Pace of Play

Suggestions for maintaining and improving the Pace of Play

Pace of play. It’s not about playing fast. It’s about playing efficiently and with consideration for others 

• The Rules of Golf were updated for 2019 and several changes were made to help improve the pace of play. A new optional Local Rule has been introduced to reduce the times when a player must go back to the point where they played the previous shot (Alternative to Stroke and Distance penalty Local Rule) and the time allowed to look for a lost ball has been reduced from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. In addition players are required to take their stroke in a maximum of 40 seconds. 

• There is a target time for a round of golf on the Doon Championship 18. That time is 4 hours 15 minutes (255 minutes)  - which is almost 15 minutes per hole for the group you are in. Try to check how you are doing to that schedule from time to time during the round. 

• Should you lose track of the group ahead of you, be prepared to allow the following group to play through. It will help to keep the Gaffers total time on course to the minimum. 

• In stroke play, there is no penalty for playing out of turn, and players are both allowed and encouraged to play “ready golf” – that is, to play out of turn in a safe and responsible way.

• In match play, the order of play is fundamental; if a player plays out of turn, the opponent may cancel that stroke and make the player play again. However others that are playing their regular stroke play round in the same group, can take their shots when it is safe and they are ready leaving it to the Match participants to take their shots in their respective orders. Often on the teeing ground it is common for Match participants to play first. 

• When a ball goes into a Penalty Area that is also a No Play Zone (e.g. the Environmentally Sensitive Areas at Doon holes 8-15) or Out of Bounds, it is not necessary to find it before playing the next shot.  (Remember: We are requested not to enter Environmentally Sensitive Areas.)

  • • The position of the next shot is based on where the ball last crossed into the penalty area or went out of bounds, and does not depend on where the ball actually lies.  So you could take your next shot and then look for it if you need to, while others take their shots.   

    • A ball in any Penalty Area is not ever deemed to be a Lost Ball, so you cannot really justify taking three minutes in order to look for the ball if it is in a No Play Zone! 

• If a ball goes into a Penalty Area that is not a No Play Zone, it is possible to decide to play the ball as it lies and therefore is a valid reason to look for it. 

• A ball that cannot be located might be aggravating, but it is not always necessary to find it in order to continue to play.

• When putting there is no need to remove the flag or have it tended. It can remain centered in the hole.There is no penalty if a ball putted from on the green hits the flag. So if you are first at the green, you can play when ready without moving forward to remove the flag.

• In addition, there is no penalty if your ball accidentally hits another player, their equipment or anything else except another ball that is stationary on the green, the stroke must be replayed from the same spot (Rule 11.1b see Exception 2).

• If your putt hits another ball that is stationary on the green in stroke play there is still a 2 stroke penalty. (Rule 11.1a).  

• Other concepts:

  • Often a player who plays from the red tees is sharing a cart with a player who plays from the white tees. In such a case this player should play his tee shot first of the white tee players, so he and his partner are ready to move forward to the red tees once the others teeing from the whites have shot.