To Stop or Not to Stop? The Halfway House Debate

For some golfers, the halfway house is a welcome pit stop – a chance to grab a sandwich and have a quick natter before continuing to the back nine. But for others, the mere thought of stopping at the halfway point fills them with utter dread. What do you think?

The halfway house is very often the social hub of the club, and you’ll find various people milling around outside of it. Not as formal as the bar but a convenient spot for a grab-and-go snack nevertheless.

They also provide an important revenue stream for golf clubs too. Imagine if every golfer spends £5 on a bite to eat during their round. Times that by 80 golfers on a sunny Saturday, and the club’s made £400 on coffee and bacon rolls alone.

The issues come though when the halfway house starts impacting the pace of play. For nine holes you’re plodding your way around the course in good time, only to be met with a long wait between finishing the 9th and starting the 10th. Goodbye relaxed rhythm and unfaltering concentration, hello round-destroying frustration.

So, here’s my question. At a time when the world of golf is introducing new, shorter variations of the game and 9-hole golf is more popular than ever before, is it time to ditch the halfway house in favour of a speedier round?

Some golf clubs enforce a compulsory stop for a set amount of time, usually just 10 minutes. The idea behind this is twofold – the golf club can still benefit from the revenue generated from the halfway house, but it doesn’t affect the pace of play.

That seems like a good compromise?

For me as a female golfer, I rely on the halfway house for a quick toilet stop (ok, and a bacon sandwich!). Since us women can’t always ‘go’ behind a tree like our male counterparts, I’m sure there are a lot of other women who feel the same.

What do you think? Do you like to stop at the halfway house or would you be happy to see them banished from golf forever?

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