The topic of the day in the golf community is the slow play on tour. A 5 hour round should be almost unheard of for players of their caliber yet consistently we see rounds in excess of 5 hours. Watching on TV you get to see a mix of live shots and taped shots so they can keep the action moving and try to keep you from nodding off on the couch (it never works) but I think the more interesting aspect is how slow play in golf at every level is becoming an epidemic.
Growing up playing mostly generic public courses I can remember Saturdays with 6 hour rounds, and even at a young age, being not very good, it was excruciating. Lately, I have been playing more golf than ever (why not, I enjoy it) and have been fortunate enough to join a local country club where I play most of my golf along with a few other select local courses and have seen this problem encroach on my nice 3-4 hour round afternoons. I usually play with the same group of guys who I genuinely enjoy being around, even though they are (much, much) older than me ;) their money still spends the same. We play fast, at times I have to remind myself to take my time, enjoy the round and think through my shots because we can get into a grove where it is almost rapid fire. However, I also play in leagues and tournaments so I get the opportunity to play with different people quite frequently and some of what I see from these players is astounding.
The league is filled with players of all different abilities and levels of commitment to the game which is great but you have to keep in perspective your abilities and capabilities so that you are ready when it is your turn and you take the right amount of time to prepare for your shot. I have been standing on the tee box and witnessed 2 players from another team I happened to be playing with arguing over which leaf to aim at!! Not which branch, or which tree or even the general direction of the shot, which LEAF! I'm sorry, but you are not good enough to worry about which leaf to aim at. I've also seen the guy who waits for the green to clear from 280 yards out on a par 5 because he might "get a hold of this one" and then tops it 10 yards.. If you are a 25 handicap, them being on the green is probably the safest place for them to be, just hit your shot.
Now, that's not to say that people should not take their time and think about their shots, everyone is entitled to that, but if you haven't broke 100 in a round yet, you probably don't need to worry if you are 153 yards out or 155 yards out. I think that is a product of two things. One, ego, everyone always thinks that they are better than they really are, myself included, some days I think I could take Tiger Woods on and win, but know your ability and prepare for the best shot that you can actually execute. Secondly, I think this is a product of people watching golf on TV. Now, don't misunderstand me, I love watching golf on TV but I think the average amateur watches the Tour players and sees them analyze each shot in excruciating detail and thinks, "well, if I want to be good, I guess I have to do that too". The average amateur misconstrues the concept of analyzing your shot with imitating someone's pre-shot routine. The player with a 25 handicap should concern himself more with how to cure their slice or hitting the ball more square on the club face rather than 2 mph of wind or hitting the ball out of the rough vs. the fairway. As you improve and develop your game, your pre-shot analysis should evolve with you and you can begin to dive into more of the details of the shot and prepare for end results. Until then, help us all out and play a little faster and take a lesson from the immortal Tin Cup, just "grip it and rip it".
I have lots of opinions. You may not agree with them, or may want to
argue with me about them, and that is perfectly fine! Even encouraged.
These are thoughts that are "just in my mind" that I have decided to
put down in words as well. Feel free to comment on any post or take it
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