How To Speed Up Your Pace of Play

A good pace of play is an important element in having a good experience at the golf course. It's often a combination of little things not done that wind up contributing to slow play and on-course traffic jams. Here are some tips for making sure your pace of play is as brisk as it should be. Remember: pace of play isn't about rushing your shots; it's about being ready to take your shot when it's your turn, and behaving efficiently on the course.

Here's How:

1. Choose a set of tees appropriate to your skill level. Playing from the championship set of tees when you're not really good enough to do so only adds strokes and time.

2. Each member of a foursome (or any group) should proceed directly to his or her ball. The group should not travel as a pack, going to first to one ball, then the next, and so on.

3. While walking (or riding) to your ball, use the travel time to begin thinking over your next shot - the yardage, which club you'll use, and so on. Begin preparing before you get to your ball.

4. If sharing a cart, don't drive to the first ball, wait for the first player to hit, then head to the second ball. Drop the first player off at his ball, drive on ahead to the second ball. The first player should walk over to the cart as the second player is playing his shot.

5. When using a cart on a cart-path-only day, be sure to take a couple of clubs with you when you walk from the cart to the ball. This way, you won't have to return to the cart if you discover you didn't bring the appropriate club.

6. Carry a few extra tees, ball marks and a spare ball in your pockets so you don't have to return to your golf bag to retrieve them, should you find yourself in need of one.

7. When you think your shot might have landed out of bounds or be lost, immediately hit a provisional ball. Don 't walk ahead to search, only to have to return to the original spot to replay a shot.

8. Limit your search for lost balls. If you're not following the rules anyway, don't spend more than a minute searching - or just immediately play your provisional. (If you are playing by the rules, wave through any group behind that is being held up by your search.)

9. 9 Never hold up play because you're in the middle of a conversation. Put the conversation on hold, take your stroke, and then continue the conversation.

10. 10. On the green, begin lining up your putt and reading the break as soon as you reach the green. When it's your turn to putt, be prepared to step right up and take the stroke.

11. 11. Leave your bags or golf carts to the side of the green, and in the direction of the next tee, never in front of the green.

12. 12. Never stand on or next to the green after holing out in order to write down your score. Write it down when you reach the next tee.

13. 13. If all else fails, try playing "ready golf," which simply means that order of play is based on who’s ready, not who's away.

Tips:

1. Most experts say that a good pace of play not only increases enjoyment of the game, it can actually improve one's game. Standing around on every shot allows the muscles to cool down or limbs to stiffen up. A brisk pace can help keep a golfer loose and ready to play.

Pace of play can be boiled down to two simple phrases: be prepared and be ready to play.

Use the groups ahead of you and behind you to gauge your pace. If the group that teed off directly in front of you is pulling away - putting a full hole's distance between them and your group - you need to speed up. If there's no one in front of you holding you up, but you are holding up those behind you, either speed up or allow the trailing group to play through.

Play Ready Golf

The Rules of Ready Golf

If every person in a four ball could play each hole just 25 seconds quicker, then we will reduce the time to play each round by half an hour.

Ready Golf means BEING READY to play…. not playing when you're ready. Here are some simple tips to speed up play.

On The Tee

The player with the honour should be READY to play first. If you have the honour, mark your scorecard after you’ve played your tee shot not before. If the player with the honour isn't ready, then someone else should go first. If you’re not sure if your ball can be easily found after a wayward tee shot … declare and play a provisional ball.

On The Fairway

Players should be ready to play as soon as it is their turn to do so. Al l players should walk to their ball as soon as possible. Walk down the sides of the fairway to reach your ball, determine your club selection while waiting, and then move towards the centre to your ball. You can usually get close enough to your ball and get ready to play the shot, while players behind you can still make their shots. While waiting, players can survey the shot, select the club and if necessary, take required practice swings. Al l this CAN be done without distraction to fellow competitors and speeds up play considerably.

Helping To Find Lost Balls

It is important that everyone try to help out to find a lost ball in order to keep play moving. But players should do it AFTER hitting their shots, not BEFORE.
Please use common sense. The player who is closest to the pin and scheduled to hit last should be the first to help the player whose ball is lost, while the players who are farthest away from the pin should play their shots first. When the players farthest away have played their shots, they should resume looking for the lost ball, while the players who are closest should get ready to play their shots. In this way, slow play is not compounded because of a lost ball.

Entering And Leaving the Greens

ALWAYS, leave your clubs at the back or side of the Green closest to the next tee. If a shot is played in front of the Green first, the player should move his or her clubs to the back or side of the Green before playing the next shot.

Speeding Up Play On The Greens

Playing Ready Golf around the Greens means getting READY to putt BEFORE it is your turn! Players should line up their putts WHILE other players are putting, so they're ready to putt when it's their turn.

Ready Golf also means putting continuously if the ball is not in someone else's line, and if the player does not have to spend a lot of time surveying the putt. If you miss a putt by one or two feet, for example, and have an open stance to make the next putt, you should go ahead and putt out instead of marking the ball and waiting for another turn. Of course, if it’s a tricky putt and you want extra time to survey it, mark the ball but survey your next putt while someone else takes his or her turn.

The 20 Second Rule of Thumb – Try it!

If you prepare properly, Players should be able to get off their putt within 20 seconds from when it is their turn. This means you should be able to approach the ball, take your stance and make your putt within 20 seconds. Obviously, you can only do this if you SURVEY the putt WHILE other players are putting. When you putt, you should always take your time, so you make a smooth, unhurried stroke. Ready Golf DOES NOT mean RUSHING. If you prepare in advance to putt, you can take your time AND play Ready Golf.

Farthest From The Hole

There is no reason Ready Golfers can't play in the order of who is farthest from the hole. In Ready Golf, the person farthest from the hole should be READY to play first. There are, however, a few common sense exceptions.
For example, if someone hits a shot, but is still farthest from the hole, players should hit BEFORE that player if they are Ready. If someone is off the Green in a bunker and hits it furthest from the hole, the other players should not wait for that player to walk around the green to play the next shot. Play should continue until that player is READY to make the next shot.

Summary

Ready Golf means BEING READY to play…. not playing when you're ready. Here are some simple reminders.

1. Walk to your ball as soon as possible, so that you can choose your club and think about the shot in ADVANCE, do not wait until it’s your turn to begin this process..

2. When a ball is lost, hit your shot FIRST and then go help look for the lost ball.

3. Walk down the SIDES of the fairway to reach your ball and then APPROACH it from the side. NEVER play in a caravan, moving in a group from ball to ball.

4. When on the Green, line up your putt BEFORE it is your turn, and putt out short putts immediately instead of marking, if you are not on someone else's line.

Ready Golf DOES NOT mean RUSHING. If you prepare in advance, you can take your time AND play Ready Golf.

If every person in a four ball could play each hole just 25 seconds quicker, then we will make up half an hour for each round.