As the days grow shorter and I turn the clocks back — ending Daylight Savings Time for another year, my mind ruminates on time and how it relates to the game I love, but never get to play enough.
Every April, as I watch the tulips bloom, I tell myself that this is the year I will play more golf. And, as I put my clubs away in the basement for another long winter’s nap, guess how many times I teed it up in 2024? Six! Now, I’m not complaining, for those half-dozen rounds were played at some of the top courses in Ontario. And each game was a cherished experience spent catching up with friends where the conversations and the nature surrounding me meant more than my score.
You are probably wondering why the long-time golf columnist for this publication is not getting more games? The answer, my CSA friends, is a simple four-letter word packed with so much meaning. Philosophers have waxed about it; so have poets. I’m talking about that powerful word that measures our seconds, days and years on this earth and for which there are more idioms explaining what it means than any other word in the English language — time.
So, even during one of the mildest autumns I recall, while courses filled their tee times until early November, this scribe could not fit in any more rounds. Time as a barrier to golf is not new. I’m talking to retirees (whom everyone believes have all the time in the world to do what they want, when they want); and even for you, dear readers, playing 18 holes is a commitment. You have to make a decision regarding how to use your extra leisure time in your retirement years and hours spent chasing a little white ball on a golf course is just one option.
Golf, by its nature, is meant to be a leisurely game — the average time to complete 18 holes is four-and-a-half hours. The reality is that this number can be lower – and should be – but factors such as time of day, slow play, lost balls, how busy the course is and the intervals between tee times, etc. all affect the length of your round. Compare this to playing a set of tennis or going for a bike ride in the countryside — both of which can be accomplished in less than 90 minutes — and it’s clear why I did not play more golf this year. Convenience is another factor. I’m not a member of a golf club, nor do I belong to a golf league. I’ve always felt that if I did, I would play a lot more, as I would have made the commitment. It can be such a challenge to co-ordinate a foursome’s schedules and secure a tee time – especially post-pandemic with the rise of golf’s popularity. Honestly, organizing a game these days feels like too much work.
Here is a fun aside, and some trivia to share with your golf-loving friends. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the fastest round of golf by an individual is 27 minutes and nine seconds. James Carvill achieved this at Warrenpoint Golf Course in Northern Ireland in 1987. Imagine finishing an entire round in the amount of time that it takes most golfers to complete just two holes. I’m not a speed golfer, and I can assume that neither are you.
The myth which people love to tell is that there are 18 holes in golf because the Scots, who invented the game, decided to match the number of holes to the number of shots in a bottle of Scotch. Sounds like it could be true … but it’s not. The real reason is not quite as appealing. It happened more as a result of the process of elimination. Many of the earliest links courses over the first century of the sport did not share the same number of holes. Usually, the number of holes simply depended on how much land or space was available and short courses were common. In 1744, when the first golf competition was held at Edinburgh Leith Links, it had only five holes; so did Aberdeen, while North Berwick had seven. In Scotland today, there are 145, 9-hole courses (approximately 25 per cent of the total number), showing that the appetite for short courses remains.
Long-time readers of this column know that I’ve mentioned many times how, for me, the ideal golf course is 12 holes. Why? Because, by that point in my round, I’m mentally exhausted and have had enough. I’m not alone. Twelve-hole courses are out there and Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, has been dubbed the “greatest 12-hole course in the world.”
Along with cost and access, time is one of the biggest barriers to people playing golf. The governing bodies of the game have been debating ways to address the time challenge for decades by brainstorming alternatives to the traditional 18 holes. These include offering other options such as Pitch & Putt, short course loops, putting courses, virtual golf and many other innovative ways that give people a taste of what golf is about and how much fun the game can be if you just give it a try.
Golf for Smaller Spaces
I was intrigued to read that The R&A – the governing body of golf in the U.K. – recently published a paper entitled “Golf for Smaller Spaces.” This is an acknowledgment and a reminder that golf does not have to be the traditional 18 holes. R&A CEO Martin Slumbers writes in the introduction, “it’s important that we take golf to where people are, rather than expecting them to take their first steps in the game at established, and often private, golf clubs.”
This informative guide filled with case studies and examples of non-traditional golf facilities serves as a reference for course operators, planners and developers and aims to promote the appeal of golf to a broader audience. I’m all for that. There are so many options to choose from when it comes to golf: from four-hole courses to 10-hole layouts, it’s a reminder to me that this is how I can fit more golf onto my calendar in 2025. Instead of focusing on 18 holes, I should realize that sometimes less is more. I’ll look to find more short courses, Pitch & Putts, or putting courses to play, along with the traditional championship layouts.
Apologies for my shortness, and my need to end this rumination abruptly, but I have to wrap things up. I’m already long past my deadline. And I’ve got a tee time that I can’t be late for at my local virtual reality golf facility. I’ll just leave you with the following overarching message of the R&A’s report: “golf is golf,” so take time to enjoy the game in whatever form it takes for you this winter.