Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat turned on the style as a seven under par round of 64 earned him the second round lead at DP World Tour Qualifying School – Final Stage.

The 34-year-old carded seven birdies without a blemish on the Lakes Course to reach ten under par, one stroke clear of English duo Ross McGowan and Daniel Brown, as well as Iceland’s Gudmundur Kristjansson.

There are still four rounds of the marathon Final Stage event to play at INFINITUM but Aphibarnat, a four-time DP World Tour winner, is the man who holds a narrow advantage after 36 holes.

“It was a good round, sitting on the top of the leaderboard is always good,” he said. “I just want to go out there and play my own game, enjoy it and not set goals. I’ve been struggling the last two years, not really enjoying golf as I used to, but to come back and play on the DP World Tour made me more comfortable. My game was getting much better. I just want to go out and play golf as I’m supposed to do. I played Asian Tour last week and I was pleased to see some friends. I had a good result, finishing in the top five, and I feel like I’m bringing some confidence into this week. There are still four more days, anything can happen, I’m just trying to play my own game.

Every player in the 156-man field will play two rounds on each of the Lakes and Hills courses at INFINITUM and the Bangkok native found it easier to navigate the Lakes layout due to how he was able to assess the wind.

“On the Hills, especially the front nine, it’s a little tight,” he said. “You’ve got to put the ball in the right spot and yesterday I played and the wind picked up with a lot of gusts.
“It’s quite difficult to read the wind but on the Lakes, it’s wide open. I know the wind is strong but you can tell exactly what the wind is doing. You just have to make sure you hole the putts to get a good score.”

Five players, including English amateur Callan Barrow, share fifth place on eight under par, with a further four players a shot further back in a tie for tenth. Germany’s Nick Bachem, who finished 25th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, posted the low round of the day – and the week so far – with a sublime bogey-free ten under par round of 61 on the Lakes Course.

For the very latest scores from DP World Tour Qualifying School – Final Stage click here. 

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When I first started playing golf, I was a little bit turned off by the huge time commitment that it took to play a full 18 holes. However, I quickly learned that a good alternative is to play 9 holes, especially when you are pressed for time.

If you’re newer to the game of golf, you might be wondering how long it takes to play nine holes. As it turns out, the time depends mostly on you and the other players. 

Here’s a detailed look at the time it takes to play 9 holes of golf.

How Long Does it Typically Take to Play 9 Holes of Golf?

The majority of golfers can play nine holes of golf in about two hours. This makes nine holes a much better option for golfers who cannot commit to a full round of 18 holes. 

It’s a whole lot easier to play nine holes instead of a full round of 18 after work before it gets dark outside.

Factors That Affect Your Pace of Play

There is a whole slew of factors that can affect your pace of play on the golf course. If you are wanting to speed up how fast you play, pay attention to the following factors.

1. Number of Players

One of the biggest factors to how fast you can sneak in nine holes is the number of players in your group. It’s a heck of a lot easier for a twosome to play faster than a typical foursome. 

To that same point, a single player can finish nine holes at an even faster rate. Not all golf courses allow singles, especially if it’s a busy golf course. Most of the time, the pro shop will pair you up with another golfer if you show up alone.

2. Skill Level

Skill level has a huge impact on pace of play. For example, beginners typically spend lots of time searching after wayward tee shots. Searching after a lost ball can eat up a big chunk of time.

On the other hand, more seasoned golfers keep most of their shots in the fairway. This means they spend less time looking for their golf balls.

Also, most poor players struggle on the putting green. It’s not uncommon for beginner-level golfers to need three or four putts to get the ball in the hole. 

Most veteran golfers tend to only need two putts or fewer on the green. This saves them a ton of time throughout a 9 hole round.

3. Walking or Riding

This next factor presents a bit of a dilemma for some golfers. Walking the golf course is great cardiovascular exercise and it burns lots of calories. However, it usually takes more time to play nine holes while walking.

