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 And the longer it takes, the more upset you get. Since misery loves company, you’re not alone. All across the United States, from executive courses to the PGA Tour, slow play has emerged as a major crisis for the golf industry. Who’s to blame, and can the problem be fixed? “Beginner beginners shouldn’t go on a regulation-length golf course,” said Steve Schwartz, a starter at CrossCreek Golf Club in Temecula. “Go to the range or an executive course, but not a big course.” Jim McCauly, an actor and avid golfer, agrees. “When I started playing golf I would always play in the afternoon,” he said. “If I wasn’t playing well, I’d pick up my ball or let the group behind play through. It’s a pain when a group ahead of you is slow and they don’t let you through. Even at Studio City (a par-3 course) they have a sign that says, ‘Hit three shots in the fairway and then pick up.’” At Terra Lago Golf Club in Indio, PGA professional Charles Lachey said slow play often occurs when golfers play from tee boxes not suited for their games. “Our golf courses are challenging,” Lachey said. “But we get guys who say, ‘For $130, I’m going to play whatever tee I want to play.’” Unfortunately, 25-handicappers playing from the tips can ruin the round for themselves and others, Lachey said. “That makes it a bad experience for them because they’re going to shoot a million, and for the people behind them who have to wait while they shoot a million,” he said. Being a good player, however, doesn’t always mean playing faster. The PGA Tour’s Ben Crane has been criticized by fellow players and commentators for his slow play. When his playing partner at last year’s Booz Allen Classic, Rory Sabbatini, got fed up and finished the 17th hole without Crane [the pair had been put on the clock a few holes earlier], some people bad-mouthed Sabbatini for his behavior while others applauded his attempt to shine a light on the growing problem. “Golf needs to be played faster,” said Paul Nagi, an avid golfer from Los Angeles. “It should be part of etiquette.” But with so many new golfers playing HOW TO KEEP IT MOVING 20 things both golfers and courses can do to speed up a round Here are ways golfers can help maintain a good pace of play: 1) Play from the appropriate tees. Unless your handicap is in the single digits, stay away from the championship tees. It will only add strokes to your scorecard and time to the round. 2) If a group in the fairway is safely out of reach for a member of your foursome, let them tee off first. 3) Take only one or two practice strokes. 4) Walk at a good pace between shots. 5) If your group agrees to it, play “ready golf.” 6) Start planning your next shot as you walk to your ball. That way, you’ll have plenty of time for your pre-shot routine. 7) If you’re playing a casual round, limit your mulligans to when there aren’t players behind you. 8) Start reading the green as you approach it. Once you’re on the green, line up your putt immediately and be prepared when it’s your turn. 9) Once you finish a hole, go to the next tee. Don’t mark your scorecard, take practice strokes or replay the hole verbally with a playing partner. 10) Don’t gamble for a lot of money. Doing so increases the stakes and slows down play. Here are ways courses can ensure a good pace of play: 1) Put clocks that show the time in relationship to a group’s tee time at every tee box. If the time displayed at a hole is before your tee time, your group’s pace is quick; if it reads later than your tee time, your pace is too slow. 2) Install GPS on carts. It helps players with yardages and gives the pro shop an opportunity to see what groups are lagging behind. 3) Give marshals the authority to enforce pace-of-play requirements. 4) Implement incentive programs on certain days that reward groups for playing a stretch of holes or the entire round at a designated pace. A beverage in the clubhouse or a few dollars off the next round could get people to play faster. 5) Space out tee times to avoid logjams. Tee times at 7-minute intervals will get a few more players on the course, but delaying times by another minute or two will improve the pace and make customers happier. 6) Designate appropriate tees for handicap indexes. 7) Tell players that if they get three warnings for slow play in a certain number of holes, they’ll be asked to leave or issued a rain check. 8) Don’t allow fivesomes. The extra green fee collected won’t be worth it if other groups get frustrated because play has ground to a halt. 9) Employ forecaddies, or ask your marshal to forecaddie on holes with blind tee shots. 10) Long or difficult par-3s tend to create logjams on the tee. Make waving other groups up mandatory on busy days. |
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