What does a golf marshal do?
A marshal, or ranger, keeps play moving and makes the round better for everyone on the course. At many clubs it is a volunteer member doing a few hours a week; at others it is a paid job, often combined with the starter. Here is what the role usually involves, how to tell which group is causing a queue, what to say and when to call the clubhouse. There is a pocket card to print at the bottom.
The role
There is no single job description. The R&A calls marshals one of the most effective ways to keep a good pace, and clubs' own role sheets tend to list the same things.
- Be visible on the course, especially where queues tend to form.
- Keep play moving and ask groups that have lost ground to let others through.
- Spot-check green fees and compare groups with the tee sheet.
- Remind players about etiquette and safety, including for greenkeepers working on the course.
- Answer questions and help, for example with local rules.
- Tell the clubhouse when something needs attention.
The marshal is the club's face on the course, not a security guard. Ranger, course host or starter: if that is what your club calls the role, it is the same job.
Which group should you talk to?
The group waiting on the tee is rarely the cause. It has caught up.
The cause is usually further ahead: the group with an empty hole in front of it and groups waiting behind. Talking to the groups that wait does not help, and they are the ones who are already frustrated.
The R&A puts it like this: a group is out of position when it is behind time par and has also lost touch with the group in front, by 15 minutes or more in the R&A's example. A group that is late because it is stuck behind a slow group is not out of position.
1.Start where the queue is
Drive or walk forward, hole by hole, towards the groups that are playing.
2.Look for the empty hole
A group with clear space ahead and groups waiting behind is the one that has lost ground.
3.Watch for a while first
Are they searching for a ball, is someone hurt, are they beginners? In one of the R&A's examples, the marshal follows the group for a hole before saying anything.
4.Talk to that group
Not to the ones waiting behind. They mostly want to know that someone has seen the queue.
The conversation, step by step
The R&A's Pace of Play Manual calls marshals one of the most effective ways to keep pace, and prefers friendly encouragement to stern warnings. It reproduces the St Andrews Links method in seven steps, summarised here.
1.Check
When did the group tee off, and how far behind time par is it?
2.Observe
Look at the groups in front and behind. Where is the gap?
3.Review
Has the group lost more since the last hole, or caught up?
4.React
Go forward in good time, before the queue has grown back down the course.
5.Encourage
Start friendly and say why: there is a clear hole in front and groups waiting behind.
6.Chase
Come back after a hole or two and see if it helped. If not, be clearer.
7.Thank
Thank the group once it has caught up. It makes the next conversation easier.
Things you can say
- Hi! How's the round going? There's a clear hole in front of you now, so if you let the group behind through on the next tee, it'll be quicker for everyone.
- We're trying to keep the field together today. Could you keep up with the group in front for the next few holes?
- Looking for a ball? Feel free to wave the group behind through while you search.
- Thanks for letting them through. It's flowing better now.
More players than booked, or no booking
Marshals often spot-check groups against the tee sheet. A group with more players than booked, or one that is not on the sheet at all, is a reason to ask, never proof against anyone. There is often a simple explanation, such as a late change or a player who paid in an app.
A club has no police powers, as the Swedish Golf Federation points out. It can ask a player to show that they are entitled to play, and if its rules allow, charge a fee or turn the player away. Be friendly, ask, and call the clubhouse rather than taking on a conflict yourself.
With TeeGuard on your phone
When a group loses pace or a queue grows, the marshal gets an alert in the web app on their phone: which hole, how many minutes behind, since when, and a suggestion for what to do. When a sensor goes quiet that shows too, so you know where the picture is incomplete.
The alert opens in the web app, so there is nothing to install. The service looks for people, never for faces, and cannot tell who anyone is.
Data does not replace the marshal. It gets the marshal to the right hole in time.
The pocket card
Print it and keep it in the buggy or your back pocket.
Marshal's pocket card
Before the shift
- Check today's tee sheet: competitions, large groups, tight intervals.
- Bring the course's time par table.
- Save the clubhouse number in your phone.
- Find out where the greenkeepers are working today.
During the shift
- Start where the queue is and look ahead for the empty hole.
- Watch for a hole before saying anything.
- Start friendly and say why.
- Come back and see if it helped. Say thank you.
- More players than booked or no booking: ask, and call the clubhouse if needed.
After the shift
- Note which holes were busy, and when.
- Tell the clubhouse what you did and what worked.
Questions from marshals
Do I need to install an app?
No. Alerts open in the web app, in your phone's browser. Everyone logs in with their own account.
What do I do if someone gets angry?
Stay calm and friendly, and end the conversation if it is going nowhere. You do not need to win the argument. Tell the clubhouse afterwards.
Should I talk to the group that is waiting?
Say hello and tell them you have seen the queue. The conversation about pace is with the group further ahead, the one with a clear hole in front of it.
How do I know the time par on our course?
Ask the club. If it does not have one, it can work one out with the calculator on the round time page.
See TeeGuard on your own course
Book a demo. We come out to you and demonstrate the system on site. Together we look at your needs and discuss what TeeGuard means for your club.