Play Faster

[Mr3Putt]

Since everyone most folks on this board despise slow play, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to post some of YOUR favorite tips to avoid the 6 hour rounds.

Here's a couple of mine.....

1. Forget the honor system . Unless it's a serious match, whoever is ready should hit the ball. I hate when people are 300 yards on the other side of the course waiting to hit because they are 10 feet closer to the hole.

2. When riding in a cart, put your greenside clubs back in the bag at the next tee. I hate when two guys are struggling to find the holes in the bag where their wedges go while another group waits for them to clear the landing zone. How tough is it to drive to the next tee box, clubs in hand and swap out your putter for your driver? (this tip alone can save oodles of time)

3. Minimize Practice swings . Please take most of them before your turn if possible. Personally, unless it's a feel type shot, I think the 10X practice swing guy is wasting his time and wearing himself out!

4. WATCH YOUR BALL . And for that matter, keep an eye on your cartmates ball too.

5. Cart buddies, drop off the other guy when possible so you are each ready to hit when it's your turn. Walking a little bit won't kill you!

Those are just a few of my favorites.

What are some of yours?

[Bump-n-MI]

2 words... READY GOLF (it really is that simple).

[iacas]

Here's a simple one: walk briskly (not fast, just don't dawdle) between shots. If you're 30 or 45 degrees to the side of your buddy, you can get to your ball even if you're 80 yards ahead of him. Take the time you need hitting your shot, then make up (or gain) time walking to your ball.

So just that: walk briskly. It'll give you more time to assess your shot and take any practice swings.

Some people walk so slowly that even if our drives are side by side I'll beat them to the ball by 75+ yards. Ridiculous!

More here: http://thesandtrap.com/site_news/slo...week_2k7_recap

[Carolinahooker]

This all comes back the the stogy world of golf. You have A LOT of people out there that think you HAVE to go in order of furthest from the hole no matter what. Almost every course has the local rule of "play ready golf". That means that by rule you are SUPPOSE to go "out of turn" if it speeds up play.

One rule that I think just flat out needs changing is order of play around the greens. It makes no since to take a flag out so I can put from 30 feet away and then put it back in so another guy can chip from 20 feet.

I recently watched a round table discussion with a group of executives of golf courses. They said, far and away, the worst problem in golf is slow play. They stated the top reason that people quit membership or don't come back to their course is pace of play.

With all that said, you would think they would get serious about enforcing it.

[Fourputt]

  iacas said:

Here's a simple one: walk briskly (not fast, just don't dawdle) between shots. If you're 30 or 45 degrees to the side of your buddy, you can get to your ball even if you're 80 yards ahead of him. Take the time you need hitting your shot, then make up (or gain) time walking to your ball.

I've noticed this in particular with the younger guys these days. It's like they learned to walk by strolling around the mall, so they figure that's right for the course too. We get a lot of high school teams practicing on the course on weekday afternoons and they all just stroll up the fairway, usually in a tight group and don't start to fan out until they get to the first ball. We get a lot of senior play on weekdays too, and the seniors who walk are exponentially faster than the kids are.

I even asked one of the coaches once why the kids are so slow, and he said he wasn't aware that they were. I said that 2:45 for 9 holes was generally considered unacceptable. He said he'd bring it up with them. He then said that he is just a 2 or 3 times a year golfer himself... he only coaches the golf team because nobody else wanted the job, so he took it for the little bit of extra money that he gets for it. He's actually just a history teacher.

[David in FL]

Ready golf.

Have a sense of urgency.

Be ready to putt when it's your turn on the green.

After your first putt, finish rather than mark.

If you're riding, bring several clubs with you. I never walk up to a greenside chip without at least all 3 wedges, an 8 iron and my putter.

If your ball is lost, let it go.....it didn't want to play with you badly enough in the first place.

Pick up and move on when you're out of the hole.

[Fat Slice]

These are all things I do. Let me add:

- Start thinking of your next shot as soon as possible.

- If you use a rangefinder, have it out and ready.

- Putt out after a miss if you have a short putt and your playing partners agree.

- Take all the clubs with you off the cart that you may need so you don't have to go back and forth.

- If appropriate and a time-saver, grab your short game stuff and walk it up and let your partner take the cart up.

- On cart-path-only days or holes, try and hit the ball near the cart parth (just kidding...mostly...well, if it's just as good of a place to land, then, sure!)

- Park behind the green for a fast get-away after finishing the hole.

[msd3075]

After playing a 5 and a half hour round a few weeks ago behind a bunch of duffers, here are a few of my observations:

1) Talk to each other while walking between shots, not in between tee shots or putts.

2) Mark your score down on the next tee box, not while standing on the green after you just put the pin back in the hole.

3) If you are in the trees, don't take 5 minutes to change clubs multiple times and contemplate every opening if EVERY FREAKING TIME you are going to just end up hitting a tree 3 feet in front of you.

4) When your putt goes within 3 feet of the hole, don't mark your ball. Putt out and finish up.

5) Don't stop to get a sandwich after you hit your tee shot when there are people waiting on the teebox directly behind you.

