How to improve the pace of play

Slow play on the golf course is usually a condition that a golfer acquires over time, as he or she acquires bad habits. Or it's the result of the golfer never having been taught proper golf course etiquette. This means a slow golfer can usually be "cured" of his/her malady. Of course, that golfer has to be aware that they’re slow, and that's where playing partners come into play.

As we often take a look at other golfers on the course and notice the things they do to slow down play, so should we take a look at ourselves? When we do take an honest look at ourselves, we often discover we're doing many of the same things to slow down play that we're complaining about others doing.
Before we run down a list of suggestions for speeding up play, it's important to note that many of these tips have nothing to do with rushing your play, but rather with simply being ready to play, and with using common sense and good etiquette on the course.
The bottom line is, as soon as it's your turn to play, you should be ready to step right up and make the stroke.

Slow play = when your group is not keeping up with the pace of play of the group in front of you and your group is delaying golfers behind you.

To prevent slow play:
Walk at a reasonable speed between shots

Begin planning your next shot as you approach the ball by studying the strength and direction of the wind

When you reach your ball, check the lie, select your club, visualise your swing and shot, and then play your shot

From the time you select your club until you actually hit your shot, you should take no more than 30 to 45 seconds

If you aren't ready to play when it is your turn, encourage one of your fellow players to play – practice ‘ready’ golf.

This is the essence of it all

Golfers should always remain aware of where they are on the course.
Is there space opening up in front of them?
Are they are making others wait?
Try to do something about it.

Players should be embarrassed to hold up other players because making people wait too much shows too much concern for your own game and not enough concern for others. Once you have that mindset, you don't actually have to be told how to move faster. Essentially peer pressure keeps everyone moving because they don't want to be the cause of a delay.

Here are some tips for speeding up slow play on the golf course:

When you enter a bunker to play a shot, always take a rake with you. If you don't, you'll spend extra time: 1) leaving the bunker to get the rake (more footprints), 2) returning to the bunker (more footprints) to rake out the footprints, and 3) leaving the bunker again.

Another practice that saves time is that the first player in the hole (even if he holed out from off the green) picks up the flagstick, ready to place it back in the hole after the other members of the group have putted out.

When using a trolley/buggy, never park it in front of the green. Park it only to the side or behind the green in the direction of the next tee.

Don't mark your scorecard while sitting in the buggy or standing next to the green (do it at the next tee). These practices open up the green for the group behind.

If you are searching for a lost ball and are willing to spend a few minutes looking for it, allow the group behind to play through.

On the tee, pay attention to your partners' drives. If they lose sight of their ball, you can help direct them to it and avoid any searching.

When waiting on the tee for the group in front to clear the fairway, don't be so strict about order of play. Let the short hitter - who can't reach the group ahead anyway - go ahead and hit.

Work on building a concise pre-shot routine. If your pre-shot routine is a lengthy one, it's probably in your best interests to shorten it anyway. Limit practice strokes to one or two at the most.

Walk at a good pace between shots. No, you don't have to look like a race-walker. But if your between-shot gait can be described as a "shuffle" or an "amble," you're probably going too slowly. Speeding up your gait a little is both good for your health, but also might help your game by keeping you loose.

Carry extra tees, ball markers and an extra ball in your pockets so you never have to return to your bag to find one when needed.

When chipping around the green, carry both the club you'll be chipping with plus your putter so you don't have to return to the bag.

After teeing off, walk directly to your ball. Members of the group should not travel together as a pack, walking first to one member's ball, then to the next. Each member of the foursome should walk directly to his or her ball.

Use the time you spend getting to your ball to think about the next shot - the yardage, the club selection. When you reach your ball you'll need less time to figure out the shot.

If you are unsure whether your ball has come to rest out of bounds, or may be lost, immediately hit a provisional ball so that you won't have to return to the spot to replay the shot.

Begin reading the green and lining up putts as soon as you reach the green. Don't wait until it's your turn to putt to start the process of reading the green. Do it as soon as you reach the green so that when it's your turn you can step right up and putt.

Remember, none of us are innocent. We may rationalise that each slow play 'sin' only takes a few seconds, but when strung together, those seconds become minutes, those minutes can become hours.

Finally, for anyone who really thinks he or she already plays as quickly as possible, remember the last time you raced a setting sun to the 18th green. I'll bet that in your desire to finish, you picked up the pace while the groups ahead did, too.
There is a lesson in that. Think about it. The fastest golf often takes place half an hour before sunset. Perhaps, if we applied just a fraction of that urgency during the rest of the day, some of us might even get home before dark.

None of the above is new and perhaps from time to time we all need to be reminded how to act on the golf course to make it more enjoyable for all.

YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE.

The Competition’s Committee

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