Pace of play is one of the most contentious topics in the game, whether it be at the professional level or at everyday golf clubs. Tour players are frequently criticised for how long it takes them to complete 18 holes, with some championship rounds edging towards six hours, while interminable waiting times on tees and fairways for the path ahead to clear are something that frustrates amateurs when they’re trying to accommodate a day at the course during their busy schedules.
Some of the language used around slow play is extreme, with evocative phrases frequently deployed that compare it to a serious disease, but that illustrates the passion regarding the subject and explains why there is such an effort to shorten the timespan of an average round of golf.
That’s why you see Ready Golf encouraged at many courses, while others dispatch marshals to keep track of the pace and flow of play to keep things moving when it’s required.
How Big a Problem is Slow Play?
When surveyed on Golfshake, 87% of golfers said that they would like a round to take less than four hours, but just 61% said that the last round they played fell within this timescale.
Much is said about introducing fines and penalties for tour players when groups fall behind, but that never seems to go anywhere substantially, which is perhaps a reflection of the power that those who compete for the biggest prizes have over those who manage the most lucrative circuits in golf.
Now, it should be noted that not everyone has a problem with the pace they experience at their local clubs, some golfers would prefer not to feel rushed, and understandably so, but finding a route to satisfy everyone is a challenge when people simply don’t have the time to dedicate most of their day to a round of golf.
However, for all the measures that are being talked about these days, there could be a more traditional solution that will keep people happy and ensure a happy medium-ground when it comes to the pace of play at your golf course.
Could This Be a Solution to Slow Play?
Several famous golf clubs in the UK make two-ball golf the norm for much of the week, including Royal West Norfolk (Brancaster) and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield). Here, members will frequently head out in twos, or when grouped as a four, will play in foursomes pairs in a manner that you see during the likes of the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Walker Cup.
Having only two balls in play for each tee time – rather than four – naturally keeps things moving more smoothly and briskly, without being rushed or compromising the experience of playing the course.
Neil Darnell, General Manager at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club, explained in this video on social media why this old-fashioned approach is one that they retain.
“The club benefit of playing two-ball golf is massive. I think people worry (that) in foursomes you’re not interacting with your playing partners enough because some are walking down the fairway while the other two are teeing off, but actually the reverse is true, you actually get to spend more time, certainly with the person you are teeing off with. You’ve got more time to talk, you’ve got more time to engage.”
Unless you have played team golf, there’s a strong chance that you haven’t sampled foursomes before, when one player tees off on odd-numbered holes, the other on even-numbered holes, with each player then hitting alternate shots until the hole is completed.
“Obviously, the dynamic of alternate shots is fun, it’s much more of a team game than four-ball ever will be,” Neil added.
Different Way to Play Golf
Think of how enjoyable – and fascinating – it would be to coordinate directly with a friend on the course, strategising between yourselves and working together. It might just be more rewarding a time than slogging around with your own ball trying to put together a score, especially on those days when you might be struggling.
For Neil and those at Royal Ashdown Forest, whose Old Course is one of England’s most celebrated layouts, the advantages are most obviously found in the time it takes to play.
“Again, you’re round that much quicker, so the scourge of the game at the moment is that most golf clubs are trying to get people around in under four and a half, somewhere close to four hours. But (with this) you’re done in three hours, so then you have time to have a drink and spend more time with the people you’ve been playing with post-golf as well.”
Completing a full round of golf in three hours is perfect for those who struggle to find the time to dedicate to the sport, but the option is there too for a complete day for those who can manage it.
“There’s nothing stopping people playing 36 holes in a day and taking it in turns to play the odds (holes) in the morning and evens in the afternoon, a bite to eat in-between, two rounds, an hour for lunch, you know, seven hours, you’re done.”
How to Keep All Golfers Happy
That sounds rather special to us, so why don’t we see this approach taken more widely?
Naturally, golfers, both members and visitors, may favour the opportunity to play all 18 holes on their own terms, hitting every shot, and consuming the full experience of the course.
That’s fair enough, but there is a convincing argument to be made that you can provide time windows for both formats. Royal Ashdown Forest still offers four-ball golf on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday afternoons, meaning that everyone is catered for.
If more clubs took that approach, if not to the same extent, then more golfers could be kept happier. Green fees could also be reduced for foursomes rounds, creating a fluidity that could be extremely attractive to visitors.
Members would have the chance to experience a different style of golf, paired up with friends, and the opportunity to complete their rounds more speedily without feeling rushed.
And the retention of windows for four-ball play would tick off the requirements for medal rounds and accommodate those who don’t mind taking longer to ensure they hit every shot.
Should More Golf Clubs Introduce This?
It almost seems too good to be true, as this is such a logical proposition that more venues should think about introducing in the future alongside the more established measures like Ready Golf and self-policed etiquette.
Two-ball golf and foursomes is a traditional philosophy when it comes to managing a golf club, but sometimes the old ways are the best, and turning back the clock to the past could be the solution to what is an increasingly modern problem.
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