8 Tips to Speed Up Play

[Fourputt]

13 minutes ago, paininthenuts said:

In my short time playing golf I can't help but notice people have been brain washed by the rules of golf, and nobody ever wants to challenge or criticize them. It would be extremely easy to mark off areas where a lost ball means a lost shot, however, if the rough hasn't been cut short enough, and the loss of balls becomes common place, it's unfair that a golfer should lose a shot. I played a course last week where the fairways hadn't been cut for months because of the weather, and the fact the course is built on clay, thus the drainage is poor. My friend and I lost several balls in the middle of the fairway, fortunately we had the common sense to agree that lost balls on the fairway or rough did not constitute a lost point. Of course, this was only a practice game, but surely there should be flexibility in the rules, which in turn would help speed up play. 

There is plenty of flexibility, but it has limits.  Change too much and you no longer have golf.  You have something else that resembles golf, but that's about it.  And I can tell you from my own experience that playing by the rules doesn't not cause slow play.  I've been playing by the rules for 25 years and I'm one of the faster players you'll find.  

There is a difference between knowing the correct procedures and taking the proper action without delay, and standing around debating with your companions because you aren't sure what to do.  Or as Dave said, when your ball heads in a doubtful direction, play a provisional ball.  Then you are ready to go by the rules as soon as you give up the search.  

Using the rules as an excuse for slow play is a cop out.

[Dave2512]

Yep the rules are advantageous if you understand and know how to apply them. Lost balls in the rough are a rare occurrence and typically the problem of the single golfer that loses sight of it in the sun or something.

Where golfers get in a jam with maybe lost balls is the resulting kicking around looking for it. They are desperate to find it because didn't play a provisional now have a dilemma, find it or be that guy and roll back to the tee and aggravate the group behind you. I assume these are the free drop advocates.

[No Mulligans]

At Torrey Pines with narrow fairways and high rough (current conditions), lost balls in play are not uncommon even when you are only 30 feet or so from the center of the fairway.  About one or two lost balls in play per 18 holes for me. Sometimes you have to be right on top of the ball looking straight down to find it.  While looking, I often find someone else's ball.

Torrey Pines could really speed up play by cutting the rough shorter.  However, the rough is one of Torrey's main features.

[Braivo]

1 hour ago, Dave2512 said:

If people would learn how to hit a provisional it's a non-issue.

In my experience the simple act of cutting the rough to a reasonable length can significantly speed up play. Most time is wasted when guys are looking for a ball in the rough that is tough to find. They look longer than if it were in a hazard because the penalty is severe for not finding it and it "should" be able to be found. 

I know my home course mows the rough somewhat short on Fridays so the weekend play speeds up. I always end up playing on Thursdays 

[Fourputt]

1 hour ago, Braivo said:

In my experience the simple act of cutting the rough to a reasonable length can significantly speed up play. Most time is wasted when guys are looking for a ball in the rough that is tough to find. They look longer than if it were in a hazard because the penalty is severe for not finding it and it "should" be able to be found. 

I know my home course mows the rough somewhat short on Fridays so the weekend play speeds up. I always end up playing on Thursdays 

Most busy courses do keep the rough reasonable.  It's the ones that want to have the reputation of being "challenging" that let it grow to unreasonable and unnecessary heights that tend to play slower because of it.  Like the post above that Torrey keeps it longer because it's their "thing".  That's fine, but when they do that, they have to also expect a slower pace, and those who play there should go in with that expectation.

It's surprising how little it takes to make a difference too.  A few years ago, my home course experimented briefly with mowing the second cut just 1/2" deeper than their normal 1.5", and at 2" the bluegrass rough absorbed balls.  You had to almost trip over your ball to find it.  After a month they went back to 1.5" and the play went back to normal.  It still grows 2 to 2.5 inches in places where there is a dip in the ground and the mower just skims a bit higher over the depression, so you still have to watch and make sure that you get a good line on your ball if you leave the fairway.  Most of the time it's no problem to find it.

[Gator Hazard]

1 hour ago, Braivo said:

In my experience the simple act of cutting the rough to a reasonable length can significantly speed up play. Most time is wasted when guys are looking for a ball in the rough that is tough to find. They look longer than if it were in a hazard because the penalty is severe for not finding it and it "should" be able to be found. 

