It seems that everyone is rushing about these days, the pace of life has become rapidly quick, so it's no surprise that the perception of slow play is something that still frustrates a significant number of golfers.
We have previously found that 87% of golfers believe that a round would ideally take under four hours, albeit that doesn't always happen, with 54% of golfers under 45 preferring (optimistically) to complete 18 holes in under three hours and 30 minutes.
Ultimately, there are numerous theories about what causes the pace of play to be slower than those expectations, but one hugely frustrating experience can be when you're stuck behind a group who aren't keeping up with others.
Perhaps you're a two-ball (or even a single) and are playing behind a four-ball. Naturally, even keeping to strict tee time windows, that gap between you will decrease over time and you'll likely find yourself backed up behind those in front on tees or spend too long watching them putt while you're standing on the fairway waiting to hit your approach shot.
Now, as a golfer, there's little I dislike more than having the group behind backed right up behind. You feel pressured, forced to rush, and can sense the glare of increasingly irate golfers watching you. Therefore, when possible, in those circumstances, I would always choose to let these speedier types play through.
However, it's not always straightforward, so the question to ask is when should you let a faster group play through?
When Should Faster Groups Be Allowed to Play Through?
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
That was something we posed to the Golfshake Community on Facebook, which generated hundreds of comments and has allowed us to gather a general picture of where golfers are on this subject.
It's no surprise that the overwhelming majority of golfers believe that faster groups should be allowed to play through - but there is an important condition that shouldn't be ignored.
Allowing the group behind to play through you is one thing, but have they actually got somewhere to go?
This is an important distinction and something that anxious golfers like me should remember. Pace of play is really about keeping position with the group ahead of you, rather than simply being faster or slower than the group behind.
If you are keeping up with the flow of play on the course, then you're doing nothing wrong in the eyes of any reasonable critic.
Or are you?
What Happens if The Whole Course is Congested?
Although most will agree that if you've lost a hole, have an empty hole ahead or are clearly out of position while the group behind is waiting, you should either speed up or let them through, what happens on a congested and busy golf course?
If every tee time has been taken, particularly in competition, is there much point in letting a group through as they're going to encounter the same problem when they reach those who were previously directly in front of you?
Many of the golfers who responded to us said that if the course ahead is packed and the group in front is itself waiting, allowing another group through accomplishes very little and could even potentially create more delays.
It's clear that there should be nuance drawn between those scenarios when there is a slow group that has lost its place and a group that merely appears slow because the entire course is backed up ahead of them.
However, some out there still believe that playing through should be expected, especially when there are singles or two-balls involved who should always be gradually making up ground on larger groups ahead.
One golfer commented: "Often people say we would let you through but there is nowhere to go, but they should let you through anyway because then you have a chance of going through the next group and so on."
What About Single Golfers?
This raises a contentious point on the standing of single golfers. While the traditional etiquette of golf (controversially) made it clear that lone players didn't have the same rights as other groups, that specific point hasn't been part of the game for over 20 years and the rules, these days, don't say a great deal on the subject.
Rule 5.6b (Prompt Pace of Play) states: "Each player should recognize that their pace of play is likely to affect how long it will take other players to play their rounds, including both those in the player’s own group and those in following groups. Players are encouraged to allow faster groups to play through."
Common sense should invariably take over, but there isn't widespread agreement about how that should be applied when the entire golf course is busy.
Many Golfers Don't Think It's Complex
There will be a significant proportion of you reading who don't view this as a complex issue. Letting faster groups behind play through is something that you do without hesitation and, we're happy to say, many of the golfers who commented felt the same way:
"Thought it was normal courtesy to allow players behind through if they were quicker."
"Apart from being good etiquette, it’s basic common sense and good manners."
I can't argue with that perspective.
Should a faster group be behind and there is ample space in front, letting them play through is the sensible approach. Par 3s are often good locations to begin this transition, but should that not be possible, and you're on a longer hole, hit your tee shots, allow the other group to do the same and you can then gradually move down the fairway together before ultimately letting them move ahead. You can also wait by the side of a fairway and wave a group on the tee to hit through.
The Bigger Issue of Slow Play
Unexpectedly, this whole topic brought up the usual frustrations that surround the issue of slow play. There were a lot of complaints about players taking excessive practice swings, spending too long looking for balls, not being ready to hit, leaving bags or buggies in the wrong place, spending excessive time over putts and simply failing to pay attention to what is happening around them.
The inference appears to be that if all golfers adopted better principles then there wouldn't be congestion on the course, which explains why there are calls for venues themselves to manage this better through the introduction of marshals, while others want to see a greater emphasis on education and helping new golfers understand how their behaviour and timekeeping can impact others.
It's also worth noting that a minority of golfers feel that pace of play is an overblown issue and that "golf is not a race". Personally, I think there is a balance to be found in that regard.
Should You Always Allow Faster Golfers to Play Through?
Sifting through all the comments and adopting our own logic, the question golfers should ask themselves is whether they are keeping up with the group in front. If they are not, the ground ahead is clear, and the golfers behind are repeatedly waiting, then you should wave them through.
But if you're standing on every tee waiting for the group ahead, opinion becomes much more divided. Plenty of respondents saw little benefit in allowing another group to play through so that they can join the same queue. That said, others argue (not without merit) that this attitude prevents faster groups from ever working their way through several slower groups.
Should golfers always be expected to let faster groups play through? It's now clear that there is more nuance to this debate than one may have previously thought.
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