Malahide Golf Club Pace of Play Policy

1 Introduction ‘The only thing worse than a shank is having to wait to have a shank’

Research clearly shows that slow play and the amount of time it takes to play a round of golf detracts from the overall golfing experience and threatens to drive players away from the game.

Conscious of this fact, Leinster Golf has made recommendations that it hopes Golf Clubs and players will take on board to help to make golf a more enjoyable game for everyone.

It is hoped that our pace improvement programme will yield smooth, uninterrupted play for members and guests with little or no waiting on holes and lower average round times.

2 Pace Rating System

Pace Rating is defined at the time it should take to play a round of golf when the course is full.

According to Leinster Golf, a typical par 4 should take approximately twelve minutes, a par 5 around eighteen minutes and a par 3 circa nine minutes. These are standard times but can be shorter or longer depending on a number of factors such as hole length, hazards and degree of difficulty.

The expected time to play each hole is called a time par and the total of 18 time pars plus four minutes for a halfway -house stop adds up to the Pace Rating for the course. Time par works, and it has reduced the average time for a round of golf by up to 30 minutes at virtually every course that has implemented the programme.

Based on the above and by adding in an additional 5 minutes (9 minutes in total) to compensate for some difficult holes and walking time from greens to tee-boxes, a round of golf in Malahide Golf Club with four players participating should take no longer than 3 hours and 54 minutes.

Remember: Pace of Play is not about rushing your shots; it's about being ready to play your stroke when it's your turn, and behaving efficiently on the course. 3 Strategies to Achieve a Good Pace of Play

Due to extensive member feedback and in recognition of the Rules of Golf (Rule 6.7) The Men’s Club has established a Pace of Play Policy that is based on 4 hours and 15 minutes being the maximum time for a group to complete 18 holes in Malahide Golf Club.

Strategies to assist players in achieving this include:

 Check in at least 10 minutes prior to your tee time.  Be on the tee 5 minutes prior to your tee time.  Every player is responsible for the speed of play of their group.  Always endeavour to keep up with the group in front of you.  Move quickly between shots and be ready to play when it is your turn.  If you are behind, abandon the “Honour” system and the furthest from the hole hits first rule and adopt the procedure where, if it can be done safely, the person who is ready hits, even if he is further up the fairway, providing it is safe to do so  On the tee, shorter hitters hit first. Longer hitters hit last.  Play a provisional ball if there is some doubt to where your ball finished.  Leave buggies, trollies and golf bags on the side of the green nearest the access to the next tee.  Line up your putt and get set to putt while other players are putting without breach of etiquette. Putt out whenever possible  If you “have the honour” on the next tee, hit first and then mark your scorecard.  Mark your scorecard on the next tee while others are teeing off.  In other than Stroke competitions, pick up your ball when you cannot score.  If you lose a ball and or fall behind, play your next few shots as soon as it is safe to do so.

Please do not  Mark score cards on the green  Take an excessive number of practice swings  Replay putts.  Fish for golf balls 4 Additional Player Advice Notes .  Each member of a group should proceed directly from the tee-box to his ball. The group should not travel as a pack, going first to one ball, then the next, and so on.  While walking (or riding) to your ball, use the travel time to begin thinking over your next shot, the yardage, which club you'll use, and so on. Begin preparing before you get to your ball.  If sharing a buggy, don't drive to the first ball, wait for the first player to hit, then head to the second ball. Drop the first player off at his ball, drive on ahead to the second ball. The first player should walk over to the buggy as the second player is playing his shot.  Carry a few extra tees, ball markers and a spare ball in your pockets so you don't have to return to your golf bag to retrieve them should you find yourself in need of one.  When you think your shot might have landed Out of Bounds or be lost, immediately hit a provisional ball. Don't walk ahead to search, only to have to return to the original spot to replay a shot.  Never hold up play because you're in the middle of a conversation. Put the conversation on hold, take your stroke, and then continue the conversation.  On the green, begin lining up your putt and reading the break as soon as you reach the green. When it's your turn to putt, be prepared to step right up and take the stroke.  If asked to ‘catch-up” to the group in front by a Club Official, try to achieve your correct position in the field within the next 2 holes.  If you are searching for a ball and the group behind you are ready to play, call them through. This will help you to retain your correct position on the golf course.  Always remember that your correct position on the golf course is directly behind the group in front and NOT directly ahead of the group behind. 5. Committee Responsibilities for the successful implementation of the Policy  The Committee will prepare a Pace Rating System per hole so that players can determine their exact position on the golf course relative to their correct position. This will be provided after a test phase over the winter months has elapsed to reflect the true time it takes to play each hole.  The Committee will deploy a Marshal to identify groups that have fallen behind who will give them tips for catching up etc.  The Committee will set-up a Slow Play committee to deal with any cases of slow play reports from the Marshal  The Committee will review starting time intervals to ensure they are at their optimum and not causing over-crowding.  The Committee will update the members regularly on how the pace of play policy is working and advise of any changes or amendments required based on members feedback, observation of the Ranger etc.  The Committee will monitor the time taken for groups to complete the course during the trial phase from Tee (start) to 12th Green (when the pin is replaced in the hole).  Following the completion of the trial stage, the Committee will review the expected average and maximum times based on its findings during the trial period.  A final review will take place over the first two 18 hole competitions of 2015 to assess if any changes need to be made to the time par’s developed over the winter 12 hole competition trial period  Once the trial period and review has been completed The Committee will communicate a full set of Slow Play principles

Paul Tomsett

Captain