I know my home course mows the rough somewhat short on Fridays so the weekend play speeds up. I always end up playing on Thursdays 

Out here in Florida during the rainy season it becomes challenging on a number of levels.  For one, there are times when the rough is too soft for them to get the mowers in (at least on my home course), and if they did they would wind up stuck in the mud and damaging the course.  So, there are a lot of lost balls between June-Sept.  On top of that, and my favorite, is the case of the magical missing ball when you think you hit it in the fairway; you saw it going in the fairway during flight and all of a sudden your ball is gone.  Mother earth can get so soft it just gobbles your ball up, that doesn't happen often but it did happen several times last year.  

Edited March 4, 2016 by Gator Hazard

[Dave325]

18 hours ago, Dave2512 said:

Yep the rules are advantageous if you understand and know how to apply them. Lost balls in the rough are a rare occurrence and typically the problem of the single golfer that loses sight of it in the sun or something.

Where golfers get in a jam with maybe lost balls is the resulting kicking around looking for it. They are desperate to find it because didn't play a provisional now have a dilemma, find it or be that guy and roll back to the tee and aggravate the group behind you. I assume these are the free drop advocates.

I realized that everyone plays with slight adaptations of the rules.  Over the last 1/2 year, I have been trying to learn and adhere to the USGA rules. However, some of the guys I play with give me grief... As they play by what some call "winter rules" .... Rolling the ball to improve the lie, free drops when lost ball in the fairway. I personally wouldn't walk back to the tee to re-tee (unless it's a tournament).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you drop a ball in the area where the ball was lost and take a stroke and distance penalty? That may help speed the play for those non-tournament rounds. Just thinking... And I'm still learning all the rules. But just thinking that this might speed up play on the busy days.

[Dave2512]

You can do whatever you want. But the time consumption adhering to the rules is spent off the course learning them. 

If i don't see my ball land and bounce or fly into a hazard I play a provisional if it was headed towards an area of uncertainty. I don't see many golfers looking for lost balls in designed area of the hole. If they are it's usually because they are past it. This is common. Ball hits rough stops dead at 200 yards macho man thinks he flew it 260 and his lost ball is 60 yards behind him for the next group to find.,

Typically the lost ball hunters are left or right and the balls flight path and landing was blocked by an obstacle, trees, mounds, native areas etc. if the ball is heading towards trouble and you can't see it land play a provisional. It's quick easy and prevents a desperate search. 

[Dave325]

30 minutes ago, Dave2512 said:

You can do whatever you want. But the time consumption adhering to the rules is spent off the course learning them. 

If i don't see my ball land and bounce or fly into a hazard I play a provisional if it was headed towards an area of uncertainty. I don't see many golfers looking for lost balls in designed area of the hole. If they are it's usually because they are past it. This is common. Ball hits rough stops dead at 200 yards macho man thinks he flew it 260 and his lost ball is 60 yards behind him for the next group to find.,

Typically the lost ball hunters are left or right and the balls flight path and landing was blocked by an obstacle, trees, mounds, native areas etc. if the ball is heading towards trouble and you can't see it land play a provisional. It's quick easy and prevents a desperate search. 

Agreed. The provisional is always the best option in the case of a ball is hit in the hazard or close to an OB. But when a ball is clearly in the fairway and may have plugged out of sight (like in wet conditions that @Gator Hazard mentioned) you might not think to hit a provisional until you get out on the fairway and can't locate your ball. I have some of that in the spring and fall at my home course.

[Fourputt]

1 hour ago, Dave325 said:

Agreed. The provisional is always the best option in the case of a ball is hit in the hazard or close to an OB. But when a ball is clearly in the fairway and may have plugged out of sight (like in wet conditions that @Gator Hazard mentioned) you might not think to hit a provisional until you get out on the fairway and can't locate your ball. I have some of that in the spring and fall at my home course.

The ball is lost, unless it's known or virtually certain that the ball is lost in casual water.  Just soft or muddy turf does not qualify.  It's harsh, but the rules are based on equity, and sometimes that makes them seem unduly penal, but all players in the same situation are treated the same, so that makes them eminently fair.

[Dave2512]

There is always weird anecdotal resistance to the lost ball thing. I've played hundreds of rounds since I started in 2012. Wet fairways, plugged balls, leaves in the fall etc. most of that happens out of handicap season in most areas but not often during the summer. A rare instance of lost ball is not a convincing argument.

My same procedure applies. If I don't see it land and bounce or roll or whatever there may be a question of finding it. In almost every instance I can see where my ball ends up. Rules don't slow play bad decisions slow play be it not playing a provisional or misuse of carts.

