Time’s up: Do we make too much of how long it takes to play golf?

Time. We’re told it’s a huge factor stopping people from playing golf. 9-hole competition, short courses, new formats – the sport has spent much of the last decade trying to speed up the game.

You’ll hear plenty of policymakers, and players who may have stepped away from golf, talking about catering for the “time poor”.

But is that how golfers really think? New figures commissioned by the PGA might appear to suggest otherwise.

In the latest reveal of their Golf for All data, considering participation pathways and what attracted people to the game, researchers asked survey participants to tell them what the least appealing aspect of the sport was.

Forty per cent of respondents chose the weather, while 36 per cent said it was expensive. Only 15 per cent complained it was a “time-consuming activity”.

That figure remained consistent when you stripped back the numbers into those who played golf regularly and those who were infrequent golfers.

Golf for all report: Does it take too long to play the sport?

In each case, just 14 per cent of respondents said the length of time it took to play was the least appealing factor.

Golf for All is the result of a partnership between the PGA and IPSOS. The agency were commissioned to conduct surveys, both online and offline, to understand the size of the golfing landscape within the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

The PGA says the research aims to provide “an understanding across a board audience of those with any level of interest in golf”.

The figures also show the growing importance of adventure golf in introducing people to the game. 60 per cent of infrequent golfers – classed as those who play at least yearly – had enjoyed their first taste of golf at adventure golf, compared with just 11 per cent of regular golfers.

For those who played the game at least monthly, just under half had been introduced to golf on course.

To view, and download, the full report, visit golf-for-all.co.uk

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Now have your say

What do you think of these latest Golf for All report figures? Do we worry too much about how long golf takes? Let me know your thoughts with a comment on X.

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