How FAST can you walk 18?

[North Butte]

7 hours ago, Jsteve15 said:

This is a much bigger part of the equation than I think we give it credit for. To walk this distance alone with your bag in under two is not doable for most people without breaking into a jog

I doubt very much I'd play (walk) 200+ rounds a year if my home course were 8.2 miles. Mine is between 5-1/2 and 6 miles, depending on what tees you play and whether you hit the ball straight. This time of year if I still had 2-1/2 miles to go instead of being done I'd have to quit early. 

[mshills]

21 hours ago, RoyalMustang said:

I played on my local course the other day with nobody in front of me. I was husting to finish before dark and was playing well (something like 70% GIR so I wasn't wasting time). 

 

I got through the round in 3:08, but that is a long 8.2 mile walk. There are several holes that are split between rows of houses. I was hustling. 

 

If I were only walking and not golfing that distance at a brisk clip, it would be right at 2 hours. 

 

This is exactly why the blanket statements on what pace of play should be are no good.  Every so often a speed golfer comes on here and talks about how he walks 18 in 2:15 and it should never take longer and what are you doing with your slow play....etc.

 

It all depends on the course -- both the gross distance (8.2 miles is a lot!) and the terrain.

[RoyalMustang]

2 hours ago, mshills said:

 

This is exactly why the blanket statements on what pace of play should be are no good.  Every so often a speed golfer comes on here and talks about how he walks 18 in 2:15 and it should never take longer and what are you doing with your slow play....etc.

 

It all depends on the course -- both the gross distance (8.2 miles is a lot!) and the terrain.

 

I don't think 2:15 is possible on a normal (6-mile) course without jogging. The older full-length courses I have played where it is assumed that folks will be walking seem to be just over 6 miles. At a brisk walk with a push cart, that is 90 minutes of walking. Only 45 minutes to play 70-100 strokes seems low. In my example above, not messing around, I took 68 minutes to make my shots and 2 hours roughly to walk. Someone shooting 80 will play roughly 48 strokes, not including putting. By the time you get to a ball, shoot your rangefinder, think about wind and the shot, pull your club out, check grip, take a practice swing, realign and vision the shot, make the shot, watch the ball land, and finally put your club away and start moving again, it's a good minute per shot for me. This adds up to 48 minutes, assuming no time looking for lost/hazard balls.  

 

Putting is not that dis-similar if you are walking to the hole and checking the last few feet of break and then looking at the rest of the putt. Roughly 32 strokes for those shooting 80. Check out the line from the cup and behind the ball, get to the ball, mark and replace with the line pointed in the direction of your putt, take a coupe of practice strokes, re-center, relax, make the stroke, watch the ball. That's probably a minute on first putts. The second putt may be no more than 3 seconds on a tap-in or another 30 seconds if you left yourself a tricky 10-footer. I bet putting adds another 30 seconds on average; that's another 16 minutes. 

 

Right there I get 64 minutes, BEST case with someone playing relatively well. A 2:15 round turns into a 1:11 walking-time round; that's a jog for 6+ miles with a push cart. People really don't walk faster than 15 minutes/mile when pushing a cart over grass and uneven terrain. 

 

I've been at the course where I had to be somewhere and only had 2:30 to finish my round, so I definitely jogged to get it done. I played a 2:35 round on a long 7.5 mile course. I've also done it when paired with a good player in a cart where I don't want to slow the other fella down. But it wasn't a "normal" pace of golf: I arrived at each shot breathing a bit more heavily and with a higher heart rate than normal. I would consider that "speed golf" and sure, it's a thing, but in no way would someone be expected to play at this pace in a normal round. 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Honestly, I think on a busy day a nifty experiment would be for a course to have a "walking day" on a busy day to see the difference. The first group would need a Tee Time lag sufficient to take their second shots. I suspect on most courses that aren't murderously hilly, walking would be equivalent to the cart. Sure, you get there in 30 seconds on the cart or less, but then how much do you wait?