6) Basically, don't be an a$$hole.

[Fat Slice]

^ To add to that....call ahead if you are going to get food at the turn so that it's ready when you get there.

[Chief Broom]

  Fat Slice said:

- Putt out after a miss if you have a short putt and your playing partners agree.

It's my understanding that the rules of golf allow that once a player begins putting (meaning that is the guy who is away from the hole on the green) they have the honors to finish putting into the hole even if their subsequent putt no longer leaves them away. It is at the player's discretion whether or not they continue to putt out or relinquish the honors to another player (who now is away) so that they can take more time to access their line to the hole.

Not that this is specifically germain to this discussion per se, but that this is a point most people don't seem to know regarding putting.

[HSip]

Lots of good ideas here. Seems like a slow round should be hard to come by - NOT. Maybe we need more golf courses!

[Leftygolfer]

I agree about most things said. Walk quickly, be ready to hit, don't screw around. When I play after the last person tees off, I am gone. I want to get to my ball. I don't take any time over the ball, I don't talk too much. I am there to play golf and not socialize.

But I disagree about putting out from within 3 feet. For me, this is something I work hard on and I think it is critical to be able to make these. I play quick except on the green. But if I was a 20 or a 30, I would hurry because it took me 6 shots to get on the green. I think too many people are impatient on the greens. I am sorry, but if I have a 2 and half footer for par I am going to give myself the best chance at making it by lining it up and taking my time. You can not play cometitively and not be very good at them and that doesn't mean you just have to bang them in. I know I can play with 4 walking and be done in 4 hours and still go through my routine on every putt outside of 2 feet.

[msd3075]

  Leftygolfer said:

But I disagree about putting out from within 3 feet. For me, this is something I work hard on and I think it is critical to be able to make these. I play quick except on the green. But if I was a 20 or a 30, I would hurry because it took me 6 shots to get on the green. I think too many people are impatient on the greens. I am sorry, but if I have a 2 and half footer for par I am going to give myself the best chance at making it by lining it up and taking my time. You can not play cometitively and not be very good at them and that doesn't mean you just have to bang them in. I know I can play with 4 walking and be done in 4 hours and still go through my routine on every putt outside of 2 feet.

By putting out 3 footers, I meant that you shouldn't just walk up, mark it, and then go off into lala-land until it's your turn again.

Take all the time you want, but do it efficiently. Having a routine means you are efficient. Most people aren't.

[Leftygolfer]

Agreed. I don't screw around but I do take my time. There is a difference. My friends give me s**t about taking my putting so seriously but I usually beat them by 10 shots. My belief is that this is the one place on the course that I little time can really pay off.

Here is my routine after I have decided the line I think is best for the speed I want to hit it.

Line up line, remove coin.
squat down, make sure lie is exactly the line I want this put to start on.
get up beside, one or two practice strokes.
Step in, line up putter, one look
Gone.

[PiKapp23]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned that I find helps is develop your pre-shot routine and keep it as simple as possible. For full shots I pick my line step up beside ball, take one practice swing then address ball and go. Practice this routine at range or when playing practice rounds and this will help make your routine faster. Do the same for putting - develop and practice it then when you play it will help you speed up because there is less thinking involved. But always remember to keep it simple and efficient. A good consistent routine will also probably improve scores (which also can help make you play faster).

And whatever routine you develop do not make it like JB Holmes with several practice swing (including several partial and full swings). 1-2 practice swings should be good enough.

[colin007]

  Fourputt said:

he only coaches the golf team because nobody else wanted the job, so he took it for the little bit of extra money that he gets for it. He's actually just a history teacher.

as a teacher myself, this seems pretty condescending, IMHO being a history teacher is much more important to society than being a golf coach. someone needed to take the job, so he did. it seems like he is learning just as much as the kids might be.

(and i dont pay attention to capitalization and some other grammar rules when i type online. i dont care what people may think of that either. JMHO.)

[opie]

  msd3075 said:

3) If you are in the trees, don't take 5 minutes to change clubs multiple times and contemplate every opening if EVERY FREAKING TIME you are going to just end up hitting a tree 3 feet in front of you.

lol... that one made me laugh

[goblue107501]

One thing I run into here playing cart-only courses and if it has rained you end up as cart path only. If you have a pretty good idea of how far you are away, take the club you think you will hit and the one above and below. That way, you should be covered if the distance is not what you thought. Another idea in this situation is if you feel confident that you can get up around the green go ahead and take your putter and any chipping clubs you might need and let the other guy move the cart up, you can just walk up as others are playing. There have been quite a few time when I have been on the opposite side of the cart path and just taken my whole bag with me to save the time of walking back and fourth.

One thing I always try and do when I know I will be last to hit on a hole is to get my yardage and club selection figured out while everyone else is hitting. That way when I get to my ball, all I have to do is pull the trigger. I can't stand it when there are three guys standing around one person's ball waiting for them to hit. Then they go to the other and wait for them to hit. When I get to the fariway, I locate my ball and figure out what I want to do (as long as I am not in the way) so I am ready when it is my turn to play.