Smith: "At last we have a governing body tackling golf's big problem"

Slow play will always be a contentious issue in golf.

Even watching the conclusion of an exhilarating PGA Tour event these days is often met with grumbles about how long golfers take to get around the course.

You no doubt have your own opinion on the topic, but one governing body believes it has devised a system to keep rounds within an acceptable time.

GolfMagic recently sat down with England Golf's director of championships, James Crampton, to understand how their pace-of-play system works.

Crampton told us he believes the introduction of the policy has had the desired effect, with players now shifting their attitudes.

The system isn't new. In fact, England Golf implemented it a few years ago.

How does it work?

It's simple.

Instead of inserting a small gap in tee times every 10 groups or so, the entire field is split into two.

From there, there is a 50-minute gap between the last tee time of the first session and the first tee time of the second session.

Pace-of-play checkpoints are also manned every four or five holes, with groups given an expected time to meet them.

If groups fail to meet the checkpoints, all players receive a penalty stroke.

Fortunately, no golfer has received such a penalty—yet.

"There are a few things we do slightly differently from other people," Crampton said.

"One, for example, is a big starter's gap in the middle of the field, which allows us to do a number of things. 

"It allows us to reset the clock if there are any issues with the first half of the field, whether due to slow play, players underestimating the difficulty of the golf course, weather patterns, or anything else."

"What that allows us to do is free up that second session so we can effectively play into an open golf course. 

"That's been a pretty radical thing we've had for four or five years now, and it makes a big difference to our pace of play."

How did England Golf come up with the idea?

Crampton said they simply assessed how long they expected groups to complete 18 holes on a course, depending on its length and difficulty.

"Extra time is then given for any extended walks between greens and tee boxes, so that’s the first thing we do when we are actually on-site at the start of the tournament," Crampton said.

"Players are then informed of how long it should take them to play the course.

"And what we've done, instead of individually timing players, is establish checkpoint stations on the golf course. 

"They are typically located on the fifth tee, 10th tee, and then around the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes.

"The objective is for each group to reach those checkpoints within the allocated time."

What happens if they miss a checkpoint?

At first, there is a warning.

"They are then effectively given a yellow card," Crampton said.

"We don't actually show them a yellow card, but we issue a warning that they are being too slow and need to get back in position—keeping up with the group in front—by the time they reach the next checkpoint.

"If they fail to do so and there is no valid reason to waive the penalty, penalty strokes are applied to the entire group rather than an individual."

Crampton believes the checkpoints are beneficial from a visual standpoint, as they change the way golfers think about their pace of play.

"We don't really care if someone takes two minutes to hit a shot, as long as they are keeping up with the group in front and doing everything else quickly," he said.

"Hitting the ball is a tiny element [of the game], so we are trying to focus people's minds on that."

How does the system accommodate for players that are obviously slow in a group?

The tournament director or chief referee has the final say.

No golfer has received a penalty stroke yet.

Crampton said: "The onus is now on the group to get around the golf course, rather than on individuals.

"You don’t really see players deliberately playing slowly anymore. I can't see why they would, because they know that if they fail to meet a checkpoint, penalties will be applied. 

"They can't just rely on other players to get them into position.

"So we do see groups collectively making an effort to play a bit quicker and apply 'ready golf' when needed.

"But we have safeguards in place to remove penalties if justified.

"If a player is the sole reason a group is slow and they miss the second checkpoint, then the group won't be penalised—but the individual at fault will be timed by a referee.

"That said, we believe we are never going to reach that stage."

How has the policy been received?

Crampton believes that, on the whole, players have reacted positively to the system—although they were bombarded with information at the beginning.

"We were keen to let them know what their obligations are on the golf course," he said.

"The reaction, I think, has been pretty good. Players never really like being told to hurry up, but with this new policy, if someone misses a checkpoint, we inform them that they need to make the next one.

"Then we leave them to it. We don't have referees driving alongside the fairway following groups, as they might have in the past, which can be quite off-putting for players.

"Instead, we monitor them from a distance without being intrusive.

"We track their progress and keep an eye on what they're doing. 

"If they get back into position just before the checkpoint but something unexpected happens—like an extended ruling or a particularly bad hole—we have the ability to waive penalties if they have made every effort to catch up.

"We let them manage their own pace, and I think they appreciate that."

Sprinting down the fairways

Crampton recalled a couple of occasions last year when players were just seconds away from receiving penalties.

In one instance, a group was practically sprinting down the fairway to meet a checkpoint after being warned they were in danger of missing it.

"I spoke to the group on the tee and told them, 'You need to reach the next checkpoint,'" he said.

"They asked what they needed to do, and I said, 'Well, effectively, run down this fairway.'

"And the three of them did. They all made pars and reached the checkpoint with about 15 seconds to spare.

"But it was that realisation, I think, that we were serious about pace of play."

Attitude shift

Crampton believes that in the past, players had an indifferent attitude toward pace of play.

"Because penalties were never going to be applied," he said.

"The best thing about this policy has been the shift in players' attitudes toward their responsibility to get around the course efficiently."