O/t Tee time spacing

[Thomas Dai]

An observation, well maybe just a tiny wee rant.
Waiting to play a shot isn’t much fun. Seems like most of my golf over the past couple of years, that’s U.K. golf, has been subject to waiting on every tee and then further waiting on every fairway to play into greens. Also more and more golf seems to be played in 4-balls these days. Rarely see a 2-ball or 3-ball on a course nowadays unless it’s very early.
Is this a function of Covid and more folks and more newcomers to the game playing golf? Have tee time spacings been ‘closed-up’ to allow more onto the course?
Atb

[SB]

Can't speak for the UK, but in the US, most courses have increased tee time spacing.  My course is up from 9 to 11 or 12 minutes.


There are definitely a lot more beginners, and there are a lot more people in general.  If there used to be one empty tee time per hour, that adds a lot of slack for groups that have bad holes.  My guess is that there is no more slack in most tee sheets.

[Kyle Harris]

The only way to make money is when demand is up to increase price or reduce supply. Or both.

[Buck Wolter]

The only way to make money is when demand is up to increase price or reduce supply. Or both.

It's too crowded, nobody comes here anymore

[John Kavanaugh]

An observation, well maybe just a tiny wee rant.
Waiting to play a shot isn’t much fun. Seems like most of my golf over the past couple of years, that’s U.K. golf, has been subject to waiting on every tee and then further waiting on every fairway to play into greens. Also more and more golf seems to be played in 4-balls these days. Rarely see a 2-ball or 3-ball on a course nowadays unless it’s very early.
Is this a function of Covid and more folks and more newcomers to the game playing golf? Have tee time spacings been ‘closed-up’ to allow more onto the course?
Atb

UK golf was never that great, it was just behind the times.

[Tim Leahy]

Tee time spacing only works on crowded courses if you have Marshalls on the course to keep groups moving.

[Tommy Williamsen]

If it takes a group normally ten minutes to play the first hole and you have eight minute tee times you get backed up pretty quickly. My club has 15 minute tee times and i never see anybody from one to eighteen.

[Dan Grossman]

We are at 12 minute times and they have been aggressively managing pace.  (which is great)


Pace of play increased dramatically when everyone had his own COVID cart (i still walked), but the club is trying to hold on to that.  I'm totally on board.  I think we played in 3:45 last Sunday AM. 

[Adrian_Stiff]

8 MINUTES is pretty standard in the UK.


Still get back ups at 10. You are as slow as the slowest players, those dictate the time.

[Padraig Dooley]

One of the annual tournaments that we play in has 120 participants and a shotgun is the desired start. The 2018 version with 30 groups of 4 had round times of 5:30-6:00 hours. The 2019 version had 20 groups of 6 and the round times were 4:00-4:30.
The moral of the story is if you have space to move into you can move around a golf course, if there is no space to move, gridlock is inevitable. The easiest way to create space is to have tee time intervals further apart and the paradox that golfers struggle to understand is, you can start later but finish at the same time or even earlier.
The way to determine what the tee time space should be is, if the first is a medium to long par 4, how long it takes a group to be either putting out or moving to the next tee. It will vary on the number of players and the format of play. The mindset of getting as many players off the first as quickly as possible is really difficult to change.

[Pete_Pittock]

One of the annual tournaments that we play in has 120 participants and a shotgun is the desired start. The 2018 version with 30 groups of 4 had round times of 5:30-6:00 hours. The 2019 version had 20 groups of 6 and the round times were 4:00-4:30.
The moral of the story is if you have space to move into you can move around a golf course, if there is no space to move, gridlock is inevitable. The easiest way to create space is to have tee time intervals further apart and the paradox that golfers struggle to understand is, you can start later but finish at the same time or even earlier.
The way to determine what the tee time space should be is, if the first is a medium to long par 4, how long it takes a group to be either putting out or moving to the next tee. It will vary on the number of players and the format of play. The mindset of getting as many players off the first as quickly as possible is really difficult to change.

I have said before, that in a shotgun start with too many groups, you are essentially waiting on yourselves.

[Pete_Pittock]

8 MINUTES is pretty standard in the UK.


Still get back ups at 10. You are as slow as the slowest players, those dictate the time.
[/quote
at alternating 7 and 8 minute tee times a 4:30 pace of play means more people are teeing off faster than those exitting the 18th green. ]

[Lou_Duran]

Can't speak for the UK, but in the US, most courses have increased tee time spacing.  My course is up from 9 to 11 or 12 minutes.


There are definitely a lot more beginners, and there are a lot more people in general.  If there used to be one empty tee time per hour, that adds a lot of slack for groups that have bad holes.  My guess is that there is no more slack in most tee sheets.

My home course was purchased recently by Arcis.  They are off to a good start with tree and brush clearing and a much needed bunker project.


On the administrative side, a new tee time system was installed which shortened the previous 10 minute intervals to alternating :08 and :09 (e.g. 8:00, 8:08, 8:17, 8:25, 8:34, 8:42, 8:51).  The idea is to add an extra tee time per hour and $80-$100 incrementally for riding carts.   It will likely bog the course down on heavy play days, but the new owners are pros and they probably have a good idea on how to drive revenues.