Tips to Improve Slow Play

[mvmac]

Recently had to deal with some slow play. The slow pace was more due to the players being unaware of their surroundings than taking too many practice swings or standing over the ball for too long. They weren't ready to play when it was their turn and they "hung out" after they hit. I wouldn't consider myself a fast player but I'm always on the move after I hit a shot. Also when someone else is hitting I've already got my club in my hand and starting my routine (except when I have to tee it up).

Have you experienced slow play recently? What could the players have done differently? What are things you try to do to keep the pace of play moving.

[SavvySwede]

Recently had to deal with some slow play. The slow pace was more due to the players being unaware of their surroundings than taking too many practice swings or standing over the ball for too long. They weren't ready to play when it was their turn and they "hung out" after they hit. I wouldn't consider myself a fast player but I'm always on the move after I hit a shot. Also when someone else is hitting I've already got my club in my hand and starting my routine (except when I have to tee it up).

Have you experienced slow play recently? What could the players have done differently? What are things you try to do to keep the pace of play moving.

Well tomorrow is Memorial Day and I am anticipating a potentially slow round. The biggest issues I always see are

1. Somebody in the group hits a bad tee ball and everyone wastes their time helping him search. I never join the search until I've played my second shot and encourage my playing partners to do the same.

2. People don't know how to drive a cart,. Zig-zagging all over instead of dropping their partner off at his ball and going to play their own, parking in bad places, and just general fiddling about.

I just try to set a good example for my partners and make sure I'm the one behind the wheel.

[oregongolfguy]

Play ready golf. I played with a couple people rrcently in a cart. I was walking. If they were ahead of me they drove to my ball, parked and waited for me to walk up. Hit my ball. Then they went to there ball.

[saevel25]

Have you experienced slow play recently? What could the players have done differently? What are things you try to do to keep the pace of play moving.

When my dad an I play we drop each other off at our ball and then one will take the cart to our ball. Usually I drop my dad off, then I go to my ball. Then I'll pick him up. He likes to do this as well because he gets to walk the course a bit as well. Especially if it is with in 100 yards. He'll take his putter with him and just walk up to the green after hitting a pitch shot or wedge shot.

I get golf can be a social event. Don't congregate around one ball and watch. If possible drop a player off with a club, or at minimum the carts should split up to at least one person's ball who is in the cart.

There is enough time to socialize during the round with out the need to sit around not playing golf.

[Mac62]

I'm not one to rush through a round of golf (I like to enjoy the time out there), but I'm very conscious of pace of play and our position on the course relative to other groups.  I'm usually the first person in our group to notice if we're falling behind and urge others to pick up the pace.  Even as a high handicapper, there's no excuse for unnecessarily slow play and it's not hard to keep your place on the course:

1)  Play ready golf.  Don't stand around on the tee box waiting for the guy with honors, who is writing scores down, taking a leak in the bushes, putting his glove back on, etc.  If you're ready, get up there and hit!

2)  Nothing wrong with having a pre-shot routine, but don't make it an arcane ceremony involving throwing grass in the air, plumb-bobbing the fairway, circling your ball three times, taking five practice swings and four deep breaths standing over the ball before you hit.

3)  If you're walking to your ball from a cart, take several clubs with you - whatever you may need for the shot.  Walking clear back to the cart because you don't have the right club is a big time-waster.

4)  If you're using a laser rangefinder/GPS, have it out and ready as you approach your ball.  Don't wait until you're standing over your ball to pull it out of the cart/case and faffle around with it.  Have it ready, give it a quick look and pull the trigger.

5)  On/around the green, play ready golf.  If somebody hits out of a bunker and is still away, other people should putt rather than standing around waiting for him to rake the bunker, gather up his clubs and walk to his ball on the other side of the green.

6) Again on the green - if you don't concede putts/gimmes, finish the putt out rather than marking your 4-inch tap-in for triple bogey.

7) Whoever has putted out should grab the flagstick and have it ready to put back in the cup as soon as the last person is done putting.

