We have been plagued by how much time it takes to play a round of golf and this very issue has had the greatest influence over the decrease in participation over the last decade or more. (see Growing the Game report)
There have been hundreds of suggested fixes regarding how to resolve the Pace of Play problem (see our recent article Slow Play: Causes and Fixes) including trying to find a solution through mathematical models, but in most cases, these are only short-term fixes.
It is a fact that asking golfers to leave the course when they are playing slowly is unpopular for the slow-playing golfers and the operators of golf facilities are not willing to do this because they don’t want to lose the income or potentially lose these golfers as customers.
However, it has been proven that by ejecting golfers from the course who continue to play slowly and reimbursing their green fees has had beneficial results in the increased income derived from those who want to play faster and are attracted to the course known to be a fast play course.
Fast cart golf play, no (or only one) practice stroke, ready golf, putt it out, and hundreds of others are very helpful suggestions which should be part of an education program, that will soon become the norm and easy to promote, especially to those who have only one choice i.e. play faster or don’t play.
A suggestion to encourage nine-hole golf, in the same breath as encouraging fast play, is equivalent to suggesting that we can save money on shoes if we cut off one leg OR we can halve our commute time if we moved closer to our work place. If we only walk half the distance at the same or slower pace we have not solved the problem, only shortened it. The frustrations still exist but for a shorter time.
I think nine-hole golf is a wonderful idea but in and of itself does nothing to speed up play.
Let’s find out WHY the slow car is driving slowly and side line it until the driver finds a way to speed up his/her driving using some side roads or better designed layouts appropriate for their skills.
Read my book “Just Hit It” for an in depth look at why we play this silly (but wonderful) game.
Share your thoughts regarding nine-hole golf by replying below.
Frank
franklygolf 
I play 9 holes about 3-5 times a week either early morning or evening and it takes about 1.5 hours for 2 of us. I get to play a lot of golf this way. The alternative would be not to play – so nine is better than little or no golf!
Frank,
I walk the course and play 9 in less two hours and 18 in less than 4. This pace allows me to focus on my game and enjoy the walk while not spending an inordinate amount of time neglecting my honey do list. My pace is such that I rarely delay another player who is trying to post a score but more and more I’m encountering those who have no interest in score and routinely “just hit it” (pun intended) and then “hit it again” until they pick up their 2nd or 3rd putt that is still 6 feet away all in an effort to just get a round in and boast they played in under 3 hours. I of course step aside and let these speed hackers ride through but to be honest I’d rather be on the course with a slower player who is trying to score and will let me play through if I desire than someone who is just hacking for time.
Mark Stephenson
Troy, Ohio
Nine holes will not speed up play. If you’re behind a slow group..9 or 18. they’re slow. At our course if you want to play nine you can at anytime. 18 holes are not necessary.Playing from the proper tees will speed up play. The foursomes should be required to play from the tee that is proper for the highest handicap in the foursome. If no handicap then they must play from the forward tee’s. The names of the tees should be forward, middle and championship and played by a set range of handicaps.
Dear Frank,
We have “early bird” nine hole slots at our home course and players may tee off on hole 10 well before the first tee, 18-hole players would have a chance to finish the front. On week-ends we had a couple of foursomes that we’re stretching a buck and nearly making a day of it to play 9 holes. We dew kickers from the front side were running into these cheapskates on the back and getting stuck, and a general slowness at the course ensued. We are happy to report that these particular slow-golf artists eventually moved on, perhaps developing a taste for molasses racing or paint drying competitions. But, at least for a while, the nine hole option here was actually slowing play.
Regarding speed of play and scoring, I’ve found some very slow players with low scores and some players who couldn’t break a hundred who never held us up and were a joy to join on the course. I think that pace of play is essentially a matter of courtesy and that courtesy is more and more rare.
