Opinion & Analysis
My Take: The slow play epidemic in golf (and a call for transformation)
Golf, cherished for its precision, sportsmanship, and rich tradition, is suffering from an epidemic that threatens its very essence: slow play. This growing issue is neither new nor unnoticed, yet it continues to plague courses around the globe. The culprits? Players who meander unnecessarily, course operators who fail to enforce pace policies effectively, and even the professional sphere, where the PGA Tour too often sees rounds extending beyond five arduous hours. Each party shares responsibility and must be part of the solution.
The Problem: A Collective Responsibility
According to the USGA’s extensive research, the average round of golf has surged to over four and a half hours, with several rounds stretching far beyond this timeframe. This data is not only alarming for purists of the game but detrimental to its growth and sustainability. Many factors contribute to this persistent issue, beginning with golfers themselves.
Players often take excessive time in pre-shot routines, deliberating over club choice and yardage as if every shot were their last. While meticulousness is a part of the game, the heightened emphasis on perfection is unwarranted. This enduring obsession with precision leads not only to frustration among fellow competitors but also alienates new and younger players, who favor more dynamic and engaging sports.
On the administrative end, course operators must bear their share of the blame. Too often, they shy away from implementing or enforcing pace-of-play protocols, fearing backlash from patrons. The reluctance to penalize slow play or educate golfers on pace expectations undermines any attempts to alleviate the issue.
Additionally, the PGA Tour sets a questionable standard, regularly showcasing rounds that exceed five hours. While professional golfers perform under immense pressure, and meticulousness is their hallmark, the impression left on amateur counterparts is one of permissiveness toward leisurely play. The Tour, as the pinnacle of the sport, must model efficiency and respect for time.
Solutions: Harnessing Urgency and Innovation
Addressing this problem demands innovation and a collective shift in mindset from players, course management, and the professional arena.
First, golfers must embrace personal accountability. Encouraging “ready golf,” where players hit when prepared rather than strictly adhering to a sequence, can make a substantial difference. Understanding that recreational golf does not require the intensity and analysis found at competitive levels will help speed up play considerably.
Course operators hold the keys to impactful change, too. Instituting firm yet fair pace-of-play policies and proactively teaching golfers about expected timeframes can reshape expectations. Visual cues such as clocks on scoreboards or course signage can subtly remind and motivate players to maintain pace.
Technological solutions also show promise, as the USGA’s research highlights. Implementing GPS-based tracking systems can help monitor groups, allowing course management to address bottlenecks promptly. Staggered tee times may reduce congestion at critical points on the course, facilitating smoother play.
Lastly, the PGA Tour must assume its role as a pace-setter. Cutting down on practice swings, employing time limits on shot preparation, and penalizing breaches of time regulations can send a strong message. Tour events can inspire recreational golfers to follow suit by aligning culture with efficiency.
A Call to Action: The Path Forward
The slow play epidemic is a complex one but not insurmountable. Each participant in the world of golf — from weekend enthusiasts to the elite — must pledge to transform the game into an experience that respects time, cherishes engagement, and upholds the values that have long defined it. By drawing insights from USGA’s research and employing collective action, the game can transcend this hurdle, ensuring its rich traditions endure for future generations. Let us take to the tees with renewed purpose and lead golf into a more efficient, enjoyable era.
Editor’s note: “My Take” will be an ongoing weekly series where Brendon shares his thoughts and opinions on various aspects of the game and industry. These are Brendon’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of GolfWRX, its staff, and its affiliates.
Want to find out my thoughts on the first day of the LPGA’s Toto Japan Classic? How about a look back on the DP World Tour’s “Back 9” series? Go to my new weekly column, “Friday Fore-Cast,” on RG.org.
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Richard
Nov 21, 2024 at 9:43 pm
Slow play is caused by one thing and one thing only: poor enforcement.
