‘It Would Be A Great Pity If Submitting A Card Every Round Became The Norm And Impacted Those Who Just Want To Enjoy A Casual Game’

Those of you who read my musings on the game of golf and, more specifically, the World Handicap System will know I’m a nomadic golfer who submits a card every time he plays.

As I don’t get out as often as I’d like, every round is a special occasion and I enjoy the challenge of knowing every shot counts. If I’m not submitting a card, I feel like something is missing and I don’t get the same level of gratification.

However, I understand golf means different things to different people. If you’re a club member and play in regular competitions, you probably don’t want to be putting a card in every round; casual golf presumably becomes a very attractive option to break up the rhythm of competitive play.

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The trouble is, casual and competitive play take different amounts of time. On any given day at any given course, there’s likely to be a mix of members playing casually, members putting in cards, members playing with guests, visitors playing casually and visitors putting in cards.

I’ve written about before about what I perceive to be a growing divide between members and nomadic golfers – not just in terms of handicapping, but also attitudes towards the latter from the former. Everyone needs to remember they’re sharing the fairways with people who may have different motivations. Courtesy, respect and understanding are paramount, but sometimes in short supply.

Anyway, I digress. We recently published a round-table article about whether golfers should put a card in every time you play, which elicited plenty of responses. One of them focussed on the pace-of-play angle and made some good points, which I concede I perhaps hadn’t considered as fully as I should have.

“I was very interested in the debate about the World Handicap System and the question of whether a card should be marked and recorded for every round played,” wrote this particular GM reader.

“You are correct in noting that this has become the main topic of clubhouse discussion, even replacing the usual complaints about slow play. Ironically the two are linked as my main objection – which your contributors did not mention – to every casual round being recorded is the effect on slow play.

“Consider this. Players entering a score for handicap purposes will not only all have to putt out (there are no gimmes as there are in a friendly four-ball), but will also take more time over each shot.

“They are more likely to take their full legal time (or even longer) to look for a wayward ball and might even return to the tee and play three off it - after all they might just play a worldy and score well.

“I also hesitate to mention their greatest crime – standing on the green while they count each other's shots before marking their cards.

“We all decry slow play but accept that on a competition day play will usually be a bit slower for these reasons. However, it would be a great pity if this became the norm and impacted on those of us who just want to enjoy a casual game of golf among friends.

“We can still be competitive with each other, using one of the many formats available, without the rigmarole of marking a card. After all, golf, while always serious, should be fun as well.”

Awareness and consideration

It’s hard to argue with any of that. The only thing I’d take slight umbrage with is “if it impacted those of us who just want to enjoy a casual game.” It presents that as the norm on a non-competition day, which isn’t always the case and is a fairly one-sided view.

There’s no mention of people who are playing casually and therefore faster impacting those who want to put in a card or take a bit longer to enjoy the experience.

Admittedly, the type of club and course in question has a massive bearing on things. If it’s a members’ club with defined competition days and limited visitors, you’d expect golf of a more casual variety outside the competition windows.

However, at clubs with reasonable visitor numbers, especially those considered ‘trophy’ courses or ones with impressive reputations, I think there needs to be more give and take.

As an example, I recently played Burnham and Berrow with three friends. It’s a Top 100 layout and one of the very best courses in the south-west of England. Playing it is a special occasion.

As such, we didn’t want to play overly fast as we wanted to soak in the views and the experience. We also weren’t in any sort of rush. We weren’t tortoises and we didn’t commit any slow-play faux paxs, but did we take longer than we would have during a standard club round? Of course.

On the 3rd tee, we became aware of a three-ball playing quickly behind us - there was no sign of them when we finished the 1st hole. But by the time we’d teed off the 3rd, they were putting on the 2nd green.

It was clear they weren’t taking much time over their shots and had no desire to hang around, so we waved them through on the 4th fairway. We weren’t slow and we weren’t looking for balls, but we didn’t want to impact another group with different motivations.

As they passed, we had a chat about the fact we were visitors and keen to eek everything out of the experience. They were members and not putting cards in. It was a convivial exchange in which they wished us a pleasant round and thanked us for letting them through.

We were aware enough to notice another group and consider the fact their priorities may have been different to ours. It’s best practice and simple courtesy when you’re on the course to be cognizant of your surroundings, but it doesn’t always happen.

In this case, neither group was impacted by the different motivations of the other and no negative feelings or impressions were created. However, as GM editor Neil Tappin has noted, letting through seems to be far less common than it used to be. I have no idea why.

I do wonder, though, if there’s a way of factoring in round incentives when it comes to the tee-time booking process. Could certain slots on non-competition days be reserved for those who are planning to put a card in, perhaps in the middle of the day, while those at the start and end are saved for more casual play? Visitors are likely to want to put a card in, so that should be factored in when it comes to the allocation of external tee-time slots.

I know the tee-booking process can be a logistical challenge even before visitors are factored in, so perhaps we all just need to show a bit more understanding and consideration, provided groups and individuals aren’t disregarding common etiquette practices.

After all, the game is for everyone and no one is more important or entitled than anyone else out on the course.