8)  Clear the green immediately.  Don't screw around practicing that putt you missed, putting gloves back on, counting your strokes, etc.  And don't sit/stand right off the green writing down your scores - go to the next tee box and do it while somebody else is hitting.

[neophyte]

When I was a beginner, I took 5+ hours to play a round of 18 by myself.  And I rushed and didn't waste time.

When I asked some of the single digit handicap golfers how I could speed up my play.  One asked me if I would like to play 18 with him tomorrow.  I said yes, and when we met up the next day he handed me a bag of balls and said to play them.  He also said when ever I hit a ball in the rough to drop a ball in the fairway and play on.  Don't look for the lost ball.

Reasons:

1.  the course I played had High rough.    I did and we finished 18 holes in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

2.  The course had a lot of difficult bunkers.  The good player told me to limit my strokes in the bunker to one. And to toss the ball onto the edge of the green.

3.  The greens had a lot of elevation and contour.  I was told to try to keep getting closer to the hole with each putt, and to putt out. And to limit my putts to three.

4.  To limit my strokes on each hole to eight.

He also shared that I was playing the men's T and I wasn't long enough to reach the greens in regulation.  And to move up a T until I was good enough to reach the green in regulation.

He also shared that I should avoid playing with other beginners.  He felt that I should play with one better player or by myself until I could keep the ball in play.

[trippelhej]

I see it almost every time i go and play, where i live it comes alot of turists and they are the one that slow down the play.Understandable but still.

A few tips i use.

1. Be ready, think about what club you might use, if it's the wrong club you usually take one less or more.

2. If you slice the ball way out in the woods it's gone.

3. Very short puts is gimmis, worse that tripple bogey pick up.

4. Write the score at next tee and not on the side of the green.

5. Put the bag on the right side of the green.

[nevets88]

Unaware/culture, lack of knowledge. Basically lack of self awareness is the biggest problem Imho. This is a perennial problem and I hate to say it, will never be solved because people are flawed.

[RayG]

All the tips are all well and good for THAT group that is holding everyone else up. I don't care WHAT the people behind them are doing, they have messed it up for everyone. If a group 6 groups ahead are spending their 5 minutes looking for that ball that sliced over the trees at 60 miles an hour and 100 feet in the air, taking 24 practice swings, lining up and standing over a 2 foot putt for a 9 and 25 cents, you could run to your ball and just be standing around for the groups behind them anyway. We play on weekends at midday because of schedule issues and we don't expect a rabbit run around 18 holes. Just keep the line moving, even if it takes 4.5-5 hours. Fine for those who are able to go out at 6am on a Wednesday to play a frantic round in 2 hours to be home for breakfast. OR you can get that first round on a weekend to zoom around as well.

[Mr. Desmond]

Seen:

1. Cell Phones -- Turn off cell phone ringer and don't answer unless emergencies (I'm important syndrome)

2. Not playing ready golf (tour syndrome)

3. Waiting to prepare for a shot (unaware syndrome)

4. Flirting with Cart Girls (high school syndrome)

5. Not playing correct set of tees (ego syndrome)

6. Playing with better player's drivers/clubs when forgiveness is needed (woods syndrome)

7. Players overestimating their ability to "go long" and leaving people waiting. (fantasy syndrome)

[disco111]

Play with this guy..............

[nevets88]

Here's a related example. Short game area, you get 100 balls, practice, retrieve balls, go to range and hit balls. I hit 50 balls into green. Bunch of guys come and hit 50-100 more balls into green. I'm on the phone, not paying attention, they pick up all the balls (including mine) and proceed to leave. I should have been paying attention, but my point is people are not self aware/thinking of others. I would have picked up the number of balls I knocked onto the green. These kids are regulars so they know the SOP. Forget all the itemized points. One overall thought that's not hard to comprehend. Consider others as you do yourself.

[dave s]

The best advice I've received was from my dad:  "Son, you gotta keep up or you can't play."  Pretty simple.  Keep the game moving forward.

