It’s time to speed up the pace of play

Golfers who expect to play a round on a public golf course in four hours on a beautiful weekend day are not being very realistic. Glen D. Nager, USGA president, recently said that “slow play has become one of the most significant threats to the health of the game.”

It takes on average five hours on a weekend to play a round of golf on a public course. With courses reaching 7,200 yards and greens lightning fast, the game has become increasingly slow. Golfers constantly complain to the marshal, the pro shop, the starter and even the grounds crew about having to wait on every hole.

“Six hour rounds are not good for golfers or the game,” said USGA executive Mike Davis. “Slow play is also incompatible with our modern society, in which personal time for recreation is compressed. Change is necessary.”

Slow play is such a significant threat to golf that in April 2013 the USGA established a committee to analyze the key factors that contribute to slow play and provide solutions to correct the problems.

Top ten ideas for golfers

1. Average 15 minutes per hole, making for a four hour and 30 minute round.
2. Play the appropriate tees (Tee It Forward).
3. Keep up with the group in front of you.
4. Eliminate mulligans or extra shots on any part of the course.
5. Play all lost or out-of-bounds balls as lateral hazards, meaning a one-stroke penalty.
6. Play match play instead of stroke play and mark your score off the green. 
7. Play ready golf off the tees and on fairways.
8. Put all bags, pull carts or power carts to one side of the greens, not in front.
9. Avoid excessive warm-up swings, taking only 35 seconds per shot, including putting.
10. Leave your cell phone in the car, along with the beer.

Should any or all of these ideas be adopted, the pace of play will speed up. Any one idea may only save seconds or minutes, but when multiplied by hundreds of golfers over 18 holes, golfers have the potential to make a huge difference.

Top ten ideas for golf courses

1. The pro shop needs to explain the time guidelines of 15 minutes per hole and have golfers tee off every eight to 10 minutes. 
2. Give marshals the power to move people along by having golfers skip holes, picking up their balls or wave groups forward on a short par three.
3. Reduce the number of bunkers and other unnecessary hazards.
4. Have all tournaments play best ball with a shotgun start, if possible.
5. Only allow cart personnel to serve golfers on the tees, not along the fairway.
6. Provide good directional signs to prevent golfers from getting lost.
7. Clean out the undergrowth and add dark dye to the ponds to prevent searching for balls.  
8. Pair up singles and doubles into a foursome and use power carts when possible.
9. Make pin placements easy and slow down the greens. 
10. Reduce the amount of liquor on the course.

Every golf course is unique and has areas that can be improved to provide faster pace of play. By themselves, some suggestions may only save seconds, but seconds quickly add up into minutes. As the number of people playing golf in North America continues to decrease, the golf industry needs to address the problem.