FAIR COMMENT

I suppose it should come as no surprise that, after a brief high-profile (low influence) campaign, slow play is starting to creep back into the game... slowly. And it’s not just in the pro game. I’ve noticed an increased level of slow play recently, particularly on mainland Europe at what one might disparagingly refer to as tourist hotspots.

I play a lot in Spain these days and it seems to be an increasing issue there. I’m not averse to a relaxed round of golf, indeed there is a golf club in Mallorca where I always enjoy nine holes, then lunch, and then the back nine – and that’s fine if the club is set up that way.

If it isn’t, people who insist on taking five hours-plus to play 18 holes are impacting on everybody else who comes after them. There’s nothing more frustrating than joining a queue at a tee box. But I am being forced to do it more and more – and, from my discussions with other golfers and GMs, I’m not alone.

Bizarrely, my fourball – two of whom were walking and carrying – was recently called out for ‘fast play’. We’d had the audacity to par a few holes and walked off the green before the group in front had teed off. We were then told to stop playing so quickly, and instead take our time and enjoy the nature... five-and-a-half hours after teeing off we finished our round.

Now, I’m not xenophobic by any means, but from my own experience and anecdotal evidence from club managers and other golfers, it would appear the biggest culprits are the Scandinavians...

Words Michael Lenihan Publisher