What are your thoughts on how we can increase the pace of play at golf courses?

Private clubs have a little more control over the pace of play than public clubs. Private clubs can use a carrot, a stick, or both to attain the desired pace of play. Some best practices:

• New members are thoroughly oriented on pace of play expectations and we ply them with good food and hearty drink to grease the skids. Setting the expectations right up front really helps set the pace.
• For those who are not familiar with the traditional pace of play tools—ready golf, marking cards on the following tee, putting your bag in the right place at greenside, cart routing between shots, clubs in bag after cart stops, etc.—we offer training sessions to initiate the willing.
• Traditionally deliberate players are carefully placed on particular holes in shotgun starts so as not to impede the tournament flow.
• Setting pace of play maximums depending on time of day is a great tool. For example, weekend morning rounds must be completed in 4 hours or less or the players will be blocked from making morning tee times for a minimum of two weeks should back to back “over times” be logged.
• Making the turn easier from an F&B perspective helps reduce the turn times, e.g. ordering food from an app or a golf course “F&B Hotline.”

Overall, it is a self-policing culture of “play without delay” that works best with a sprinkling of law enforcement from the Pro Shop staff. There is nothing like peer pressure or “pace shaming” from friends to light the pace of play fire!

Most golf courses in America define slow play as a round lasting more than four hours and twenty minutes. Due to slow play, facilities suffer from lost revenue based purely on the ability to get their customers around eighteen holes in a reasonable time. This is a culture problem that needs both a long term and a short term response by the golf industry.

In the short term, golf courses can make incremental changes. This includes putting a clock on the tee box every four holes. This constant reminder allows golfers to understand how long they are taking as they move around the golf course. Another way to encourage faster play is make the golf course itself a fun and friendly environment. Ensuring that the tee boxes have a recommended handicap associated with them allows folks to choose their tee boxes correctly. This allows the customers to play an appropriate yardage and have more fun.

However, most pace of play issues are caused by inexperience and golfers not understanding etiquette. Facilities can institute policy ensuring that everyone who goes out on a golf course for their first time has played with one of their professionals. Blocking off tee sheets for beginners also can catch problems more “up-stream”, rather than dealing with the results. However, this takes time and staff to ensure culture change at a facility. The pace-of-play issue has to be a brand, not an issue. Golf courses should promote and be proud of their ability y to get folks around the golf course in a reasonable time.

Lastly, good instructors can use playing lessons to help their golfers get around the golf course in a more expedient fashion. Get your golf lesson today by downloading our Swing Essentials Golf App. Good luck and have fun on the golf course.

You have definitely hit on a hot topic button here. Here are a few suggestions;

1) Play the proper tee boxes. I see far to many players teeing it up from the tips that just don’t belong there.

2) Unless you are the first to play your second shot have an idea which clubs you are probably going to need before it is your turn.

3) Keep up with the group in front of you. If you stay on the group in front of you it should help to keep the pace of play moving.

4) Be considerate. Everybody pays a greens fee to play. They have an expectation of how long it will take to play around of golf. Don’t ruin everyone else’s experience.

5) They have done studies on this. When people play faster they usually play better. It allows you to get in a rhythm. If your only getting to play a shot every 20 minutes its hard to get in a rhythm.

At South Fork Country Club we have created “speed slots” on weekend mornings that allow players to play as singles or twosomes that must play in under 3 hours for 18 holes. This takes good cooperation with your greens staff to allow players to have access to the course very early. During regular play we encourage players to drop balls in accordance with the new USGA local rule regarding out of bounds and lost balls. We have also adopted the “1 in / 1 out” policy which advises the player to pre-select a club or clubs that they will most likely use on the next shot and carry them in the cart. That way there is no need to waste time when getting to the ball and selecting a club. Play Well, Play Fast, Play Poorly, Play Faster….

– Limit One practice Swing.

– Put a stroke limit on any hole.

– Play Ready Golf

– Write scores down on the next tee.

– Putt with Flag in

– No lost balls or Out of Bounds – Drop where you lost the ball or where it went out of bounds.

– Take a caddy or Fore Caddy

Pace of Play: We all know how it feels when you are waiting a long time between shots. We can all support a good pace by being ready to hit when it is your turn. When you approach your ball, start thinking about your shot and the club you want to hit. If you see the player that has the honors is not ready, ask if you can hit. Take a practice swing and visualize your shot while the other players are doing the same. Enjoy your round and play ready golf.

Pace of play is an issue that comes up at all levels of play. Excuses we often hear is “it’s not me, it’s the other guys in the group” or “I stink at golf and hit a lot of shots” plus a plethora of other excuses. We are all responsible for playing at an appropriate pace. 18 holes should not take more than 4 hours and 15 minutes and 9 holes should take just over 2 hours. The easiest way to play at a good pace is to play “Ready Golf”.

