From: "James F. Tims" <p00168@psilink.com>
Subject: Re: Speeding Up Play
Organization: Semper Excelsior
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 04:24:13 GMT
X-Mailer: PSILink (3.2)

>FROM:   T. Jerry Scott <mftjs@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu>
>
>>Last summer we came up with the following solution which takes about 45 minutes
>>off a round:  drop the "honors" courtesy.  Whoever is ready, hits.  Even on the
>>green.  Think about it, saving 3 minutes a hole would save almost an hour off
>>your time.  How long do "you" wait for your playing partners.
>
>You  came up with what is known all around the golf  world as "ready
>golf!"  Ready golf is an excellent invention and should be the standard
>method of play on public courses.  In my opinion, watching pros on TV
>has slowed up golf.  What happens to a pro, who can tell the difference
[...]
>We try to play ready golf, but so many are so conditioned to waiting
>aimlessly until "it's their turn" that ready golf really has a hard time
>getting started.
>

Can I agree to this with embarrassing enthusiasm for just one moment?

I think most people are impatient enough to get their shot over with quickly
when it's their turn to play.  Unluckily, they always seem to be "out of 
position" so it takes them forever.  Practice swings, lining up 
putts ala tour, and standing over shots until the other players feel faint 
all slow down play, but what is worse is that players rarely seem to be 
with their golfball when it's their turn.  They sit in the cart like slugs
while their playing partners hit the ball, then -- oh -- it's my turn.  
Up, out of the seat, back to the bag, wipe off the hands, pull a club, 
and then briskly over to hit the shot.  Or how about the player who,
knowing it's his turn next, takes this opportunity to start 
looking for matches to light up a cigarette -- whack -- we're still 
looking for matches...still looking...I'm hurrying now, just gotta get 
this cig lit...the hurrier you go the behinder you get, as they say.  

The worst is "cluster" syndrome, where the entire foursome must be within 5 
yards of the shot being hit.  What's the problem?  Are they afraid to be 
alone, or what?  If one ball is lost on the left and one on the right, why do 
all 4 players have to go right, find the first ball, go left, find the second 
ball, go to the middle and watch the others hit...on and on, for hours 
and hours.  And why does it take so long to tee off?  I've watched it in 
action more times than I can count.  The player with the honors is not 
ready.  Instead of just saying, "Go ahead", he rushes to get the glove, 
tee, ball, driver, and feels like he's doing just fine because he's 
hurrying.  These people just don't see that they are causing delays.  And the 
other players sit around and complain, and tell him to hurry, and then don't 
have their own gloves on, don't have the right club (or no club at all yet), 
don't know it's their turn to hit despite the whole episode with waiting 
for the first guy with the honor.  Everybody rehashes who's turn it 
really is after each shot, and finally the last guy asks, "Has everybody 
hit? I think I'm last."  AIEEEE! It should take a foursome no more than 2 
or 3 minutes to tee off, max.  Some groups haven't even hit the first shot 
after 2 minutes, as another hole opens up in front of them...

[...]
>
>I hope you enjoy your ready golf.  I wish it     became the norm; but
>with TV there is little hope.

I think you had it right with people not being ready.   
Copying the pro-snails contributes, but you can take a long time with 
a shot if you start working on it while the other players are hitting 
instead of standing there slack-jawed in the fairway, idling watching the 
action.  

>Thomas J. Scott					mftjs@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu

If birdies are rare in your group, then it's nice to wait for the person 
who made one to hit first -- sort of like REAL honors.  But unless 
there's enough money on the line to matter, or one is playing in a 
tourney, honors should simply be ignored.  When the tee is open, step up 
and spank it!  

-jim

Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf