Survey finds a round of Golf takes too long.

FixdePitchmark

PARlance wrote: »

I don't, I'm far from the middle of nowhere but in order to get into a golf course within 15 mins (3 clubs) I would need to join a waiting list and have a cheque for about €10k ready and yearly subs of ~ 2k+ thereafter.

And it's not just a Dublin problem, you'll see guys in Cork, Galway having to travel a fair bit to find golf.

Bearna golf club is 395 euro
There is very cheap golf in Cork.

People choose to drive further for better courses - that is their choice. They have the time. So this topic is not an issue for them.

We can pick all sorts of nuances and examples. But my point is, driving to a course takes time - reduce it if possible. That is my mantra for me and by experience. Will not fit all - but it is an option for the majority of golfers.

By the way - not sure you haven't a course close to you at a reasonable rate.
I'll take your word.

But if people live in premium areas - a premium is associated. If they can't afford this premium - they are going to have to both work very hard to pay their way there. I'd argue they are in the wrong area for a good work(golf) life balance - but that is another days debate.

Golf is not going to be an option for them . That goes back to my point - the modern middle aged couple , will not be able to justify the cost of golf.
If they can - they wouldn't justify the time.

It all comes back to the same conclusion.
Golf is an option for a niche group - particularly in this 20 to 40 year age group.


I'm offering ideas for a way to improve it or to make it possible for some.
It is possible - but I agree we are at the edges of reasonable all the time. It is the problem with golf. It is an unreasonable, an unrealistic sport in so many ways.

It is ridiculously, slow, long and hard.

Modern life is about , fast , short and easy.

Russman

I think there are lots of issues/reasons for the situation golf finds itself in and, as a result, lots of potential (both crazy and sane) solutions.
But IMHO, pace of play is definitely a big thing. Whether its the only thing or the most important one is another debate. Surely though, pace of play and length of a round is one of the easiest things to fix, if people are willing. Start with the little battles that you can win.
I'm usually in the first 3 or 4 groups out at weekends and we're generally around in 3hrs 15m, give or take, I played on Saturday morning with a different group and it took 3hrs 50mins and was amongst the slowest, most frustrating rounds I've ever had. One notion I'd love to see put to bed is the idea that 4hrs is somehow quick or that 3hrs 30m is "running around" - it's certainly not.
Simple things like leaving your bag in the right place and simply being ready to play when its your turn could easily save most groups the 15 or 20 mins that make a big difference to a round.

In the bigger picture, I think societal changes have also impacted the perception that golf takes too long. People want what they want and they want it now. Its not really a sport that lends itself to that attitude though. At the same time I'm not convinced golf needs to change too much just to suit a certain demographic.......

FixdePitchmark

Russman wrote: »

I think there are lots of issues/reasons for the situation golf finds itself in and, as a result, lots of potential (both crazy and sane) solutions.
But IMHO, pace of play is definitely a big thing. Whether its the only thing or the most important one is another debate. Surely though, pace of play and length of a round is one of the easiest things to fix, if people are willing. Start with the little battles that you can win.
I'm usually in the first 3 or 4 groups out at weekends and we're generally around in 3hrs 15m, give or take, I played on Saturday morning with a different group and it took 3hrs 50mins and was amongst the slowest, most frustrating rounds I've ever had. One notion I'd love to see put to bed is the idea that 4hrs is somehow quick or that 3hrs 30m is "running around" - it's certainly not.
Simple things like leaving your bag in the right place and simply being ready to play when its your turn could easily save most groups the 15 or 20 mins that make a big difference to a round.

In the bigger picture, I think societal changes have also impacted the perception that golf takes too long. People want what they want and they want it now. Its not really a sport that lends itself to that attitude though. At the same time I'm not convinced golf needs to change too much just to suit a certain demographic.......

Great post.

And if you post on here 330 - should be a target, You are a bit odd :eek:

I'd be more in the 3h15 as where we should be.

Is that a 3 ball Russman ?

Tom.D.BJJ

Banning four balls is such a simple and obvious solution. I'm gonna suggest that to our work society too.

Russman

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Great post.

And if you post on here 330 - should be a target, You are a bit odd :eek:

I'd be more in the 3h15 as where we should be.

Is that a 3 ball Russman ?

Thanks.

No, that's actually a 4 ball. All our comps apart from the Captains Prize I think are played in groups of 4, a legacy of when there was big pressure on the timesheet in years gone by. In saying that, most players will always mix and match on a given morning if someone arrives on spec or people can't make it, so you might see three 3 balls going out where there might have been two 4 balls on the sheet etc.

