I used to be a slow player, until one day a fellow playing partner informed me that I was earning a reputation. I didn't take it personal. In fact - I thanked him for caring enough about me to say something.
I'd just joined the club, very first private club I'd ever been a member at... and my playing pace had essentially gotten slower from all the years playing on a public layout that didn't enforce pace of play, where 5-hour rounds were the norm. Well, you figure out in that situation that it does absolutely no good to get upset, because it ain't changing anything getting bent out of shape. I just slowed my pace down to compliment the hurry-up-and-wait environment, where we learned early on to not get in too much of a rush. We kept pace, albeit a slower pace. It was what it was... just accept it and do whatever you can to adjust.
And over the years, I guess, I just adjusted. So when I joined the private club, I had to make another adjustment. And it wasn't easy early on... I felt rushed, seriously rushed. My game suffered for a month or so as a result. But then I found myself playing some of the best golf of my life that same summer, playing at a quicker pace and not having to wait.
I will occasionally bring guests up to my current club, and depending on their level of skill - I'll make the tee time accordingly. It's a tough layout... lots of long holes, tough greens, and lots of trouble. I would never want to put my guest in a situation where he would feel any more uncomfortable than needed, so I usually avoid the busy part of the morning. We're there to enjoy ourselves, to enjoy the experience. We're not there to race around the course in record time, and we have a lot of morning regulars who feel like they're in a track meet.
My regular foursome generally finishes in 3:45-3:50, if we're not being held up. That's an enjoyable pace for us. We don't feel rushed, but we're not having to wait either. I guess that would be my ideal pace.
Slow play, however, just takes a toll on my game now. And I know that when the medal play championship begins in a couple of weeks - it'll be slow. It always is when guys are having to mark everything and putt everything out. I just gotta be patient and make the adjustment, however difficult it might be if the heat and humidity are kicking.