Courses curb slow play with strict policies

MANAGEMENT

With courses across the country struggling with speed of play issues, some facilities are developing innovative, home-grown solutions.

For the Eastmoreland Golf Course in Portland, Ore., the solution to seemingly never-ending five-and-ahalf-hour rounds of golf was the implementation of the "Eastmoreland Speed of Play Policy."

The straightforward policy requires all players to finish their round in four hours and thirty-eight minutes. If a group falls behind, the ranger warns them. If they still can't keep pace, the ranger has the power to force the group to play the next par-4 or par-5 hole from the 150yard markers. If the group falls behind again, they may either be moved up or removed from the course without a refund. Golfers are required to read the policy and sign a form indicating that they have agreed to abide by the rules.

While the policy sounds harsh, course manager Clark Cumpston said the reaction by most golfers has been overwhelmingly positive.

"People realize that they can now come to Eastmoreland and play here late in the day. Before, people were staying away because they knew the course slowed down in the afternoon," Cumpston said. "Last year we averaged five-hour rounds and would occasionally melt down into five-and-half-hour rounds. This year we are doing fourhour-and-forty-minute rounds. It has helped our speed of play more than I thought it would."

Cumpston, who pushes 60,000 rounds through each year, has not had to remove many players from the course.

"We have a difficult, tight course with a lot of water on the back nine," he added. "There are times when people have to be moved, and they are not that happy about it. Everyone thinks they are a fast player and are surprised when they are really not fast."

PACE OF PAPER

Mike Erwin, head golf professional at The Sportsmans Club, a municipal course in Northbrook, Ill., has developed another simple solution to help speed play.

At the first tee, starters issue each group a pace card that is designed for every tee time of the day and tells the player where they should be on the course at a given time.

"We have it mapped out for all 18 holes and at each tee they can verify that they are on pace with our intervals which are based on a four-hour-- and-fifteen-minute round," said Erwin. "This gives the rangers a tool to use and forces the golfers to be accountable."

Erwin, which moves 80,000 rounds a year through the 27-hole facility, initially developed the program based on the USGA pace rating system. He said that the course meets its pace goals 85 percent of the time.

Bill Yates, of Pace Manager Systems, recently paid Erwin a visit and helped him lower the maximum allowed time even further. "We tweaked the system and made the times faster after developing a more detailed pace plan," Erwin said. "With the program in place, we now average four-hours-andseven-minutes."

The pace cards are an effective tool, said Yates. "The delivery system is simple, but the information is complex," he said. "The information allows for the course to be loaded properly so the times on the card are achievable."

Copyright United Publications, Inc. Oct 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved