THE results of the Royal & Ancients’ international survey of golfers on pace of play were announced earlier this month, sparking the debate of management vis-à-vis player responsibility of slow play.

The research was carried out late last year as part of R&A’s bid to shed some light on the effects of pace of play and its impact on the sport’s participation, as well as give insight to the main factors contributing to slow rounds.

Similarly, Golf Australia (GA) conducted an investigation during the same period last year, commissioning a survey of Australian clubs on the topic. The GA survey built on R&A’s work and sought to conclude what impacts slow play may have on facility financial outcomes, and what administrators consider being effective strategies to battle pace of play challenges.

The results showed that a vast majority (75%) of Australian clubs were generally feeling unaffected by the issue, while the remainder of club administrators reported that the problem largely stemmed from behavioral factors within the control of the individual golfer.

However, findings also implied that international, national and state bodies have room to create greater awareness of the impact on pace of play of course management causes.

So who is in charge to fix – the golfer or the facility?

And how do club management best tackle the challenges of slow play?

Golf Industry Central (GIC) recently announced a partnership with Bill Yates, international slow play expert and the “guru of pace of play,” to bring Pace Manager Systems® to golf courses and clubs in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Yates has successfully assisted world-renowned golf courses on pace of play, and plans to explode the myths of slow play to help courses in Australia, New Zealand and Asia to decrease complaints, improve the playing experience and increase profits.