I’m going to say it… four-balls do not work in the current climate of the amateur game. I would go as far as describing them as a nuisance which, in my opinion, are one of the biggest factors detrimentally impacting the pace of play at many golf courses around the world.
And before I get the cliche response of… ‘perhaps you should get some more friends’ – this is not about social status or popularity, it’s about the fact that four people playing golf together is much slower than two or three.
Getting stuck behind a series of four-balls in a club competition is painful, especially when playing in a medal where everyone is having to play every shot. There is no room in front to allow two- or three-balls to play through, and suddenly we find ourselves waiting what feels like an eternity between every shot.
With so much attention being focused on how to improve the slow play issue in golf, I would say if we aren’t prepared to make a significant change… then four-balls need to go.
Four-Balls Should Be Outlawed In Golf
Four-balls are an inadvertent victim of golf club greed, as the reluctance to give four-balls enough time to play before the next group tees off only leads to further frustration and bottlenecking on the course. Instead, packing the tee sheet with as many groups as possible appears to be the agenda, which sadly makes four-balls the sacrificial lamb.
There are few things more frustrating than waiting for ages on the tee due to slow play ahead
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate four-balls as a concept. I totally understand the social benefits of playing in a larger group – especially if you are playing some of the more fun team golf formats. There is certainly a place for that in the sport, but it requires some compromises to make it viable.
With many golf clubs sticking to around 8-minute gaps between tee times, there is a requirement on each player in the four-ball to play very quickly in order to not hold up the ground behind – especially if that’s a two- or three-ball. With so many different ability levels of golfer wanting to access the game, this becomes an unrealistic expectation and ultimately leads to the condemnation of ‘weaker golfers’, labelling them as ‘the problem’.
Extending tee time slots to 10-minutes would give groups a more realistic goal to advance through the round without hindering the groups behind, but with financially-focused brains making the decisions that seems unlikely – leaving little choice but to consider the effectiveness of four player tee times.
After reading the comments on the video above, I know that this is a contentious issue. Interestingly, some golf courses have already taken the sort of measures that I would describe as completely logical, including limiting four-balls on the golf course.
In an interview on the topic of slow play, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach and long-time head pro Andrew Reynolds explained how four-balls were managed at Royal Cinque Ports…
Andrew Reynolds
Andrew Reynolds is as experienced as they come in the game of golf, serving at Royal Cinque Ports as head professional since 1978. In his 45-year stint, he endeavoured to positively impact the slow play problem that clubs across the UK face, adopting some intriguing measures to move things in the right direction.
“Royal Cinque Ports is predominantly played by two-balls, but when we have four-balls on the course we have 10-minute intervals.
“We have two four-ball only days a week, on a Monday and Thursday. Four-balls start at nine-o-clock and if members want to whizz round quickly in two-balls they can go out before that. The remaining days are two-balls only and it works well.”
So, What’s The Solution?
A balanced system, where four-balls have a designated place within the game to allow for social enjoyment and team competition, would appear to be the obvious practical solution. However, without a widespread roll-out of a similar strategy, we run the risk of stagnating and reverting to type.
As I see it, we have a choice. Do nothing and continue to complain about slow play or make a change that will increase efficiency on the course and promote positive attitudes towards a more relaxed approach to golf.
I am one of the biggest advocates for making golf more inclusive, accessible and enjoyable, but I believe in order to do that there has to be a structure to support the more relaxed, socially enjoyable environment that the sport needs.
A two-ball is the perfect environment to play competition golf in an efficient way
(Image credit: Kevin Murray)
The average golfer would eventually get used to playing their individual competition golf in groups of two or three on the weekend, leaving a few welcome opportunities to play in a larger group throughout the week.
I would ban four-balls on weekends, reserving this time for club competitions in the traditional guise that we have become accustomed to. Use midweek rounds, or even a few midweek days when the course is quieter, to encourage players to play in four-balls, enjoy their team golf and embrace the social benefits that golf has to offer.
Without a change in tack, such as installing a partial cull of four-balls during certain parts of the week, I can only see one other far less appealing option to solve the slow play crisis… and that is to outlaw four-balls for good.
