Golf club is feeling the need for speed
A Lichfield golf club is trialling a new initiative aimed at speeding up slow play in a bid to get more people on the course.
Golf attendances are falling nationwide, but Lichfield Golf & Country Club, in Elmhurst, is trying to entice players back with 'Ready Golf' – which encourages them to play much quicker than usual.
Players are asked to hit their shot as soon as it is safe, and to pick their ball up and move on if they continually fail to hole out on the green.
"Something needs to change," said Lichfield's director of golf Simon Joyce.
"The clubs just can't sit and wait for people to come back and play again. We need to find ways to attract players.
"On a weekend, it can take up to five hours to play a round of golf here and we can have up to 200 people on the course.
"By using this system, we want to speed it up to around four hours for a round, if possible."
The initiative will be trialled through the summer, which will determine whether it is successful or not and whether it will be used long-term.
However, Joyce admits the reception has been mixed, with some traditional players preferring to stick to the old laws.
"I would say it's been an even split so far," he said.
"Some of our members think it is a fantastic idea and have really embraced it, while others choose not to.
"We don't force everyone to play that way, although we do have signs around the course. We may even run it in some stroke-play competitions."
Golf is facing an uncertain future across Britain as players continue to turn their backs on the sport, with club memberships in England falling by 20 per cent between 2004 and 2013
Although Joyce believes new forms of golf, such as foot golf, are a good way of drumming up interest, he thinks there needs to be a change throughout the system.
"Junior players seem to stop playing when they get to 20 and above," he said.
"There is a big increase in price for the 20-30 age range, so we could structure it until you are 30 and above to soften the impact.
"We need to make golf more accessible for them."
n Anyone interested in joining Lichfield Golf & Country Club should contact the club on 01543 417333 for more information.
