From GPS to caddies, solutions abound for improving speed of play

As golf participation rates remain flat, a number of companies have introduced services aimed at reducing what some experts say is the number one problem with the game today - the amount of time it takes to play 18 holes.

"The two things that will kill the golden goose are speed of play and what it costs to play," said architect Michael Hurdzan. "We have to control those two things."

If the industry continues to build and operate courses that take an average of five hours a round to play, Hurdzan contends, those courses will not only fail, but will also discourage occasional golfers from playing more often.

Solutions, ranging from Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to caddie programs to pace of play consultants, are available to help courses improve speed of play.

MANAGEMENT IS THE KEY

According to Bill Yates, head of Pace Manager Systems and the developer of the USGA pace rating system, the key to improving speed of play starts with the management of players.

"I look at the management of the golf course before player behavior," said Yates, who does three-day evaluations for about a dozen courses per year. "First we do an objective measurement of how long it should take to play the course and then we compare it with how long it is actually taking to play the course.

"We attack every issue: getting players to the first tee efficiently and on-time, loading the course properly so that it is not overcrowded, and making sure that the marshals have the tools they need."

The number one mistake said Yates is not knowing where the players are. "If a group is checked in and the starter doesn't know where they are, then the group is late and your whole day is thrown off because you have to push other groups out early to get them on time," he said. "Then you have screwed up your intervals and overcrowded the course."

Secondary to management is managing player behavior. The key to this is communication, said Yates. "A club Lan do this any number of ways, caddies, GPS, a time sheet," he said. "The idea is to offer feedback and information that allows players to know if they are ahead or behind of the target expectation."

Tools, Yates cautioned, are only valuable if they represent sound management policies. "The time has to be achievable and the course still has to be loaded properly or the tools won't work," he said.

GPS OFFERS HIGH TECH SOLUTION

While GPS is certainly an expensive solution, it noes otfer the most technologically advanced controls available.

ProLink, which is on 182 courses and has a strategic partnership with E-ZGO, tracks and manages speed of play on a number of different fronts. Through its Webenabled software, courses can track groups in real time via the course map feature.

"It shows squares with the cart number on them moving around the golf course," said vice president of sales and marketing, Steve McGrady. "If they are white, that means that they are within the pace of play, yellow means they are five minutes behind, and if they are red it means they are 10 minutes behind the pace of play."

The system then has the capabilities to either send an instant message to the carts that are behind the pace of play or alert a ranger on the course to head to that area and solve the problem. Messages can also be posted to groups that are playing behind the offending golfers to alert them that there is a speed of play issue.

The play reports function allows managers to proactively solve problems. The function shows a table of the time allocated for each hole and compares it against the actual speed on each hole for a given time of day. This allows managers to track problem holes and make changes to the course to speed up play.

"It could be as simple as changing the pin placement," said McGrady. "The system can also track where the pins are on each hole on any particular day."

He estimated that the system saves courses an average of 20 minutes per round.

TAKE THE RANGER WITH YOU

Scott Grundenberg developed the Personal Ranger, a scaled down version of the GPS speed of play element, while working on the early stages of development for a GPS company. The Personal Ranger, which is being used on 40 courses, is simply a clock that attaches to the steering wheel on a golf cart or on a golf bag and constantly shows where the golfer should be on the course.

"We felt that the economics of GPS did not fit the economics of the industry," said Grundenberg. "This is simple but is still extremely effective at improving the overall pace of play by raising the golfer's level of awareness."

The clock can be programmed on a course-by-course basis. The system comes with PC-based software that has a spreadsheet program that allows a course to set speed of play targets. The clock can be programmed for 10 different paces to adapt to different events and course conditions.

"These times are set by the starter who uses a Palm Pilot,that communicates with the units via infrared," Grundenberg said. "This allows pace goals to be easily updated throughout the day if so desired."

The battery-powered system costs between $9,000 to $12,000, depending on the course, and can be leased.

CADDIES ON THE COMEBACK

While caddies are also an expensive proposition, many private and high-end daily-fee clubs are now adding caddie and fore caddie programs to ease pace of play issues.

Michael Granuzzo, the founder of Caddie Master Enterprises that operates at more than 20 courses including Augusta National and Blackwolf Run Resort, said its caddies can shave an average of 15 to 20 minutes off a round of golf.

"Caddies are an effective way to assure a pace of play standard because they get the players to the first tee on time, provide local knowledge, locate balls, fix divots, rake bunkers, repair ball marks and read putts," Granuzzo said. "This may only save 30 seconds a hole per player, but it adds up."

The company has more than 50 managers at ts facilities, and recruits, trains and manages more than 100 people at an average course.

Caddies can also act as a built-in ranger. "Even with all of this help, the guy might still be a bad golfer. Then the caddie can suggest 'ready' golf and remind players of the pace target," said Granuzzo. "Being chased around a course by a ranger and playing 15 minutes faster is less fun than being serviced to the highest degree and playing 15 minutes faster."

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Oct 2001
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