The R&A’s Pace of Play manual gives guidance on letting groups through to help with slow play. It says that if a group is delaying a group behind, they should let the faster group through so it can play at the pace it's capable of.
The guidelines go on to say that “if a number of groups on the course are playing slowly, playing through does not always achieve its objective, but it remains good etiquette.”
The suggestion there is that, even if the group behind is going to walk straight into the back of another group, it’s still correct golfing behaviour to let a potentially faster group play through.
But, if you’re in a four-ball capable of playing quickly and you’re stuck behind slow moving traffic, should you still then allow a two-ball to play through even if you’re uncertain whether they will actually play faster than you?
It’s a conundrum and there are arguments for and against. Here they are below...
Yes
As The R&A guidelines suggest, it is always correct etiquette for a slower moving group to let a faster moving group through, regardless of how busy the course is ahead. A four-ball is almost always going to be slower than a two-ball, so the four-ball should make way.
It will take your four-ball a matter of minutes to step aside and let the twosome come through, particularly if the “let through” happens at the right time, on the tee of a par-3 for instance, after the four has just teed off.
The four-ball’s round will be 10 minutes longer than it would otherwise have been but that’s small change when you consider the full length of a round. And the two-ball will get a great deal more benefit from your generosity than you will lose.
They may be able to make their way through a number of groups ahead of you (even when the course is full) and shave a significant chunk off what would otherwise have been a very slow and frustrating round.
Even if you are being held up as a four-ball, you owe it to the two-ball to let them have a go at making their way through the field. The four-ball ahead of you wouldn’t let another four pass, but they might be more inclined to let a twosome make progress.
Another good reason for the four-ball to let the two-ball go is to relieve the pressure for the larger group. Having a fast-moving two-ball on your heels isn’t pleasant. To see them standing with hands on hips or joining you at the tee before you’ve started walking makes for an uncomfortable few hours.
Let them past and keep everybody happy.
No
If the course is absolutely full, there’s simply no point in letting groups through. It actually slows down the overall pace of play through the course of a day.
If, as a four-ball, you decide to let a two-ball past you will create a concertina effect that will hamper all the groups further behind. You will have to wait an extra 10 minutes (or more) as the two-ball clears the hole you are on, by which time, the group behind them will have caught up and will find themselves waiting, that will impact all the groups for the rest of the day.
If you are keeping up with the pace of play and you can see the course is packed all the way to the 18th, there’s no advantage to be gained by adhering strictly to some sort of perceived etiquette - it isn't in The Rules! You will likely let the two-ball through and they will find themselves straight up behind the next four-ball. They might well not let the two through and then the whole exercise is pointless.
And where do you draw the line? What if there are six two-balls directly behind you? Do you spend the entire round on a permanent let through mission? If you do that you won’t enjoy your day on the links one bit.
And how do you know that each of those two-balls is in fact capable of playing at a faster pace than you. It could be that the two-ball behind you comprises one complete beginner and the world’s worst golfing procrastinator. They were barely staying on your coat-tails, now you’ve promoted them and you have to watch them messing about for the next 15 holes.
If the course is full and you haven’t lost ground, just keep playing. For the sake of all those behind, for the rest of the day, the right thing to do is keep up and keep moving.