People are going to be slow and not know it. But courses are so timid about getting people to keep up with the group in front of them. Confront those people regardless of why they’re behind. Looking for lost balls, taking forever on greens, not clearing the green area after putting out. Whatever. The reasons are myriad, but the solution is one: enforcement.
Andrew J
Nov 18, 2024 at 9:09 am
At least 50% of the slow play issue is greenreading. And it’s brutal to watch Pros hopscotching and perform tedious walk-arounds. Ask Jim Nance. All slow play on greens goes away and more putts disappear with this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJT2YLL9
Jerry Mahony
Nov 15, 2024 at 12:36 pm
I worked at a very private golf course in SC. To avoid slow play we provided each teetime a sheet that tells them where they should be on the course at their given tee off time. The ranger had a master sheet that tells him where a specific group should be on the course. After a little bit of push back, the members actually liked the system so they would know if they need to speed up. All the teetime cards were laminated and could be use multiple times. Knowlege is power and nobody wants to be the one group that is slowing everyones and it was easy on the members and the rangers.
Dwayne
Nov 11, 2024 at 10:20 pm
STOP TRYING TO PACK FOURSOMES OF VARYING SKILL LEVEL ONTO THE COURSE WITH SHORT INTERVALS.
There, I fixed the slow play problem for you.
The *real* problem, however, is that course managers want all the revenue, customer experience be damned. If they can make more money by packing the tee sheet with 7-minute spacing, they don’t care if it results in six-hour rounds. There will always be some schmuck willing to pay…
Azz
Nov 11, 2024 at 1:39 pm
Ever heard of these guys:
https://www.mgatour.com
Greg
Nov 11, 2024 at 8:06 am
Slow play isn’t normal. Not where I’m from (Iowa) and generally not even when I’m playing courses in AZ. Some groups are slow because they’re terrible. Some courses are simply too hard for some people. Shit happens. IMO it’s really only bad on Tour and if the tv coverage shows enough shots idgaf.
I believe the real issue is places like Top Golf introducing people to golf and suddenly people think they know how to play and IT’S HARD. That’s where the shit happens comes in.
Richard
Nov 8, 2024 at 8:23 pm
Slow play is always what someone else is doing. The reality is often different.
I believe the ONLY answer is enforcement. But…another possibility is encouragement. Reward groups who finish under a certain time. Of course, there will always be the group that doesn’t respond to the incentive and, thus, slows down the entire course behind them.
But that first inclination, that it isn’t you but someone else instead, is the real problem. That’s why enforcement is the only thing that works.
joe connelly
Nov 8, 2024 at 9:36 am
My home course is a 5800 yards from the tips, not a long course. But it’s Vermont, it’s super hilly. Not a long walk between greens and tees. My regular group, 4 tee times, we mostly walk, and usually play in 3:45-4:00. That includes an 83 year old who always walks and an 87 year old who walks 75% of the time. A 4:15 round, a few guys will be commenting on why the heck is it so slow today. Our club does 10 minute start intervals which is a big help.
My complaint is with one of our starters who doesn’t seem to understand that it’s ok for a little variance in pace of play between groups. We tend to be among the first groups out but never first. Usually about the 6th-10th groups out. #5 green is right next to #1 tee. We have come off #5 in under 1:05 as a 4some, the 2some or 3some in front of us is off #6 (a par 3), and we’ll get told we need to pick it up. 1:05 for 5 holes is sub 4 hour pace!
Jeff
Nov 5, 2024 at 4:33 pm
The problem starts with TV coverage. Pros don’t have to golf faster the broadcasters need to stop showing anything other than the shot. The public course marshals need to start marshaling. If these two things are done the rest will fall into place.
Alex Buckley
Nov 5, 2024 at 12:49 pm
A really simple solution, a triple bogey (or even net double bogey) max on every hole. If you’re someone who can’t realistically make a double bogey or better every hole and keep up with pace of play, you belong back on the driving range. Public golf has been ruined by the COVID golf epidemic with a flood of golfers who do not care to respect others.
GregZ
Nov 13, 2024 at 12:33 pm
Totally agree with the COVID golf epidemic, i see it on all the courses i play. 18-24 year old males always in an electric cart even on a par 3 course. They were never taught how to respect the game. Yes…triple …pick it up please and move to the next hole.
Alex Buckley
Nov 14, 2024 at 9:47 am
Exactly. Now we have even more people keeping their score on each hole up to 8, 9, 10+ strokes to say they keep their score accurately, when really its ruining the experience for everyone else. It’s okay to take a triple as your max score and move on.
Eric
Nov 5, 2024 at 8:46 am
This isn’t a main issue but can make it worse when the course is packed. Walking should be at the pro shop’s discretion, if the tee sheet is packed full on a Saturday they shouldn’t be sending out groups of walkers.
Richard
Nov 21, 2024 at 9:39 pm
Four walkers can be faster than four people in two carts. Walking is NOT the problem.
Dan S
Nov 4, 2024 at 7:02 pm
Eliminate alignment markings on balls. Too much time spent tweaking those lines when putting.
Continuous putting. You get to lift and clean the ball once per green.
Don’t worry about walking on someone’s putting line, if needed. Someone else was there 8 minutes earlier. Tap down any spike marks.
No straddling the putting line to feel the slope.
Teach junior golfers to play faster. Junior tournaments are tough to watch, with players mimicking pros on tv. And juniors will regulars in a few years.
Allow all technology: slope, detailed green books, wind, etc. but limit use to 15 seconds per shot.
T
Nov 4, 2024 at 8:35 pm
You don’t play golf, do you? LOL
stopit
Nov 10, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Goodness, you are way off the mark. Juniors ARE taught to play fast, in fact, most junior tournaments are the fastest things I’ve seen. They don’t even wait for each other to hole out; they are on the way to the next hole as soon as THEY hole out. Why? Because the tournaments PENALIZE slow play all the time.
Aimpoint takes 1-2 readings for slope. Fast compared to reading a putt from all 4 sides while plum bobbing, so NO, that’s not the issue.
Stay off people’s putting line; stepping over the line takes no additional time, it’s not slowing anything down.
Instead, go to your ball and be ready to play as soon as possible! Stop the nonsense of “the correct order” of play. THAT is what slows the whole thing to a grinding halt. PLAY REAL READY GOLF!
DaveJ
Nov 4, 2024 at 6:23 pm
At least 50% of slow play is caused by looking for golf balls. It is easier than ever to hit the ball far and therefore farther off-line into the trees and tall grass on bad shots. Balls are also more expensive so just dropping and moving on isn’t fun. There isn’t a good solution to this unless the course wants to give players 3 free balls with their round and not allow searches over 1 minute.
G LUD
Nov 4, 2024 at 10:20 am
WHY DOESN’T ANYONE MENTION THE “BALL ON THE GREEN” PROBLEMS”
1. 4 GUYS MARK AROUND THE COMPASS POINTS WHERE THEY COULDN’T POSSIBLY INTERFERE…TV INFLUENCE.IF BALL IS THERE ONE CAN’T HELP BUT START LINING UP THE PUTT
2. NOT LINING UP THE PUTTS BEFORE THEY PICK UP THEIR UNNEEDED MARKER.
3. WAITING FOR GUY TO CLEAN SAND TRAP
1,2,AND 3 CAN EASILY ADD 2 MINUTES TO EACH HOLE…..36 X 2= 36 IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
Andrew J
Nov 4, 2024 at 7:43 am
Nobody knows what plumbobbing is because there is zero Math behind it. Ditto Aimpoint. No Math textbook has a chapter on foot-feeling. Only EGOS has Math and no need to stare at putts from all sides. EGOS with Math is in these 20 dollar books from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJT2YLL9
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCSZ7M53
No
Nov 9, 2024 at 11:08 pm
You’re just wrong. Aimpoint is based on feeling the slope percentage, a mathematical measurement you can double check with a digital level. It’s a real measurement. It’s based on computer models that show the slope percentage as applied in the system is the primary driver of break in a putt. So no, there’s lots of math in aimpoint.
pnd4pnd
Nov 12, 2024 at 12:04 pm
You couldn’t be more wrong about aimpoint and only trying to hawk some crap books on amazon. Wanna bet you are the author?
