R&A Pace of Play Questionnaire

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R&A Pace of Play Questionnaire

I guess many of you may get this through your clubs from the R&A anyway but thought it might be worthy of sticking in a topic. Only takes a couple of minutes to do anyway (and probably won't make the blindest bit of difference). Sorry if the inserted link is cocked up the address is:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PaceofPlayTest

Often the same individuals...

(Damn you Blue, you beat me to it!)

When typing I did think about chucking in a ladyboy gag, but thought I would tee that up for you blue! Let's just say that some of those pretty ladies were definitely man handling me...

Resurrecting this thread (not so we go through the causes of slow play again!) as the R&A have published the results R&A Website Publications if anyone happened to be interested.

Warning though - it is 36 pages long!

Roller_Coaster wrote:Resurrecting this thread (not so we go through the causes of slow play again!) as the R&A have published the results R&A Website Publications if anyone happened to be interested.

Warning though - it is 36 pages long!

Ta for the link Roller. Boy, is it dull though!

Indeed. One for the statisticians methinks.

Mildly interesting (and paraphrasing!) - most people think the time they take is OK. GB&I is mostly played in 4 balls and 3.5 - 4 hours a lap is the section the highest % of respondents "ticked" followed by 4 - 4.5hrs.

Also, it wasn't recalled as being better (ie faster) in the so called "good old days"

There are snippets of interesting stuff but it is pretty tough going to get through.

Thanks for the paraphrase - saves me looking at it

Save the link in case of insomnia though!

Is the data on round times all self reported? Or has someone tried to measure round times without those being timed knowing?

It was a questionnaire Mac, so self reported.

How many people admitted to slow play, and I count anything over 4 hours as a bit slow?

Have a read. The original questions are in there so you can get a handle on what it was asking and there is an executive (don't let this moniker put you off) summary of the findings.

What does it matter if it was self timed or not? I sense another Mac rant coming on here. How many would admit to slow play? maybe wouldn't admit to it on their own behalf but many obviously admit to slow rounds, thanks to other factors

I know on an empty course (and with playing partners of my choice - not some of the slow coaches I know) I could do a 2 ball in just over 3 hours, a 3 ball in about 3:20 and a 4-ball (individual, not better ball) in about 3:40.

However empty courses never happen - at least not at the times I play. Having said I could get around in a 4 ball in about 3:40 I'm reasonably happy with 4 hours to 4:15 for a 4 ball in a comp - just because I'm limited by the speed of everyone else

Filling in the survey I would be quite happy to report a 5 hour round if that's what it took - not that it would be by pace, but to grumble about others in front who made it that slow

Personally (and my memory isn't that bad yet), I think it was definitely faster years back. Used to get around for 3-ball Medals in ~3.30. Lucky if it's under 4 hours these days - although did get around, going out earlyish, last Saturday in ~3.40.

Most of our medal, or indeed stableford, rounds are around 4 hours. The last one I played was 4 hours 20 mins and that was a bit tedious. Very rarely are they under 3 hrs 45.
Playing in a two ball with a friend in the evening when the course is fairly quiet we can get round in 3 hours without too much trouble at all, so the 4 hours it takes at the weekend is quite a difference.

But that said, I don't see why it should be a big problem and I don't really understand why people moan about it so much to be honest. Clearly if it is getting to the point where you are standing around for 10 mins on every shot waiting then that is an issue that no one likes or copes particularly well with. But at 4 hours a round I don't tend to find myself waiting around too much, especially not if you know that is going to be the case and so pace your play accordingly as best you can.

I've got a mate who plays at my club and he always puts his name down in the earliest slot on the medals, circa 7am. He hates getting up early so inevitably turns up not long before his start. The bar opens at 7am so you can't get any breakfast or a coffee or anything. It's often freezing cold. There's no one there when he starts and no one there when he finishes. When I ask him why he starts so early he says it's so he can get golf done and dusted and then get on with other stuff he wants to do for the day. But he openly admits he doesn't like it, playing that early.
I don't know about you lot, but playing golf is the 'other stuff' I want to be doing that day. If I got to the point where it was a chore I had to get out the way before getting to the other things I want to do I'd call it a day. Surely if you're getting upset about 'having' to spend 4 hours on the course instead of 3 and a half, why bother playing?

Maybe your mate faces time pressures that mean 4 hours in the middle of the day can't be taken up by golf. I like playing golf a lot but why would you sacrifice all the social stuff your non golfer friends do on a saturday/sunday daytime just to play golf when you can play in the early morning and do both.

Can't beat first tee time (or earlier) in Summer

McLaren wrote:Maybe your mate faces time pressures that mean 4 hours in the middle of the day can't be taken up by golf.  I like playing golf a lot but why would you sacrifice all the social stuff your non golfer friends do on a saturday/sunday daytime just to play golf when you can play in the early morning and do both.

No, he doesn't. I know this guy very well. He's not married and no kids. He just simply feels like he should 'get golf done' to free up the rest of the day. Plans or no plans.
It's his life, clearly, but if I felt like that I would just stop playing. And the same goes for getting in a huff about being on the course for 4 hours when maybe I could have done it in 3

I prefer the last tee time super. Late evening golf in Scottish summer time is a wonder even the most ardent scotland hater will admit to liking.

Not bad either Mac, have finished some rounds after 11pm before, and it's a nice place to be.

Super

In Aberdeen you must be able to play almost until midnight on a clear night, if you don't mind squinting a bit down the final holes?

Love evening golf in summer, especially when it's been a really hot sunny day and the temperature eases off as the shadows lengthen.

I struggle with early morning rounds, my body doesn't function so well. There's a lot of research that points to humans reaching peak physical performance in the early evening. I've heard Wenger discuss that his teams play better in evening games, and there is a higher chance of an athletics world record in the evening.

I need about 3 hours and 5 coffees to feel like my mind is working, so early starts are pretty bad for me.

I'm up just after 6 every morning even at weekends, so early starts are no problem.

Wenger couldn't have watched their "efforts" against Monaco and Swansea . . . . . Perhaps 7.45 p.m. is too late.


Completely agree that early morning (sunrise preferably) and evening rounds are the best. Usually fewer groups clogging up the course.

I hate early morning golf as I hate getting up early - never get up before 7.30 any day. I prefer to play midday (as near to as I can in the winter) and early evening in the summer.

Whilst golf is indeed the "other stuff" I actually want to do on a Saturday the main driver (ahem) for me is the ability to have either the morning or the bulk of the afternoon free to do family stuff with the kids. We used to go at about 11, after the bulk of the am crowd and before the lunchtime one. Course was quieter and we rarely got clogged up. Unfortunately that simply doesn't leave time either side to achieve anything meaningful with the kids.

Generally though, 7 - 8am starts feel too early for me to play well, takes a little bit for my body to get in to the day. That said, I have enjoyed a 5.45 start on a couple of gorgeous summer mornings though, as a concession to allow me out on a Sunday as well as the Saturday, but that leaves too much time free and the missus would then expect it!

I have a preference for afternoons but am always up and could quite easily make early starts. Afternoons also mean a finish time that lends itself to a few pleasant beverages afterwards in the evening.