Bill Dale
Baltimore
One good way to help the pace of play is to play from the tee box best suited for our abilities. At my club some of the more senior players play from to far back and are not reaching the par 4s in 2 or the par 5s in 3. That makes the pace much slower. My foursome ( we are late 60s early 70s) playing from the correct tees and ready golf can easily play a round in 4 hours or less. 5 hours or more to play a round sure takes the fun out of the game.
If you make strong young guys who may be high handicappers but are capable of occasionally connecting with one play from forward tees, they’re just going to wait for the green to clear on par 4s. They’re not going to back that 460cc $300 dollar driver and hit irons off the tee, even if they would score better. You’re dealing with a caveman mentality that’s been encouraged by the manufacturers.
“Tee It Forward” solves nothing.
Meant to write that they’re not going to BAG that driver. The yips have spread to my typing.
I completely agree, Frank. I would also like to add that I’ve found that the length of time to play 18 holes is of little relevance. I wish that the golfing community would stop discussing how long it takes to play 18 holes and what is acceptable, e.g. 3.5 hours, 4 hours, 4.5 hours, etc.
Quite Frankly, that time doesn’t concern me all that much. What DOES concern me is the amount of time I have to wait for the group in front of me on the course.
Four hours for 18 holes may sound acceptable. If I’m moving along at a steady pace–fine. However, if I’m spending a total of 30-45 minutes of that 4 hours standing around on the tee boxes and fairways waiting to hit, then four hours can be very annoying.
I think this spefic problem has as much to do with the course layout as it does slow players.
One aspect of golf that sets it apart from other sports is we get to play our game against the course and enjoy being outdoors in usually a great setting.
While I play golf very quickly I am not sure that the pace of play is always the reason why people insist that golf takes too long. I think some of the people who say it takes too long are counting the total time commitment, including travel to and from the course, warm-up, and the after round socialization. It is all part of the experience. The time on the course is very important but I don’t support playing with specific time limits. The game is more important than that.
Too much of what I observe “golfers” doing is trying to emulate what the see on TV golf played by professionals. Also too many courses are following the Tour or USGA course set-ups with pins tucked or on challenging slopes of 11-12 Stimp greens. The course setup can add significantly to the time required to play 18 holes. Chip shots from missed approaches or poor lag putts add to the total time required. I am usually offended by course time limits when I haven’t see the course set-up in advance.
You need time to enjoy the experience and build the desire to come back again to try to improve and enjoy it again and again for what it is, golf, not a sprint to the finish line.
Frank,
Thanks for all of your insight on this subject. Through reading a number of articles on slow play I am struck by the lack of talk about the courses changing the characteristics of their layouts. I play at a course that caters to a fair amount of senior aged players whose abilities are somewhat declining. Yet they have 2 or 3 holes that are so difficult that it always seems to slow down the pace. I realize that this will cost money and time, but if we are discussing pace there should be a portion of that discussion that involves the difficulty of the course relative to the abilities of their customers. Thanks.
Mark F.
South Carolina
Frank, I play nine holes and enjoy the experience. I’m also in my late 70s. The younger persons in my foursome don’t mind. We play on an executive course with one par 5. Our scores are within a few strokes of each other at the end of the round, which usually takes two hours. We play for the companionship, to enjoy the game and the outdoors. Our games are not always relaxing but we relish our few pars and the rare birdie. Yes, I think nine hole golf will help the game. There are too many other activities to enjoy in life.
I am getting tired of constantly blaming the golfer for the slow play problem. Can golfers play faster? Absolutely but from what I have seen a lot of the problem is with the golf course and how they overbook tee times. I played last week and found out when I got to the 1st tee with 5 groups waiting, that the course had booked tee times every 5 minutes. The course was so loaded it didnt matter what the golfers did or didnt do, there were just too many golfers for the course to handle. Kind of like rush hour on the roads, it doesnt matter what kind of skill the driver has, there’s just too many cars on the road. I assume the course made a few hundred extra dollars by overloading but I will never go back.
5 minute tee times, ridiculous for sure. min should be 7 min and max 10 min.
greedy golf course.
