A new manual giving guidance to golf clubs and golfers on ways of improving pace of play has been published by The R&A.

The manual
provides practical guidance in the three key areas of management, course set-up
and player behaviour and is available for download from The R&A website and is supported by further
information, resources and related videos.

Martin
Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, "There is no doubt that pace of
play is a key issue for golf today and one on which many golfers have strong
views. Through the research exercise and the conference, we gained some
valuable insights into the views of players, administrators and officials
involved in all levels of golf.

"We fully
recognise that in a sport as diverse as golf there is no one-size-fits-all
approach and so the new manual outlines approaches which have proved to be
effective and offers some thoughtful solutions to day-to day pace of play
challenges which can arise in golf. We hope the manual will prove to be a useful
reference guide for clubs, competition organisers and players alike."

The
R&A carried out an extensive international survey into golfers’ views on
pace of play in 2014/15 which attracted more than 56,000 responses from golfers
in 122 countries. One of the key findings of the research was that 60% of
golfers said they would enjoy golf more if they played in less time.

The
findings were discussed at the Time for Golf conference last November, which
was attended by professionals and administrators from throughout the world of
golf and those discussions helped shape the new manual.

Recognising
the increased pressure that many people face on their leisure time today and
the overall time it can take to play golf, The R&A recently announced the
launch of a new nine-hole championship to promote nine hole golf as a perfectly
valid format for the sport which can be played competitively, for handicap
purposes and for fun. A group of 30 qualifiers will compete in a nine-hole
handicap event at Royal Troon immediately before The 145TH Open in July.