Need tips to slow down.

[cbe_golfer]

I have a fairly unusual problem. I cant wait to hit my next shot. If the course is not backed up, I usually finish a round in about 2:45 riding. This week I played a round in 2:30. Mind you, I am not trying to do this. I am trying to slow down but it happens despite me losing two three balls in a round too. Even on a backed up golf course, it seems like it is always my partner's turn to play or we are waiting on the group in front.

I am very sure that it is affecting my score. And I seem to gather speed as I approach the hole too which is making me hit bad approaches, chips and putts.
I do have a pre-shot routine. It is all a kind of blur.
I am curious to hear from people who have overcome this.
Thanks.

[mellojoe]

Question

1. Why do you feel the need to play so fast?
2. What are you thinking about?
3. Are you worried about the player in front / behind you?
4. Are you sweating when you get back in the cart?
5. Are you jogging to your ball?
6. Do you take any practice swings before hitting a ball?

I'm more curious about WHY you are going fast to begin with.

[DavidFehertysBike]

By myself, i can get a round in about 2:45 walking..I dont think thats unusual at all..Only on the putting green ill spend more than 20 seconds behind or over the ball. If i havent hit a tee shot on a weird angle to my target or in the trees, ive usually picked out my shot and target before ive even reached the ball.

[cbe_golfer]

Why do you feel the need to play so fast?
I guess I do everything like that. Fast metabolism . Part of it is that I cant wait to see the result of my shot. Mind you, I can hit them real good and work them both ways. If you saw me hitting my irons on the range, you would think that my handicap is much lower than what it actually is.
What are you thinking about?
Next shot only. I dont fret over my previous fat shot. I kind of know where you are going here. No. Not angry or frustrated. I am a happy golfer.
Are you worried about the player in front / behind you?
No
Are you sweating when you get back in the cart?
No. I never break out into a sweat golfing.
Are you jogging to your ball?
On days with a 90* rule, yes. and jog back to the cart too. cant wait to see my ball again then.
Do you take any practice swings before hitting a ball?
I do. One, sometimes two.

To DavidFeherty...the reason I say unusual is that most of the time after my bad shot during a casual round, if i drop another ball and hit it, it is a good hit. It is not as if I tried to pull a rabbit..I knew the shot..now why cant i do it right the first time?.

[OrlandoGolfBlogger]

Only time I'm fast is when it's time to punish the ball for not going where he was supposed to...

[MunkeyGolfer]

I used to play fast also. What I did find is that I would end up playing irritated because people in front of me were playing slow(at least what I considered slow at the time). I just changed up my routine to take longer. I always play with something to drink and take a drink before leaving the cart. I take a couple practice swings with my legs closed, then one (or two depending on how the one feels) in my golf stance. Address the ball and let it rip. It has slowed me down by a few minutes on each hole.

[mellojoe]

Why do you feel the need to play so fast?

Well, it sounds like you are not stressing yourself out needlessly. My two cents? As long as you are having fun and not killing yourself in the process, go for it.

[JKilgore44]

Take your time on the greens. That's the best advice I can give you. If you feel it necessary to hit your other shots quickly then do so, but when you're on the greens, slow it down and focus. I'm a fast player from the box to the fairways myself. As I am walking up to the box, I have already decided the shot type I want to hit, the wind direction, my current miss that day, where an acceptable miss would end up, how I want to play the hole (conservative or aggressive), etc etc. But when I reach the green, I slow everything down. I take a good long look at my putt from behind, walk around to the back of it and take a good long look, then walk back around and take two practice strokes while looking at the hole, then one more looking at my stroke, then I putt. Sounds like it would take days, but in reality, it takes just long enough to regain all of my focus just before I putt!

The way you describe your style of play reminds me of Brandt Snedeker at the Masters. He would literally walk right up to his ball and hit it. It was like the complete polar opposite of Sergio. There would be times that the announcers wouldn't even have time to comment before he swung, they would be in shock that he'd hit so quickly. You see how well it worked for him (excluding Sunday), so if it works for you then do it.