10 minute intervals is really ideal. However, the golf courses would say they can’t get enough players on the courese during the day. After all, they would only have happy golfers who can play golf in four hours, and would come back. When I was a kid shooting 110 and higher, we still played in less than 4 hours.
I agree in principle, but having a group play only 9 will at least speed up the back 9 by removing a group epically where the group is a slow ply group( of course that doesn’t apply to 9 hole only courses).
I would like to know exactly who is being plagued by slow play. I suspect that it is the relatively small group of scratch and low handicap players. Frank, you have argued that some rule changes are aimed only at professional golfers and adversely affect the rest of us. Does this discussion on slow play not fall into the same category?
Yup… you’re spot on, N. I’m neither a scratch player or a high handicapper (just an 10 ‘cap who loves playing the game), but it seems to me that we’re kinda freaking out here about a pretty silly issue. We spend a good deal of money to be out on a beautiful, green, manicured golf course…. I for one don’t have any desire to get out of there as fast as possible! When a round of golf ends, what are most of us usually thinking? “Man, how long til I can get out here and play again?!” So WHY should I listen to these grumps who make it seem like I ought to be more concerned with the time of my round than with how much fun I’m having playing golf???? People! Take a deep breath, take a good look around, and enjoy the game!
This is really annoying. The MAJORITY of golfers are slow players by definition. The attitude that we should give way to faster players is elitist and wrong. If you want to grow the game you should be encouraging new players not throwing them off the course.
Studies have shown that a main reason why people don’t golf is the because of the amount of time it takes to play, so slow play affects everyone–not just fast players. It only takes one slow group to ruin the day for EVERYONE behind them, so if they can’t (more like WON’T) keep up with the group in front of them, they should be asked to leave. I say “WON’T” because I’ve played with people who shoot in the 120s, but still played quick enough to keep pace.
If you get behind, speed up to catch up, OR pick up to catch up if need be. It’s not that difficult to do. And please don’t assume new players are the ones being “tossed”. If a new player knows golf ettiquette 101, he knows to keep pace or give way to faster players. Not doing so is rude.
What do you consider slow play or an average time for a round of golf ?? Slow play for a foursome of low handicap golfers might be 5 hours were as slow paly for a foursome of 20 handicap golfers might be 6 hours. Since recreational golfers come in all handicaps there is no standard for slow play it usually is based on ability. Golfers who worry so much about the time it takes to play a round are missing the enjoyment of playing golf. I am 73 and play in about 3 hours in a twosome and 4.5 hours in a foursome. Is that slow, fast or average ??
On a non-crowded course a 4some of single digit handicapper can play in 4 to 4.25 hours easily because my group does it.
i believe it is slow play 4.5 hours. should be 3.5 hrs for 4 players at the minimum.
Depends on the course, George. Also, it has been my lifelong observation that most foursomes that play in 3.5 hours play “one putt and pick it up.” Sorry, that’s not golf.
Like it or not, speed of play is a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ problem. The lead monkeys are the televised pros. When they take ten minutes to plan a shot, survey a putt, regrip ten times, or back off a shot, the message is ‘only my time is important.’ If they would play ready golf or putt continuously or take just one rehearsal stroke, the majority of the monkeys would follow right along.
Oh, and there’s no need to pace the game for TV… let them keep up on their own! As for the viewing ‘rules officials,’ stop taking their calls. They have no standing.
Its totally monkey see monkey do. It annoying and amusing to watch 30 handicappers take 4 or 5 practice swings (none of which remotely resemble the swing they actually hit the ball with) before they get around to hitting the ball. They must swing the club 300 times in an 18 hole round and has to be tiring in addition to slow.
I agree with Bogey Bill and also “N”
Don’t subject us amateurs to the same expectation and rules as the PGA pros. (Unless it is a tournament). Also. factor in the skill level vs the course difficulty.
Also pick up when 3 over par on a hole.
Dick Bright.