Pace of play.

[Sliceomatic]

I have been reading a lot about pace of play, one thing I noticed is everyone is in a rush.  My sonand I play quite a bit, he normally shoots a 120. With everyone being in such a rush how is it possible for new players to learn the game?

[trackster]

The response that most people will give you is that "practice" should be done on the putting/chipping green and range.  That way when you go to play you are "ready" to play.  I am actually a little opposite of what you described.  When I first started I was speed, speed, speed. I played 18 walking in under 2 hours when I started.  I have since, taken a little more time in my game.  If your son shoots a 120, he might want to try a little more practice before he tackles 18 hole courses.

On another note I saw the fastest golfer on the planet today.  My friend and I let him play through on hole 3 (after we had hit our drives) and by the time we were putting out on 3 he was starting hole 6.  I bet he did the front 9 in about a half hour, if not less.

[rustyredcab]

New players should not rush. That is not the same as playing slowly. When I taught my son to play, I taught him to be ready, be courteous, and play when it was his turn. When he could only hit the ball 150 yards, there was no reason for him to labor over each shot on a par 5. Grab the club you are comfortable hitting and hit it until you are close to the green. When he could bang a 3-wood 230 but rarely control it, there was no money is him trying to hit the green from 230 just because he could if he hit the shot of his life. Play to score and your pace will be fine. If you still can not hit a straight 5 foot putt, don't spend a lot of time reading a 40 footer from every direction. Enjoy the game. Don't slow people down. But you need not rush.

Same thing applies to your son if he's 30 and just learning the game. Be in the right place to play when it is your turn. Make good decisions. Have fun.

[allin]

New players should not rush. That is not the same as playing slowly. When I taught my son to play, I taught him to be ready, be courteous, and play when it was his turn. When he could only hit the ball 150 yards, there was no reason for him to labor over each shot on a par 5. Grab the club you are comfortable hitting and hit it until you are close to the green. When he could bang a 3-wood 230 but rarely control it, there was no money is him trying to hit the green from 230 just because he could if he hit the shot of his life. Play to score and your pace will be fine. If you still can not hit a straight 5 foot putt, don't spend a lot of time reading a 40 footer from every direction. Enjoy the game. Don't slow people down. But you need not rush. Same thing applies to your son if he's 30 and just learning the game. Be in the right place to play when it is your turn. Make good decisions. Have fun.

This covers most of it. Most slow play problems IMHO come from people waiting until it's their turn to think about what club,to hit, target, distance etc. Read your putt before it's your turn to putt etc. The other thing is unless looking for a lost ball keeping your butt welded to the cart seat is a huge time waster.

[Sliceomatic]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

New players should not rush. That is not the same as playing slowly. When I taught my son to play, I taught him to be ready, be courteous, and play when it was his turn. When he could only hit the ball 150 yards, there was no reason for him to labor over each shot on a par 5. Grab the club you are comfortable hitting and hit it until you are close to the green. When he could bang a 3-wood 230 but rarely control it, there was no money is him trying to hit the green from 230 just because he could if he hit the shot of his life. Play to score and your pace will be fine. If you still can not hit a straight 5 foot putt, don't spend a lot of time reading a 40 footer from every direction. Enjoy the game. Don't slow people down. But you need not rush.

Same thing applies to your son if he's 30 and just learning the game. Be in the right place to play when it is your turn. Make good decisions. Have fun.

Exactly,  My son is 12, he hits the ball straight, but not that far, we play ready golf, half the time he's running to his ball. We let people play through, but people are people and some of them are rude.

[meenman]

Originally Posted by Sliceomatic

Exactly,  My son is 12, he hits the ball straight, but not that far, we play ready golf, half the time he's running to his ball.      We let people play through, but people are people and some of them are rude.

Part of the reason he shoots 120s is he feels rushed.

Try to get him out on the course during slower times - like some newbies, he may struggle when he feels like he has an audience.