How to combat slow play, and why ?

Certain facts that merit consideration :

All sports are limited by either time or distance.
As far as golf is concerned, you start say at 10 o’clock and anything can happen. So, how do we attract new players or families, especially when there are 3 children with 3 years difference in age between each child?

Remarks

To fight this problem, let us start with a few well-founded comments which, although they will not please everyone, they will encourage cogitation in the amateur golfer.

• No golfer is ever aware of his/her rhythm of play; their only certainty is that they are playing at the right speed and, therefore, their speed is correct !
• Very few courses have been checked for their speed of play.
• Very few courses have been specially prepared to speed up the game.
• There are very few clubs who have a real desire to impose a faster rhythm of play.
• Very few clubs have tried to put into place a procedure by which golfers play in no more than ____ minutes. Attention … “You will be back by such and such an hour” does not mean the same thing.
• Not enough course awareness is instilled in young/(new) players – they are only give training for their swing…
• Only a handful of competition organisers consider the question of length of time of play. However, more the number of inscriptions increases, more the question becomes important.
• The rules of golf are the most important benchmark, but etiquette, common sense and now education are unfortunately no longer considered benchmarks.

Slow Play is the concern of everyone; golfers of course, but before that, it is also the concern of club officials (the president, captain and secretary).

The object of this website is to analyse Slow Play and to propose solutions which have been tried and proven, and which are applicable to all clubs. It will also present the work of the Marshal and his influence on the speed of play.

The solutions are individual, each club is different but Slow Play is common to everyone !