Best ideas for improving Speed of Play

[Josh_Lesnik]

The company I work for (KemperSports) is always looking for ways to improve our golf course operations.  I'd love to hear programs you've seen (or thought of, but haven't seen in place) on improving speed of play at golf courses.  Thanks in advance for any ideas you share.
 

[Tom Huckaby]

The company I work for (KemperSports) is always looking for ways to improve our golf course operations.  I'd love to hear programs you've seen (or thought of, but haven't seen in place) on improving speed of play at golf courses.  Thanks in advance for any ideas you share.
 

One "idea" and one only is required:  nothing less than 10 minute tee time intervals.

Do this and the rest really matters no.

TH

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Force banks to provide loans to people they normally wouldn't to expand "homeownership" into areas that were formerly "red-lined."  Go on a huge governmental spending spree that inflates the money supply by 250% in six months then wait for hyper-inflation.  This will make golf unaffordable to anyone.  There' will be no waits on any golf course in America so pace-of-play problems will be completely eliminated.  Brilliant!

[Cliff Hamm]

Agree minimum of 10 minute tee times...then have starters explain a 4 hour round is expected, 4 hr 15 minutes tops and that marshalls will do their job.  They don't mean to offend but a quick pace is expected. Let golfers know if they are being held up feel free to complain to marshalls.  Then hire marshalls who know how to be polite but firm and do their job. 

[JESII]

drop the cart path only rule...

[Anthony Gray]

  Make it understood clearly from the starter that if slow play occurs you will have to pick up your ball and be moved foward to the group in front of you. You must have rangers placed on the course to inforce this. This it what PB does and I have never had a problem with slow play there. It is very clear from the start what is expected. Of course this only works at resorts.

  Anthony

[Cliff Hamm]

  Of course this only works at resorts.

  Anthony

Why?

[Anthony Gray]

  Of course this only works at resorts.

  Anthony

  At your home course too many times it is left up to the players to police themselves. I have very seldom seen a ranger at a private club.

  Anthony

 

Why?

[Anthony Gray]

  Could somebody post the photo of the sign at North Berwick. It is on the COURSES BY COUNTRY section.

  Anthony

[Kirk Gill]

Every time I've played with really fast players, I've learned something about how to play faster. I wasn't ever explicity taught a thing about fast play when I was a kid, but I watched a lot of golf on tv that showed me exactly how to play slowly. I know a lot of people who have grown up with the same sort of experience. They don't know about simple concepts like ready golf, and they take interminable practice swings and examine putts from every angle. They're amazed and usually a little pissed off when a ranger tells them to step it up. There's got to be a way to educate players on the techniques and benefits of playing faster that doesn't threaten them or make them defensive about it, as DSchmidt just suggested.

And if they don't buy in, off with their heads !

[Tom Huckaby]

nobody makes more putts with the thing anyway and that it's all just one gigantic placebo crutch

Isn't that the proper description for the long putter, the claw grip, and other desperate acts of desperate men?

[PCCraig]

  Make it understood clearly from the starter that if slow play occurs you will have to pick up your ball and be moved foward to the group in front of you. You must have rangers placed on the course to inforce this. This it what PB does and I have never had a problem with slow play there. It is very clear from the start what is expected. Of course this only works at resorts.

  Anthony

I have never ever never seen this happen on a golf course. It really is impossible to tell a golfer, who is paying for their round, to physically move because they are two slow. I always felt even telling players this is pointless and rude.

[Tyler Kearns]

Josh,

Keep long grass to a minimum (out-of-play areas), clear underbrush in trees, keep landing areas visible from the tee, and don't let green speeds get exceptionally fast.

Bill Yates is an expert in this area, and has done a feature interview here; http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewyates.html

TK

[Dale Jackson]

Josh, as someone who has been working with pace of play solutions for about 10 years, I offer the following.

Any PoP must have three things to be successful

1.  It must be easily understood
2.  It must have consequences for slow players
3.  It must be consistently enforced.

Take away any one of those and you will fail.

There are policies that can be applied at the tournament, private club and public course environments.  If you would like to discuss specific PoP ideas, drop me an email.

One "carrot" I have seen used successfully in public course settings, is discount in the bar or pro shop for every group finishing on time.

[PCCraig]

The company I work for (KemperSports) is always looking for ways to improve our golf course operations.  I'd love to hear programs you've seen (or thought of, but haven't seen in place) on improving speed of play at golf courses.  Thanks in advance for any ideas you share.
 

Josh-

I think the question of "how to speed up play" is too general and so have been the solutions. Could you give us a semi-case study as to the type of course you are having trouble with? (I understand if you can't give actual course names). Once there is a better idea of the actual course then it becomes easier to give more specific solutions.

