Fighting Slow Play
Hopefully you’ll get at least one round in this holiday weekend, but know going in that you won’t be alone. Hundreds of thousands of golfers will crowd the tee boxes and practice greens, and many will be the type that doesn’t play very often or know proper etiquette. So fight slow play by brushing up on your “ready golf” rules and make sure everyone in your foursome follows suit!
- Play from the proper tees – Don’t feel like your forced to match your mates’ and tee off from the tips. If your game is rusty or you just can’t keep up, there’s no shame in saving seconds and strokes by moving up.
- Don’t stick together – Each golfer should head straight for their own ball. Nothing gets this Caveman’s goat more than watching the group ahead of me move like a cluster from ball to ball! It’s easier to stay separated if you’re walking, but not impossible in a cart. Just drive the cart to the first ball and drop off the first player with his choice of clubs. The second player should proceed in the cart to his ball. After the first player hits his stroke, he should begin walking toward the cart as the second golfer is playing.
- Think ahead – You should start thinking about your next shot before you’re standing over the ball. As you’re walking or riding up to it, begin estimating distances and know what club you’re likely to hit. Once you’re there you can look at the lie and other factors to make minor adjustments.
- Leave the lost balls – No one likes losing a golf ball, but PLEASE keep your search & rescue operations as streamlined as possible! If you can, hit a second ball for back up or agree to allow for drops in the area near where your ball was lost. See if you can find it, sure, but don’t delay a full five minutes for every missing Maxfli.
Tell us your tips for fighting slow play by adding a comment below, or browse through these and many more at About.com.
~Scratch
When the rough is up and you are in or near it, always hit a provisional. Saves the long walk back to the tee.
Someone may have referenced this, but a well regarded study in GOLF MAG a few years back showed that if a foursome of 20-something handicappers were ready to hit each of their shots just five seconds sooner than normal, they would save THIRTY MINUTES PER ROUND (as would everyone behind them!!)
Not too difficult. Take those practice swings and do your pre-shot routine while the others in your group are hitting or preparing to hit.
BE READY TO HIT as soon as it’s your turn and it becomes EASY and routine to save those five seconds per shot.
30 minutes boys and girls.
Public or private tracks, getting those weekend rounds down to 4 hours or less would be a welcome treat!!
Captain Hook
Max score on a hole. Triple booger.
Decide ahead of time
to. Only allow a max score of triple bogey. If you are laying 7 ona par 4 pick it uponly
SLOW! SLOW! That is the most discourgaging thing about most golf. A suggestion for the players who are going to shoot high numbers. Make your 7th shot always the shot that goes in the hole. Once you get to 7 move to the next hole.
Don’t watch the pro golfers on TV. Those examples are not ones to follow. In the United Kingdom of England the average round is 3 and one-half hours. Most golfers walk or use pull carts. Why do we take so long to play.