Walking time would be equivalent to waiting time, and thus rounds would feel faster and waiting would be absorbed by the walk as you contemplate your next shot.

 

That's the theory at least....... 😄

That said, I wouldn't want to walk a course in the summer, and certainly wouldn't want to walk the ones with frequent elevation changes. I'd just get worn out.....

[North Butte]

On 8/2/2023 at 11:04 AM, RoyalMustang said:

 

I don't think 2:15 is possible on a normal (6-mile) course without jogging. The older full-length courses I have played where it is assumed that folks will be walking seem to be just over 6 miles. At a brisk walk with a push cart, that is 90 minutes of walking. Only 45 minutes to play 70-100 strokes seems low. In my example above, not messing around, I took 68 minutes to make my shots and 2 hours roughly to walk. Someone shooting 80 will play roughly 48 strokes, not including putting. By the time you get to a ball, shoot your rangefinder, think about wind and the shot, pull your club out, check grip, take a practice swing, realign and vision the shot, make the shot, watch the ball land, and finally put your club away and start moving again, it's a good minute per shot for me. This adds up to 48 minutes, assuming no time looking for lost/hazard balls.  

 

Putting is not that dis-similar if you are walking to the hole and checking the last few feet of break and then looking at the rest of the putt. Roughly 32 strokes for those shooting 80. Check out the line from the cup and behind the ball, get to the ball, mark and replace with the line pointed in the direction of your putt, take a coupe of practice strokes, re-center, relax, make the stroke, watch the ball. That's probably a minute on first putts. The second putt may be no more than 3 seconds on a tap-in or another 30 seconds if you left yourself a tricky 10-footer. I bet putting adds another 30 seconds on average; that's another 16 minutes. 

 

Right there I get 64 minutes, BEST case with someone playing relatively well. A 2:15 round turns into a 1:11 walking-time round; that's a jog for 6+ miles with a push cart. People really don't walk faster than 15 minutes/mile when pushing a cart over grass and uneven terrain. 

 

I've been at the course where I had to be somewhere and only had 2:30 to finish my round, so I definitely jogged to get it done. I played a 2:35 round on a long 7.5 mile course. I've also done it when paired with a good player in a cart where I don't want to slow the other fella down. But it wasn't a "normal" pace of golf: I arrived at each shot breathing a bit more heavily and with a higher heart rate than normal. I would consider that "speed golf" and sure, it's a thing, but in no way would someone be expected to play at this pace in a normal round. 

You are listing a whole catalog of activities that have nothing to do with actually hitting golf shots. All those practice strokes and pacing around reading are the reason you can’t play very quickly. 
 

 

[North Butte]

23 hours ago, Mikey_HACKilroy said:

Honestly, I think on a busy day a nifty experiment would be for a course to have a "walking day" on a busy day to see the difference. The first group would need a Tee Time lag sufficient to take their second shots. I suspect on most courses that aren't murderously hilly, walking would be equivalent to the cart. Sure, you get there in 30 seconds on the cart or less, but then how much do you wait?

Walking time would be equivalent to waiting time, and thus rounds would feel faster and waiting would be absorbed by the walk as you contemplate your next shot.

 

That's the theory at least....... 😄

That said, I wouldn't want to walk a course in the summer, and certainly wouldn't want to walk the ones with frequent elevation changes. I'd just get worn out.....

I do consider being tired at the end of a round part of the experience. Not exhausted, or feeling bad or in pain or anything but without getting a little exercise as part of the bargain golf would just be annoying and frustrating!😅

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

2 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I do consider being tired at the end of a round part of the experience. Not exhausted, or feeling bad or in pain or anything but without getting a little exercise as part of the bargain golf would just be annoying and frustrating!😅

 

Lol!

