PACE OF PLAY MANAGEMENT AT CHAMPIONSHIPS INTRODUCTION From 2016, the Golfing Union of Ireland will adopt a uniform condition regarding pace of play across all national and provincial championships. In doing so, the Union and its Branches signal an intent to apply a consistent and thorough approach to ensuring an acceptable pace of play at its events. The Pace of Play condition requires a management plan to ensure this consistency of approach, and as a result requires the following: 1. Course set-up that ensures fairness and gives players the conditions in which to play in a timely manner 2. A considered approach to management of the championship, including the organisation of the draw (tee-time intervals and starter s gaps) 3. Well-trained referees who are equipped and empowered to enforce the pace of play policy, provided that the first two requirements are fully met in the first place It is impossible to implement No.3 above without Nos 1 and 2 being first implemented. If the golf course is set up in an excessively difficult manner, players will take too many shots, and will require to consider shot options longer due to the higher degree of difficulty. However, making the course playable is not enough if the golf course is over-loaded due to narrow tee time intervals and no starting gaps, groups will stack up especially at parthree tees where, normally, only one group can play at any one time unless a call-up procedure is in place. The USGA have provided copious amounts of research data on this phenomenon, which they call flow rate (see http://www.usga.org/pace-of-play-resourcecenter.html for more details).
If these two concerns have been addressed in the preparation for an event, it then becomes reasonable to expect players to play in a timely manner. To fulfil this expectation, referees need to apply the Pace of Play Condition fairly, consistently and with a quiet and reasonable manner. THE PACE OF PLAY CONDITION The following condition will apply to ALL Union and Provincial Championships from 2016 onwards: 1. Each hole of the Championship Course is given a maximum completion time based upon the length and difficulty of the hole. The maximum time allotted for the completion of each hole will be available prior to play from the starter. 2. Any Group which finds itself Out of Position will be liable to timing by a Referee. The first Group and any Group after a two-interval gap on the draw sheet will be considered out of position if, at any time during the round, the group s cumulative time exceeds the time allowed for the number of holes completed. Any following group will be considered out of position if it is more than the starting interval behind the group in front and has exceeded the time allowed for the number of holes played. 3. If a decision is taken to time the group, each player will be subject to individual timing by a referee. Each player in the group will be advised that they are out of position and are being timed. The maximum time allocated per shot is 40 seconds. Ten extra seconds will be allowed for the first player to play on a par-three hole, on an approach shot and on a chip or putt. The timing will start when a player has had sufficient time to reach his ball, it is his turn to play and he is able to play without interference or distraction. On the putting green, timing will start when the player has had a reasonable amount of time to lift, clean and replace his ball, repair ball marks and move loose impediments. Time spent looking at the line from beyond the hole and/or behind the hole will count as part of the time taken for the next stroke. Timing will cease when a group is back in position and players will be advised accordingly. Note: In some circumstances, an individual player, or two players within a group of three, may be timed instead of the entire group. 4. If a Player incurs a bad time, he will be warned by the referee and told that he will be penalised if they have a further bad time. The penalty for incurring a second bad time is one stroke in stroke play, and loss of hole in match play. A third bad time by the player will result in a further penalty of two strokes in stroke play, or a further loss of hole in match play. A fourth bad time by the player will result in a penalty of disqualification in stroke play or loss of match in match play. 5. If a group is Out of Position more than once during a round, the above procedure will apply on each occasion. Bad times and the application of penalties in the same round will be carried forward until the round is completed. A player will not be penalised if he has a second bad time before being advised of his earlier bad time.
