All Rounds Should Be Four Hours or Less

[KY Golfer]

In an ideal world yes they should be but it’s not always in your control. And from a personal standpoint with daily life battles, I use golf as my escape to just enjoy being out on the course with good people. So if it takes a little longer so be it.

 

[TWright971]

I can't they should be. Unless the course is especially long and/or there are some holes where the green to next tee distance is long - one course I play has about 3 - 5 holes where that distance is extreme - 200 - 500 yards, walking can bump the time.

Otherwise, yea, if all is perfect and only mid caps are playing then 4 hours should work, throw one bad group or heavy gamblers into the mix and it blows up and snow balls to 5 hours.

If all is perfect time should be well under 4 hours.

 

[MtlJeff]

I think there's no reason a casual round should take longer than 4 hours.

A competitive stroke play round, in foursomes, i am OK if it is a bit longer. NOT 5 hours. But 4:15 or 4:20 i can live with.

I am a very fast player, so for me it's no problem. But 4 guys looking for the occasional ball, taking another read of a putt....it can add up.

At my club, we do threesomes for the CC, and we typically play in 4 or less

 

[BigMac]

I guess this would preclude any new golfers from getting in on the action. Seems all of us, at one point or another, probably muddled through a few 5 hour rounds (some of our own doing and some not)… and forget about ever playing in a charity scramble again.

I think at some point some point, you gotta be on both sides of slow play in order to see the benefit of playing quickly.

When you think about it, scrambles are the most egregious and ridiculous offenders. You're all picking up your balls you sprayed all over and hitting from the same place, usually a good lie. You know the distance, so club selection shouldn't be something to agonize over. You're not standing around on a green while one guy skulls his shots back and forth from bunker to bunker, you're all putting from the same place. You're using string for your putts and going through the 5 gimmes apiece you all bought at registration that morning, so it's that many fewer shots to take. Theoretically, they should be played way faster than a regular round, but every charity scramble I've ever played in was a 5+ hour affair, minimum.

 

[DataDude]

It will never happen so I’m not fretting about it.

 

[echico]

I guess this would preclude any new golfers from getting in on the action. Seems all of us, at one point or another, probably muddled through a few 5 hour rounds (some of our own doing and some not)… and forget about ever playing in a charity scramble again.

I think at some point some point, you gotta be on both sides of slow play in order to see the benefit of playing quickly.

I have been paired with a lot of new golfers. Most of them are scared they are in the way and are super quick to just pick up. I had to slow down one person and told them that there was time for them to hit a shot from there.

Charity scrambles are what they are. There are contests and such out there and a lot of alcohol. When I sign up for those I know what I am getting. For a random Saturday morning 10 AM tee time those should be much quicker IMHO.

 

[JB]

Do I think its possible Yes. Even looking in woods. But I have to agree that even though I feel like I can run around the course (if its not a head index of 102) and complete it. I do not think the entire course can do it. Some people play slower and move along slower.

Do you think 4 hours is running? Asking genuinely.

 

[That post]

So we can trace this issue back to @That post then. Thanks a lot Rob

Hahaha.

My camera crew works quick.

I take heat for it a lot here I know but I’m just not pressed unless a round starts getting in the 4 1/2 to 5 hour territory. So I guess I agree with JB.

On Saturday, we had an amateur tour at my club and my round took me 5 1/2 half hours. I wanted to kill myself.

 

[JonD]

I agree that there's no good reason for it to take as long as it does, but it definitely still does. Last two rounds I've waited on pretty much all shots except around the green. One of those was as a twosome on Easter where we played in 3:15 as most of the groups out were less than four golfers. The other was a foursome on a cart path only day, where everyone in my group walked. We played in 4:20ish, which I figured wasn't too bad given the conditions. Once the weather turns for good though, it'll be 4+ hours on the weekends. I would just play on weekdays if I could but my work schedule doesn't allow it so I just try not to let it get to me.