Lefthack
Nov 3, 2024 at 10:49 pm
I am a very ready golfer. I don’t take practice swings, it takes less than 3 seconds from when I step up to the ball to hit it. I visualize the shot, I picture the swing it takes, and I step up and hit it. Sometimes it’s as pictured, sometimes not. But taking 4 practice swings isn’t going to impact that shot.
M. LUMBO
Nov 4, 2024 at 9:33 am
I appreciate your thought.
When I lived and played in Scotland, it was common for 2 possible 3 guys hitting from the fairway at the same time.
Looking for a refurbished top flight golf ball as if it’s the Holy Grail.
Murv
Nov 3, 2024 at 6:07 pm
I will admit our groups could play faster. We have a mix of walkers and riders. And we are all older golfers. Some in the 80’s We try to play ready golf as best we can. But if one guy always hits first because he walks a little faster..that gets old. But that’s the way it goes. We have some long walks between greens and tees. A walker can lose a couple minutes just getting to the next tee. But if we aren’t held up ourselves we can finish in 4 hours. But if a group of 4 riders is behind us who wants to play in 3 1/2 hours we’re in trouble.
Andrew J
Nov 3, 2024 at 9:22 am
Foot-feeling greenreading is slow, annoying and doesn’t work. Replace it with the Quick & always accurate EGOS: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJT2YLL9
Mike
Nov 2, 2024 at 7:56 pm
I’m glad places I play don’t have this problem. The problem, however, it’s too many people crammed on a course.
While I’ve never been warned of slow play, I’m tired of articles and complaining that transforms my game of improvement into a game of rushing. I agree that it’s excessive sometimes, but so is the constant complaining.
You want to sprint? Join track. Golf could stand to lose popularity. There’s not enough room on the course for all these people.
It causes people to hit into others because we’re pressured to play fast. I’ve played 6hr rounds before because of slow play. Seldom.
I still enjoyed it. If I don’t want to do that, I can quit golf.
Thigh, I rarely run into this anyways. And I live in North Carolina.
Idea
Nov 2, 2024 at 6:54 pm
We have slow play constantly at my course. 2 observations:
one, the slow groups are ALWAYS going one player at a time. They are never at their own ball, ready to play. They are always at one of the other 3 players until it’s their ordered turn. So go to your ball and be ready and stop with the nonsense formality of playing in order.
Two, if for example you’ve hit 8 shots on a par 3, pick up. Know when to pick up the ball and move on.
Brad
Nov 2, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Just PLAY FASTER! If 2 are in a cart drop the first person at their ball and drive to the next, don’t wait. Make the shorter hitter walk up to the cart or pick them up on the way back to the path. If you’re at your ball ready to hit and the player away isn’t – hit it, don’t wait! Be mindful of where you are and that you’re keeping up with the group in front. Self awareness seems to be in short supply these days. No, it’s not a race, but it’s not a Sunday stroll through the park either, find the happy medium. If you can’t finish 18 in under 4 hours you need to ask yourself why and figure out what you need to do to fix it.
Brad
Nov 2, 2024 at 4:32 pm
Also, handicap guidelines specify net double bogey max. Instead of putting out for 7 on the #1 handicap par 4 after dumping one in the water off the tee, pick it up, it’s good, move on!
T
Nov 2, 2024 at 7:00 pm
If, that is if they maintain a handicap!!