Using a golf cart won’t give you the same type of workout as walking, but it will help you play at a much faster pace. You’ll be able to get to your golf ball much quicker unless the rules that day require you to keep the golf cart on the cart path.

4. Size of the Course

Another factor that affects pace of play is the size of the golf course. A nine-hole course with lots of Par 3s can be played much faster than a nine-hole course with a couple of Par 5s.

Some golfers like to play on executive courses, where all of the holes are short Par 3s. On these types of nine-hole courses, most golfers can finish in an hour to an hour and a half.

Did you know that most Par 3 holes can be played in as little as nine minutes? That is because Par 3s are much shorter than their Par 4 and Par 5 counterparts.

The average golfer plays a Par 4 hole in about 12 minutes. Par 5s are always the longest holes on the golf course so they take the most amount of time to play (18 minutes on average).

5. How Busy is the Golf Course?

The busyness level of the golf course can greatly affect your pace of play. Booking a tee time for nine holes on a random Tuesday afternoon is usually a lot quicker than playing nine holes on a bright and sunny Saturday morning. This is because most golf courses are usually packed with people on the weekends.

When the course is busy, you may have to wait several minutes on each hole before teeing off. Waiting just three minutes on each hole increases your time on the course by nearly half an hour. Patience is a virtue, in life and on the golf course!

6. Course Difficulty

This factor is common sense but a lot of golfers forget about it. A golf course that has lots of water hazards and bunkers is going to take a lot longer to play than an easier course with fewer obstacles.

When a golfer hits a ball into a water hazard, several minutes are wasted. First, the golfer has to make sure his shot is not playable by making sure it went into the water. 

Next, he has to either hit another tee shot or take a drop near the water hazard. You can see how lots of time can go by because of errant shots, especially if a group has more than one inaccurate shot per hole.

Shots into the bunker also tend to slow down the pace of play. It can take a long time to get in and out of a bunker, especially if the golfer takes the necessary time to rake the bunker afterward (which is proper golf etiquette). 

Many golfers also need multiple strokes to get out of a deep bunker, especially if they don’t have a good lie. This also takes up more time.

7. Ready Golf

Another factor that influences pace of play is whether or not the group is playing “ready golf”. Here is a brief explanation of what ready golf is.

Standard golf rules say that the player farthest away from the pin must hit their shot first. However, when playing ready golf, whichever golfer is ready first is free to play their next shot. Ready golf can lessen the time it takes to play nine holes by a considerable amount.

8. Weather Delays

Nothing can cause a delay to your round more than a bad weather delay. While most golf courses will let you play in the rain, any sign of lightning results in a mandatory delay.

Lots of golf courses adhere to the 30/30 rule, which states that any lightning bolt that is followed by thunder in less than 30 seconds poses a safety risk and a delay must be enforced. The rest of the rule states that play cannot be resumed until 30 minutes after a storm has safely passed through the area.

How Long Does 9 Holes Take for 1 Player?

A single player can usually jet through nine holes in 1.5 to 2 hours on an empty golf course with a golf cart. If walking, the pace of play will increase to 2.5 to 2.75 hours. If the golf course is nothing but short Par 3s, these numbers will be severely reduced.

Beginner-level golfers usually need about 2.5 hours to play nine holes, even by themselves. Average players finish nine holes in about 2 hours. Advanced golfers can complete nine holes in around 1.5 hours.

How Long Does 9 Holes Take for 2 Players?

Most twosomes can finish nine holes in 2 hours and 15 minutes if they are using a golf cart. That number increases to about 2 hours and 45 minutes if they decide to walk instead of ride.

It may take a rookie twosome three hours just to play nine holes. Intermediate twosomes can be done in about two hours while advanced twosomes can complete nine holes in 1.5 hours.

How About with 4 Players?

Golf courses prefer to send golfers out in foursomes because they can accommodate more people that way. The pace of play with a foursome is much slower than groups with fewer golfers.

