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Levelling the Fairways: Busting the myth of slow play and women

By Charlotte Ibbetson on December 2, 2024

Charlotte dives into the myth that women are inherently slower players and highlights strategies to challenge these misconceptions.

The stigma surrounding women golfers and slow play is nothing new; long branded as taking our time out on the course, we’ve all heard the comments and felt the eye rolls.

But this stigma not only perpetuates outdated gender biases. It also affects the enjoyment of the game for a lot of female golfers. Because it’s infuriating to bear the brunt of this stereotype, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

What really causes slow play?

Slow play has nothing to do with gender. In fact, in my experience, women are far more likely to be mindful of etiquette and pace of play because we’re so desperate to shake this label of being slower players.

But the automatic blame placed on women often overshadows other, more significant factors affecting pace of play.

Tee off then mark your card. Leave your bag close to where you’ll walk off the green. Get your club out whilst you’re waiting for the players ahead … we all know the 101s of pace of play – or at least we should.

And whilst those things are fundamental (and, granted, not always followed), things like appropriate course set up, playing from a suitable tee for your hitting distance and correct intervals between tee times can hugely impact how long it takes to get around the course.

One woman in our recent focus group told me: “The men’s competitions moved to ten-minute gaps, and it’s speeded things up considerably. Some of the women’s competitions still run at nine-minute intervals, and we get really slow rounds.”

On my point about playing from the correct tee for your hitting distance, this is far more likely to be the case for women – they’re usually using the shortest tee box available anyway. But I really do think we need to start setting up courses thinking far more mindfully about hitting distances. I’ve discussed this in-depth with course architects Kari Haug and Jan Bel Jan recently, but it’s time we do away with tee based on gender.

The role of data in challenging perceptions

One of the most powerful tools in debunking myths is hard evidence. As one participant noted:
"Our club issued 10 yellow cards for slow play last year – all of them were men. Not one was a woman."

By collecting and sharing data on pace of play, clubs can dismantle stereotypes and implement effective solutions.

Unsurprisingly, there’s still not much research on pace of play and gender. However, the few studies there are show no evidence that women play golf any slower than men.

Just to highlight this, one study by Tagmarshal tracked the pace of play at golf course facilities worldwide. Their research showed that:

There was no significant difference in the average round time of men and women
Women playing groups average round time was 04:32:02
On a regular club day, players averaged 04:34:41 while the goal time is 04:35:00.

Strategies for tackling slow play

Addressing slow play requires club-wide initiatives and cultural shifts. Here are some successful approaches shared by our focus group participants:

Yellow and red card systems: Repeat offenders face consequences, such as suspension from booking tee times.
Tee time tracking: Adding start and finish times to scorecards helps monitor and penalise slow rounds.
Tee time adjustments: Increasing tee time intervals can significantly improve the pace of play. One club found that extending gaps for men’s competitions to ten minutes worked so well that they encouraged women’s competitions to follow suit.
Mixed competitions: Hosting mixed-gender events can be transformative in breaking down stereotypes. One participant shared how a men’s captain was surprised at the pace of play during a mixed competition: “He said, ‘I can’t believe how fast the ladies actually play.’ It opened his eyes.”
Reframing teeing grounds: Replacing “ladies’ tees” with ability-based or neutral-coloured tees helps create a more inclusive atmosphere and challenges traditional perceptions. A focus group member explained: “Even if you’re a scratch golfer, playing from forward tees can challenge your short game. It’s not about helping weaker players – it’s about giving everyone a different way to enjoy the game.”