PARlance

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Bearna golf club is 395 euro
There is very cheap golf in Cork.

People choose to drive further for better courses - that is their choice. They have the time. So this topic is not an issue for them.

We can pick all sorts of nuances and examples. But my point is, driving to a course takes time - reduce it if possible. That is my mantra for me and by experience. Will not fit all - but it is an option for the majority of golfers.

By the way - not sure you haven't a course close to you at a reasonable rate.
I'll take your word.

But if people live in premium areas - a premium is associated. If they can't afford this premium - they are going to have to both work very hard to pay their way here. I'd argue they are in the wrong area for a good work life balance - but that is another days debate.

Golf is not going to be an option for them . That goes back to my point - the modern middle aged couple , will not be able to justify the cost of golf.
If they can - they wouldn't justify the time.

It all comes back to the same conclusion.
Golf is an option for a niche group - particularly in this 20 to 40 year age group.


I'm offering ideas for a way to improve it or to make it possible for some.
It is possible - but I agree we are at the edges of reasonable all the time. It is the problem with golf. It is an unreasonable, an unrealistic sport in so many ways.

It is ridiculously, slow, long and hard.

Modern life is about , fast , short and easy.

I'm fairly familiar with the courses around and the time it takes to get to them.
There are areas that might offer a better work-golf balance but that doesn't necessarily equate to a better work-life balance for everyone.

Living in a City, like most of the country do, you'll be hard pressed to get a club within 10 mins. Bearna is a nice spin from the anywhere east of the Corrib and as for Cork, for a city of its population, I think they are poorly serviced in terms of affordable & accessible golf.

But yes, travel time is a factor. A factor most people give due care to. There aren't many that don't imo.

FixdePitchmark

Yes and you have Athenry and Galway bay and Cregmore park the other side.
No issue in Galway.

As for Cork - I think you are wrong.
Very cheap and every option going. I've played most of them.

paulos53

Very few options within 30 minutes of Cork city for under 800 euro. Not sure if everybody would consider 800+ cheap or not.

Not so long since they were all looking for entrance money also.

Boskowski

I played in a twoball last Friday and we were absolutely flying around in just under 3 hours. In a 3 ball 'flying' would probably mean 3:20. But that's because the weather was so poor that no one was on the course, we just happened to fall into the only playable window that day.
But that's not the point the point is 2:50/3:20 on an empty road with no lost balls or any other hold ups and honestly we couldn't have played any faster without actually making the point of 'racing'.
Now imagine a full field of 3 balls where every delay in every group naturally accumulates through the field. Id consider anything under 4 hours in that case quite ok. Remember you have golfers of all age groups and all handicap categories in there. If you're 3 30 year olds with single figure hcs behind 3 65 year olds with 20+ hcs you're going to find it painful. But it is what it is and in a full 3 ball field on a Sunday anything under 4 hrs seems ok to me.
I mean golf takes hours it's not like a game of squash. And whether it takes 3:20 or 3:50 isn't going to make that much of a difference overall when you think getting there, checking in, warm up chips and putts, possibly an after round pint.

I think the people who have an issue with this need 9 hole comps. It's the only way of really making a difference I think.

FixdePitchmark

paulos53 wrote: »

Very few options within 30 minutes of Cork city for under 800 euro. Not sure if everybody would consider 800+ cheap or not.

Not so long since they were all looking for entrance money also.

Well that is the problem

For someone into golf - 800 euro is a bargain.

For a floater in the middle, not too pushed. 800 quid is way too much.

Seve OB

paulos53 wrote: »

Very few options within 30 minutes of Cork city for under 800 euro. Not sure if everybody would consider 800+ cheap or not.

Not so long since they were all looking for entrance money also.

I think it's very cheap. less than half what I pay and there is still "hello money" in a lot of clubs with fees around what I pay... ours being one of them (although there are currently ways around that)

SaveOurLyric

Sorted.

http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20150511-with-golfboard-a-600-year-old-game-gets-gnarly

cairny

paulos53 wrote: »

Very few options within 30 minutes of Cork city for under 800 euro. Not sure if everybody would consider 800+ cheap or not.

Not so long since they were all looking for entrance money also.

Off the top of my head there's Cobh, Mallow, Mitchelstown, Fermoy, Fernhil....