It usually takes a foursome about 2.5 hours to play nine holes if they are all using a golf cart. If all four players are walking, it can take closer to 3 hours.

A foursome of high handicappers can take as long as 3.5 hours to play nine holes. A group of four average golfers can be done with nine holes in around 2.5 hours. Finally, a foursome of single-digit handicappers can complete nine holes in around 2 hours.

Common Pace of Play Rules

1. Let faster groups play through
2. Play ready golf
3. Consider playing Scramble if your group is filled with beginners
4. Don’t spend lots of time looking for a lost golf ball
5. Record your scores at the next tee box instead of while sitting at the green

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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How long does 18 holes of golf take? That is a common question from players contemplating taking up the game. Considering it is longer than an NFL, MLB, or NHL game, some may be hesitant to commit hours to one activity.

Fortunately, in my 28 years playing the game, I have played lightning-fast rounds, while also having some painstakingly slow days.

In this post, I share all of that information with you and detail the average time of a round.

How Long Does it Typically Take to Play 18 Holes of Golf?

In a 2014 report by Golf Digest, the publication explains that the average 18-hole round of golf in the United States takes four hours and seventeen minutes. That data was gathered well before the recent boom in the game’s popularity during the pandemic.

The PGA suggests that a four-ball of golfers should complete a round of eighteen no more than 4 hours and 21 minutes after arriving on the first tee. In essence, this means that four-balls should play a golf hole every 14.5 minutes, while a three-ball is allotted 1 minute less.

The downside to this system is that it gives you the same time to play par 3s, as it does for par 4’s and 5’s. Par 5s are typically 350-yards longer than a par 3, so it makes no sense that you have the same time limit to play both holes.

Factors That Affect Your Pace of Play

Field Capacity

The greatest impact on the pace of play is how many additional players are in the field and the tee time intervals. If you are playing in a tournament with a full field you can expect to wait between shots, which will increase the duration of your rounds.

Conversely, if you fit in a round on weekdays, the field is limited, meaning you should breeze through 18-holes in a couple of hours. I highly recommend choosing a quieter day of the week to play on. Granted, not everyone has this luxury, but it helps you avoid the crowds and speed up your round.

Golf Cart Or Walk

The next factor that impacts the duration of your round is whether you walk or take a cart. A cart travels at 12 to 14 mph, approximately four times faster than a human walks without carrying anything.

Therefore, it means that you can maneuver between shots 3x faster than usual.

Players In Front

Even if the course is relatively quiet, you rely on the players in front of you to maintain their pace. If those ahead of you are slow and spend time looking for balls or dawdling between shots, it will slow you down.

Golfers who are well versed in the etiquette of our game should let you play through if they see they are slowing the field down. However, in my experience, that type of person has no regard for the rules, and you will need to politely ask them if you can play through instead.

Lost Balls

If you or those in your group are having an off day, it will increase your round times. Consistently looking for balls from wayward shots will add to the amount of time your round takes. Faster groups of players tend to possess a superior skill level and spend minimal time seeking out balls compared to beginners.

Weather Conditions

Mother nature can impact the time it takes to play 18-holes in several ways. For starters, if lightning is in the vicinity, you are forced to vacate the golf courses and seek the nearest facilities for shelter. You cannot continue until the officials deem it is safe enough to do so.

Secondly, the weather can impact your accuracy and distance, causing you to spend more time looking for golf balls and playing more shots than usual.

Halfway House

The halfway house is a necessary part of golf for amateurs to refuel after nine and regather themselves for the remaining holes. However, the comfort of a warm room, tasty bacon and egg toasted sandwich, and a cup of coffee, can quickly take your focus off golf. That causes you to overstay your welcome.

Typically speaking, you should never spend longer than ten minutes at the halfway house.

Format

The length of a round of golf depends on the type of format you are playing. For example, match play is a shorter endeavor. If you have no reasonable chance of winning the hole, you can pick up, concede and move to the next tee.