 

I just wouldn't want to climb massive hills.. the place I played at last week has drops and zigzag paths. I even took a skid around one of the corners because of the soft cart brakes.. in another quantum reality I am either severely injured or dead right now..... lol

 

Walking that course would not be ideal at least in the summer unless taking an involuntary nap in the water hazard down the hill is your preferred activity... hehe 🤣

[RoyalMustang]

34 minutes ago, North Butte said:

You are listing a whole catalog of activities that have nothing to do with actually hitting golf shots. All those practice strokes and pacing around reading are the reason you can’t play very quickly don't play excessively fast.
 

 

 

There, fixed it for you. Of course I can walk up and hit in 10 seconds and probably play 2:35 at an 8+ mile course. I would just give up 5-10 strokes and then the goal becomes to "play as fast as I can" vs "play as well as I can while maintaining a brisk pace". If this is about speed golf (quickest round no matter the score) then I might as well just leave the golf part out and go for a run. 

 

Nothing against anyone who plays this way, but it's not why I go to the golf course. 

[North Butte]

11 minutes ago, RoyalMustang said:

 

There, fixed it for you. Of course I can walk up and hit in 10 seconds and probably play 2:35 at an 8+ mile course. I would just give up 5-10 strokes and then the goal becomes to "play as fast as I can" vs "play as well as I can while maintaining a brisk pace". If this is about speed golf (quickest round no matter the score) then I might as well just leave the golf part out and go for a run. 

 

Nothing against anyone who plays this way, but it's not why I go to the golf course. 

And nothing against you for wanting to do a bunch of extra stuff before actually hitting the ball. But at some point we're in danger of pretending there's no difference between my stepping up and hitting the ball without delay, your practice strokes and putt stalking, all the way up to some guy who's out there doing the full Patrick Cantlay human rain delay routine.

 

I go to the golf course wanting, in an ideal situation, to play like this. I step onto the first tee, hit the ball with my driver (no practice swing), replace it in my bag as I start walking and I basically repeat that for 18 holes and about 80 or so shots. I'm either walking, swinging or pulling and replacing clubs. I don't run, don't jog (although I do walk faster than most people), don't rush and I don't leave anything out that's going to result in me shooting a higher score. But it's walk, hit, walk, hit and that's all that my own personal definition of "golf" includes. 

 

Of course I only get to play that way occasionally. But I do it often enough to know on a 5-1/2 to 6 mile long golf course it takes right about 2 hours (if I happen to hit it straight and break 80) to about 2 hours, 20 minutes (if I'm not hitting it straight and I'm struggling to break 90) to play a round.

 

If you want to add a minute or two per hole to that for your practice swings and other stuff, no worries. It's not going to ruin my day. But put me in or behind a group with a bunch of practicing swingers AND 360 degree putt stalkers AND Aimpointers AND alignment line fiddlers AND backing off an fidgeting around before every swing'ers and it kind of takes me right out of my comfort zone. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by North Butte

[vandyfan]

I walked 18 yesterday evening with another player (he was in a cart) and we only had to wait on maybe 3 shots the whole round. I wasn't hurrying or going excessively fast. We teed off at 5:20 pm and putted out on 18 at 7:55 pm so about 2 hours and 30 minutes and that was with some talking and such. I would say if it was just me and I hustled up a little I could probably do it in 2:15 while still trying to shoot a good score. 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

I think by the time late fall arrives I'll have my GolfPad grip chips bought and attached and maybe a proper smart watch to record shots..

 

Trouble is, if a round ever took me 2hrs or under, I'd want to play again lol.... would get expensive...😁

[kwcsports]

When I was younger 2 of us could walk and play 18 in 2:45 quite easily if it was early morning with no one holding us up

Edited August 3, 2023 by kwcsports

[Phabs]

With my pushcart I've tee'd off at 6am on a Wednesday with no one in front of me and was home by 830.  

