x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
How long should it take to play a round of golf? The Etiquetteist explains
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

Over $140 of value - Just $39.99

InsideGOLF
Lifestyle

How long should it take to play a round of golf? The Etiquetteist explains

By: Josh Sens
  • Follow on Twitter
January 25, 2024
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Four golfers getting ready to tee off

How long should it take you to play a round of golf? The expectations may vary from one course to another, but here's what you should know.

Getty Images

Mark from Boise asks: If my buddies and I are the first group out in the morning, how fast should we expect to play?

Dear Mark:

Some years ago, the Etiquetteist stepped to the first tee of a small-town course in Ireland and was greeted with a sign that read: Three hours and fifteen minutes is enough!

Even more than the Blarney Stone, that placard deserved a kiss.

It has long been the Etiquetteist’s belief that four-hour rounds are excessive and unnecessary, regardless of skill level, assuming that you are able-bodied and not stuck behind Patrick Cantlay. Hit it, find it and be ready to hit it again when it’s your turn, and you should be done in less time than most Scorcese films, without having to rush.

Others in the industry have gotten more specific. Take Lou Riccio, chief analytics officer of FairwayIQ, which helps clubs with their pace of play problem, and author of “Golf’s Pace of Play Bible.” In his research, Riccio found that if golfers walked at 3 mph (the average for a healthy adult), took no more than 45 seconds per shot, cleared the greens and tees in 3 minutes, and spent no more than 3 minutes looking for a lost ball, rounds would average no more than four hours. The Etiquetteist can live with that. What he likes even more is a later study Riccio conducted of 170 courses, in which he found that the average pace for the first group out was 3:45.

As Riccio is quick to point out, pace of play is a complex metric that depends not just on golfer behavior but on course management and setup. Compress tee times to six-minute intervals on a 7,000-yard layout lined with water hazards and penal rough, for instance, and you’ll be lucky if anyone finishes before sunset, much less in under four hours.

To help account for such variables, the USGA has a pace-rating system that calculates how long it should take to play a hole (this is also known as time par) based on its length and difficulty. But not all courses have established a time par, and of those that have, not all enforce pace equally. Dealing with the paying public can be tricky. Until about two years ago, for example, the range balls at Pebble Beach were emblazoned with large numerals — 4:30 — indicating the desired pace of play. But enough golfers griped (some because they didn’t want to play that fast; others because their rounds wound up taking longer than that) that the resort did away with the 4:30 messaging. The range balls at Pebble now say “Ready golf.”

That’s a good goal no matter where or when you’re playing — but especially as the first group out. In that position, you have tacitly agreed to be the pace-setter and you should be ready to breeze around the course before the starter has finished his or her second cup of coffee. Well, maybe not that quickly — because you should also be mindful not to play on the heels of the morning maintenance crew — but you best not hold anybody up, or you’ll risk setting off a chain reaction of slow play that will ripple through the tee sheet throughout the day. If you’re aren’t ready or willing to fill the role of rabbit, you should book a later time. 

Back to your question, though: how fast, exactly, should you plan to play? There is no set rule, and it’s not always entirely up to you. But if you’re worried, it doesn’t hurt to ask the starter or the pro shop staff to outline the official expectations. If their answer is “somewhere around four hours,” they’re probably being honest but it’s also possible that they’re just being polite and what they’re really thinking is, “three hours and fifteen minutes is enough!”

Latest In Lifestyle

3 hours ago

Is the best food in golf this Spam-based dish? Here's what it's up against

3 days ago

The most common rules question golfers ask? The USGA told us

3 days ago

'Very rare': Pro describes 'wild' green feature at PGA Tour event in Myrtle Beach

6 days ago

5 bizarre rules quandaries for which everyday golfers sought USGA guidance

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

  • Author Twitter Account

Related Articles

Lifestyle
gambling golf

I lost a bet to a sandbagger. Did I have to pay? The Etiquetteist weighs in

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
a golfer tees off on the golf course

Pro says high-handicappers could play faster doing this. Is it a good idea?

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
two golfers shaking hands on green

Can A.I. help golfers with golf etiquette? We found out

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
lose-up of a golf ball with the flag of South Korea realistically rendered in 3D.

8 ways South Korean golf course etiquette differs from the U.S.

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
A pair of clean golf shoes alongside a golf glove and a ball.

At a private club, should I feel obligated to have my shoes cleaned? | The Etiquetteist

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
A golfer hanging on to the back of a golf cart.

My playing partner asked to ride in my cart. Could I have said no? | The Etiquetteist

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
Justin Rose lines up a putt using the AimPoint method.

Should weekend hackers use AimPoint? The Etiquetteist gives his read

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
Golf Cart Accident Overturned on its Side

13 egregious golf-etiquette violations our readers witnessed on the course

By: Josh Sens
Lifestyle
Man using phone on golf course

The most annoying golfer habit? Here's what nearly 4,000 golfers said

By: Josh Sens
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version