In addition, if you play foursomes, you and your partner play alternate shots, which reduces how many shots your group needs to hit.

Conversely, if you are playing in a stroke play event, your round may take longer because every shot counts. Therefore, you may make a 12 on a hole, increasing the total time of your hole and your round.

On a side note, if there’s a shotgun start, the field tends to flow better, leading to a faster round, with less waiting and happier players.

Time Of Day

If your name is on the tee sheet at the crack of dawn, the chances are that you will skip the crowds and record a pacey round of golf. Conversely, if you only walk onto the first tee box at around midday, you are bound to run into the obstacle of stagnant play. Where possible, tee off earlier and avoid the crowds.

How Long Does 18 Holes Take for 1 Player?

Walking vs Golf Cart

Golf Magazine suggests that the average four-ball should take 3 hours and 27-minutes to complete an entire round of golf. If we divide that amount by four players, it works out to fifty-six minutes and three quarters. As you know, it would take a lot to get through 18-holes in that time frame.

Those calculations fail to account for players in front of you and a stop at halfway house.

Playing behind a slow number of players can cause you to wait two to five minutes per hole, delaying your round by an extra hour at least.

The fastest round I ever played was in 2 hours and 30 minutes, as a single player using a cart. Based on Golf Magazine’s analysis, they reckon that the average player walks 18-holes in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Basically, if you are a one ball on a cart and have faster groups ahead of you, you can get a round of 18-holes in under three hours. However, that also depends on how much time you spend searching for lost balls and how many shots you play.

Conversely, if you decide to walk and carry your clubs, you can expect to finish a round of 18-holes in 3 to 3.5 hours.

Beginner vs Intermediate vs Advance

There are too many external factors that impact a good pace of play before debating if lower handicappers are faster than beginners. For example, scratch golfers could hit all fairways and greens and make every putt. However, if the group ahead holds them up, it adds to the total round time.

We can apply the calculation run by Golf Magazine, which found that the average golfer spends 5 minutes per round looking for lost balls. Therefore, we can assume that an advanced player will spend half or less time looking for lost balls. As a result, they may complete a round of 18 holes in approximately 2.5 hours.

Considering that intermediate and beginner golfers hit more wayward shots, their round will take 4 to 5 minutes more than an advanced player.

How Long Does 9 Holes Take for 2 Players?

Walking vs Golf Cart

My playing partner and I walk every round, and we take 1 hour and 45 minutes to get through 9 holes. When we are driving, that comes down to 1.25 to 1.5 hours.

Beginner vs Intermediate vs Advanced

Super accurate low handicappers on a course with limited hazards can make it through nine holes in an hour if they have a golf cart. However, if they are walking, 2 players can get around in 1.25 to 1.5 hours.

On a good day, beginners and intermediate golfers can get through a round of 9 holes in under 2 hours with a cart. However, if these players are walking, it can take 2.25 to 2.5 hours.

How About with 4 Players?

Walking vs Golf Carts

The average four-ball takes four hours and seventeen minutes to complete their participation in a round of golf. That is if you decide to walk rather than take a cart. However, if you wish to save time before your next shot, a golf buggy will expedite the process.

From my experience, if all 4 players are riding on a cart, you can complete a round in just under 4 holes.

Beginner vs Intermediate vs Advance

An advanced four-ball of golfers can get through a full round of golf in 3.5 to 4 hours if they have a cart. Without wheels, these players will get around in approximately 4 hours.

Intermediate and beginner golfers may take 4 hours and 20 minutes to complete a round without a cart. They can make it around in approximately four hours when operating a vehicle.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Mini golf offers a chance for everyone to have fun. Whether you are a single-figure handicap or have never held a club, anyone can enjoy the obstacles thrown at you on a mini-golf course. Even better is that it doesn’t drag on for hours like 18-holes on a traditional golf course.

This post answers the question of how long does mini golf take. I will explain how long it takes to navigate a 9 or 18-hole course. Plus, I will address the factors that stand to impact the pace of play.