TOURNAMENT COURSE SET-UP In order to ensure that this Condition is reasonable, it is first necessary to set the golf course in a manner that is not unnecessarily difficult or otherwise hinders a reasonable flow rate: 1. Tee Positions q Players should be able to comfortably reach the fairway from all tees. q Players should be able to reasonably reach the green in regulation on all holes (ie, from their tee-shot on par-threes, second shot on par-fours and third shot on par-fives. This may necessitate the moving forward of tees in especially windy conditions. Example: The Golfing Union of Ireland regularly reduces the yardage of the back nine in Royal Dublin by up to 400 yards when the prevailing wind blows at extreme levels. q Par-five holes which are reachable in two can sometimes cause a problem, especially when followed by a short par-three. Groups may reach the tee for the following parthree at irregular intervals, and sometimes within much less than their original starting interval. Example: The USGA recommended added length to the sixth hole in Pebble Beach (a par-five) so that players would not reach the green in two as too many groups were backing up at the very short par-three seventh. In all cases, an assessment should be made of the possible margin of error in the anticipated length of time it may take to play a par-five, where the hole may be reachable in two shots. 2. Hole Locations q All hole locations should be in a relatively flat portion on the putting surface, and without undulation within three feet of the hole in any direction. The hole should not be cut on a slope. A breakmaster (http://breakmaster.com/) or spirit level (or application available for download on a mobile phone) is recommended as a means of checking the flatness of the hole location. q All hole locations should be at least five paces from any edge of the green. In Stroke Play, where hole locations have a huge influence on pace of play, central pin positions should be used wherever possible. This is especially important in windy conditions, as frontal, tight-right, tight-left or rear pin positions will lead to many good shots missing the green and also reducing the possibility of short-range shots coming to rest close to the hole. Long-distance putting, a result of such pins, is one of the most frequent instances in which players require extra time to assess their shot. The Golfing Union of Ireland does not dictate to golf clubs on rough height or growth programmes. It will take on board these variables in determining appropriate approaches to hole locations and tee positions. Some golf course managers have introduced second cuts of rough to prevent balls from running into heavy rough, and this has had a beneficial result in terms of day-to-day pace of play at such courses. However, the two variables above have been identified as the most important aspects of course set-up from the point of view of pace of play.
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES In the past, pace of play has been a problem for the Union particularly at Championships which contained large fields. An example the 2011 Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship included 150 players starting from the first tee. The draw was arranged with eight-minute starting intervals, with a further 24 minutes of starting gaps arranged into seven four-minute additions (in other words, every seven groups, the interval would be 12 minutes for the next group, and then eight minutes each again for the next seven). Five-anda-half hours was the rough average round time, partially attributed to very poor weather conditions and a course set-up that failed to anticipate high winds (blue tees were utilised and some tight-right and tight-left pins fell unfavourably in cross winds). However, the frontloading of groups onto the golf course due to tight tee time intervals was also problematic. The second hole in Rosslare a par-three took an average of 11 minutes to play. Therefore, by the time the first 12-minute interval kicked in on the time sheet, there was already a built-in 21-minute delay at that hole (11 minutes minus the eight-minute interval for each group). Since 2012, the Union has therefore changed the tee time intervals at the Irish Amateur Open Championship from nine minutes to eleven minutes, something which in conjunction with a more benign course set-up has helped reduced average round times by a full hour. It is not always possible to allow for 11-minute gaps (and not as necessary in two-tee starts or where the golf course is arranged differently). However, cognisance of the flow rate is very important when organising a draw, and should include consideration of the following questions: 1. What is the maximum starting interval that can be used in arranging tee times preferably to also include starting gaps? 2. After assigning the maximum possible starting interval, are there likely to be any flowrate issues? Should the first par-three be identified as a potential call-up hole, and is a referee needed to institute that procedure? DEALING WITH PLAYERS It is not possible to expect players to play a round of golf within a reasonable time without fulfilling these two steps. Having fulfilled these two steps, it is incumbent on the Committee to determine in the first instance what a reasonable time is. At Championships, the following rough model is applied, with a margin of error to be attributed to the distance between the green and next tee, extra walking distances required due to the design of a hole, or waiting time necessitated by other phenomena (players playing from another hole, players having to cross a public road, etc): Par Three Par Four Par Five Par Six 9-12 minutes 13-16 minutes 16-20 minutes 20+ minutes
