Boldmere Shaggy Dogs

 

Pace of Play Policy  

 

One of the biggest complaints that golfers have is about slow play. It creates frustration constantly waiting for minutes to play you next shot because the group in front are taking an excessive amount of time to complete their round. That frustration can spill over into the clubhouse and cause a bad feeling for everyone.

 

One of the most surprising things about golfers is that no golfer will ever recognise that he or she is a slow player. All players should recognise that their pace of play affects the enjoyment others get from golf and they should play promptly throughout the round.

 

So with that in mind, we have come up with a Pace of Play Policy which we would like every member to adopt which we believe will help speed up play without sacrificing enjoyment of our game. This is not about rushing around the golf course, its about making small changes to behaviour which will make a big difference to the time taken to complete a round.

 

One of the most important things to do is to be aware of your position with regard to the group in front and make a determined effort to keep up with that group. If you are not keeping up with that group, it is a sign that you are in danger of slowing down all of the groups behind you on the course. If you feel that your group is losing ground, ask the other players in your group to try and help catch up. If you have lost a clear hole on the group in front or the hole in front of you is clear and you are delaying the group behind, invite the group behind to play through.

 

On the course, there are a number of suggestions that will improve our pace of play.

 

1 Please be on the tee promptly, well in advance of your tee off time. There is something particularly annoying about seeing an empty first tee whilst the golfers who should be there are enjoying a chat in the clubhouse.    

 

2 Please adopt the principles of ready golf. This encourages players to play out of turn in a safe and  responsible way to save time or for convenience. However, if you are in a match play competition (in which precedence is a part of the game) you must agree with your opponent(s) that you are both going to waive precedence as there are clear remedies for playing out of turn in that golf format (Rule 6.4a). There is no requirement for your opponent(s) to agree to do so.

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3 Play anywhere on the course when you are ready if safe to do so and it does not stop someone from playing. On the green if you are not standing in someone’s line, putt out. More time is wasted marking  putts, and replacing the ball than in any other place on the golf course. Where possible, line up your putt prior to your turn to putt.

 

4 On the tee, dispense with the honour and simply let the first player ready or the shortest hitter tee off first. Always play a provisional ball if there is doubt as to whether your ball may be lost or out of bounds as this will save a time wasting trip back to the tee. If the round is not qualifying (the course or the competition is not suitable for handicapping purposes) you may use the "Alternate Stroke and   Distance rule".

 

5 Make sure you do not exceed the three minute allowance to search for a lost ball.

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6 When on the putting green, leave your golf bag on the side of the green adjacent to the next tee so you don't have to walk over the front of the green. Wait until you are on the next tee before marking your card. 

 

7 When a player is searching for a ball Play your next shot Before going to help look for the ball as this can waste a lot of time as when the three minutes searching time is up the other players then have to walk back across the fairway and play their shots. It is natural that your group members will really want to help you find your ball, but you can speed up play by telling them to play their shots before helping you search. This is another scenario where a lot of time is lost   

 

8 If you wear a glove or use club head covers, take them off and put it onas you are walking rather than when it's your turn to play. Do you actually need a head cover on your driver?

 

9 Consider limiting your pre shot routine

 

10 Pick up in stableford competitions if you cannot score. All stroke play competitions in the Shaggy Dogs fixtures are defined as Maximum Score. You can pick up at any point on a hole for a total of par plus 5 strokes.

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Issue Status: 01                          Issue Date: 14-02-22                  Approved by Boldmere Joint Handicap Committee