Most people don’t. Most people are out there for fun and a hobby, they are not too serious about it to that extent.
Brad
Nov 2, 2024 at 10:44 pm
That’s fine, my point was more to the fact that USGA handicap rules stipulate net double bogey then pick it up. If you don’t have a handicap or you’re just out there for fun, once you get to double bogey pick it up and move to the next hole.
T
Nov 4, 2024 at 8:33 pm
To add:
Do you think any of those people even care about the Rules??? And just imagine if you made those absolute weekend hackers play by the Rules. Proper boundariesw, proper drops, etc etc….
And who are YOU to tell them what to do and how many strokes or whatever. They paid to play. You don’t own them
Greg
Nov 3, 2024 at 6:02 am
Tee time intervals are HUGE. My course has 10 minute times. Across town, 8 minutes. In my experience, 8 minute intervals result in multiple groups getting to know each other on multiple tee boxes. Very rarely happens at my muni.
ericsokp
Nov 4, 2024 at 11:35 am
Bingo! I think this is one of the biggest causes of slow play … and you should feel fortunate with 8 or 10 minute tee time intervals; at my local courses it’s down to 7 minutes as they cram as many people as possible onto the course and then wonder why there are so many backups.
T
Nov 2, 2024 at 3:32 pm
Courses are too long. 7000 yards used to be the back tees at most places back in the day of persimmon at most courses.
Ball goes too far – back then when people would miss it 250 into the rough, they could still find it, that same ball (with the requisite modern driver at 45.5 inches more when they used to be less than 44.5), now that same shot, same miss is going 275 and therefore deeper on the same line – and people go searching for their $7 Pro-Vs. I don’t blame them, they are just using equipment sold to them
There needs to be actually be MORE bush and brush, with MORE OBs in the same areas – so that people would just hit provisional, give up looking, and move on, rather than red penalties and therefore they go looking and if one person loses 10 balls into the bush and are ‘allowed to” look for 3 minutes each time – well??? That’s 30 minutes added to their “playing time” is it not????
Repeal the ball, reduce COR of drivers to .800, reduce driver lengths and cap it at 45, quit selling the game of distances, make it a SKILL game, make it harder, make people WALK
David Krumenacker
Nov 2, 2024 at 3:22 pm
Superintendents need to use their heads a little also. Stick the pins in the middle of greens or far away from the penal areas around the green. No need to tuck pins or on slopes where two putting is impossible.
Larry Deschler
Nov 2, 2024 at 10:57 am
I agree that the golf course owners/managers need to get more involved and actually do something to discourage slow play rather than just collecting green fees and ignoring the situation. The actions outlined on the yellow sign in the article would be a good start if they would actually follow through. I think that the 4 hour and 30 minute suggested time is way too long however. A foursome can readily play in 3 hours and 45 minutes without rushing. There should be penalties attached for not meeting that standard.
T
Nov 2, 2024 at 3:23 pm
Bull. Try walking some of these wickedly hill courses that were made only with carts in mind, gaps between holes are as big as the Par4s and at 7000 yards there is no chance you could do that in that time
Nick
Nov 2, 2024 at 10:56 am
Can’t grow the game and have quick play at the same time .. too many people who should be on the driving range practicing are on the course practicing during a round.
Gary Waliszewski
Nov 2, 2024 at 10:30 am
Golfers should play from appropriate tee and course should explain that to the golfers. Playing from back tees and shooting 100+ is a sure way to have a 4.5 to 5 hour round
snapjack
Nov 4, 2024 at 9:15 am
I’ve been playing for 35 years and have seen players on the back tee twice. I agree the number of people playing from the blue tees is to high though.
JM
Nov 2, 2024 at 10:07 am
Using a 4 and 1/2 hour as the standard is the first problem. Anything more than 3.75 hours seems like a crawl to me and i play with 60-75 yr olds who hole out every putt. If you tell someone that they have 4.5 hours before its a problem, they’ll use every minute.