When course set-up and management practices have been properly implemented to enable golfers to fulfil these time pars, it then becomes possible and reasonable to hold players accountable for the speed of the game. ON THE GOLF COURSE On the golf course, referees should follow the standard guidelines issued by The R&A, who enforce an identical condition at their Championships: q The referee will take individual timings for all players in the group q If possible, while a group is being timed, all strokes made during that period should be timed and recorded on a chart q All players must be informed that they are being timed q Normally this should happen when the players are coming off the tee, unless there is a good reason to do so at a different time. Note: In exceptional circumstances, one or two players, rather than the whole group, may be timed. Timing on the Tee, Through the Green and in Bunkers q For tee shots, through the green and in bunkers, the time will start when the player has reached the teeing ground or his ball and a count of three seconds thereafter q Time taken to determine distance and select a club will count as time taken for the next stroke q Should a player be distracted by his fellow-competitors, their caddies or an outside agency during the preparations for the stroke, the stopwatch will be stopped and will not be restarted until the player has again reached the point in his preparations when he was previously distracted q Additional time should be given if the player is faced with a particularly difficult shot, e.g. where different options have to be assessed, but players should not be given unlimited time q Generally, weather conditions such as wind or rain would not be regarded as an allowable distraction and the stopwatch will continue to run q If it is the opinion of the referee that a player in a group being timed takes an unreasonable amount of time to reach his ball, the timing of that player s stroke may commence prior to the player reaching his ball. Timing on the Putting Green q On the putting green, individual timings will commence after the first player has had a chance to o lift, clean and replace his ball (although the ball may not have been replaced) o all other balls have been marked, the flagstick removed/attended, and o the player has been given sufficient time to repair ball-marks, remove loose impediments and to reach a position to start assessing the putt q Provided there are no unnecessary delays, the time should start three seconds after the player has started to assess the line of putt (from whatever angle) q On a putt of less than three feet, the timing should start as soon as the player stands up having replaced the ball and a count of three thereafter
Note: Timing on the putting green can be awkward as players do things in different order. Referees should use judgement to assess what the player is allowed to do, whether he has done it efficiently and start timing three seconds after when they think the player should be lining the putt up. Bad Times q If a player in a group that is being timed exceeds the time permitted by more than 10% (i.e. 45 seconds for a 40 second shot or 56 seconds for a 50 second shot) he will have a bad time q The three-second tolerance given at the beginning of the timing and the 10% tolerance on the time allowed should take account of any subjectivity in the timing procedure q layer in a group that is being timed who, in the opinion of the referee, is making an obvious effort to assist with the group s pace, may be shown leniency if he has one time that may qualify as a bad time during the timing procedure (this does not have to be acknowledged by the referee) q Similarly, if a player has been playing shots just within the time limit, it may take a bad time warning for that player to realise that the Referee are serious about enforcing the Condition, so no leniency should be shown if that player has a 45 second time on a 44 second shot q In other words, previous good or bad behaviour can be taken into account by the referee when deciding whether to give a bad time. Giving a Bad Time Warning or a Penalty q Except on the putting green, a referee should advise that player as soon as practicable that he has had a bad time or a penalty q If the bad time or penalty is on a putt or short chip, the player should be so advised on the way to the next tee a player will not be penalised if he has a second bad time before being advised of the first q In the case of a first bad time, the referee should ensure that the player is aware that a further bad time will result in a penalty of one stroke in stroke play or loss of hole in match play being applied q In the case of a penalty being applied, the referee should ensure that the player is aware of the ramification of a further bad time Any bad times will be carried forward for the remainder of the stipulated round even if the group regains its position. Clarification on tricky scenarios q If a player receives a second, or third bad time in match play where the relevant condition is in place, the player would just lose that hole irrespective of how many shots either has played and they would walk to the next tee. q A bad time in one round cannot be carried forward to the next round as the penalty structure in golf contemplates penalties in relation to the stipulated round. This does not, however, mean the Committee cannot have a group that was slow in Round 1 "on the clock" from the first hole of Round 2 as this relates to monitoring rather than bad times.