We have a unmaintained native areas on something like 16 or 18 holes at my home course. In the summer it gets 3-4' deep. Hit a ball in there and it's rare to find it. Every year I see people kicking through the scrub looking for balls. If I hit it in there, and I do often, I play a provisional. If I hit it in the rough and it lands and rolls towards the native area I play a provisional. It takes 30 seconds to mutter provisional tee it up and hit another. If I find the first ball yay me picking up the provisional takes a couple seconds. It's so simple, and fast, and I want to post a score for handicap.

 

[Dave325]

11 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

The ball is lost, unless it's known or virtually certain that the ball is lost in casual water.  Just soft or muddy turf does not qualify.  It's harsh, but the rules are based on equity, and sometimes that makes them seem unduly penal, but all players in the same situation are treated the same, so that makes them eminently fair.

I agree with the lost part.... So is my only option with a "plugged out of sight ball in the fairway".... To walk back to the tee and re-tee where the next group is probably already walking up to that tee box?

it seems like this would slow play down considerably, where conditions might not be perfect. No other options under this lost ball rule? And, yes.... I enjoy playing by the official rules... But if there is no option, and the USGA wants or cares about slow play, then maybe they might want to consider an option (shrug).

[Dave2512]

18 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

I agree with the lost part.... So is my only option with a "plugged out of sight ball in the fairway".... To walk back to the tee and re-tee where the next group is probably already walking up to that tee box?

it seems like this would slow play down considerably, where conditions might not be perfect. No other options under this lost ball rule? And, yes.... I enjoy playing by the official rules... But if there is no option, and the USGA wants or cares about slow play, then maybe they might want to consider an option (shrug).

How often do you hit a ball in the fairway and not see it bound away from the landing spot forwards, almost never. It's such a rare occurrence debating the rules for how to deal with it is futile.

[Fourputt]

36 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

I agree with the lost part.... So is my only option with a "plugged out of sight ball in the fairway".... To walk back to the tee and re-tee where the next group is probably already walking up to that tee box?

it seems like this would slow play down considerably, where conditions might not be perfect. No other options under this lost ball rule? And, yes.... I enjoy playing by the official rules... But if there is no option, and the USGA wants or cares about slow play, then maybe they might want to consider an option (shrug).

Like Dave2512 says, if conditions are such that you suspect that this might happen, and you see your ball land with no apparent bounce or roll, then you should play a provisional ball.  That way you can still play by the rules, even on a busy course.  Out here in Colorado this is such a rare occurrence that I don't think I've seen it ever, not in 40 years of play.  I've found my drive just a foot or so from its pitch mark, but never embedded.  I have had short iron approach shots embed in the fringe or in the fairway short of the green, but never lost a ball because of that.  

Even under so called "winter rules" (the rules prefer the phrase "preferred lies local rule") a lost ball is still lost, even if you are certain that it's in the middle of the fairway.

[Lihu]

On 3/3/2016 at 11:35 AM, Scotsclaff said:

Yes,all great points,our group abides by all of them.

The slow people tend to doddle a bit, aside from the fact that it takes them 3 or more shots to get to a par 4 green. So, I'm adding a 9th tip, read and understand LSW to help reduce the number of strokes it takes to get to any green.

 

Quote

If there are any Koreans on here,take heed!!

I'm just a fraction insulted by this.

So, yes, I have played in many groups with Koreans and as far as I can tell there is no real difference in the pace of play based upon nationality.

It's all about experience level and when people started playing. More experienced golfers tend to play very efficiently. Younger players tend to be more efficient because they started learning to play at a younger age and have competed. Simply put, it just takes them less strokes to get close to the greens.

[bubble]

if your playing around the green take the putter with you. Obviously you are playing to end up putting wy go back and forth to get the obvious material needed for the next shot ?

 

in france this is a 2 minute loss per hole and per person with old timers walking slow and missing shots because unable to prepare the putt walking back and forth o get the putter they obviously were going to play on the next shot after a chip pitch/bunker shot.

[Dave2512]

Cart and club mismanagement is a huge problem.

[gregsandiego]

On 3/4/2016 at 9:34 PM, Rip62 said:

I like all 8 but I would add don't spend all day looking for lost balls. You'd think balls were $10 a piece the way some guys will waste time looking for balls they are never going to buy. 

Agreed and that should be in the top 3. I bring a ton of balls and don't like to look for more than 1 minute.

It's funny though how you can lose balls that were "right in the middle".

Same as you'll find some balls that seem out in the wide open...