Pace of Play

While we all face the demands of less time for leisure activities in our life, there is a growing wave of support in the game of golf that pace is a priority and that golfers need to be more aware of the importance of pace of play. 

Indian Peaks has collected data from many thousands of rounds of golf, and along with research and evaluation from the Colorado Golf Association, we have determined how long it actually takes guests to play each hole, and have set our pace of play accordingly.   This data shows the average duration by hole on our property and have allowed us to set our goal of 4 hours and 28 minutes per round of golf.  Pace for the front nine is set at 2 hours,12 minutes.  Pace for the back nine is set at 2 hours, 16 minutes inclusive of 9 minutes allowed when making the turn.

For those who feel the need to fly around our course in a few hours, it is rarely achievable with the popularity of our course and the amount of play it receives.  For those guests who feel a round of golf is a leisurely stroll for 5+ hours, this is something that is not fair to your fellow golfers playing behind you. They paid their green fees as well to enjoy a great day of golf.  We wouldn't want one slow group to ruin the experience for everyone else.

Pace of Play is crucial to the enjoyment levels for everyone playing today and it is imperative that you Maintain Your Position with the group playing directly in front of you at all times. Don’t worry about the group behind you; that is our job. Groups can only play as quick as the group ahead. It is a one lane highway and you must maintain your position or eventually all groups playing behind you get backed up.  If your group happens to lose contact with the group playing directly ahead of you, your group needs to pick up the pace and close the gap.  A Player’s Assistant will be by shortly to help improve your position.

pace of play

1st Conversation Is a polite reminder about your time and position in relation to the group ahead,and allowing you to improve your time and move back into position.
2nd Conversation After a reasonable amount of time to improve your position, it is reinforced as to the need to close the gap or it may be necessary to re-position your group back behind the group in front by skipping a hole.
3rd Conversation Is to provide you with the option to skip any open holes and reposition your group back in place, or provide you with a rain check for un-played holes and discontinue play.

If you do not see a Player’s Assistant on the course, do not despair, that means they are working with the groups ahead of you that may be causing some delays.

The last thing our staff wants to do on a daily basis is to inform you of slow play. We do not enjoy disrupting your round and would rather you have an amazing time enjoying Indian Peaks for its challenges and beauty. But we must ensure that one group does not ruin the day for everyone.

A pace of play summary at indian peaks

  • Have reasonable pace of play expectations – 4 hours, 28 minutes or less.
  • Expect to play with groups directly in front of and behind you as the golf course will be busy on most days.
  • The ability to simply “zip” around in 3 hours is rarely available.
  • Play the appropriate tees – don’t simply go by yardage. Ask the Golf Staff for recommendations or see the Indian Peaks scorecard.
  • Drop your partner off with a couple of clubs and proceed to your ball. Hit when ready.
  • Play from the teeing ground should be faster than any other position.
  • If waiting for green to clear on a Par 5, allow shorter hitters to play first.
  • If players in your group are playing from different tees, drop off a player or players and proceed to your tee and be ready to play.

Common comments

“The group behind us is not pushing us.”  Playing golf, especially on a busy course is a one lane road. You can only travel as fast as the person or car ahead of you.

  • Maintain pace with the group directly in front of you.
  • Let us worry about the group behind you.
  • No nonsense on the greens.

“I’m not a very good player/high handicapper.”  Score or handicap has less to do with pace of play than most think. Players and groups who are aware of pace of play and the techniques used to allow them to maintain pace with the group in front of them, often have a great pace, regardless of score.

  • Watch your shot(s).
  • Play the appropriate tees.
  • Limit time searching for golf balls.

“We’re only a few minutes behind.”  Groups that are behind are behind “maximum allowable pace.” It is important to understand the ladder concept – if the group in front of you is slightly behind pace, each and every group behind them is now slower and expected and pace of play nears 5 hours quicker than you think. Each group is responsible and in control of their pace, and groups that fall behind will get some assistance from our courteous Player Assistant..

  • Prepare to hit while others are hitting.
  • Drop off your partner with 2-3 clubs before heading to your ball.
  • Play from the tee should be faster than any other position.

“We’ve paid our money and will play however we want.”  Yes, we do receive this statement from guests.  ALL of our guests have paid for a memorable golf experience and deserve the opportunity to play in a reasonable amount of time.

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