How Long a Typical Game of Mini Golf Takes

9 Holes

It takes 15 to 20-minutes to play the average 9-hole miniature golf course. Naturally, that depends on various factors that I will touch on later on in this post.

18 Holes

Compared to a short 9-hole round, you need to scratch 30 to 45-minutes out of your diary for a complete 18.

Factors That Affect The Pace of Play for Mini Golf

Number Of People

The first factor that impacts playing times is the number of people at the facility. If the course is super busy, you can expect to wait an unprecedented amount of time at each tee. Especially if the group in front are beginners.

Even reservations at peak times won’t spare you from a long day of waiting and frustration. Those with minimal patience should time their visits for off-peak periods. If you are a senior and retired, you can play on weekday mornings.

Size Of Your Group

Aside from the others on the course, the size of your group can increase the length of your round. If you are in a rush, limit the members of your party. However, if you take the whole family for a round of mini-golf, be patient and prepared to wait.

Length Of The Course

Holes of miniature golf courses are short by nature. However, I have played holes of adventure golf that exceeded 70-yards. If you are playing with non-golfers, this is a challenge to judge, and they may take more time than needed to complete the hole.

Difficulty Of The Course

Like the length of a golf course, the difficulty also determines how long you will take to complete a hole. Some players may struggle to rise to the occasion if obstacles such as a watering hole, sand trap, and windmills are present. That can increase the time frame of your round.

Another challenge for the average golfer is stairs and sloped holes, making it difficult to judge the speed. This can waste time and cause frustration.

Skill Level

The skill level of those in your party impacts the amount of time a round of mini-golf takes. Solid players who consistently card the fewest strokes will get around the course rapidly, without crowds of individuals in front. However, less gifted players will take extra time because they need to make more putts to get the ball in the hole.

Strokes

The more strokes it takes to get the ball into the cup, the longer it will take to complete the entire course. Conversely, the fewer putts you require to sink the ball, the faster it will take you to navigate the course. However, if you are playing during peak hours, you will take longer than usual.

How Long Does 9 Holes Take for 2 Players?

If you are a party of 2, you can expect to get around 9-holes of miniature golf in 15 to 20-minutes, provided the course is not packed. If you need to wait on every hole, that can quickly become 35 to 40-minutes.

How Long Does 9 Holes Take for 4 Players?

9-holes of golf on a putt-putt course can take 4 players 25 to 40-minutes to complete. I work on a rate of 20-seconds per shot, even though many players take less time than that. Therefore, if you card a 2 on a par-2, the hole should take 40-seconds to complete.

Should everyone in your group card the same score, the hole will take 2-minutes and 40-seconds to complete. Maintaining that speed will see you soar around in just under 25-minutes.

However, the reality is a different story. Not every golfer in your group may know how to handle a putter, causing them to exceed the stroke limit on a few holes. Some may even fall victim to hazards and incur a stroke penalty or two, further adding to the length of your round.

As I stated before, the total duration of a round depends on the players in front of you.

How Long Does 18 Holes Take for 2 Players?

Continuing with the 20-second shot approach, we deduce that an 18-hole round of mini-golf takes 25-minutes to 50-minutes. From previous experience, I suggest finding a quieter time to visit the course, as a 2-ball. During peak hours, it is crazy golf out there. Droves of humans may hold you up and delay proceedings.

How Long Does 18 Holes Take for 4 Players?

4 hobby golfers can navigate an 18-hole mini-golf course in 45 to 80-minutes. That depends on the skill level of your party and if they know how to navigate putting greens.

You don’t have to know how to play golf to get around a putt-putt course, but it does help. If the golfers in your group are relatively solid with the flat stick, you should fly around an 18-hole course in record time. Provided the crowds are not in attendance.

