SLOW PLAY

In the days when golf was a game played mainly by club members, the average time taken to  play 18 holes was three hours for two or three players  and three-and-a-half hours for a 4-ball. I remember being hauled in front of our club committee, together with my two playing partners, for taking nearly four hours to complete our monthly medal round. Our defence that we all played absolute rubbish and called many of the following matches through, was accepted as mitigation and we were merely admonished, instead of being offered the secretary’s firearm and the chance to “do the honourable thing”.

Then along came Sky Sports TV, blatantly showing seasoned tour professionals taking five hours to complete a blemish-free round of golf. Now don’t get me wrong, tour professionals are wonderful ambassadors for a sport which is the last bastion of true sportsmanship, at least at their level of performance. He will often penalise himself for a breach of the rules unseen by anyone but himself. He observes the etiquette of the game, replacing divots, raking bunkers and repairing pitch marks on the greens. He is invariably careful not to put off his playing partners, often congratulating them on a good performance, which may adversely affect his own winnings.  Yet many average handicap golfers choose to ignore the professionals’ most praiseworthy traits, while adopting the worst - the belief that five hours is a reasonable time to play a round of golf. Tough luck if you happen to be playing behind them.

But help is at hand.  Sky TV’s sports channel has recently targeted the curse of slow play, advocating the use of course marshalls, whose prime duty is to keep players moving at a reasonable pace, as diplomatically as possible.  More importantly,  the marshall chosen to be interviewed in front of the TV cameras came up with the following advice:

• (i) Be ready to play your shot when it is your turn
• (ii) Park your golf bag/buggy at the side of the green nearest to the next tee
• (iii) Tap in your two foot putts instead of marking the ball
• (iv) Mark your score at the next tee without causing unnecessary delay
• (v) Be kind to your marshall – he’s there to help you!

Easy, isn’t it?  Follow this simple guide and you’ll find your scores will improve and there will be time for an extra gin & tonic at the 19th hole!

Tags: 18 holes, buggy