Does playing fast improve your score?

[foxhole88]

I know a lot of people that say they score/play better when they walk vs driving a cart. They feel it helps with their tempo and concentration.

I was wondering if a lot of you feel the same way (play/score better) when you play by yourself or with one other person and the course is pretty empty meaning you can get around it very quickly.

Whenever I play by myself or with one of my buddies and we are able to not have to wait on other groups I seem to play better 95% of the time. I feel like I can really get a good rhythm going and keep it up throughout the round.

I played the other day with my buddy and they started us off on #12 and we were flying around the course. We caught people on the last 5 holes and it just so happens that was my worst stretch of holes for the day, but overall I still played very well. (been working on my grip and stance that now allows me to draw or fade the ball off the tee with my 3 wood and this has really allowed me to start putting up very good scores for me.)

Then yesterday I played a round by myself on fairly empty course and shot my best score in 12+ years - 78 on a par 70 course. I played through 3 groups on the back and it just so happens those were the only holes I bogey'd on the back. - probably from rushing chip/putt - at least that's what I like to tell myself.)

Anyway, just wanted to hear if others have similar experiences. I feel like I am truly a rhythm/feel player more than a mechanical swing guy and when I have to wait to hit shots I don't think I play as well. I am better at combating this now than I have been in the past. Now, I stay in the cart and don't even get out until its time to hit. I play music on my cell phone while waiting, catch up on some work emails, etc.

[saevel25]

I play better when i walk, golf carts speed up my golf play and causes me to get out of synch.

Doesn't matter, i have had very good rounds playing a round bymyself or with others.

Doesn't matter to me, i can play good if i am waiting or flying. My golf swing is my golf swing, once i get to my routine its all the same.

[BostonSully]

Last night I played and the course was JAMMED! Of course there were like 4 groups lined up on the first Tee with everyone watching and (this pissses me off about golfers) acting mad and pouty that they are waiting. You know they sit in the cart kinda like eyes rolled back and ask you something like "So when are YOU going?". So, of course I duff my Tee shot into the woods and I never duff my driver anymore. Before we can even walk off the Tee the guys are coming onto it with there drivers and getting ready.

Then they stand there and stare at you as you make your 2nd shot. Of course the 2 groups infront of us now are really freaking slow but these guys are like lining up there approach shots to the green before we can even walk on to make our putts. Why do people have such little respect that they need to be right ontop of the group infront of them like its our fault for existing and delaying there game of golf(even though were held up JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE). So of course everytime these guys drove right up behind us I duff'd my shot and it was just infuriating me.

So we played fast but still sucked. I dont think playing "fast helps" but I def. enjoy and play better with an opencourse infront/behind me I just hate having someone on my ass while I am playing the most.

[chilly]

I definitely play better when playing faster, best rounds have been either solo or as a twosome.

[PooN]

I used to feel this way too. Earlier this season, however, I was a part of the really really REALLY slow group. We had a 1st time golfer (my brother who I was steadily giving advice/encouragement to), an old guy that hadn't played since 20 years and 100lbs ago, and 2 more experienced (read: we play frequently) golfers in the foursome. We had to wait on every hole... between flubbed/lost/wayward shots, walking to the putting green from the cart, putting away clubs, etc. We let 2 groups play through. I started off a little frustrated because I gave all the cues of ready golf and etiquette, but the older guy just had his own pace and there was nothing that was going to change it. He did get very tired (and progressively scored worse) through the round so I chalked it up as an "it is what it is" and luckily we were all just having fun. I shot an 83 without even noticing at a time where my previous (and subsequent) rounds were mostly in the 90's.
Yesterday it was me and a buddy and we were on a course that has a $42 all you can golf after 2:00pm rate, so as you would imagine there are quite a few golfers. We were waiting on every shot on the front 9... I shot a 38 and my buddy shot a 39. We played phenomenal golf even though we were standing over the ball or sitting in the cart for a couple minutes for EACH shot!

I am still a fan of fast golf as I can still tell if I played a good round of golf, but I know I leave more shots behind when things speed up.

[foxhole88]

I agree with having players push you from behind. I play with a few friends that play a little slow at times and I feel myself rushing my routine to make up time for them and don't play as well. Thankfully they do play a little quicker now because I used to break their balls about it. But you still can get paired up with slow players and I never feel comfortable when the group behind us in pushing us. I usually try to get the group to let that group thru if its a 1,2, or 3 some. If it's a foursome but we are keeping up with the group in front of us there isn't anything you can do....(when this is the case, I can relax a little more since I know we aren't slowing things down)

[Leftygolfer]

I would say yes. I play my best when I am either with a good group and don't have to wait, or just one other no waiting. I've played bad golf that had no waiting involved so I am not sure how much it matters. But when it is a 5 hour round since there is a slow group ahead, it is hard to have the mojo going.

For me this game is all about getting in a groove and staying there. Walking helps since your not waiting as much and hitting quality shots really helps.

[oneoverwrx]

I play 100X better when i am moving quickly. My best rounds have came solo this year. My best was a 75 in just over 3hrs. Not the quickest i have ever got a round but pretty swift.

[double_j]

It usually doesn't make a difference for me. Slow play might ruin my enjoyment of the round, but I don't think it really has an impact on my score card. That said, playing quickly does make those bad rounds a little less painful.

I'm a relatively fast player (probably normal paced by the standards of this board) and have had to get used to adjusting to other people's timing, etc. It used to irk me to no end but I've learned to mostly block it out (as long as my playing partners aren't doing anything stupid do slow us down, etc.)

[goblue107501]

I tend to play better when I don't have to wait. I don't need to 'play fast' per se, but just playing at a regular pace and not have to wait. Stuff like when you get off the green you can just go to the tee box and hit. Or even on the shorter par 5s when you don't have to wait for the green to clear. It's the getting to the tee box and seeing a group in the fairway and one on the green that throws me off. Then when you have to do it almost every hole, or worse yet every shot, it really sucks.

I will say that every once in a while, having a short wait once or twice per nine can be good. Sometimes you get to playing so briskly that you never have a chance to take a break and relax for a minute or two. Those waits I don't mind.

[zeg]

Like goblue, it's not about being fast, it's about the group ahead being out of the way when I'm ready. I don't mind a short wait while they clear, but if I'm waiting while they take multiple shots, watching their carts cruising back and forth, and they're obviously oblivious to the fact that they're holding someone up, I start to be affected. I can handle it a hole or two, but it makes it hard to get a groove going. Clearly it's something I need to learn to cope with, since it's out of my control and it's going to be reality if I ever start playing nicer courses than the often-empty places I play now. However, it definitely has an effect.

My last round was really affected by this. The part that was the worst was really the carts scattering back and forth across the fairway like ants scurrying around a log. More than once, I waited while the last person in the fairway within range hit their shot, so I started my pre-shot routine so I could be close enough to them to [hopefully] catch their attention so I could pass, only to have it interrupted when that cart drove off and another drove back toward me into range. Clearly the concept of picking up a club and walking over while your partner drives to her ball never dawned on these people. That was the part that really killed me---it's hard to get into the hitting zone, only to be wrenched out of it and have to restart.

[jc650]

I have played my last 4 rounds under no wait conditions and they have all been very good for me. Ive shot in the 80's all 4 of those rounds. Earlier this season I had the misfortune of playing a busy day when it took almost 5 hours and it was 1 of my worst rounds of the year. I think Im just playing better now and thats the biggest reason but I have a much better frame of mind when I know Ill be done in around 3 hours. Ive read on these threads that some people are out for 5 hours or more. My patience really wears thin when I realize its gonna be more than 4 1/2 hrs.