Speed Play Deviation

[Michael-Tuohy]

This is from a dga response to me on the Speed Round thread:

"I would say that on averge club members take waaaaaayyyy longer to play 18 holes than non-club members....
...On the putting green is where things slow down the most probably with the club pro taking 20 practice pumps and waiting till nobody is moving or in line of sight to putt while rec players often putt at the same time while talking to each other.
...Definitely different styles of play and the speed of these generalized two groups really clash with each other. Rec players end up skipping holes to go around slow club type players." dga [/quote]

I think this points out a pretty big issue with running a competition-centric club in a town like this. There is already a burden on the resource, and a huge communication gap between the two different stereotypical users. The recs think the big-baggers are too serious, too slow, too different and too un-approachable. The "pros" think the recs are a bunch of senseless kids who don't give a crap about safety, course stewardship, or the sacredness of the precious rules. Doesn't seem very productive, and not to scare anyone, but the recs outnumber the serious folks ten to one. Anytime there's an acknowledged clash between two similarly minded groups, everyone loses the common goals.

Does anyone care about this kind of issue? If not, I'll just stay quiet.

[storm_king]

To me it seems like something that we all just deal with day by day. I think both "sides" can understand where the other is coming from, and agree to disagree.

Right now we need to be unified, not forming divisions amongst disc golfers in town.

This said, I have always wanted to see more recreational level players involved with the club, as well as the club offering more clinics etc. to give pointers to interested members of the community at large. If someone volunteered to spearhead these kinds of efforts, I would personally support them as much as possible.

[dga]

Seems like alot of assumptions 2e
There is enough room for everyone, being a speed round topic I was refering to the different speeds of play. The crude generalization I was making was to point out the different meaning the game has to different people. I didn't mean to imply anyone was "too serious" or that anyone was "senseless", just different strokes for different folks.
If someone wants to play a speed round or try and set a personal or course record, it would probably serve them better to play when the course is empty (in the morning) otherwise ya got to go with the flow.
I believe that the proper course ettiquette is that if you want to play slow and throw multiple shots or whatever you must let anyone play through immediately. In turn this will probably speed the slow golfer up a bit because nobody likes to have to wait for a bunch of people to play through.
seems like you might be overstating things 2e
"Anytime there's an acknowledged clash between two similarly minded groups, everyone loses the common goals"
- Anytime?........does it have to be acknowledged first?.........everyone?.........loss of common goals?

"not to scare anyone..."
I typically question someones intent when this kind of language is used.
why are we in here trying to drum up some drama..... lets get out and play in the sunshine

[evanjabr]

Yeah I don't really think there is much of an issue here. I regularly play really fast rounds and really slow rounds both. If I'm in a hurry, I ask to play through, and if people are waiting on me I ask them if they'd like to play through. There is obviously a difference between tournament style play and rec style play. It's a sport, and it's like that with any other sport too. People are out there for different reasons and have their own style of play that they are after at any given time, and that's fine. There should only be one universal, and that's respect for other players. In that regard, I think the more serious (often slower) "big-baggers" are usually the more respectful of the two types. Ultimately, respectfulness has nothing to do with what "type" of golfer you are; it has to do with what kind of individual person you are, and I'm sure their are respectful and non-respectful individuals on both ends of the spectrum. It is a spectrum, by the way. This dichotomy of "big-baggers" and purely rec players doesn't really exist. There are many, many individuals that fall squarely in between. You might be a prime example of that 2e. Respect for all other people, their opinions, and right to do what they want, is important both on and off the disc golf course.

With regards to the club being too geared toward competitive disc golfers, I think that is only natural. As with most sports, the more seriously one is invested in the sport, the more likely they are to be involved in formal competition in some capacity. You're not going to join the Chess club at school just because you play a game of chess once every couple months. That's just natural. It is always good to reach out to non-tournament players, but there will always be less of those types who care at all about any club or that kind of thing.

With Much Respect - Evan

[toddkrau]

I do understand both sides since I have played in tournaments and play a lot with buddies who only play rec. It does get frustrating when groups are playing tournament style and will take forever before making a throw or putting. In most cases the groups do offer to let people play through but I have also been behind club players who take a long time and do not offer to let faster groups play through. We generally skip holes to get around them because we do not want take 2-3 hours for a round.

I think the important part is to recognize when you are holding up the play of other players and let them play through so everyone can have a good time.

[Michael-Tuohy]

Thanks fellas,
dga and Evan; points well taken. I totally appreciate your thoughts.

In my defense, I added the statement "stereotypical users" so that I could emphasize the often polarized views out there. Mostly it was my reaction after reading the recent news articles and ensuing blog posts. I see a lot of people who want some common goals but a lot of bickering in between. This will most likely create an emphasis on the bickering instead of the goals. Maybe the clash between rec and open players isn't acknowledge by everyone, but I'm pretty sure it's out there from what I see and what I hear and what I read. It also seems to be affecting the very much acknowledged clash between disc golfers and non-disc golfers. And it should indeed scare you that the non-disc golfers out number the disc golfers by at least ten to one. In terms of taxpayer base in northern colorado, I'm sure the ratio is far bigger. When I read about city managers thinking they can build a course in a corn field and take down half of a 20 year old course at Edora, I definitely get concerned. That implies to me that they are much more closely aligned with the non-disc faction. When I see that disc golfers are struggling to maintain harmony at the one full course, I wonder who's going to show the city what a great asset disc golfing is. Could they possibly be hoping that conditions will continue to deteriorate until there is widespread outcry AGAINST disc golfing in Fort Collins? Finally, when on the admittedly few occasions that I do go out to play, I end up skipping all over the place because of crowds...yea, I tend to take it out on the people I notice who are playing slowly.
Am I part of the problem? Sure!
Do my ideas seek to help in the long run? Yes.
Do I have a bag with 10 discs in it? d**n straight! (until I lose one...)
Do I wish I was a lot better? Of course!
Am I a hypocrite? Only some of the time......And usually that's just for artistic flair!!!!!!
I'm glad you guys feel free to hit back. Obviously you care.