For a complete list of articles in this series, click here or click the Pace of Play menu item on the right hand side of the page.
We’ve talked about the Pace of Play Policy, Gap Times, Card Swiping and Tips for catching the group in front of you.
I’d like to show you a case in point with regard to the sudden impact a widened gap can have on the groups which follow.

Group Tee Time Finish Time Round Time Gap from group ahead
11:00 15:00 3:55
11:08 15:07 3:54 0:07
11:16 15:15 3:54 0:08
11:24 15:30 4:01 0:15
11:32 15:37 4:00 0:07 First 7 groups off this tee all played
11:40 15:46 4:01 0:09 within 4:10 all kept within acceptable
11:48 15:51 3:58 0:05 playing gap with group in front
11:56 16:19 4:18 0:28 This group was 28mins behind group
12:04 16:31 4:22 0:10 in front. The groups which followed
12:12 16:40 4:23 0:09 all suffered delay but managed to keep
12:20 16:47 4:22 0:07 up with the group in front of them
12:28 16:56 4:23 0:09
12:36 17:06 4:25 0:10

As you can see, the 11:56 (8th) group was the primary cause of a slower than possible round for the groups which followed it. The following groups may not have realised the cause of their slow round and it’s a moot point whether they too would have been inherently slow. But they managed to stay in their correct position in the field.
It’s also worth noting that group 4 had a gap time of 15 minutes. Had their round time been in excess of 4:10, they may have received a slow play letter. But since their play was within the policy guidelines and since they did not cause delay to the rest of the field, their pace was deemed acceptable.

This is actual data taken from the 1st Tee of a Wednesday Stableford competition this year (2013). It is not staged in anyway. Group number 8, here, did receive a slow play letter.
Next up… the impact of last minute tee time switching….
Always swipe your card as soon after your round as possible.

Refer to the mPace Manager help website for details on the operation of the software