1. Golf Course Policies
These are the things that contribute to the pace of a round of golf but don’t get talked about too much. Cart path only on certain holes (par 3’s), tee time intervals too close together, and course gets saturated early.
2. Golf Course Setup
If you are planning on a busy day of golf it would behoove the golf course to allow the golfers a chance to play a golf course that doesn’t have 4” rough, tucked hole locations, greens with 12’ on the stimp meter… all are examples of areas that cause trouble to the average golfer. If the golfer can ride more in the cart than he walks, assuming the golfer knows what he is doing, this can help speed up play too. Par 3’s set-up too long and par 5’s set-up too short (reachable in two) can be causes of slow play also.
3. Golfers
Their good and bad habits can make or break the pace of a round of golf and it is usually more noticeable than the other two. Not using the motorized cart to help speed up play but using it to hurt your pace (both players watching each other’s shot from the comfort of the cart seat is the biggest time robber). Not taking two or more clubs when walking to your next shot might be the next biggest waste of time.
by Pat O’Hara, PGA
