If you are new to the game of golf, one of the biggest shocks is the massive time commitment required to play a full round. Unlike a 45-minute spin class or a 90-minute soccer game, golf is an all-day affair.

So, exactly how long does it take to play 18 holes of golf?

The golden rule of thumb for a standard group of four people (a “foursome”) playing an 18-hole public course is 4 hours and 15 minutes.

However, that time can swing drastically based on a few key factors. Here is exactly what affects your “pace of play.”

Factor 1: Are You Walking or Riding?

How you choose to navigate the 4 to 5 miles of the golf course makes a massive difference in time.

• Riding in a Golf Cart: This is the fastest way to play. If you are sharing a motorized cart with a partner, you can zip directly to your ball, hit, and drive to the next shot. A foursome in carts should easily finish 18 holes in under 4 hours.
• Walking the Course: Walking is fantastic exercise, but it is much slower. Even if you are a fast walker, you have to trudge through the rough to find lost balls and drag your clubs up hills. A foursome walking the course usually takes 4.5 to 5 hours.

Factor 2: Your Skill Level

Golf is a game of strokes. The more times you swing the club, the longer the game takes.

If a group of four professional golfers (who shoot a score of 72) plays a round, they only have to hit the ball 288 total times. They rarely lose balls in the woods, so they never have to spend 5 minutes searching through the bushes. They can easily finish a round in 3 hours.

If a group of four beginners (who shoot a score of 120) plays, they have to hit the ball 480 total times. They will also hit dozens of balls into lakes, forests, and tall grass, requiring constant search parties. A group of beginners can easily take 5+ hours to finish 18 holes.

Factor 3: Course Traffic (The “Weekend Squeeze”)

This is the factor completely out of your control. You could be the fastest golfer on the planet, but if the group in front of you is slow, you are going to be slow.

Public golf courses want to make as much money as possible, so they pack “tee times” very tightly on Saturday and Sunday mornings (often just 8 minutes apart). This causes massive traffic jams. It is very common on a busy Saturday to have to wait 10 minutes at every single hole before you are allowed to hit.

A round that takes 3.5 hours on a Tuesday afternoon might take 5.5 hours on a Saturday morning simply because of course traffic.

The 9-Hole Alternative

If spending 5 hours in the sun sounds exhausting, you do not have to play 18 holes!

Almost every golf course offers a 9-hole rate. Playing only the “front 9” or the “back 9” cuts the time commitment exactly in half. A standard 9-hole round for a beginner takes about 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes.

It is highly recommended that true beginners stick to 9-hole rounds for their first few months. It prevents fatigue, keeps the game fun, and doesn’t take up your entire Saturday!