Friday, January 21, 2011

Pin Placements and Pace of Play

Pace of play is important to every golf course and to every golfer. There are many ways to control or shorten the time it takes to play. Somethimes overlooked or undervalued though is the impact that course set-up and maintenance can have on the time it takes to play a round of golf.

There are many but one of the most obvious influences is pin placements. Even seasoned maintenance personell can make the occasional mistake in placing a hole location. All it takes is 1 or 2 difficult pin placements to create in issue for the entire day. If difficult placements add 1, 2 or more putts to each players round, it can quickly add up in each group and then throughout the tee sheet.

Like so many other things, the solution starts with proper training and supervision. Though the use of pin sheets and other techniques can be helpful, they still are not much good without well trained staff to utilize them properly. So take the time, consider creating or utilizing Standard Operating Procedures and then train, train and retrain. It will all payoff in maximizing the tee sheet, player's enjoyment of the course and cut down on the dreaded calls from the proshop.

At IGM we look for every opportunity to help improve your course and your business. For more information on IGM and the professional golf course services offered, please contact the IGM Business Development Office at 800-413-5500 or on the web at http://www.igminc.net/.