[vamosjackets]

I usually walk/jog 9 after work and on a walk-friendly course it takes me a little over an hour - that's walking about half the time and jogging about half.  If I push myself and do more of a speed-golf round, trying to jog at a pretty good pace the whole time and not taking time over shots, I can do around 45 minutes. Now, with the speed-golf mode, there are different rules for looking for balls - you don't take time to look for balls. If you don't see it fairly immediately, you just put another one down - if putting another one down has to do with it being in the woods or something, then you take a stroke.  If it's somewhere that it would otherwise always be findable, don't take a stroke.

A more difficult/hilly course would make a big difference in that time and could even make it close to impossible (for me).

[GooseHook]

I was faster in my pushcart days. Now I carry due to ridiculous policies at my club. 

 

When I play well, walking is comfortable in 3 hours. The back 9 is pretty grueling with major elevation changes and a few blind shots that require waiting.  On the days I don't play well, I can walk in 3:40-3:45...sometimes longer if I had to search for a bunch of balls in fescue or had a couple blowup holes. 

 

If you're play in a 4some, inevitably someone is going to have a hole or two where they lag behind. Or you just hit some situations where guys have to wait because they're in line of play and can't get up to a ball safely in the fairway, etc. 

[Nels55]

On 10/31/2022 at 9:34 AM, MelloYello said:

 

Well, by definition carts allow for faster travel so in theory, even fast walkers would still play faster in a cart.

 

I'm assuming these 2.5-hr walkers could probably finish 18 in an hour with a cart, LOL. 

 

 

The pro at my course has played 18 holes early morning by himself in a cart in under an hour.

[RecreationalHacker]

About 2 hrs 15 min by myself nobody in front. 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

You know, I just played a round last week with a walker. He did not slow us down one bit. The group in front was the sole reason the round took as long as it did, but we finished before sundown.

Might be converting me into a walker this winter especially with the cart path only rules typical during our wet winter/spring season. So ya.....

As far as a pro zipping around the course; sure.... A club pro.... 😄

[CoachZee]

2.5-3 hours, depending on how I am playing and the lineup on Sirius XM’s Grateful Dead channel 🙂

[GooseHook]

First group out on Saturday morning, my threesome played collectively like hot dog crap and we walked the course in 3:05. The round felt quite slow at points and I was freaking out about pace until I realized the group behind us was out of sight. 

 

We usually play the standard men's tees or hybrid tees, but this round we played the tips. The course is set up in the worse way possible to walk and play the tips- tons of backtracking and sloppy hole transfers. 

[david.c.w]

On 7/31/2023 at 11:41 PM, Yobagoya said:

I can’t wait for fall weather to come so I can walk again. Being in the south makes walking a dead wish!

 

Same for me.  Atlanta here.  I enjoy walking when it is 80 or below with low humidity.  Even a range session in the summer just sucks.  

 

7 green to 9 green is all uphill.  Hard to putt on 9 with sweat dripping off your hat.  Then there are 9 more holes.

 

I can walk my course in just over 2:30 alone.  Graph below is with the phone in the bag, so just tee to green and not all around the green.  Course from the tips is 7100 yards.  And you can see below the walk from 7 green to 9 green.

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by david.c.w

[So_Cal]

Walk most every round locally.  Can do 2:30 at home course if first off.  Helps that it’s usually perfect weather here 

Edited September 6, 2023 by So_Cal

[Denny100]

Without getting the wrong people annoyed which, despite my prior suggestion I know is going to happen when this subject comes up, why do you NEED to walk around 18 holes in 2 hours 15 mins or something like that?

 

Why are you trying to cram a round of golf into so little time?

 

An example would be for me that if i could play golf before work, but have to cram it in by running round in 2 hours 15 mins..... at 5.30 in the morning..... id just think im putting more effort into actually getting the game in than i am enjoying playing....I just wouldnt bother.

 

I still stand by my assertions ive made in the past that many, many people are playing quickly because they just dont or cant be bothered to play properly.

 

Lose a ball? oh well.......we will just throw one down in the middle of the fairway

 

Get to the green? oh well.... stab it towards the hole and pick it up when its vaguely near the hole.

 

Its really, really easy to play golf fast.