When it is your turn to play be ready to hit. If you notice a player in your group is still looking for their ball, hit your shot and then go and help find the ball. It may not seem like a lot at the time, but if everyone does this over an entire round, that can shave a significant amount of time off the round.

Sure we all enjoy being out with our friends and telling stories, but be sure to not delay play by finishing telling your story before hitting your shot.

If you are playing in a cart and it is possible, drop player 1 off at his/her ball, once he/she has the club(s) he/she needs and then drive over to player 2’s ball. Don’t wait for player 1 to hit and then drive over to the other players ball.

On the putting green, be sure to read your putt with the others in your group are putting. Don’t wait for your turn to read your putt.

Be aware of your position on the course. Your position is with the group in front of you, not behind. Chances are, if you are not waiting on a group in from of you, then chances are the group behind is waiting on you!

We all want to enjoy a round of golf with our friends and the course we are playing. Help everyone enjoy the experience as best possible by playing ready golf!

As with most topics in golf (especially when pertaining to the rules of golf) this is not an open and shut case. Countless hours of testing has been done by independent firms using sophisticated and perfectly measured methods to collect mind-numbing and yet potentially useful data. Amateur and professional golfers alike have spent countless hours on the greens doing the same. What have we learned? Apparently leaving the flag in if it is thinner at the bottom and softer as to not promote a harder rebound off of it is beneficial. So do you change your strategy when you go to a golf course in a climate where it’s normally windy and the flagstick is thicker at the bottom as well as potentially firmer to withstand the wind? Possibly so. The governing bodies and official rule makers of golf have stated that they changed this rule to save time, not to make the game easier and help you lower your scores. Doesn’t mean we as professional and amateur golfers can’t use it for that reason, right? Unfortunately, from what I’ve learned from speaking to many golfers on all levels is that is doing just the opposite.

It used to be pretty simple. Everybody gets on the green…the flag comes out, everybody holes out, then they proceed to the next hole. Now each person has a choice and the potential to begin the three ring circus. If the person who is the farthest away wants it out, but there’s a player that’s closer who wants it in we have created more work (time) than we had before the new rule. Do you take a survey of all players on the green before beginning this process now? Do you let the people that want it left in putt first? What happens if you potentially would have had the benefit of a read from another player’s putt, but they want the flag out and now you’re hitting first and missing out on what would have been a slight advantage based on the old rules? Do you now change your style and leave it in just to see the path of their putt? What about the ethical side of it all? Not stepping in someone’s line..is that now altered because some do and some don’t take the flag out?

I’m not alone in thinking that the governing bodies kind of dropped the ball on this one. I haven’t heard a single Club Pro say that it’s speeding up play and I don’t expect to. We have created more debates by altering the automatic “you’re away, it’s your turn” tradition, created more foot traffic on the green by removing and replacing the flag multiple times, and ultimately just added more time to a round of golf. I’m not alone when I say I don’t think the sport we love can afford that.

Two words. Ready Golf! Forget “the honors”… whoever gets to their ball first should hit. Whoever arrives on the tee first should play no matter who had the best score on the previous hole. Ready Golf can save 3-5 minutes on a hole. Do the math… that is 45-90 minutes per round for a foursome!

1/ Be on time
2/ Play the correct tees
3/ Play ready golf
4/ Implement the “20 second” rule
5/ Keep up with the group in front of you
6/ Pick up your ball if you’ve passed 3 shots over par.

For the majority of golfers, golf is recreation, have fun, don’t take yourself so serious.

Used by the USGA, it is a good system that uses the player’s handicap so that golfers know their max score on each hole. Allows them to pick their ball up when they reach the max score and move along accordingly. Really helps move play along.

Forget honors, unless you are playing match play. Golf is meant to be enjoyed therefore play “Ready Golf”. When taking score write the score on the next tee box rather than leaving the last green played. I believe the rule change in allowing the flag-stick to remain in the hole all the time has done a lot for speeding up play. I would suggest that everyone in the group putt with the flag-stick in. Tee it forward. Choose the correct set of tees to play according to your handicap. Not only will you save time, you will enjoy the game more. Accept responsibility: Recognize that slow play isn’t just about the other player. All of us want to enjoy our time on the course, and what better way than never having to wait on the group in front of us:).

Hit up on Par 3’s, and hit second shots on par 5’s to 90 yards rather than going for the green (this will save time and strokes), and if you ride in a cart, after a shot, do not put your club in the bag, just keep it in your hand and drive away. Put the club in the bag when you get your next club out of the bag.

Also, read LUCIUS RICCIO’S BOOK: THE PACE OF PLAY BIBLE.

Pace of play should never be an issue, as long as each golfer keeps up with the group in front of them. In my opinion, the first group off at the start of each day, is the pace setter. That group should play swiftly and efficiently. Everyone else should stay close behind.

