Pace of Play and Checking Yardage

[Billy Z]

10 hours ago, saevel25 said:

1. Find ball
2. Shoot yardage
3. Determine shot
4. Pull Club 
5. Hit shot

For me, shooting yardage + determine shot + pull club takes 10-15 seconds. Then I got into my routine. 

Once I find my ball, steps 1 thru 4 take anywhere from 15 to 25 secs. Also, I am usually waiting for the group ahead to clear, so there's always plenty of time. 

[DeadMan]

One thing that helps me with getting a yardage faster is this product:

https://www.amazon.com/Monument-Golf-1001RD-Magnetic-Rangefinder/dp/B01JTG5J6K/

It's just a magnetic strap that you can put on your rangefinder. It attaches to a cart well, but the great thing for people who like to walk is that it will attach to your clubs as well. Way more convenient than digging through your pouch every time. The magnets work really well, too. Unless you bonk it really hard, it stays attached. Had it for a coupe of years and never lost my rangefinder anywhere.

[darthweasel]

I find a lot of people over-use the yardage thing. It is one thing for the low handicap guy whose wedge goes 94 yards, 96 yards, 95, 95, 95... it legit matters if the flag is at 90 yards or 95. It is completely different for those of us lesser mortals who that wedge goes 95, 80, 104, 93, 88...yardage to back of green, club that goes that far, swing away until we get better with our wedges. No need for a long process with the range finder.

 

I always laugh as I have a regular partner, a good friend, we have played together for years...when he absolutely nukes his drive it goes 180 yards.  We will be on a par 5, pull up to his ball after the tee shot, he will ask "What's the yardage"? I never bother to pull the rangefinder, I will just tell him "longest club you feel comfortable hitting."

When we get within range of the green, I routinely lie to him. If it is 150 to the center, I might tell him 170 or even 180. On a completely unrelated note, except when he thins the smurf out of it, he has never once gone long in that situation. As someone else in the thread pointed out, he doesn't know his actual club distances and as many people do, he overestimates how far he hits.

 

Came up last night. We joined a league together that plays a 2 person scramble. We were 127 yards from the flag to a steep uphill that was at least a 2 club hill. Our competitors were a couple yards behind us. He overheard them discussing being 136 out. He broke out his pitching wedge which as it happens is the club I had in hand. I hit it much, much further than he does. I tried to convince him to use his 6...he finally went with his 8 and came up well short.  All the rangefinding in the world will not help someone who thinks they hit the ball 50 yards further than they do.