Two new surveys have been launched into the hot topic of pace of play.
Both the R & A, which is running a worldwide survey of individual golfers, and Golf Australia, which is surveying club administrations throughout this country, are seeking clarity on a topic that continues to cause discussion within the game.
Golf Australia’s director rules and handicapping, Simon Magdulski, said the R &A survey could be accessed through the following link:
Meanwhile Golf Australia is building on the work of the R&A with its own survey, commissioning consultant Jeff Blunden of Golf Business Advisory Services to carry out the work. Clubs will receive details in the next week.
Magdulski said: “These two pieces of research are being conducted with a view to determining: the true extent of the issue, an understanding of all of the causes, the degree of importance the industry attaches to trying to improve pace of play, and what the most effective strategies will be.
“We believe the survey of individual golfers will deliver a comprehensive understanding of the views and preferences of golfers (or customers), whilst the club survey (ie the survey of the service providers) will detail the impacts on club businesses and golf operations as well as to provide an appreciation for what strategies are effective in practice and are considered to be realistic for club administrators to implement in the real world.’’
The R&A survey has also being sent to all golfers in Australia through the GOLF Link database.
Magdulski said Golf Australia was receiving feedback within minutes of emailing the clubs. “We’re expecting a big response, given the nature of the topic,’’ he said.