Related: Read our guide on the 8 best putting drills to enjoy greater success in mini-golf.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Mackenzie Hughes rose above his own consistency to win the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship in a two-hole playoff with a walk-off birdie against Sepp Straka. Hughes gutted out a 69 in regulation that concluded with a nasty up and down at the 72nd hole to get into the playoff, which he punctuated with an early fist pump that proved to be accurate. The victory, Hughes’ second on the Tour, ends a drought of 155 professional starts between wins. 

When I say Hughes rose above his own consistency, here is what I mean: The Canadian is your prototypically average PGA Tour player. He makes a lot of cuts, notches a lot of top 30s and top 40s, but he rarely wins because he rarely has those standard deviation weeks needed to win on the PGA Tour. Interestingly, he had one of those last year when he gained 12 strokes (a borderline winning number at a lot of events) at the RSM Classic but failed to capitalize.

That wasn’t the case this time around. Hughes took advantage of some terrific tee-to-green play (he finished first in the field this week in strokes gained from tee to green) and closed out a victory that had been so elusive. 

“I kept telling myself the whole week that I was going to do it,” Hughes said. “That was the only thing I saw in my mind. Those par saves down the stretch, just trying to will the ball in the hole. I’d say that describes my game a bit is that grit and perseverance. The second one felt harder than the first one, that’s for sure.”

The par saves were pretty incredible. The one on the 72nd hole was difficult, but he had an up and down from a greenside bunker on the first hole of the playoff that was just as delectable.

Hughes almost never finishes outside the top 75 in the FedEx Cup, but just as infrequently finishes in the top 25. He’s just a solid player who rarely tastes victory. There are a lot of those guys on the PGA Tour, but Hughes seems more bent on winning than most. It’s not as taxing to simply exist as an average PGA Tour player, but Hughes should be applauded for doing what so few seem to want to do: putting himself in contention to win and hitting the shots (and putts) to actually pull it off.

The man he defeated, Straka, has now lost two playoffs in his last four PGA Tour starts. He was terrific all week — he shot all four rounds in the 60s — and could be poised for a breakout year. The oily-swinging Austrian looks exactly like somebody who is going to have a career year that culminates in a 3-0-1 record at next year’s Ryder Cup in Rome right before Luke Donald pours his beloved Diet Coke from the Ryder Cup straight into the back of Straka’s throat.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves, though. This was event No. 2 of 47 for the PGA Tour season, and while it lacked the chaotic ending of the first one — when Danny Willett kicked away a winning opportunity to Max Homa — it still provided some good context for the rest of the season. Straka, as a breakout European, and Hughes as somebody who, as some would say given that football season is fully underway, might have that dog in him. Grade (for both): A+

Here are the rest of our grades for the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship.

Mark Hubbard (T5): It was not a Sunday to remember for Hubbard, who was the 54-hole leader. He shot 2-over par in the final round — the only player in the top 12 to shoot over par at all — and couldn’t cash in the healthy lead he built up over the first three days. Hubbard is an especially easy player to root for, and it’s always fun to have him in contention. Unfortunately, he just didn’t have his best stuff when having it would have resulted in his first-ever PGA Tour victory. Grade: A-

Davis Riley (T19): After the first day, I thought we might get a Sam Burns redux, with Riley kick-starting his season with an early win and some whispers about whether he could make next year’s United States Ryder Cup team. Instead, he faded over the last three days with rounds of 71-70-71. Riley struggled immensely off the tee. not normally a weakness of his — and the result was that he let a group of players who were looking up at him after 18 holes overtake him over the final 54. Grade: B

Sam Burns (T30): Burns was the highest-ranked player in the field this week, so his T30 has to be a disappointment — especially coming off a strong Presidents Cup week and at a golf course where he won just a year ago. Burns was awesome off the tee, but he struggled elsewhere and couldn’t find his iron game (he finished second in approach shots a year ago and 49th this week). This says nothing about his long-term ability or what I expect from him this season, but it’s likely not the start to the season he envisioned. Grade: B-

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