 

[Inioch]

I played a round on a slogging wet course, in a foursome with three elderly people, all walking, on a course with some elevation involved, and everyone coming off a winter break.

We finished in 4:15. And I was waiting forever for them to hit on just about every hole.

So yes, 4 hours needs to be the norm and doesn't take anything else than being ready to hit.

 

[*Range Rat]

All rounds should be 3.5 hours or less

 

[RandallC]

Do you think 4 hours is running? Asking genuinely.

No not at all.

 

[frontTsociety]

What if I like a 4.5 hour pace, I don’t go out first thing with the jack rabbits, and the course I play at is fine with that? Asking for a friend…

 

[RandallC]

I’m going to time my next trip which is going to be in two weeks it will be at a course I’ve never played so. I’ll report back.

 

[cmon man]

 

[BMiller813]

By the time you're done reading this sentence, I've already hit 3 shots. Play faster

 

[kiwichris]

I would love this to happen, sadly covid and the influx of new golfer filling absolutely every available tee time means go private or get comfortable and wait.

 

[1860VS]

When you think about it, scrambles are the most egregious and ridiculous offenders. You're all picking up your balls you sprayed all over and hitting from the same place, usually a good lie. You know the distance, so club selection shouldn't be something to agonize over. You're not standing around on a green while one guy skulls his shots back and forth from bunker to bunker, you're all putting from the same place. You're using string for your putts and going through the 5 gimmes apiece you all bought at registration that morning, so it's that many fewer shots to take. Theoretically, they should be played way faster than a regular round, but every charity scramble I've ever played in was a 5+ hour affair, minimum.

It takes a lot of time to herd drunks back to the clubhouse. I have gotten to the point that the only scramble I will play any more is for a local fire department.

 

[JB]

What if I like a 4.5 hour pace, I don’t go out first thing with the jack rabbits, and the course I play at is fine with that? Asking for a friend…

The point was that courses should be more demanding. If someone wants to take forever, that’s fine, they should let golfers go through so they aren’t waiting

 

[GoldenBuff]

Should be 4 hours or less? Sure. I'm into that. But then reality. Not only does golf have a slow play culture — be like the pros! — many golfers decide that since they are paying for the round, they don't care how long it takes. Some players even get lash out militant when prodded to speed up. It's nuts. I simply count my lucky stars when we can finish a round in the 4 hour ball park.

And don't get me started on tournament rounds. Surviving waiting and waiting and waiting is sadly a necessary playing skill. 5+ hours is pretty much the tournament norm.

 

[JonMA1]

State your case on why that shouldn’t be the case and prove me wrong

It shouldn’t be just because some of us want it to be. I don’t know what the split is, but more and more golfers seem to be ok with it.
If the course is OK with it and other golfers are OK with it, those of us accustomed to 3 hrs and under rounds are SOL.

 

[Jman]

 

[Just_Brad]

The #1 culprit of slow play: the tee sheet.

4hr round = 240 mins/18holes= 13 33 mins per hole.

So why do we have starters or tee sheets sending people out over 8/10/12 mins (at least that is what it is here). Even then, it is as soon as someone is out of range the next group is playing. People are piled up right fron the start.

It takes 1 f**k up to screw up an entire morning's pace. If I play solo, it is usually a 45 minute to 1 hr 9's, 2 hr 18's, still making mistakes and losing balls etc. Put me on a course with slower groups, or and that 9 hole time? 2 hrs.

Why do I want rounds to be longer?
More time to take pictures of ducks.
More time to make memories.

 

[Joshnoble01]

Absolutely reasonable. I played Saturday with one of my buddies and the other two-some didn't show up so it was just the two of us. We played in 4:15 and waited almost every hole because the other group was super slow on the green. We had an entire hole to hole and a half-open behind us despite playing this slow. 4 hours is totally reasonable if courses and other golfers just coached it up.

I don't need everyone on the course sprinting but 4 hours is totally reasonable for a 4some.

 

[Coloradomrg]

Man I wish...