"While we're young" - new USGA pace of play initiative

[DJofSD]

http://www.usga.org/news/2013/June/USGA-Launches-Pace-of-Play-Initiative/

While I agree pace of play is an important issue, I see a big disconnect between the ideal and the real. Lots of discussion about why it is important and some discussion about how to improve pace of play but where it seems to fall apart is the education of the golfer. Especially those golfers which are the most to blame for a slow round.

I see the need for some bottom-up approaches such as course marshalls and course management engaging and educating the offenders. Case in point: last weekend, I played a round on my home course which I have been able to get around in just over 2 hours. Last Sunday it was slightly more than 3 hours and 30 minutes. And this was after, as a single, I was joined by another single and then at the turn, joined by a father-son group. We politely waited for the threesome ahead of us to finish while they left carts in the front of the green, putted out as if every stroke was to win the US Open, on some holes failing to pick up after going way over par, leaving clubs and water bottle greenside then coming back to retrieve them.

So, as far as I'm concerned, until the battle is fought in the trenches, dealing with pace of play via PSAs, etc., is not going to be effective.

[TJDave]

There's no excuse for poor golfing etiquette. Courses should institute written policies and marshals given authority to enforce them.

Most slow play is the result of golfers overestimating their abilities. "Tee it forward" is one solution which I support.

[DJofSD]

"Tee it forward" is a start, however, it is not always an applicable solution. For example, I have a junior golfer at home. My son is now a good player but when starting to establish an index he had problem with some holes on some courses -- the longer par 4's and par 5's. Those holes he'd swing the 1W and more often than not would result in big hooks with lost balls and/or OB's. (If anything, something other than driver would have helped here but "TIF" doesn't address that issue.) As I have proposed, it would be reasonable for a marshal to suggest moving to a forward tee but when establishing an index, you need to play from specific tees especially for a couple of tracks we play on -- the shorter tee's are not allowed when posting a score. In that situation, I would expect a marshal to understand, and, if asked to let a following group to play through, not a problem.

[TJDave]

Junior golfers aren't the problem as they quickly get better and move on...It's casual and/or un-improving high handicapper. Truth be told, they should have courses dedicated to just them. The USGA is being polite because the industry needs them. ;)

[TJDave]

Adding that I favor "Tee it forward" as a replacement for 'bogey rating'. The ideal should be greens in regulation which translates into less strokes...and time saved.