Golfers don’t often accuse other golfers of being slow players without good reason. Telling another player that they are a slow player will often only occur after a considerable period of frustration having observed that player causing pace of play difficulties.
Consequently, if you, on more than one occasion, have been told that you are a slow player it probably means that you are. This does not make you a bad person, and it does not give someone the right to be impolite towards you. However, it does suggest that you should take immediate positive steps to do something about it so that the same accusation is not made again. You can do this by asking for advice from the players you play with on what it is that they believe causes you to be slow. It should then be relatively easy for you to make some minor adjustments to the way you play golf which will make you a quicker player, which will mean you are not negatively impacting on the enjoyment of other players on the course, and which will make you a more enjoyable person to play with.
Importantly, you are more likely to enjoy your golf without feeling the pressure of being scrutinised by your fellow players.
There is a natural reluctance to tell a fellow golfer that he or she is slow for fear of confrontation or appearing rude. Clubs should foster a culture where feedback is seen to be positive, and golfers welcome that feedback in order to ensure that they can improve their behaviour, routines and pace of play. Establishing a reasonable time par is necessary to enable appropriate feedback to be given, without a time par it is impossible to gauge whether a player or group is fast or slow.
Each player should be encouraged to time (and possibly even film) their own pre-shot routine for various shots, e.g. tee, fairway, bunkers, chipping and putting, from the moment they reach their ball to the time of impact, to ascertain how long they take and where seconds can be saved.
Well, that's it for another week but I guess we need to consider the fine line between positively encouraging play at a good pace and simply telling someone to "hurry up" and risk offending or affecting yours,theirs and others enjoyment of the game. Go carefully and respectfully with this one and happy golfing! Lisa GFGC Ctte