Pace of Play
Golfers may have differing views on what constitutes an acceptable pace of play, but there is no doubt that slow play can detract from the enjoyment of the game.
At Barwon Heads, a group of four players should take three hours and 50 minutes to play an 18-hole Stableford round. To do so:
- Walk directly and at good pace to your ball.
- Keep practice swings and pre-shot routines to a minimum.
- Be ready to play as soon as it is your turn (i.e. put a glove on, select a club and calculate yardage while waiting to play). On the putting green, putt out whenever possible.
- Play a provisional ball if your ball may be lost outside a hazard or out of bounds.
- If a clear hole is lost and the group behind is being delayed, or if there is no group in front and the group behind is being delayed, invite the group behind to play through.
- At the green, position your bag on the way to the next tee.
- Move off the green as soon as all players in the group have holed out.
- Mark the score card on the next tee while others are teeing off. If you have the honour, enter scores for the previous hole AFTER you have played your tee shot. If you do not have the honour, enter the scores for the previous hole whilst the first player is playing their tee shot.
- In Par, Stableford, and Four-ball events, pick up when you can no longer score on the hole.