In a foursome, your typical round of 18 holes will take 4 to 4.5 hours. This is the average time it will take for your average group of amateur golfers. Professional golfers will be able to play much quicker, as they know their way around the fairways and greens.
If it’s just you and your friends and a cooler of beers, those hooks into the trees are going to cost you some time.
How Long Do 9 Holes of Golf Take?
Splitting that average of four hours in half, your normal 9 holes of golf will take around two hours.
How Long Does it Take to Play One Hole?
One hole of golf will usually take about 15 minutes to complete. Keep in mind this is a fairly modest estimation — fifteen minutes will usually be reserved for those groups of golfers who know what they’re doing on the course. This means no lounging around having casual chit-chat — hit your ball and go.
Reasons Why Your Golf Round May Take Longer
All of these estimations are based on ideal conditions. The weather is perfect, you don’t have to wait for anyone up ahead and you aren’t playing Pebble Beach. Often, however, there are complications on the course — many of which are out of your control. This is all part of the game, and it’s something you should factor in before playing.
Here are some factors that could make your round of golf take longer than it should.
Bad Weather
Rain and lightning delays are some common causes of an extended round. Sometimes it might just be a brief shower and you can get on your round fairly quickly, other times it may be a full-blown storm that forces you off the course.
Course Congestion
Sometimes you might be stuck waiting on the tee, peering out at the fairway waiting for the golfers ahead of you to get out of the way. This is something that you’ll deal with routinely if you’re playing golf often. Even the pros have to deal with standing idly on the tee box as they wait for the traffic jam to break up ahead of them.
Large Group
Your group may actually be the cause of that course congestion if you’re taking a long time or have a large group. A group of eight, for instance, will take quite a while to get through 18 holes — that’s why foursomes are course standards for groups.
Course Difficulty
As mentioned earlier, Pebble Beach may take longer to play than your nearby municipal course. This is due to the difficulty of the course — a course with wide fairways, shorter holes and few trees may be easier to play than a course with narrow fairways and an assortment of bunkers, ponds and forests.
Skill Level
One of the best ways to figure out how long your round is going to take is by judging your skill level and the skill levels of others in your group. If you know you or others may be struggling to get the ball in the air throughout the day, your round is going to take longer than average.
Cart Path Only
Carts are a great way to speed up your round — you won’t have to waste time walking to each shot. If the course has a “cart path only” policy in place, you’ll be regulated to the path for the majority of the round. In some cases, this may even take more time than walking.
Ways to Golf Quicker
If you’ve been taking a little longer than you’d like on the course or need to get back in time home for dinner, there are a variety of different easy you can speed up your golf game.
Play “Ready Golf”
“Ready golf” is a strategy that can greatly improve your pace of play. This term refers to the ability for golfers to go ahead and hit, even if they’re not “officially” the farthest one from the hole. Essentially, it forgoes an official rule to speed up the pace of play. Just make sure you aren’t hitting a ball with your buddy standing ten feet in front of you.
Allow “Gimmes”
“Gimmes” refer to allowing players to forgo shorter putts — usually with the prediction that the golfer would have made it many anyways. Giving a player a gimme cuts out all the time spent lining up the putt, getting in your stance and reading the green. For such short putts, sometimes it’s just easier to call it good and move on to the next hole.
Use Strategy On the Course
One of the best ways to speed up the pace of play is to focus on how to make your own round go quicker. Sometimes, your golf round may depend on other people, but there are always ways you can make your own specific shots count and save time.
Be strategic on the golf course. In other words, aim for spots with wide swathes of greenery away from waters and towering trees. Use clubs you have confidence in and avoid hitting the hazards. This will speed up the round and improve your score, too.
Find the Right Time
A common reason your golf round will take longer than normal is because of the time of day you go. If you’re the first tee time off at sunrise, there will be no one ahead of you. Likewise, a twilight tee time could allow you to cruise through a round. Consider the type of day, too — weekends will typically be much busier. Call ahead to check if leagues are playing that day or if there is an outing planned.
Golf in Smaller Groups
Larger groups of golfers will extend the duration of your round. If you’re looking for a speedy round, it’s best to try to stick to four or fewer golfers and play ready golf. A golf scramble format will also help speed up your round.
Use the Right Tees
Playing from the “tips” — the tee boxes set way back for each hole — may take longer for the amateur golfer. Use the tees that you believe suit you best.
Rent a Cart
“Golf is a game meant to be walked,” the old golf historian will say. But if you want a quick round, rent a cart. This will significantly speed up your round.