There are a couple of things golfers can do to speed up their pace of play. First, while their playing partners are hitting their shot… a golfer can make all his or her calculations and club selections before it’s their time to hit a shot. Be ready when it’s your turn.

Secondly, play “ready” golf. If you’re ready and a playing partner is not, step up to the tee and “play away”. Throw out who got the lowest score on the prior hole.

And the last thing you can do, and probably the quickest way to ensure the pace of play is suitable… Double Bogey Max per hole. If you get to double bogey and the ball isn’t holed out, pick up and move on to the next hole.

Professional Advice – if you’re a beginner, Par 3 courses are a great way to start learning the game. When your ability level starts to increase or get better, graduate to an Executive Course (all Par 3’s and Par 4’s, but No Par 5’s). Finally, when that is going well… find a fun 18 hole golf course (Par 3s, 4s, and 5s). Find a great instructor who can help you not only with physical skills, but how to play the game, and course management… all great ways to speed up play.

No more than 2 practice swings.
No need to use range finder 70 yards and in.
Walk or drive to your ball and be ready to hit! Ready golf! No need to all gather at one ball to watch someone hit then proceed to your ball next.
While someone is hitting you can be checking your yardage or even take your practice swings.
Keep it to 3 minutes looking for lost balls. Move on!
Play the new local stroke and distance rules.

Pace of play is controlled by two key factors, the number of shots you take to play the round and the time you take in between your shots. If someone shoots 100 and takes 45 seconds per swing that only accounts for 75 minutes. The rest of the time is taken traveling between your shots or waiting for others to hit. Pay attention to your partners shot, assess your shot long before it is your turn to swing and write your scores down while you wait on the next tee. Last but not least always be within a swing of the group in front of you.

The following are the various ways we’ve all heard for many years and years. Be ready to play your shot, take only one practice swing , leave your cart or bag on the side of the green enroute to the next tee, putt out if you can, watch your ball , play the correct tees for your ability. HOWEVER , here is the one tip that will make everyone’s round more enjoyable and I read this on every water cooler years ago when I had the privilege of playing Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Long Island New York. It read ,” Remember folks, your place on the course is immediately behind the game in front of you, not immediately in front of the game behind you”. In simple terms, stay up with the group in front of you !!!!!!

Play the forward tees, play everything as a lateral penalty area, inside the leather pick it up.

The importance of equipment placement on the course. That being the golfers clubs, the bag, golf cart, etc. By making sure you are putting your equipment in convenient areas can help speed up the pace.

I believe it’s important to explain what pace of play is, and how it is determined. Pace of play is the reasonable amount of time that a round of golf should be played within, and it is determined by the Committee that creates local rules and procedures that govern play.

Having said that, this is often a topic that when addressed on the course can lead to contentious arguments. I will provide an example that I encountered recently while caddying for one of my Students. We were preparing to tee off on the second hole when a Gentleman from the Proshop pulled up and from the cart path, opposed to addressing us from a friendly distance, was politely but loudly telling us we needed to pick up the pace.

Being a Professional of our game and having the eyes of a young man watching, I told the well intentioned Gentleman that the green was not clear when we arrived at the tee box. This was my way of communicating to him that the pace of play was being interrupted by a group that was in fact four groups ahead of us. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be polite and professional in these exchanges.

As a golfer, or in advice to a group of golfers, I would give the following guidelines: if you begin play at 9:00, you can be sure that you are keeping an appreciated pace of play if you are on the 4’th tee at 9:40, the 7’th tee at 10:10, and are on the 10’th tee at 10:50. Completing three holes in any amount of time under 40 minutes will result in all eighteen holes being completed in under 4 hours.

If you arrive at the tee and must wait, stay composed. If you are playing in a group and there is an unoccupied hole in front of you, check your time. Understand that Golf is a game that requires patience in many ways. Be willing to ask the person that takes your green fee if there is anything in particular that they would recommend about pace of play. Ask the Starter or Marshal on the first tee the same question, and be friendly with those that you encounter. Often times I have had success by offering Golfers new to my facility some local knowledge.

Often it is the case that the people who are running the day to day operations have more opportunity to promote pace of play and offer advice on how to enjoy a full round of golf in under four hours.

If you want to be proactive as a Golfer, I highly recommend walking a course once. I can write about how much time you will save if you bring two clubs and your putter when you are near the green with an unknown lie, or how dropping off your partner and proceeding to your ball will save a minute or two on every hole, but my best recommendation is to walk a course one time and notice what you do differently. If walking is not within your physical capacity, try to remember the fourth tee, 40 minute guideline. Ask the people that work at the golf course- we are generally delighted to help.

Things I see on the course that contribute to slow play and backups are that people aren’t ready to play when the opportunity comes and that no one is waiving the group behind up onto medium to long par 3 holes causing a back up on that tee.

To speed up play, one must be playing from the appropriate tee boxes. Play it FORWARD! Secondly,
always be ready to play when it is your turn. Therefore, do all your “thinking” before it is your play and be ready to execute your shot.

Play from the proper tee box and get regular lessons. If you work on the right stuff you hit better and play faster.

The pace of play is always going to be an issue in the golf community. However, that doesn’t mean it should not be addressed. Golfers need to be ready to play when it’s their turn, not start the process of getting prepared to play. Take your time when it’s your turn to play, but move briskly to your ball. I’m a big fan of ready golf. Whoever is ready to play should go ahead. Another idea is to limit groups to three players if they tend to be slow. If it’s a public course then charge more to make up the difference. I’m sure there are some people who would be willing to pay a little extra to play faster. Just a thought.

Pace of play came be improved in so many ways.

First, look at the scorecard and pick the tees that best suits your ability. The length of the course should not determine how much fun you are having. Most men would have the best time playing from 5700-6300 yard length course and women from 4900-5400 yards. Most people are generally pretty good at this on their home course, but when they go somewhere else, their is this need to play longer. Have fun & play forward!

The 2nd thing I’ll speak of is playing ready golf on the tee box & in the fairways. Here in the desert, a golf cart is included with your round. This doesn’t mean each player needs to drive to every shot. If the cart has GPS, approximate your distance or pace your distance from where you get out of the cart. Be mindful of what is going on. If you and your playing partner are approximately the same distance from the green but not close together, 1 player should grab a couple of clubs and walk the short distance to their ball while the other is preparing to hit their shot. If all 4-players in this group follow this practice from tee to green, a 4 1/2 hour round of golf just became 4-hours. Playing ready golf doesn’t mean you are rushing. It simply means you are preparing to hit your shot while someone else is hitting.

It is a multiple front issue in that the players while claiming they want to play faster do little to actually help the situation. What I mean by this is that they have there phones out always looking at emails, text messages etc and generally not ready to play when it is there turn, bring 1 club to the ball and realize they brought the wrong one, haggle over who’s turn it is putt etc. This adds minutes to each round of every group!

On the other hand, the courses are doing little to assist in the process by not communicating/nor enforcing any pace of play expectations. Faster play is about rewarding for excellence vs the punishment/shame of playing slow. Years ago we offered “free beer” for under 4 hour golf – on a hard course with lots of natural hazards. Some thought a bad idea until we consistently had sub 4 hour golf even on weekends! This concept allowed us to run double tee starts 3 times a day in WI. The success of this program was the starters on both tees, Course Marshall’s who actually moved players ahead (if needed) and the carrot of free beverages upon completion. Using this combination, we increased rounds of golf along with the enjoyment of it for all players to play faster plus the food and beverage $ increase was phenomenal as the true cost of a pitcher of soda/beer is minimal in the big picture of additional players on the course and the revenue created with by them.

Some of the new rule changes can help but until the Tours get serious about this subject why should the players at local courses get excited when it pertains to <5 hour golf. What about <4 hour golf?

Since I have been at my club for 25 years, I have noticed a 16 minute quicker round pace when we are walking only with the same golfers being timed with carts. My read on this is that the cart slows play down because golfers stay in the carts instead of walking to their ball and being ready when the cart gets there…more conversations and distractions with the cart.

I have also noticed faster rounds this year with the majority putting with the flag stick in.

Other improvements to our pace have been from getting more golfers to play the appropriate tees relative to their hdcp.

Proper pace of play has been a conversation between golf professionals and ambassadors of the game for years. I do feel very confident that with a lot of the recent changes in the Rules of Golf, pace of play will automatically increase. Especially now being able to putt with the flag stick in and only allowing three minutes to search for a lost ball. Just these two rule changes alone, not to mention the other changes, will be a huge help.

Aside from that, every golfer out there can help speed up pace of play by simply being ready to hit when it’s you’re turn to play. When you’re waiting on someone in your group to hit their shot, you should be going through all of your pre-swing stuff to getting ready to hit your shot next. You can do this without being a distraction and quietly get prepared to hit your next shot while waiting on someone else to hit theirs.

There are multiple steps golfers can take to help improve pace of play. It starts with checking in at the Pro Shop twenty minutes before your tee time. If you check in at your tee time, you are late. Be prepared once you reach the first tee. Have your tees, balls, and clubs organized to play.

Here are some general practices that will not only improve pace of play, but also improve your game. Minimize the amount of practice swings before the shot. If your ball is within a foot of the cup, forego marking and finish your putt. Golf cart etiquette is critical. Develop an understanding of how and where to park the cart so you are not walking further to and from the green. These practices can save multiple minutes during your round to improve the pace of play.