[Tom Huckaby]

nobody makes more putts with the thing anyway and that it's all just one gigantic placebo crutch

Isn't that the proper description for the long putter, the claw grip, and other desperate acts of desperate men?

No.  But even if it were, so what?  They don't slow the game down.  The cheater line absolutely, positively does.

Agreed re no speed of play effects - just wanted to see if your delusions continued.  It pleases me to read they have.

[PCCraig]

On very slow golf courses I would put a permanent clock on every tee box.

Just the clock being there, without any specific mention of it, will force players to be more aware of how long they are taking to play each hole.

[PCCraig]

nobody makes more putts with the thing anyway and that it's all just one gigantic placebo crutch

Isn't that the proper description for the long putter, the claw grip, and other desperate acts of desperate men?

No.  But even if it were, so what?  They don't slow the game down.  The cheater line absolutely, positively does.

Agreed re no speed of play effects - just wanted to see if your delusions continued.  It pleases me to read they have.

I have zero idea of how a line on your golf ball slows down play. A very small % of players actually use it.

[Cliff Hamm]

Josh, as someone who has been working with pace of play solutions for about 10 years, I offer the following.

Any PoP must have three things to be successful

1.  It must be easily understood
2.  It must have consequences for slow players
3.  It must be consistently enforced.

Take away any one of those and you will fail.

There are policies that can be applied at the tournament, private club and public course environments.  If you would like to discuss specific PoP ideas, drop me an email.

One "carrot" I have seen used successfully in public course settings, is discount in the bar or pro shop for every group finishing on time.

Years ago played Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies.  They made it clear that a 4.5 hour round was expected.  Explained what tees to play for your ability and reinforced that pace of play was important.  They stamped your score card when you left and told you if you made it on time you would get a brass ball mark.  Played in 4 hours 29 minutes, which while not great is not bad for a resort course.

[Chris Garrett]

Josh,

Two different reasons slow play occurs:

1) The people on the course.  Either golf is not their first priority, they don't know how to play fast, or they naturally move at a snail's pace.  You can combat this by a) Having the starter re-iterate pace of play expectations; b) Ensure that groups are playing from the correct tees (we all know what sorts of egos golfers have) and have the starter pass on a few basic "tips" of how to play fast c) Having course rangers strictly enforce pace of play and move slow groups, in necessary; and d) Use some sort of timer on the carts (Personal Ranger was the one we used to use - it tells you where you should be on the course i.e. 3rd Tee, 7th Green).

2) Issues with tee times or the course set-up/design.  In regards to tee times, simple math will tell you that 7-minute tee times don't work when you are stating a 4.5-hour pace of play.  In regards to the course set-up/design, pay attention to where pace of play problems tend to start during a round.  The last club I worked at in the industry, we had a par-3 second hole with woods, a stream, and the entrance road surrounding the green, followed by a par-5 third hole, which was the toughest driving hole on the course, with plenty of opportunities to lose a ball, followed by a drivable par-4 fourth hole.  Needless to say, these three holes tended to clog up the course each and every day.  See if you can target in on a situation like this on your course, or even course set-up issues (i.e. don't cut the pin near the front bunker, shorten the first hole, etc).  If you have this sort of an issue, make sure your rangers focus in on these specific holes to help combat the problem.

The only other option is to appeal for bailout money and hire a sniper.  

Dale,

In regards to the discount in the bar... what happens when one group holds the rest up?

[PCCraig]

I have zero idea of how a line on your golf ball slows down play. A very small % of players actually use it.

Doesn't matter.  All it takes is one early foursome of single-digit Tour wannabes who all use the cheater line and therefore exhibit all the other slow-play Tour wannabe tendencies like glacial pre-shot routines, needing to know that they're 183 vs. 184 away, checking pin sheets all the time, circling every putt, and all the other usual nonsense -- and the whole day is sunk.

 

I understand that...but even of the low handicap "tour wannabes" very few actually do it. It would be almost impossible to have a group of 4 doing it the entire round.

[PCCraig]

Ok, make it 2.

2 on the entire course.

It doesn't matter.

It slows the game down every time they use the damn thing because they often can't or don't jigger the line until it's their turn. 

Maybe I don't understand because when I place my ball down I make sure I can only see white.

[Ted Kramer]

This is my idea.

Any group behind the pace of play regulations is simply removed from the course.
No warnings, no arguements, no excuses.
Their money is refunded on a "pro-rated, by hole" amount.

Good, fast, courteous players will love your course and be loyal customers.
Lousy, slow, selfish players will not play at your course.

-Ted

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Hire Bill Yates:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/interviewyates.html

Try 10 minute tee times and good rangers with authority to throw slow players off the course.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Two simple rules: Only two-ball play and stroke-play gives way to match-play.