{"id":1010570,"date":"2020-02-11T13:19:13","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T13:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/?p=1010570"},"modified":"2023-07-26T20:00:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:00:10","slug":"how-long-does-a-round-of-golf-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/how-long-does-a-round-of-golf-take","title":{"rendered":"How Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take? (Official Average Times!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Golf is not a timed sport like many others, and so you may be wondering exactly: How long does 18 holes of golf take, and what is an acceptable pace of play?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>As a general rule, it takes about 3.5 hours to play a full round with 2 others. For two players, it\u2019s about 3 hours. If you play alone, you could play as quickly as 2 hours.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But many factors can affect the length of time you are out on the course. In this post, you\u2019ll learn how to estimate your golf time to better understand your game and how to fit it into your life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Long Does a Round of Golf Take? (Official)<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.randa.org\/pace-of-play\/manual\/2-management-practices#2-starting-intervals\" data-lasso-id=\"5002158\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">R&amp;A<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> state in their \u201cPace of Play Manual\u201d that, as a general rule of thumb, the following intervals are reasonable for different-sized groups in golf.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-balls &#8211; 8-minute intervals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three-balls &#8211; 10-minute intervals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Four-balls &#8211; 11 or 12-minute intervals<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that based on their recommended intervals, and if golfers keep to them, we can assume the following about how long is a round of golf:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An 18-hole round for two players should take around 2 hours and 20 minutes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A full round for three players should take 3 hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And for four players, it should take between 3 hours and 18 minutes to 3 hours and 36 minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read Next: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/why-are-there-18-holes-in-golf\" data-lasso-id=\"5002159\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why Are There 18 Holes in Golf?<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n<h2><b>Factors Out of Your Control Affecting 18 Holes of Golf Time<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1010575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/course-length.jpg\" alt=\"course-length\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/course-length.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/course-length-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/course-length-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How long is a game of golf, you say? Well, that depends on many different things. Let\u2019s look in more detail at the varying factors that will play a part in the average time to play 18 golf.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Course Length<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Golf courses<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vary widely in length (Anywhere from 5000 &#8211; 8500 yards). The total<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.golfadvisor.com\/articles\/like-to-play-from-the-tips-check-out-the-10-longest-golf-courses-in-the-world\" data-lasso-id=\"5002161\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">length of the course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the distance from green to tee, and the overall terrain and layout of the course can affect the time of your round.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Course Difficulty<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No two courses are built the same. Some may have longer rough, more bunkers, hazards, and obstacles. Other courses may have blind tee shots, narrower fairways, a lot of elevation throughout the course, and faster greens. Also, the time it takes varies for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/what-is-an-executive-golf-course\" data-lasso-id=\"5002162\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">executive golf courses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> too.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Weather<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, we would all love to play golf in the perfect conditions where it is warm with a gentle breeze, but sadly that just doesn\u2019t happen. If you play most of your golf in an area of the world that experiences all four<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/when-is-golf-season\" data-lasso-id=\"5002163\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seasons<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then at some point throughout the year, you will be contending with the wind, the rain, and everything that comes with it, such as plugged\/lost balls, and less distance.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Player Skill Level<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the golf course is filled with low-handicap players, then, in theory, everyone on the course should work their way around the course in a good time. This is rarely the case, and there is a wide range of golfers on the course at any given time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower handicap<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> players are not going to hit as many balls offline. They will generally hit it further, straighter, and they won\u2019t spend as much time looking for lost balls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beginner and higher handicap golfers will tend to lose more balls, hit more errant tee shots, and take more shots overall because they can\u2019t hit the ball as far. It all adds up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have seen groups of elderly gentlemen working their way around the course at a fantastic pace of play. They may not hit the ball as far, but it\u2019s always straight down the middle, and they know they course like the back of their hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Much Time Do Golf Courses Leave Between Tee Times?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This varies from course to course, but most golf courses leave around 10 minutes between tee times. That can be from seven or eight minutes up to 15 minutes to allow all of the players before you to get ahead on the opening hole.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Factors You Can Control Affecting the Average Time for 18 Holes of Golf<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4457269\" src=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/image2.jpg\" alt=\"how long does 18 holes take\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/image2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/image2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/image2-225x150.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Many People Are Playing?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A three-ball will be faster than a four-ball, a two-ball faster than a three, and if you are playing by yourself, you should be able to get around reasonably.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then there is the case of how many people are playing on the whole course at any given time, as this impacts how long it takes for 18 holes of golf. If you are playing on the weekend, on an extremely famous course, or got caught in the middle of a society day, then the general pace of play will be much slower.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Game You Choose To Play<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stroke play, for example, where every golfer needs to complete every hole to record a valid score, is going to be much slower than if you choose to play matchplay whereby you will receive \u201cgimmes\u201d for shorter putts, or foursomes, where partners take alternate shots all of which save time on your round.