Too many players, not enough daylight - what's the answer?

NORTH-EAST ALLIANCE
MEETINGS RUINED FOR
MANY BY CHRONIC
SLOW PLAY

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
(colin@scottishgolfview.com)
What’s to be done about the mini-crisis that is besetting the North-east Alliance competitions?
“Crisis? What crisis?” Well, slow play – rounds taking the best part of 4 ½ to five hours – is ruining the enjoyment of many players, particularly those who, for various reasons, have to go out at the tail-end of the field.
There were many moans in the Portlethen clubhouse today – just as there have been at almost every meeting as the fields show no sign of shrinking but there are, of course, fewer and fewer hours of daylight to complete a round of golf.
Today’s field of 100 equalled the best of the season but it caused major problems for the second half of the field.
“I don’t think we would have bothered going out if we had known that we would have to play the last few holes in almost complete darkness,” said David Corkey, the two-handicap East Aberdeenshire player.
COULDN’T SEE A THING
“Our threesome were going quite well until there came the point when we just couldn’t see a thing.”
Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) pointed the finger at the origin of today’s snail's pace at those who started between 9.30am and 10am and did not finish until about 4 ½ hours later.
"If they couldn't get round in around in four hours, what chance was there for us at the end of the field?" asked Nigel.
It may be, of course, that the players around that time were taking a lot of shots to get round in what were very wet conditions. With no run – and the back tees being used – the Portlethen course was playing very long indeed.
Secretary Ron Menzies, pictured above, is certainly considering – until the daylight hours lengthen – playing future competitions off forward tees, which might not please the low-handicap players and the professionals but it might help the higher-handicap players get round in fewer shots and, consequently, a lot more quickly.
RESTRICT SIZE OF FIELD
The obvious answer is to put a cap on the size of the fields during the months of November-December-January at around 75 players. That means that around 25 players each week would be disappointed. They would not get a game at all, slow or fast.
Another answer is to use a two-tee start … which will be the case at Cruden Bay next Wednesday. But not all courses lend themselves to that arrangement.
The basic answer is that players should get their fingers out and play the “old” Alliance way … quickly. I remember in my younger days when I played the North-east Alliance circuit a round took little more, sometimes less, than 3 ½ hours. We’re not talking about 100 years ago, only as far back as the 1960s.
Why has the pace of play dropped so dramatically since then?
Should Ron Menzies consider something really dramatic like banning the marking of a ball on the green unless it is in the way of a player farther from the hole.
Ron and I would like to hear your view. Maybe there is a Solomon out there who has the answer to the problem. E-mail me at colin@scottishgolfview.com and I’ll publish your views on the situation on the website and pass them on to Ron Menzies.

++SCROLL DOWN TO READ A REPORT AND THE SCORES FROM TODAY'S ALLIANCE AT PORTLETHEN.