Recently, long-time golf blogger and all-around good guy Ryan Ballengee made an intriguing statement on his site Golf News Net: “Want to improve golf’s pace of play problem? Charge by the hour.”
Pointing to the game’s slow play problem and the ever-increasing time it takes to finish a round of golf, Mr. Ballengee stated:
“You know what will speed up play? Attaching a dollar value to time spent on the course. […Courses] should charge an hourly rental fee. It can be structured around the quality of the course, time of day you’re playing and the expected average time to play the course at that time of day.“
So if it’s currently taking 5 hours to play 18 holes, then the price can be set at say $8/hour. Whereas if it’s taking just 4 hours, the hourly rate might be $10. In either case, you’re paying $40 to play 18. The catch is hoping foursomes pick-up the pace to get through in less time, thus saving the players money and keeping the pace of play swift. Another example would be charging $8/hour when the course is playing slow (say 6-hour rounds) and $15 when it’s playing in 4-hours. In that scenario, would it be worth it for some people to pay $12 more to finish two hours earlier?
Getting more complex, Mr. Ballengee suggests courses could create dynamic pricing – that is pricing that fluctuates depending on a number of variables including pace of play, weather, tee-time availability, etc. He even floats an option that the price could change mid-round to give “some incentive to a snail’s pace group to get moving.”
While all this sounds plausible, Mr. Ballengee says it’s not that simple: “One group could still ruin everything by lollygagging their way around the links.” To combat this, he recommends a time ceiling should be set…say 6 hours. If a group is out there for more than 6 hours, they should be (after a warning or two) asked to leave.
This is where I’m left wondering if this idea could really work. I mean, kicking the slow group off the course might take care of the immediate problem, but to me it’s a short-term gain, long-term loss. Those guys won’t be back…ever. And maybe 3 of the 4 weren’t even the problem. Maybe they were paired-up with a slow-poke. Is it fair to get kicked off just because you got stuck playing with a snail (or a newbie who might even quit the game after such an experience)?
In addition, who wants to play with the added pressure of being on the clock? We’ve proposed a shot clock in golf before, but that was for the pro tour…not for the recreational golfer. Look, I play golf to relax and have fun. The thought of some ranger driving up with a Square payment system on his iPhone to swipe my credit card because I just hit the 5-hour mark but only paid for 4, kinda rubs me the wrong way, you know?
But in any event, Mr. Ballengee has at least thrown-in his proverbial two-cents on how to solve the problem of slow play. And to be completely honest, I think this is one of the more feasible (albeit still somewhat flawed) proposals I’ve heard thus far. What are your thoughts on this “pay by the hour” solution? The poll and comments section are at your disposal…
Loading ...
How do you avoid charging everyone behind the slow group extra. As much as I hate getting behind a slow group it’s part of the game.
Charging by the hour would never work. You can only be as fast as the group in front of you. If I had to buck up an extra $25 at the end of the round because the guys in front of me lined up every 3 footer and stopped for lunch at the turn, I’d be livid. And I’d never return to that course.
Pace of play studies have proved that 8 minute tee time intervals are by far the most statistically significant driver of slow play. If you want to bring people back to golf with faster rounds, go to 10, 11, or even 15 minute tee time intervals. Make up the revenue lost by marketing yourself to small groups for customized off-peak events worthy of a vacation day (course set up like a major, beer tastings, office tourney, alumni reunuions, caddy girls, etc.)
Perhaps a better idea along the same lines would be a ‘surcharge’ if you fall a hole or more behind the group in front of you (assuming all are foursomes, etc.) during peak times.
Better yet, use the carrot rather than the stick… $10 gift card in the grill room if you finish in under 4 hours. Might even drive additional restaurant revenue.
I think your last comment is the most worthy. There is a course in Minnesota that in known for ‘fast play’ incentives versus ‘slow play’ penalties. I believe they offer incentives up to most groups to finish under 4:20 pace (foursome). If you keep that pace you get 2 free rounds of golf to use in the future. Not only did we keep our eye on the time throughout the round and finish in 4 hours (without feeling rushed), but the four of us came back to golf again at this course specifically because we had two free rounds. More courses should be providing these incentives.
Another quick opinion is the lack of Starters or Rangers that actually monitor the course these days. I have gathered that most courses have either cut their funding for Rangers or the Ranger just drives around all day and smiles at people afraid to ask groups to speed up play.
Interesting idea but it would never work, like Eric Dunn said, what happens to the guys behind the slow group, you would have a lot of angry golfers.
Golf is just about pregnant males waddling off the green to drive a cart 10 yards to the next tee. Whenever I played I’d do at least 20 push ups at each tee waiting for the pregnant inebriated males to get out of range and then I run to the ball. That’s what the term ‘ready golf’ needs to mean’. All courses need to be smoke and alcohol free also —- let golf truly become an ‘athletic endeavor’