If I go bowling, rent a pickleball court, etc…there is a time limit. If I go over, I pay for more time. If someone else has it reserved, I’m off the court/lane. Slow golfers have a mentality that they are the only ones that matter.
JM
Nov 2, 2024 at 10:09 am
also, with gps technology…reward fast play and punich slow play. Easy enough to tell who is the problem. Carts that are holding up the course get $ tacked on their tab. Carts being held up get $ deducted from theirs.
eeee
Nov 11, 2024 at 3:57 pm
exactly
Saturday
Nov 2, 2024 at 7:57 am
I have an old golf magazine from 1973. You know what the number one problem was back then? Slow play.
Superintendents never get the share of the blame they deserve. The rough is too often “Easter egg hunt” deep. People are reluctant to abandon golf balls that cost 5 bucks each. Rough should be one inch, no more. Pin placements should be in the flattest section of the greens so that the second putt is easier. Pins are never cut into the sides of slopes anywhere in the professional game, and that includes Augusta. Why do it for us? Bunkers should be eliminated from public courses. The cost savings is huge and most of them aren’t constructed properly so they are basically ground under repair anyway. People try to play from them and can’t. Tour pros couldn’t play from them either. There is plenty of blame to go around but since nothing else has really worked let’s look somewhere other than the players for some of the solutions.
Square
Nov 2, 2024 at 4:34 am
I would play more golf if I knew stomping out slow play was a priority. Technology could aid in advising the group they are running behind in their expected times. I just don’t have the patience for a 5 hour round any longer; I’d rather do something else like go to the driving range.
B
Nov 1, 2024 at 10:21 pm
1. As a tall, less-than-professional athlete, that takes longer than average to get balanced/centered/comfortable over a shot, I have to point out that the pre-shot routine trope is (largely) a myth. I’ve played 500+ rounds in my life and spent a decade as a club and pro caddie; most the culprits of slow play are: 1. High-handicap and occassional golfers not picking up and heading to the next hole when double par is no longer achievable. 2. Being ready to play when it’s your turn (there’s many components to this which are too long to list here) 3. Not being able to find your ball. As a former caddie, and non-idiot, I probably save 20 minutes a round by directing both the rest of my regular foursomes, as well as players I get paired up with, to the location of their balls.
BD57
Nov 1, 2024 at 7:41 pm
A couple of ideas
#1, 8 minute gap between tee times is ridiculous. Best would be 10
#2, develop “single player carts.” Significant slowdown is “drive to ball #1, wait til the shot is hit, drive to ball #2. No, people don’t “Have” to do that, but they do it all the time.
Single player cart would be smaller, lighter, less wear & tear on the golf course.
T
Nov 2, 2024 at 3:25 pm
Getting rid of carts should be the priority, you’d get rid of lazy players who don’t want to walk and the pace will get quicker as real walkers know how to place their hand carts in the right places and know how to move between greens and tee boxes better
Ted
Nov 3, 2024 at 8:32 pm
You know I hear this all the time, but there is no courses by me I know of that will let you walk unless you’re a member. So get off your, I’m a better person than you because I walk high horse. Slow play is caused by idiots, and assholes.
8008
Nov 4, 2024 at 12:29 pm
“Slow play is caused by idiots, and assholes.”
You just exemplified yourself, didn’t you? Not really helpful with the whole “So get off your, I’m a better person than you” attitude that YOU have.
You have to give the general public a break. Nobody is out there, not a country club, not the Golf associations, not fellow long-time golfers – nobody is teaching them manners or etiquette, on how to actually play the game and have respect for the game and others.
You’re the only one with the high horse attitude.
