Since people are mentioning other sports, for an analytical study on golf's pace of play, see Golf's Pace of Play Bible, by the founder of the three/45 Golf Ass

Since people are mentioning other sports, for an analytical study on golf's pace of play, see Golf's Pace of Play Bible, by the founder of the three/45 Golf Association -- http://www.three45golf.org/?r=no http://www.three45golf.org/?r=no -- and a colleague at Columbia Business School. They found that studies showed that the current slow pace of play is the biggest obstacle to enjoying and growing the game. They analyzed golf's play with business operations analytics, like queueing theory. I thought people liked to play golf to relax, but waiting for others isn't relaxing. It turns out that speeding the game through a few changes improves the experience for everyone -- not just players, but the club as well. They talk about principles everyone can do to improve the pace.