 

Anyone in the world can grab a club, whack it somewhere, repeat repeat repeat quickly and there you go, youre done fast. Has that served any purpose at all?

 

I just cant quite understand if your time is THAT limited why youve chosen to play golf as your hobby, it doesnt make sense.

[Pastit]

10 hours ago, Denny100 said:

Without getting the wrong people annoyed which, despite my prior suggestion I know is going to happen when this subject comes up, why do you NEED to walk around 18 holes in 2 hours 15 mins or something like that?

 

Why are you trying to cram a round of golf into so little time?

 

An example would be for me that if i could play golf before work, but have to cram it in by running round in 2 hours 15 mins..... at 5.30 in the morning..... id just think im putting more effort into actually getting the game in than i am enjoying playing....I just wouldnt bother.

 

I still stand by my assertions ive made in the past that many, many people are playing quickly because they just dont or cant be bothered to play properly.

 

Lose a ball? oh well.......we will just throw one down in the middle of the fairway

 

Get to the green? oh well.... stab it towards the hole and pick it up when its vaguely near the hole.

 

Its really, really easy to play golf fast.

 

Anyone in the world can grab a club, whack it somewhere, repeat repeat repeat quickly and there you go, youre done fast. Has that served any purpose at all?

 

I just cant quite understand if your time is THAT limited why youve chosen to play golf as your hobby, it doesnt make sense.

As a 2:08 man, 78 gross in 2-ball v opponents’s 77 = nett 70 and a draw after handicaps used, you have a good question in your 1st para but you become goofy in your 2nd.
 

IE there was no “ cramming “, these were just good rounds, by experienced single-figure handicappers when the championship course was empty and they didn’t have to look for a ball. Persimmon driver era and carrying clubs. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Pastit

[Argonne69]

2 hours ago, Denny100 said:

Without getting the wrong people annoyed which, despite my prior suggestion I know is going to happen when this subject comes up, why do you NEED to walk around 18 holes in 2 hours 15 mins or something like that?

 

Why are you trying to cram a round of golf into so little time?

 

An example would be for me that if i could play golf before work, but have to cram it in by running round in 2 hours 15 mins..... at 5.30 in the morning..... id just think im putting more effort into actually getting the game in than i am enjoying playing....I just wouldnt bother.

 

I still stand by my assertions ive made in the past that many, many people are playing quickly because they just dont or cant be bothered to play properly.

 

Lose a ball? oh well.......we will just throw one down in the middle of the fairway

 

Get to the green? oh well.... stab it towards the hole and pick it up when its vaguely near the hole.

 

Its really, really easy to play golf fast.

 

Anyone in the world can grab a club, whack it somewhere, repeat repeat repeat quickly and there you go, youre done fast. Has that served any purpose at all?

 

I just cant quite understand if your time is THAT limited why youve chosen to play golf as your hobby, it doesnt make sense.

 

I don't play fast. I play efficiently. If nobody is in front of me I hit the ball and go. The odds of making a 30' putt are slim, so I don't over-analyze it. Sense a line and hit it. I don't need to take practice swings. I used to, but it didn't help my scores. If anything, it hurt them as I was tired towards the end of the round.

 

Yeah, there are players who can play a round of speed golf just for the sake of getting back home quickly, but I think the main point of this thread is to see how quickly one can play while still trying to shoot a decent score.

 

[MelloYello]

This seems like one of those 'you can have 2 but not 3' scenarios where a person has to decide between factors like playing fast, scoring well and playing a course that's tough for one reason or another. 

 

If you rush around a tough course your score will suffer. 

If you want to rush and score well the course difficulty needs to be set on 'easy.'

If the score is important on a tougher course, you just can't rush around it. 

 

I think the skillset of the player as well as their experience at that particular course matters a lot. I would put my money on someone who's played a ton of golf, hits it short enough they're never in trouble and is playing a course with easy-ish chips and putts. 

