What’s the quickest way round the golf course?

Slow play can turn what should be an enjoyable round of golf into a painful experience that ruins your weekend. We’ve all endured unenjoyable five-hour slogs where everybody in front seems to be determined to make their round last a lifetime and wished there was another way. So what if we told you that there is a way a fourball can get round 18 holes in three hours, without rushing?

That’s the promise made by the GolfBoard. Unveiled at last year’s PGA Merchandise Show, where it picked up the ‘Best New Product’ award, GolfBoards have since been introduced to over 100 courses in America, with 300 more expecting delivery in the next few months. Eight UK courses have also got on board, so we visited one of them – Essendon Country Club in Hertfordshire – to put them to the test. 

Our fourball of testers – amateurs with handicaps ranging from scratch to 14 – played the same nine-hole stretch three times: once walking, once in buggies, and once on GolfBoards. We timed each round, tracked their scores, and interviewed the four golfers to find out how each mode of transport affected their performance and enjoyment of the round.