Some tips that might be of mention:

1. Put a club away, pull the next one, two ... or THREE.  Approach shot to green misses.  I put away my approach club and pull 1 or possibly 2 wedges AND my putter.  Sometimes I'll walk to the green based on where my partner is with the cart.  I usually get to my ball, assess the situation and am ready to play BEFORE the cart arrives with my bag.

2. Think ahead to your next shot and have a plan.  Play 'ready golf.'  Unless hitting your shot is putting others in danger, hit the damn ball!  Nobody cares if they are 10 yards farther from the green (but in the trees on the OTHER side of the fairway) than you.

3. Have a 'go-to' shot when things aren't going well.  Even if a 7-iron is the only thing working that day, hit it, then hit it again. Keep your game moving forward.

4. My most important tip:  Be considerate of others in your group and of those on the course in general.  Lining up a 2 footer for triple wastes your time, your group's time and wastes the time of everyone else on the course.  Knock it in and move on ... quickly!

dave

[jamo]

If you're ready, swing away. You can be a bit in front of someone if you're way off to the side. Just be aware. Don't bother grinding over short putts. No one cares. Just be courteous and aware. Everything else should come pretty easy.

[Strandly]

Have you experienced slow play recently?

Always.

Got stuck behind a foursome several days ago, all walking.  They'd get to their ball, stand around and chat, take a few practice swings, line it up like it's the Masters and then duff it like the 25 handicappers they were.  Actually, I don't know if they were bad since I was always half asleep on the bench at the tee boxes but even if they were professionals it would have been ridiculous.

Anyway, I teed off on #7 (par 4) when they were walking off the green.  I chipped on and it started raining so I went and stood under a tree to wait since the foursome pulled umbrellas and kept going.  I thought by the time it stopped I'd have a wide open run to the clubhouse.  The rain didn't stop but it died down so after what felt like 15 minutes under the tree I stepped out and resumed playing.  Took my time on the par 3 #8 and get to #9 and they're just walking by the women's tees.  I wanted to strangle these idiots.

I stood under a tree by the tee box watching these guys do the same time wasting routine in the rain and got so annoyed I just grabbed my bag and walked to my car.  2.5 hours for 8 holes.

[Mr. Desmond]

Always.

Got stuck behind a foursome several days ago, all walking.  They'd get to their ball, stand around and chat, take a few practice swings, line it up like it's the Masters and then duff it like the 25 handicappers they were.  Actually, I don't know if they were bad since I was always half asleep on the bench at the tee boxes but even if they were professionals it would have been ridiculous.

Anyway, I teed off on #7 (par 4) when they were walking off the green.  I chipped on and it started raining so I went and stood under a tree to wait since the foursome pulled umbrellas and kept going.  I thought by the time it stopped I'd have a wide open run to the clubhouse.  The rain didn't stop but it died down so after what felt like 15 minutes under the tree I stepped out and resumed playing.  Took my time on the par 3 #8 and get to #9 and they're just walking by the women's tees.  I wanted to strangle these idiots.

I stood under a tree by the tee box watching these guys do the same time wasting routine in the rain and got so annoyed I just grabbed my bag and walked to my car.  2.5 hours for 8 holes.

When that occurs, I just walk/cart ahead, assuming there is room, and go.

[Ernest Jones]

I'd rather be behind a slow group than in a slow group. Nothing is worse than knowing you're holding up the course because the bozos in your group are oblivious. Standing around the green and shooting the shit after holing out, telling stories in the fairway when they should be hitting, politely standing around the tee box waiting for someone to take honours. Drives me batshit, much, much prefer to be behind that group rather than in it. So my "tips" are don't be a bozo and don't ****ing do those things. Thanks, Ernest.

[David in FL]

I'd rather be behind a slow group than in a slow group. Nothing is worse than knowing you're holding up the course because the bozos in your group are oblivious. Standing around the green and shooting the shit after holing out, telling stories in the fairway when they should be hitting, politely standing around the tee box waiting for someone to take honours. Drives me batshit, much, much prefer to be behind that group rather than in it.

So my "tips" are don't be a bozo and don't ****ing do those things.

Thanks,

Ernest.

I couldn't agree more!

Then it's up to me to kick my guys in the ass.