 

 

[mshills]

I think everyone is saying the same thing....it's not "play efficiently or play to score", it's and.

 

Playing efficiently is very different than speed golf.  What's unfortunate is in my experience, here are the players you encounter in the wild, in order of most to least common:

 

Inefficient / borderline slow or thoroughly slow players.  Never ready to play when it's time to play.  Don't know how to efficiently use a cart with two players.  Think that if you ride a cart that means you never, ever walk to your ball.  Often more interested in telling stories and drinking alcohol than playing the game.

 

Speed golfers.  Trying to fit the round in so they can get home and do something else.  Perpetually irritated by the pace of the group in front.  Often don't hole out, and infamous for the "rake-back" putt.  Egregious speed golfers knock someone else's three-footer back to them.  Please don't ever do that, I need to putt those, even if it makes the round take a few minutes longer.

 

Efficient golfers.  Play by the ROG.  Posts his scores and is always ready to play when there is an opportunity to play.  Ready golf feels natural and not rushed.  In a group like this there should almost always be someone playing a shot.

[MelloYello]

One of the hall-marks of people describing fast rounds is that they'll openly describe their process of hitting a shot and you can see it requires very little thought. 

 

I totally respect "easy golf" that's there to allow folks to decompress, relax and enjoy the outdoors. I think "easy" courses are great. 

 

But, to me, if you're talking about walking up to your ball, pulling a club without a ton of consideration and feeling fine, you're probably playing a relatively hazard-free course where the rough isn't very penal or the slopes aren't significant or the green complexes are relatively simple and maybe the greens themselves are generally basic. 

 

The more complex a course, the more thinking you have to do to get around without making a bogey (or worse) on every hole. 

 

So if you're happy playing an easy course, great! And if you're willing to shoot 80 and go home happy, even better!

 

 

.

Edited September 7, 2023 by MelloYello

[Denny100]

9 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

This seems like one of those 'you can have 2 but not 3' scenarios where a person has to decide between factors like playing fast, scoring well and playing a course that's tough for one reason or another. 

 

If you rush around a tough course your score will suffer. 

If you want to rush and score well the course difficulty needs to be set on 'easy.'

If the score is important on a tougher course, you just can't rush around it. 

 

I think the skillset of the player as well as their experience at that particular course matters a lot. I would put my money on someone who's played a ton of golf, hits it short enough they're never in trouble and is playing a course with easy-ish chips and putts. 

 

 

 

These sorts of players are definitely the quickest

 

The ones that can keep punting it 170-200 in front of them, then punt it again, hopefully theyre on the green, but if not pitching/chipping

 

1) They never have to wait for people to clear a landing area on the fairway. They cant reach 250+

2) They never have to wait for a green to clear on a par 5. Same reason. Cant reach

3) They hit it short enough theyre never in the bunkers or the trees. Or at least its very rare

4) Usually scuttle it along very low, so wind and course conditions are irrelevant

5) Know the course absolutely inside out so can just putt by instinct

 

See loads of these people and they tend to be extremely fast. But again usually for very little or no reason.

[MelloYello]

2 minutes ago, Denny100 said:

 

These sorts of players are definitely the quickest

 

The ones that can keep punting it 170-200 in front of them, then punt it again, hopefully theyre on the green, but if not pitching/chipping

 

1) They never have to wait for people to clear a landing area on the fairway. They cant reach 250+

2) They never have to wait for a green to clear on a par 5. Same reason. Cant reach

3) They hit it short enough theyre never in the bunkers or the trees. Or at least its very rare

4) Usually scuttle it along very low, so wind and course conditions are irrelevant

5) Know the course absolutely inside out so can just putt by instinct

 

See loads of these people and they tend to be extremely fast. But again usually for very little or no reason.

 

 

So true!

 

And their scores are generally about the same every time out, too! So there's also this impression that they're maybe just a bit better than they really are because of that pseudo-consistency, LOL. 

 

 

.

Edited September 7, 2023 by MelloYello