Fast golf not the answer to slow play

It’s 1.36pm on Friday, January 8. I’m going to try and write this as fast as humanly possibly. Anything less, it seems, is unacceptable these days when it’s a matter of golf. Also, typos: apologies in advance.

‘Speed’ is golf’s current buzzword. There is a near universal acknowledgement that the game takes too long to play, which, in turn, is damaging its profile.

People are now more ‘time-poor’ than ever, so, for someone looking to get fit and enjoy some sport into the bargain, an hour of five-a-side football or half an hour jogging is more immediately attractive than four-and-a-half hours on a golf course. I’m aware there’s more to it than that but give me a break: I’m against the clock here.

Slow play is so dominant an issue right now that the R&A was even moved to hold a special conference just a few weeks ago to debate what could and should be done to combat it.

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Super, smashing, great. I’m all for speeding the game up. The pace of some of those who play the game professionally is (a) embarrassing, (b) insulting to their playing partners and (c) detrimental to the game at grassroots level. It’s all about the pyramid of influence, isn’t it? Golfers watch better golfers behave in a particular way and imitate them. Doesn’t matter if it’s the right thing to do, so long as it looks like what better players do. That’s why I believe slow play needs to be tackled, in the first instance, at the top-level of the game.

However, because the issue is – ironically – taking an eternity to resolve, some people now risk of going too far in the opposite direction by playing the game too fast.

They seem to have a unshakeable belief golf should be played as quickly as humanly possible, even if that means breaking into a jog between shots. Maybe that’s because there’s no real consensus over how slow is ‘too slow’. Some think an 18-hole round should last no more than four hours. Others say three-and-a-half. Some say you should get round in under three.

The point is, people have become so obsessively aware of golf’s ‘time’ issue that they seem to be on a mission to play in the least time possible. Anybody who doesn’t is marginalised, branded ‘SLOW’ and to be avoided at all costs.

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Is there any need for all that? Of course there’s not. Whilst some people could certainly play faster, and having a better overall awareness of time during your round is something we should all aspire to, playing unnecessarily fast isn’t the answer.

Golf isn’t meant to leave you gasping for breath. There’s no need to run from shot to shot. That’s daft. There’s no fun in it. It’s an idea that’s dangerously at odds with the way the game was intended to be played.

Just to be absolutely clear, I’m not suggesting nothing gets done about slow play. It does need to be tackled and I’m unequivocal on that.

However, simply doing the opposite of something doesn’t necessarily resolve a problem. More often than not, it just creates a new one. It’s also worth taking account of the fact that slower rounds haven’t just been caused by players playing slower. Longer courses take longer to walk (obviously) and modern green speeds are (at some courses) wildly out of control. Having four or five stabs clearly takes longer than two. But who cares about any of that when we there are slower players to belittle mercilessly?

So, let’s all be more mindful of the time we’re taking to play this year, all the while remembering that we play this game in golf shoes, not trainers.

More haste, less speed.

Anyway, it’s 1.58pm.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor