35 seconds before pulling the trigger.
“Just hit the ball, mon!”

“See ball, hit ball.”

[Mark Smolens]

Which country were they from and why would that matter? The USA has the slowest golfers by a wide margin.

Years ago I was playing at Ballybunion in a four ball with a couple of golf writers, and a friend who was quite slow.  I was keenly aware we were holding up the group behind us, so on the tenth hole, we let them play through.  One of the Irish fellows in the group behind us was ninety years old, and this finally convinced my friend that maybe he needed to work on playing faster.   

Side trip to Ballybunion during a wedding in 1982. We were three, and a foursome appeared behind us as we were on the 12th or 13th green. One of them approached us, and asked if we were "going to be out here again tomorrow?" When I responded in the negative, he said "well, neither or we and we'd like to finish today." We of course stepped aside and they gratefully blitzed by us. We didn't think that we were slow (we finished in 3 hours and 5 minutes, but admittedly spent some time searching for balls in the long grass). When we finished, the foursome was in the bar -- probably waiting for the bartender to finish pouring their first pint!

[Cliff Hamm]

For those using carts:


1.  Do not put your clubs away until you get to your next shot.  If we are talking 2 times per hole and 4 golfers taking minimum 5 seconds that is 12 minutes per round.


2.  For most a little bit of walking won't hurt.  Don't always sit in the cart while your partner hits.  Take a club or two and walk to your ball.

[John Kavanaugh]

No one likes mandates.

[Rob Marshall]

For those using carts:


1.  Do not put your clubs away until you get to your next shot.  If we are talking 2 times per hole and 4 golfers taking minimum 5 seconds that is 12 minutes per round.


2.  For most a little bit of walking won't hurt.  Don't always sit in the cart while your partner hits.  Take a club or two and walk to your ball.

Why not drive to your ball and let your partner walk to the cart while you hit?

[Jeff_Brauer]

No one likes mandates.

Hit your damn shot is different than "Get the damn shot." LOL.


That list of fast play qualities and tactics is almost my most important golfing bible.  At least, I know I was taught all of that, and cringe when someone says, "throw me a ball" after an O.B. tee shot, leaving their bag behind and walking back, not putting their chipping club on a direct line to the cart while on the green, so they have to go back a few holes the next time they need a 7 iron, etc.


The one I do occasionally is back off if I think I am lined up wrong, and 1-2 times a season will change clubs.  I figure a blown shot and its subsequent shot probably takes as much time as backing off if I REALLY need to.


BTW, my style includes walking ahead, as long as I should be well wide of the player's vision to the green.  Yes, I grew up learning fast golf, rather than traditional golf.  I guess I can't play with Bryson!  And, I recall my play at Pine Valley, where my caddie told me my member host absolutely abhorred anyone walking ahead when he played.  So, I guess walking ahead needs to pay attention to your partners and their SOP.

[Ira Fishman]

Jeff,


To be honest, I violate the restart routine principle on occasion too. It is usually because I am pondering the political discussion I just had in violation of that principle.


The leaving your wedge or seven iron in the right place is a great addition. Similarly, when people bring their putter covers to their putting spot and then forget them is another pet peeve.


Walking ahead can be tricky. I do not do it when I play with my wife because she always thinks I am in her line of sight.


Ira

[Steve Lang]

   No amount of cajoling or left brain rationalizations or rules are going to make folks play faster unless there's some inner motivation or first learnings in their minds.  Kind of the "late for supper" sundown situation.  When marshals became player hosts at some clubs they became glorified water, ice, and towel dispensers


Having a cart is best for playing through, you just drive by and look to see what's really happening in front of the offending group, that alone can send the message, you don't need to ask permission... to look for a rest room    or play the next as a par 3, they'll never catch up anyway...

[MCirba]

In 2015 a fast-walking, fast-playing friend of mine who is physically fit and 20 years younger than me and I stayed in the Dormie House overnight at Royal Lytham.   It was our last day of the trip and as they were calling for some "weather" later that morning we hoped to get out first that morning and zip around, perhaps to play Fairhaven that afternoon, weather dependent.

We arrived at the tee around daybreak, only to be told by the starter that there was a five-some of members there who had precedence.   We collectively groaned, anticipating the worst.   After about the 3rd hole we never saw them again, and completed our round (yes the weather came anyway on 10-14 with gusting rains) in about 2 hours, 40 minutes.   

The longest round of our trip was the morning at Muirfield in 50-60 mph winds that took 3 hours.   That backup was caused by the fact that the 7th hole into the wind was nigh impossible and the local custom of waiting for folks to tee off on 8 before playing 7.
 
I still find it incomprehensible why a round of golf takes more than four hours.   

[Jeff_Brauer]

Jeff,


To be honest, I violate the restart routine principle on occasion too. It is usually because I am pondering the political discussion I just had in violation of that principle.


The leaving your wedge or seven iron in the right place is a great addition. Similarly, when people bring their putter covers to their putting spot and then forget them is another pet peeve.


Walking ahead can be tricky. I do not do it when I play with my wife because she always thinks I am in her line of sight.


Ira

Well, yeah.  A lot of wives seem to have eyes in the back of their head, so staying behind can be tricky, too.....


As to leaving things behind, I am probably not the only one who consistently looks for such happenings from my partners, as in, most greens I leave saying, "Someone left a club there."  And, every so often, that someone is moi.

[John Kavanaugh]

You can't put a clock on compassion. Being the first to say gesundheit doesn't make you a good German.

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