Sandy Mathewson, the Royal and Ancient captain, has pledged to launch a crusade against slow play during his year in office. His view is that increasingly slow rounds are spoiling the enjoyment of existing players while discouraging others from taking up the game.

"We are not attempting to dictate to people how they should play," he said. "But if every golfer were ready to hit his shot as soon as it was his turn to play, the cumulative effect would be significant."

Mathewson takes the view that part of the problem is that the game is no longer passed down from one generation to the next, whereby the etiquette and speed of play was taught as a matter of family behaviour. Instead, many people are now taking up the game without any prior knowledge, influence or guidance.

Mathewson believes that they learn from watching television, attending tournaments and playing with others, who themselves may not have had the benefit of an experienced golfer's counsel.