There is one factor that nobody has mentioned with regard to declining golfcourse revenues - pace of play.

For many years, I frequented Cedar Hill as it was close and affordable. What turned me away were the five-hour rounds on a course I have played in 2.75 hours with two fellas in their early 90s, with one carrying his clubs and the other pulling his on a cart.

We were first off the tee and set a proper pace using the principles of "ready golf," meaning whoever is ready hits first. You would be surprised how quickly a round can be played.

Cedar Hill is the shortest 18-hole course on the south Island and should be played in a maximum of 3.5 hours. On many occasions, and not just at Cedar Hill, I had planned to have a sit-down and a meal after my round, only to be squeezed for time because of the five hours or more I spent on the course.

Olympic View used to have time clocks that were supposed to correspond to a golfer's tee time, giving the golfer a sense of awareness of his or her pace of play. When those disappeared, round times went up significantly.

No course on the Island should take more than 4.5 hours. Solve pace-of play issues and more rounds can be played every day, meaning revenues can only go up.

This is a team effort, everybody - let's all do our part.

Tim Rieberger

Saanich