Story:
- 10-16 of us going on a spring trip to phoenix.
- Abilities all over the map
- Several of them are complete ettiquette flunkies, involving talking, 8000 practice swings, playing slow and more....

1. should i just give up? if i get paired with a couple of them, i allow 10 extra strokes to compensate. (i'm not kidding)
2. find a book on it and anonymously mail it to them? (then i need them to act upon the speeding up stuff)
3. hire a bouncer, ref or enforcer, motivational speaker to prep the whole group on playing fast and not talking?

One guy in particular thinks that he plays fast. This is so far from reality you can't imagine it. i've counted the waggles of the club head up and down, and they are always 15+.

Something to post you recommend for our internet golf society website?

thanks peter.

Prep them with a list of do's and don't's, like talking on the back swing, making divots on the tee box with practise swings etc. Just a quick email rather than a book.

Set up a list of offences like taking more than 2 waggles or 2 practise swings. Fines can be either monetary (a buck or so depending on your budget) or just a mark against their name. You have a 'Judge' that awards these for each group (this job rotates around) and then have an awards ceremony to celebrate who played worst, who got the most demerits and who contributed the most into the beer kitty! Just a little something that is supposed to keep everyone on the straight and narrow without coming across as too much of a hardass.

Make it 10 shots and then pick-up. This speeds the game up hugely when there is a group of hackers.

Play the first day with at least one good golfer in each group to make sure that everyone is happy and knows what they are doing and then flight it so that everyone can enjoy themselves playing with guys of similar abities.

Let the healing begin!

Been there. About the only time I say anything is if we're falling behind. I just say that we need to keep up with the group in front. That usually does the trick. I will try to repair the course if someone is tearing it up, but I do that regardless of whether someone in my group is causing the damage or not. The talking in the backswing thing is a little tougher, but if it's bad, I'll try to use a little humor to get the point across.

Are you setting up the foursomes, or is someone else? Try to be in the first foursome.

If they have poor etiquette, make an "etiquette" test, say, 10 questions, and have each person take the test. Winner gets a free 6 pack or something. Loser BUYS the 6 pack...

When you're playing with them, and they don't fix divots or ball marks, casually mention something like "wow, so many people around here don't fix their divots, don't you think?"

If they're stepping in your line, or talking, or standing 2 feet behind you when you get ready to pipe that driver down the middle, ask them to please move.

Your on vacaction so play with your buds and ditch the others when you get to the course. If recreational golf means that much to you thats the only way. When the round is over you can join up with the slow players in the club house and have drinks waiting for them. If you have to play with diffrent guys each day let the drinking begin and start early. Have FUN your on vacation.

Just tell 'em. I have a friend who takes 45-50 seconds each time from the time he plug the tee on the ground to smacking the ball. I pulled him aside and just mentioned he needs to put a little speed in it. Most slow players kinda know they are slow but don't like to be pressured to change their routine (although they suck)

larrybud - i can definitely make an online etiquette test and have some prizes for the correct answers. I already doctored some of the etiquette things i found online: I completely made up all this pga stuff:

from my internetgolfsociety webpage :
pga stuff completely made up:
# Two (2) is the ideal number of practice swings conducted by research from the PGA in 1993, 97, and 2007
# From the time you select your club until you actually hit your shot, you should take no more than 15 to 35 seconds. The PGA found a correlation between additional time and higher scores among all amateur players despite objections from players, they were found to have lower scores when less time was spent in addressing the ball. (PGA elapsed time study, 1998).
Continue putting until your ball is holed. Anything within reason should be putted without interruption and marking in any group setting was the PGA's 1987 pace of play report finding.
Study your line of putt while others are putting. The PGA considers this very important in an effort to eliminate slow play. A cited example given was players standing and watching fellow players while they could have been addressing their own putts on the opposite side of the hole.

baa haaa haaa! i made up the parts to try to reemphasize the importance of fast play...
these guys at least fix their divots, just talking while you are getting ready, etc... man i am getting all anxious just thinking about it.

peter.