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Long Does 18 Holes Take When You\u2019re Playing Alone vs When You\u2019re Playing in a Group?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Playing in a group rather than playing alone can almost double your playing time, depending on the quality of your friends. If you play alone and are rather adept, expect it to take between 2 hours and 2 hours and 30 minutes. If you opt to play in a three-ball or a four-ball, this can take between 3 and 4 hours, depending on the quality of the golfers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Riding in a Golf Cart vs Walking in Golf<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using a golf cart does impact the average round of golf time undeniably if the course is quiet or not used by many golfers. It takes away 10 &#8211; 20 minutes of time that would be spent walking between shots and holes. Though, if it is very busy, the time isn\u2019t much different from if you were walking.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How the Rules Are Helping Speed Up Golf 18 Holes Time<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1010576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-weather.jpg\" alt=\"the-weather\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-weather.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-weather-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/the-weather-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In January 2019, there were some specific rule changes designed to help make play quicker for both professionals and amateurs when looking at how long it takes to play 18 holes of golf:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The time a player can search for their ball was reduced from 5 minutes to 3 minutes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Golfers are now allowed to putt with the flagstick in the hole<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you drop a ball, it can now be dropped from knee height instead of shoulder height. This should minimize the need for further drops or placements<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a ball is plugged, you can now take relief from the rough as well as the fairway<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And finally, there is<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.randa.org\/pace-of-play-manual\/rules\/2-management-practices\/subrules\/5-ready-golf\" data-lasso-id=\"5002165\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018ready golf\u2019<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which suggests that you should play your shot when you are ready, and not have to wait for the golfer furthest from the hole or the golfer who may be looking for their ball<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How You Can Speed Up How Long To Play 18 Holes of Golf<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a few things that you can do to help speed up your round if you are conscious of how long does a golf game last for. The most important thing is to play with common sense:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recording your score on the next tee and not the green you\u2019ve just putted out on<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allowing groups behind you to play through when appropriate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enforce the \u2018ready to play\u2019 rule<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are playing a relaxed game with friends, ensure you give each other a \u2018gimmie\u2019 to save some time putting<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always play a provisional ball if you think you may have lost yours from the tee. Nothing slows down play like that lonely walk back to the tee box to take another shot.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take your time with your shots, but don\u2019t waste too much time on the walk between them<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Final Thoughts on How Long for 18 Holes of Golf?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How long does 18 holes of golf take? The average time is about 3.5 hours if you\u2019re with a couple of friends \u2014 about 30 minutes more or less per person in your group. The governing bodies of the sport have worked out average times, which is a good rule of thumb.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, as any golfer will know, many factors can affect the amount of time you spend on the golf course. Whether it\u2019s the weather, the course difficulty, your skills, and even the group in front of you, the time it takes on a given round could vary widely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you were wondering how long does a game of golf take, hopefully, this has given you some insight as to the varying factors that impact the length of the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is important is that newcomers, all the way up to the professionals on tour, maintain a good pace of play. If we can all reduce how long a golf game takes when we are playing, it will bring with it a huge increase in player satisfaction, and more so than that, it will help increase participation in our wonderful sport.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read More: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/tips-and-guides\/average-golf-score-for-9-holes\" data-lasso-id=\"5002166\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Average Golf Score for 9 Holes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<h2><b>FAQs for How Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take?<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Can You Play 18 Holes of Golf in 2 Hours?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are an experienced golfer with access to a quiet course and golfing solo, then you can complete a round of golf in around two hours. You won\u2019t have much time to admire the scenery and the course, but you will be around in a very good time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take for 4 Players?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With four players, it does depend on the quality of the players, but an average time to play 18 holes of golf would be between 4 and 4.5 hours. The smaller the number of players, the shorter the golf game takes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Long Does It Take to Golf 18 Holes With a Cart?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A golf cart helps get you around a golf course in a shorter time if you play on an empty course. If so, you could take off around 20 minutes of playing time, whereas if you are playing on a busy course, it will be around the usual time to play 18 holes which is 4 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Many Shots Are in 18 Holes of Golf?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The average golf course has a par of around 72, and a lot of professional golfers can expect to play under the par of the course. For the more average golfer, a score of around 90 or under is a solid round.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Golf is not a timed sport like many others, and so you may be wondering exactly: How long does 18 holes of golf take, and what is an acceptable pace of play? As a general rule, it takes about 3.5 hours to play a full round with 2 others. For two players, it\u2019s about 3 hours. If you play alone, you could play as quickly as 2 hours.\u00a0 But many factors can affect the length of time you are out on the course. In this post, you\u2019ll learn how to estimate your golf time to better understand your game and &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"How Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take? (Official Average Times!)\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/how-long-does-a-round-of-golf-take#more-1010570\" aria-label=\"More on How Long Does 18 Holes of Golf Take? (Official Average Times!)\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1010574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1010570"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4645087,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010570\/revisions\/4645087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1010574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1010570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1010570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.golfspan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1010570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}