A blue plate or pole symbolizes 200 yards to the center of the green. They can be found as colored plates or poles or as exact yardages noted on top of sprinkler heads. Most golf courses have yardage markers in the fairway that indicate the distance to the center of the green. The green depth is listed to help the golfer determine the approximate distance to the hole. Some golf courses provide putting green hole location charts to give golfers an indication of where the hole is located. The day’s hole location: Golf courses change the location of the hole on the putting green daily.Carts scatter: Golf carts are permitted off the cart path at or near the start of the fairway and may drive through the fairway and rough until they are within 30-50 yards of the putting green.The golfer may drive to their ball and hit then promptly return to the path.

90-degree rule: Here golf carts are permitted off the cart path but only at 90-degree angles from the path to the ball.Cart path only: Golf carts are strictly limited to the cart path for the entire duration of the round.The cart restrictions for the day (cart path only, 90-degree rule or carts scatter): Golf carts SHOULD always remain on the cart path on all Par 3 holes and near all tee boxes and putting greens.The location of bathrooms on the golf course.The recommended pace of play: This varies from course to course but a good rule to follow is to keep your round of golf under 4 hours and 30 minutes.The Starter should review the following with each group: Groups should be on the starting hole ready to play at least five minutes before their tee time. Their job is to account for every golfer and shepherd groups to the starting hole at their designated tee time.Ī good practice is to locate the Starter once you arrive at the driving range to ‘check-in’. Starters are positioned on or near the driving range or starting hole. To help mitigate the onset of slow play, golf courses will employ Starters and Rangers that have the specific duty of setting, monitoring, and maintaining the recommended pace of play. To prevent excessive slow play, golf courses will strictly limit groups to four golfers or less, and golfers are expected to follow the course’s recommended pace of play policy. It can really inhibit the enjoyment of other golfers positioned behind the slow group. Slow play is when a group of golfers takes longer than the recommended time to play their round of golf. Just as before, the more golfers in the group the longer it takes to complete the round.įor a foursome to complete nine holes, it shouldn’t take more than 2 hours and 15 minutes. How Long Does 9 Holes of Golf Take to Play?Ī single golfer can complete nine holes in 2 hours or less, if playing unimpeded or on an empty golf course. The amount of time to play 18 holes will increase as you add in more players.įor a foursome of golfers, 18 holes should be played in 4 hours and 30 minutes or less. If playing golf unimpeded, a single golfer can easily play 18 holes of golf in 3 hours or less. Ho w Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take to Play? To learn about these factors and ways to shorten your next round of golf, we encourage you to keep reading. Several factors determine the length of a round of golf including the number of holes played, the number of people in the group, the skill level of the golfers, and the mode of transportation. An optimal time for 18 holes is 4 hours and 30 minutes or less and 2 hours and 15 minutes or less for 9 holes. Golfers usually play 9 or 18 holes per outing. So, how long does it take to play a round of golf?Ī round of golf can take anywhere from less than two hours to more than five hours depending on the number of golfers and holes played. When including travel to and from the golf course, warming up on the driving range, traveling from hole-to-hole, and stopping at the 19th hole, a round of golf can take up most of the day. Golf is a game that can require a lot of time to play.

Normal time to golf 18 holes