Getting rid of carts has lots of implications that stretches to how golf courses are designed, where too many courses were built with only carts in mind and “fun” in mind due to the terrain and “views” etc – and just because they can build it – not based on pace of play based on difficulty and the ability for everybody to be able to traverse such terrain in a reasonable amount of time by themselves on a packed course without a caddy while carrying or pushing/pulling their carts
T
Nov 4, 2024 at 8:38 pm
You would know what it’s like to be on a high horse huh, LOL
Do you even hear yourself? You are EXACTLY the pompous fool! Sounds to me like you’re the idiot and the bunghole.
Try walking. See what happens
Sooner than later you’ll realise half the course are not designed correctly with ALL players in mind. Most of them are built for cart pace.
All courses should be built for walking in mind, FIRST
Dave
Nov 6, 2024 at 1:54 pm
All players that use carts are not lazy. I use a cart because I can not walk do to conditions beyond my control. I love to play golf and this is the only way I could play.
Bill
Nov 4, 2024 at 12:07 pm
Excellent suggestion and there is evidence to support your theory. I played a lot of golf during Covid and at the two courses I primarily played only one player was allowed per cart and the rounds were completed in 20-30 less time. The two head pros hated the practice because of the perceived increase of damage to the course but didn’t complain at all about the time savings.
Another huge waste of time I see is players who have to take their gloves off to putt and don’t put them back on until they get out of the cart at the next tee and have already grabbed their club. I don’t believe for a second that a 15-25 handicapper putts any worse while wearing a glove, they just do it because they see the pros do it on tv.
J K
Nov 1, 2024 at 4:11 pm
Covid golfers!!
will
Nov 3, 2024 at 7:25 am
this.
Covid has helped more people get into golf but those golfers have not been taught pace of play. I have noticed a big difference of pace of play (and just how crowded my course is) since covid happened.
Karsten's Ghost
Nov 1, 2024 at 3:28 pm
Slow play is a US problem. When you consider it from that lens, you find it’s very simple…
First, the US encourages finishing out stroke play for everyone. Put that 14 on your card, Billy. Instead, encourage pickups and forward tees.
Next, the PGA is a terrible influence because everyone thinks that’s how you do it. You get what you watch.
Courses should also be encouraged to keep their grounds where balls are visible. No need for 8″ rough.
Finally, encourage walking whenever possible. Walkers keep the pace even.
There’s more, but this is a start.
HeftyLefty
Nov 1, 2024 at 2:57 pm
Players have a responsibility first and foremost for pace of play, but, courses need to set expectations. Many set a pace of play that is slow to begin with (see the photo in the article). Several years ago I talked to a ranger that had confronted a group that was 2 holes behind. Their response? We are on pace, which according to the expected pace of play (4 1/2 hours) and the onboard GPS they were. Set the pace of play at 4 hours and enforce it. If this is done the pace of play improves and the course becomes known as one that doesn’t take all day to play.
John K
Nov 1, 2024 at 2:15 pm
Courses just need to stop stacking groups out 7 minutes a part from each other. A group on the tee and a group in the fairway of every hole is just asking for a traffic jam.
Brandon
Nov 1, 2024 at 10:08 pm
Bingo. 12 minute tee time intervals combined with a marshal who actually does his job would solve the problem. Playing mostly in the SF Bay Area, I rarely see marshals on public courses these days.
T
Nov 2, 2024 at 3:38 pm
So you’re OK to pay higher green fees? Because you’re losing about 1 group per hour of greens fee if you went even from 10 min to 12 min tee times, so clubs have to make it up somewhere, and that would include selling more confections and stuff at higher prices, look at the price of range balls!!!! It’s a joke!!!!
D Gillis
Nov 1, 2024 at 11:18 am
Doesn’t make any difference anyway. No one is watching this slow excruciating green reading waltz they call AimPoint!
Get rid of it!!
Uhhhhhj
Nov 2, 2024 at 6:49 pm
Aim point has NO impact on pace of play. Plumb bobing, going to all sides of the flat, it all takes time. Aim point is just one way to do it, and is exactly the same amount of time.