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR S ROLE In addition to closely monitoring the situation on the golf course, the referees should feed back to the Tournament Director, who should pass on constructive feedback to assist the golfer for the future. In order to do this, the Tournament Director will need accurate information from the referee(s) who have witnessed the player s pace of play problems. There are several things referees can do to assist: q Keep a note of the name of the player who is causing the problem q Note down what he is doing that is causing him to take too long, for example: failing to have glove on before their turn to play failing to get yardage on the way to the ball long pre-shot routine not assessing putt until his turn to play assessing putt for too long general indecision walking slowly q If the player causing pace of play problems has not been timed officially, unofficially time the slow player; note down how long they are taking to play each stroke as evidence of their time wasting q Comparison timings for the other players in the group (to confirm that they were playing more quickly) may be beneficial q Advise the member in charge if the player concerned has been spoken to, followed and for how many holes, and if he has any bad times or penalties q The referee should advise the member in charge about the player as soon as possible (it may give the member in charge the opportunity to watch the player for himself) The ideal time for the Tournament Director to speak to the player who has been identified as causing pace of play problems is when he has just finished recording. In general, the Tournament Director should speak to the player. If necessary, the Tournament Director can involve the referee who has reported the player. However, it is considered best if the Tournament Director deals with this communication so that the referee is able to resume his on-course duties. [Note: Any penalties will still be applied by the timing referee on the course, who should, in all such cases, advise the member in charge of the penalty] The member in charge should approach the player concerned in the following manner: 1. Advise the player that he is considered to have caused a pace of play problem during his round 2. Ask the player if he has ever had difficulties with pace of play in the past 3. Ask the player if he understands the policy 4. Provide details of some of the bad times recorded for the player and compare them to other players in the group 5. Advise the player of the habits that are causing him to play slowly 6. Give constructive feedback and advice on where improvements can be made. For example: q Advise the player to walk more quickly between shots q Advise the player to put the glove on before reaching the ball q Advise the player to obtain the yardage on the way to the ball
q Advise the player to do yardage calculations while others are playing q Advise the player to select the club for the stroke while others are playing q Advise the player to play a provisional ball on occasions when the original may be lost or out of bounds q Advise the player to alter his pre-shot routine to a suitable length q Advise the player to leave the putting green promptly and not waste time getting to the next tee q Advise the player that, when he is second to putt, repairing pitch-marks, removing loose impediments and looking at the line of putt can be done while others are preparing to putt q Advise the player to BE READY TO PLAY at all times In some cases, it may be necessary to explain the pace of play policy in detail to the player. Educating the player on how to improve their pace of play (and thereby improve round times and avoid getting bad times and penalties) is an important part of tackling pace of play problems. There will also, however, be cases that are not flagged well in advance. In such cases, it may also be necessary where the pace of play issue has manifested itself late in the round and before such time as the group may be timed to assign a referee to time the group as a whole from the first tee in the following round. CONCLUSION: IMPLEMENTATION All individuals involved in the above sections need to be fully familiar with this policy. Regular meetings need to be held to discuss the procedures above and ensure full buy-in from all concerned. In addition, pace of play is an area that lends itself to the collection of data, which can objectively measure the success of the Union and Branches in implementing this policy, and to identify further challenges that require to be dealt with. The following methods are suggested: 1. Group round times (finishing times as recorded by Recording Officers and crossreferenced against start times by Tournament Director). 2. Spot-checks (individual shot timings and hole completion times recorded for all players at a single random location for example on the tee of the first par-three on the golf course).