On Pace of Play and Moral Character

Dr. Eleanor Briggs PhD, Senior Ethics and Timing Analyst, GSTPA

 

There is a common belief that slow play is a logistical problem. It is not. It is a moral one.

The golfer who delays a shot is not merely thinking. He is resisting accountability. Each extra waggle, each prolonged inspection of the greens, represents a small refusal to accept that an outcome is imminent.

Players who maintain a steady pace demonstrate a willingness to confront consequences as they arise. Players who do not are attempting, however briefly, to postpone judgment.

This pattern extends beyond the tee box.

Longitudinal observation shows that golfers who play slowly are more likely to describe their rounds as “unfair,” regardless of score. Fast players, by contrast, are more inclined to accept responsibility, even when the result is equally poor.

Time, in golf, functions as an ethical framework.

The longer one waits, the more one hopes the truth will change.

It never does.

 

Dr. Briggs studies the relationship between time, decision-making, and personal responsibility in recreational sport. Her work at the GSTPA focuses on how pacing behaviors on the golf course reveal deeper patterns of avoidance, denial, and misplaced hope.