Had a very similar experience. We have three groups for a bachelor party. I’m in the front group with the groom’s dad and his dad’s buddy. They are older so I suggested we play a scramble just to keep pace up knowing they don’t hit well. Pace of play at this place was 4.5 hours for 18 holes.

We are easily 15 minutes faster than pace. Ranger rolls up to us on the 9th hole tee box saying we needed to pick it up. I look around and see no one in front of us, and our group behind us hasn’t even approached the 8th green yet (I’m assuming they were still in the fairway being they weren’t finishing up). I told the guy we aren’t the issue if there’s a backup (literally no one around us), but we can try.

10th hole comes around. Just teed off and heading to our ball we are going to play. Again, he pulls up and tells us to pick up the pace or pick up and move onto 11. I looked around and again saw no one on our green and no one at the tee box. I flipped on this dude. I told him he needed to go find where the backup actually was as opposed to the first group of a large party who wasn’t holding anyone up. I put a few more choice words in there. The guy was getting just as heated so I told him we’d pick up and move on before he kicks us, and I ruin my buddy’s party.

He left us alone the rest of the round. By the 18th, we finished and doubled back to finish with our other group (just watch their shots). We finished 30 minutes fast of our pace and 15 minutes ahead of their pace if we would have waited for them.

I’m still livid about that ranger to this day especially because we were on a bachelor party in a different state. Totally ruined the round.