If an entire hole is open, a group shouldn't let another play through? I can genuinely say I have never heard that before. Thats literally been part of golf for a century.
I agree with this a lot but I think in the case of 4 hour rounds, it would be a compromise for both types of groups. That’s why I changed my opinion.
My thoughts are if people are already complaining about not being able to get times, that then they would be able and the net result for the course finances would be the same. Not based in reality at all though, just wondering how many people it would actually result in turning away, vs those that would hear pace is being enforced and play there instead. I definitely don't know the answer, just curious.
Doesn't matter. I could walk backwards and finish way faster than 3.5 hours by myself. It usually takes me around 2 hours when I'm free sailing by myself walking, and I'm not rushing, 90 minutes if I have a cart. This is a relatively short course, so maybe a little long on other courses, but no way in hell 3.5 hours.
I’d imagine it would be rare. Not too many groups today playing a 3:15 pace would have a hole open in front of them, and a group stacked up behind them. I just find contrarian than one can call a group selfish for playing a slow pace, yet at the same time, feel untitled to play through a group moving at an acceptable pace. Anyway, enough of my musings on the subject today. I think I’ve made my position clear, agree or not
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The universal expected time would be the utopia I seek.
When a hole is open ahead letting a group (s) play thru is fair and efficient, so no "time policy" is ever needed.
Well yeah everyone is going to finish under 3.5 hours if you're playing by yourself. But what if you're the only walker in the 4-some & you're constantly waiting? What then? Do you leave the group? Try to jump ahead? Or do you just tough it out for 4.5 hours & then complain about it afterwards? Genuine question.
Ahh, misunderstood the question. I'm quite often the only one walking. It's no issue keeping up with 2 people in a cart, one person in one can get dicey and I'm usually pretty wiped out at the end from trying to keep up with them. As far as pace, I play in 4somes all walking well under 4 hours all the time, doesn't feel rushed at all.
That's their fault for not either immediately playing a provisional or just taking a drop in the fairway and hit 4.
None were OB, all were in a hazard, so they had to look for their balls before they dropped.
Don't need to look to hit a provisional.
Hey that's a $4.50 ProV1 or CT ball. They are gonna look for that ball man!
The USGA "Rules of Golf" formerly had a section on etiquette that stated a group should allow faster groups to play through. It further explained that a single player was considered a group as respects this point of etiquette. The USGA must have decided, as part of their streamlining of the "Rules," to merely state, "All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by ... showing consideration to others ..." Just because my group is playing well within the course's pace-of-play policy doesn't give me license to inconsiderately hold up one or more faster groups.
Played Ripon a couple times - enjoy the par 3 holes outside the clubhouse....nowhere to hide
I get a lot of “mind blown” and “WTF”emojis but as you say…. I can’t make this stuff up. The last few pages were about letting groups play through. People don’t know about this… especially the slow ones. Had a group of women the other day play 9. Pace before them was under 1.5 hours. Then an hour and 15 later they came in. One of them said to me,” the group behind us wanted to play through but we told them no.”I went out and drove around the course yesterday and the amount of unreplaced divots is mind blowing. It looked like we had a war out there. I just don’t get it… but like you said… no honor or integrity. But also a huge dose of laziness and cluelessness.
You would laugh at the amount of groups I have to tell on the first hole to tee off where the markers are. They said they tee off from where they want. So we have a tee box under repair…. That is where they are going. Not to the white tees further back and not to the red and senior tees a tee box ahead… they go to the roped off one in the middle ….
Today there were just two of us playing - my buddy in a cart and me walking. We were stuck behind 4 foursomes in a league, and waited on almost every shot. Not agonizing forever waits, but still waiting. We still finished in 3:29 according to my watch, and it was a very leisurely pace.
If a starter is going to put out singles and doubles consecutively, pace isnt the issue. But thats also not whats leading to 5 hours rounds. Everyone keeps pace, everyone finishes in four hours or less
