Pick Up the Pace!

When Mr. Jones slows down the field, you will not only have unhappy golfers, your F&B sales will suffer and you will watch overall rounds decrease.

by Tom McIntyre (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
August 2007
 

I love golf. I love the history and tradition. I love the challenge of the game. I love rolling putts on the putting green before a match. I love the side bets that start over breakfast and continue all the way to the first tee.

And then my love for the game comes to a screeching halt when I see “Mr. Jones” on the tee box in the foursome ahead of my group. I know my tee time will automatically be pushed back and that I’ll have to wait on every single shot on every single hole.

I don’t necessarily blame Mr. Jones for his cluelessness on the course. Yes, he’s at fault— but equally responsible are GMs, Golf Directors, Pros, Greens Committee members and the full Board of Directors. You are all doing a disservice to the game, and the reputation of your course, when Mr. Jones slows down the field for the entire day. Not only will you have unhappy golfers, your food and beverage sales will suffer, and you will more than likely watch your overall rounds played decrease as a result.  

Successful efforts have been established in recent years to bring new golfers to the course. The Wall Street Journal reported that in a given year, three million new golfers will try out the game. Unfortunately, roughly three million are also quitting each year, too.

Perhaps we should focus more of our effort on enhancing the experience for those of us already at the course—especially during peak playing periods. “Core” golfers, averaging eight rounds per year, are down 11 percent from 2000. When the golf industry is seeing a double-digit decrease in its core customer base, something needs to be done to determine if current strategies and tactics are on trend.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m 100 percent behind introducing the game to newcomers. My wife and four kids are perfect examples of this. Watching their excitement when a ball gets airborne or a twenty-foot putt finds its way to the bottom of the cup is fun for me. In addition to teaching them the game, I spend an equal amount of time teaching them how to increase their speed of play. But there’s only so much individual golfers can do if we’re not supported by the clubs where we play.

I recently played at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y., on a Saturday morning in four hours. And we were following a major club event that was concluding that same day. I was impressed with this club’s slow-play policy, which starts with publishing “Slow Play Rules,” approved by the Golf Committee. Every member knows the rules and is expected to educate their guests to the club’s slow-play policy. Members receive written violation notices, and if they’re slow players, their names can, and will, be posted in the locker rooms. Public humiliation like this is always a good motivator, but Monroe doesn’t stop there. Slow players can also be called in front of the Golf Committee, have their peak tee-time privileges removed, or be barred from participation in tournaments. For all of this I say, congratulations, Monroe Golf Club!

These kinds of policies and practices should not be exclusive to private clubs. They can, and should, be in effect at semi-private, daily-fee or resort courses, too. If a golf course’s policy on slow play is clear, no one should be surprised when a polite and friendly ranger or pro approaches to kindly ask them to either increase their speed of play, or step aside.

Your core golfers will respect and appreciate your efforts to establish and enforce these policies. And if the 80/20 rule is true, you should start to see an increase in a happier customer base that’s playing more golf and enjoying more post-round cocktails and snacks, while settling up all side bets.

So sorry, Mr. Jones—until you pick up the pace, you can sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays.