We give 2 and are done in under 3 hours except for 1 team. You bowl them, you know that it is going to take longer. They are a little slow but not very good bowlers at all. We bowled them last week. Both of our teams were a bowler short and we got done at the same time as everyone else.

As for golf in 4 hours or under, hard to do. Most places want you done in under 4 1/2. When I worked at a course, they had rangers out on the course timing the difference between groups at 3 different places on the course. They wanted a 9 minute difference to keep up efficiency. It actually worked.

Our center usually has a 2nd shift league immediately after the first shift league. 1 lane courtesy is the norm at the center I bowl at. The front desk would be angry if it took the first shift league more than 3 hours.

At the club I belong to, there is a timer in the cart. It is turned on by the starter when you tee off. It tells you where you should be on the course at the specific time.

I also believe it somehow communicates back to the clubhouse, cause I have seen the course ranger come out to a foursome ahead of us to speed them up.

Tee off schedule is avery 10 minutes. Doesn't that mean 10 mins, for 18 holes would equal 180 mins or 3 hours? Why does it take 4+?

At that rate, it seems like they pack more people onto the course.

Courses send people off as fast as the can. Most of the time, 10 is a guideline. If there is room, they will let more people tee off. More people = More $$$$$ If they just sent people off the front at 10 minute intervals, you would be fine. It is when they start doing the same thing on the back 9. Now, you have to get all of those people in there too. Then they really start jamming people. Cheaper after 3pm for twilight? They cram even more people on the course. Rules say no more than 4 to a group. You want 6? Sure, just split up later on. It is all about the $$$

One thing, I usually do is ask people if they would like to shot their spares or splits before I go up. It's not really for me, it just seems like a better allocation of time.

I owe a guy a beer on Tues night for courtesy. When I had 10 in a row a new guy on a new team to the left of us stepped on the approach just after I did. Usually when someone has that many stacked you wait it out. The guy calmly pulled the new guy off the lanes and explained what was going on. I didnt want to have to reset myself so I focused and it worked out. If he had gone when I was there first I may have been slightly miffed if I came up short. Still would have been on me.

I don't wait it out if someone is on 10 in a row, and I don't want people to wait it out if I'm on the front 10. That changes the rhythm and the atmosphere in general. I may wait for them to make their shot before I step on the approach if I'm the first pair to either side, but after they throw their shot I'm on the approach getting ready for mine.

If I've got the front 9 or 10, I really appreciate it when everyone stops. Last thing I want to hear halfway through my approach is some idiot cussing. I can focus pretty well otherwise, but dead silence makes me really focus.

I'd rather people just keep bowling if I have the front 10 or so. For me, keeping the atmosphere the same works better than it suddenly getting quiet.

I would rather people keep bowling as well. A couple of years ago, I had the from 9 and got up to the 10th. Everyone around me stopped except for one guy on the lane to my left. We had been talking the whole game between balls. He kept it going. That is what I needed. I left a 10 pin on my last ball but, everything was the same.