I think you guys are talking about two different things.
Iowa small town golf culture/rules is going to be way different than metro big city or what I would term "real" golf courses.
On a small town golf course tee times are generally completely unheard of, you go off when you go off. Everything is informal. When I was a kid we would play directly through (without even saying anything to them about it) an old couple (who were my God Parents!!!) in their late 80's who were completely oblivious and just about the spitting image of the "whoa nellie I'm hot today!" old people in Caddyshack.
I'm on your side when it comes to a "real" golf course. One weekend I was in a 3-some on the Amana Colonies course (you can look it up, one of the "fancy" Iowa courses) and it took 5 1/2 hrs because of a group of total a-holes (I think it was probably 15-16 guys in 4 groups) who would watch their "buddies" finish up on a green before teeing off and they turned each green into a social event of dicking around.
That day a ranger eventually came around and apologized and said they had let those people "get out of hand" with falling behind the pace. We were still pissed.
On small town course you'd either directly give people like that s.hit (which might include hitting into them) or just skip ahead. Depending on how well you knew them blah blah blah.
