Mira Vista Golf Course is billing itself as “the home of the four-hour round,” and marshals have been instructed to enforce measures that ensure a prompt pace of play.
It’s sort of like tough love, said Ed Mate, executive director of the Colorado Golf Association. The CGA operates Mira Vista, a public facility at Lowry.
“When you ask people about playing 18 holes of golf in four hours, everybody says they want that,” Mate said. “But then when you enforce it, you get people upset. That’s OK. We’ll take the heat. We can do things that most course operators don’t dare do.”
Any group lagging behind the four-hour pace at Mira Vista initially will receive a polite warning. If the group remains out of position, a marshal instructs the players to move up to “four- hour tees” that effectively shorten par 4s into par 3s and par 5s into par 4s. The next step is to ask the tardy group to catch up by skipping a hole.
If that doesn’t work, the group will be given rain checks and told return at a time when the course is less crowded.
Only a handful of players have been asked to leave, Mate said. He said he believes the number of golfers attracted to Mira Vista will be greater than those frightened away by the new policy.
“The time it takes to play golf is the biggest problem the game faces,” Mate said. “Our hope is that we plant a seed and other courses follow.”
Out and about
There’s still time to take advantage of “free lesson month” and other programs offered through the PGA of America’s Play Golf America initiative. Dozens of area teaching pros are participating. Visit playgolfamerica.com for details. … Making the list of Golf Magazine’s top 25 golf schools are the Green Valley Ranch-based McGetrick Golf Academy (No. 6), Pueblo’s Craft-Zavichas Golf School (No. 10) and the Dave Pelz Scoring Game Schools (No. 16), with locations at Highlands Ranch Golf Club (June 3-6) and Cordillera (June 27-Aug. 29). … The annual Buick Scramble events have begun locally. Check out buickscramble.com for the schedule.
Footnotes
Not only did Tiger Woods’ record streak of 142 consecutive cuts made come to an end at the Byron Nelson Championship, it marked just the second official missed cut of his 10-year professional career (1997 Bell Classic). … Craig Stadler’s 60 last week in the Blue Angels Classic was the sixth in Champions Tour history. Only one (Isao Aoki in 1997) occurred in the first 22 years of the senior tour, five in the past three-plus years. … Jack Nicklaus’ 19 runner-up finishes in major championships is almost as impressive as his record 18 major victories. … Denver-based swing coach Mike McGetrick will caddie for one of his pupils, Brandt Jobe, this week at the PGA Tour’s Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
