As a long-time golfer, I have played hundreds of rounds on various types of golf courses and know exactly how long a game of golf should take.
18 holes of golf on a regulation par 72 course will typically take the average golfer between 4 and 4.5 hours to play. This can change based on what type of golf course you are playing and how many people are in your group.
Factors That Can Affect the Duration of Your Round of Golf
Although the average round of golf should take around four hours and fifteen minutes, as per the United States Golf Association, this can vary greatly depending on various factors, such as what type of golf course you are playing, how many experienced golfers are in your group, and whether you are playing ready golf.
Type of Golf Course
There are three main types of golf courses: regulation par 72 courses, executive courses, and par 3 courses. Each has a different pace of play and a different overall time to complete.
A regulation par 72 course should take the seasoned player a maximum of 15 minutes per hole. This comes out to a total of 4 and 30 minutes to complete a full game.
An executive course with a par of 65 should take the seasoned player a maximum of 12 minutes per hole. This comes out to a total of 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete a full game.
A par 3 course with a par of 54 should take the seasoned player a maximum of 10 minutes per hole. This comes out to a total of 3 hours to complete a full game.
Size of Group
These rules are true if you are playing in a group of 4, but they can change if you are playing in a smaller group. A good rule of thumb is to subtract 30 minutes for each player you remove from your group.
For example, if you are playing in a 2-person group on a regulation par 72 course, your round should take you 3 hours and 30 minutes. One hour less than a group of 4 should take.
Course Difficulty
The slope rating/difficulty of a golf course can greatly impact your round's duration. An average golf course slope rating is 113. As you increase from there, golfers will tend to lose more balls as the courses become narrower and harder. Golfers will also encounter more hazards on harder courses, which will slow down their rounds.
Walking vs Riding
On average, a group that is riding a golf cart will play faster than a group that is walking. Although this is mostly true, there are some local rules that can narrow the time gap between walking and riding. For example, if your course decides to enforce cart path-only or 90-degree rules, this will greatly increase the time it takes you to cart the course.
Your Tee Time
Depending on what day and what tee time you book, your average time per hole could vary greatly. This is because there are certain days and times, like 9 am on a weekend, when most golf tee times are fully booked out. This, coupled with the fact that most "weekend golfers" who book these times are not skilled players, increases your round duration by a lot. If you are unlucky enough to have a slow group ahead of you and a crowded course, your round time could increase to well over 5 hours.
On the other hand, if you book a weekday at noon, you might be met with a completely empty golf course, allowing you to complete your game well under 4 hours.
Skill Level of Your Group
Your playing partners can greatly impact the length of a full round of golf. If you are all beginner golfers, take a lot of practice swings, and are overall slow players, your round could take well over five hours to complete.
If you are playing with three other skilled golfers who have a quick pre-swing routine, your round could take as little as three hours.
What Tees You Are Playing From
Many amateurs tend to play from tees that are way too far for them. This increases the number of lost balls, increases strokes, and overall slows down your round.
A good rule of thumb is that if you shoot over 105, you should play from the red tees. If you shoot between 90 - 105, you should play from the white tees, and if you shoot under 90, you should play from the blue tees.
How to Speed Up Your Round of Golf
There are many different tactics you can use to speed up your round of golf, such as playing ready golf, taking lateral drops when you are out of bounds, and more! To be honest, none of us are on the PGA Tour and we don't need to play by tournament rules. By following the guidelines below, you can reduce the time spent on the golf course and eliminate slow play.
Play Ready Golf
Ready golf is a strategy used by golfers of any skill level to speed up their pace of play and lower round times. In golf etiquette, you are supposed to wait till you are the furthest ball away from the hole before hitting your ball. Ready golf eliminates that, allowing you to hit your ball as soon as you find it and are ready to hit. This cuts down on the average time per hole since there is no time wasted waiting for other members of your foursome to hit their ball before you do.
Always Take Lateral Drops
Let's say you walk up to the 14th tee box, pull out your driver, and hit your ball way left. You think you can find your ball, but it will be close. Rather than wasting time on the tee box hitting a provisional ball, walk up to the spot where you think your lost ball entered the out-of-bounds zone and try to find it. If you are unable to find your ball, take a lateral drop from the point of entry and continue playing with a one-stroke penalty.
Limit Search Time
Although you technically have up to three minutes to search for your ball, taking all three minutes every time you can't find your ball really slows down your round. We suggest searching for your ball until it's your turn to hit. If you can't find your ball by then, take a lateral drop and add one stroke. This will result in faster rounds overall.
Warm Up Before Your Game
Hitting the driving range and practicing chipping and putting before your tee time also helps speed up your round. This warmup eliminates the first tee jitters that many golfers face, lowering your score and speeding up your play for the first few holes.
Ensure You Are Keeping Up With the Pace of Play
Since pace of play is such an important part of keeping golf fun and accessible to everyone, I have given you the maximum time you should ever take to complete a hole and a round of golf. If you are a beginner and find that you are unable to keep a reasonable pace, you should pick up your ball when you are at the time limit for each hole and proceed to the next hole.
With enough practice either on an outdoor range or an indoor golf facility, you will be able to easily complete a golf game within the times listed above!
