Pace of Play Rules & Tips

Mission:  The Silverstone staff is committed to enhancing every member’s golf experience this year by closely monitoring pace of play during all Silverstone 200 Member Events.

A good pace of play is an important element in having a pleasant experience on the golf course. A good pace of play not only increases the enjoyment of the game, it can actually improve your scores. Standing or sitting around before every shot allows the muscles to cool down or limbs to stiffen up. It is our goal to have every member event round completed
within four and one-half hours, an average of 15 minutes per hole.

A Golf Shop staff member will monitor pace of play during each member event. The Golf Shop will use GPS and on course monitoring to make sure everyone is keeping up with pace of play.

After each tournament, a pace of play board will be on display in the locker room, which will show the names of the players in each group, their start time, finish time, and the number of minutes they finished behind the previous group. If the finish time of a group is more than 10 minutes slower than the time of the preceding group and more than the prescribed four and one-half hour pace, the golf committee will assess penalties.

Pace of Play Penalties

2013 Men’s Club and Member-Member Tournaments

1. FIRST OFFENSE*: warning.
2. SECOND OFFENSE*: 10 point deduction from the player’s cumulative point total in Men’s Club events; and a 20 point deduction from the player’s cumulative point total in Member/Member events.
3. THIRD OFFENSE*: an additional 25 point deduction from the player’s cumulative point total in Men’s Club events; and an additional 50 point deduction from the player’s cumulative point total in Member/Member events.
4. FOURTH OFFENSE*: An additional 50 point deduction from the player’s cumulative point total in Men’s Club events; an additional 100 point deduction from the player’s cumulative point total in Member/Member events; and a SUSPENSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR ALL
   MEMBER EVENTS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CALENDAR YEAR.

*Offenses in either series, i.e., two offenses in Men’s Club and two offenses in Member/Member
count as four total offenses.

Pace of Play Tips

1. Each member of a group should proceed directly to his or her ball. The group should not travel as a pack, going first to one ball, then the next, and so on.
2. While walking (or riding) to your ball, use the travel time to begin thinking over your next shot – the yardage, which club you’ll use, and so on. Begin preparing before you get to your ball.
3. If sharing a cart, don’t drive to the first ball, wait for the first player to hit, then head to the second ball. Drop the first player off at his ball, drive on ahead to the second ball. The first player should walk over to the cart as the second player is playing his shot.
4. When using a cart on a cart-path-only day, be sure to take a couple of clubs with you when you walk from the cart to the ball. This way, you won’t have to return to the cart if you discover you didn’t bring the appropriate club.
5. Carry a few extra tees and ball markers in your pockets so you don’t have to return to your golf bag to retrieve them, should you find yourself in need of one.
6. When you think your shot might have landed out of bounds or be lost, immediately hit a provisional ball. Don’t walk ahead to search, only to have to return to the original spot to replay a shot.
7. Never hold up play because you’re in the middle of a conversation. Put the conversation on hold, take your stroke, and then continue the conversation.
8. On the green, begin lining up your putt and reading the break as soon as you reach the green. When it’s your turn to putt, be prepared to step right up and take the stroke.
9. Leave your bags or golf carts to the side of the green, and in the direction of the next tee, never in front of the green.
10. Never stand on or next to the green after holing out in order to write down your score.Write it down when you reach the next tee.
11. If all else fails, try playing “ready golf,” which simply means that order of play is based on who’s ready, not who’s away.