SLO County Golf, Wine & Real EstateGolf, Wine & Real Estate News and Events Blog
Speeding Up SLO PlayMonday, October 10, 2005I've played a few rounds of golf recently during the week that seemed to crawl. I expect this slow play if I'm playing in Southern California or the Bay Area, but not here on the Central Coast where the courses are usually never busy on weekdays. A round of golf simply should not take five hours to complete, despite what you tell your spouse.Most experts say that a good pace of play not only increases enjoyment of the game, it can actually improve one's game. Standing around on every shot allows the muscles to cool down or limbs to stiffen up. A brisk pace can help keep a golfer loose and ready to play. It's often a combination of little things not done that wind up contributing to slow play and on-course traffic jams. Playing with a brisk pace isn't about rushing your shots, it's about being ready to take your shot when it's your turn, and behaving efficiently on the course. To guage your pace, use the groups ahead of you and behind you. If the group that teed off directly in front of you is pulling away - putting a full hole's distance between them and your group - you need to speed up. If there's no one in front of you holding you up, but you are holding up those behind you, either speed up or allow the trailing group to play through. Here are some tips for making sure your pace of play is as brisk as it should be. Use the Appropriate Tees Choose a set of tees appropriate to your skill level. Playing from the championship set of tees when you're not really good enough to do so only adds strokes and time. Play "Ready Golf" If all else fails, try playing "ready golf," which simply means that order of play is based on who's ready, not who's away. 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. Avoid Mulligans If you're following the rules, you won't be using mulligans. But if are using mulligans, limit them to no more than one mulligan per nine (you should never hit a mulligan if players behind you are waiting - or if you want to later claim that you played by the rules). When in Doubt, Hit a Provisional When you think your shot might have landed out of bounds or be lost, immediately hit a provisional ball. Don't walk ahead to search, only to have to return to the original spot to replay a shot. If you are playing a recreational match with, shall we say, a "loose interpretation" of the rules, then simply drop a new ball somewhere around the area where your ball was lost and keep playing. Proceed Directly to your Ball Each member of a foursome (or any group) should proceed directly to his or her ball. The group should not travel as a pack, going first to one ball, then the next, and so on. Avoid side-trips to the other players' balls on the other side of the fairway. If sharing a cart, don't drive to the first ball, wait for the first player to hit, then head to the second ball. Drop the first player off at his ball, drive on ahead to the second ball. The first player should walk over to the cart as the second player is playing his shot. Prepare for Shots Before You Get There While walking (or riding) to your ball, use the travel time to begin thinking over your next shot - the yardarge, which club you'll use, and so on. Begin preparing before you get to your ball. Instead of walking to your ball and then looking for a yardage marker, look for them on your way to the ball. Carry Three Clubs When using a cart on a cart-path-only day, be sure to take three clubs with you when you walk from the cart to the ball. This way, you won't have to return to the cart if you discover you didn't bring the appropriate club. If you're "about 150" yards away and your cart buddy needs to go look for his ball in the weeds, take your 6-, 7-, and your 8-iron (assuming you hit a 7-iron 150 yards). The wind, the elevation, the lie, and the location of the flagstick may affect your club selection. When you're near the green and your partner is on, grab a few wedges (you never know what kind of lie you'll have in that bunker) and your putter and send him on his way to park the cart at the back of the green. Keep Your Eyes on the Balls When you - or your partners - hits a ball, follow it. Watch it fly, land, bounce, splash, and/or roll to its finishing position. Mark the location with a landmark - a tree, a patch of differently colored grass, or the guy you hit in the next fairway. Knowing the location of the ball to within a few feet is the key to finding your ball quickly, and knowing the location of your partner's (or even your opponent's) ball is key to becoming a good golfing buddy. Limit Your Search for Lost Balls If you do loose a ball, limit your search. If you're not following the rules anyway, don't spend more than a minute searching - or just immediately play your provisional. (If you are playing by the rules, wave through any group behind that is being held up by your search.) Cut the Practice Swings One practice swing is plenty unless you have lots of time. If you must take a lot of practice swings, and you can do so without distracting others, take your practice swings while others in your group are playing their shots. When it's your turn, take one more practice swing at most and then fire away. Park Your Cart or Bag Between the Green and Next Tee Leave your bags or golf carts to the side of the green, and in the direction of the next tee, never in front of the green. Don't Forget Clubs After chipping onto the green, take your wedge with you to your ball and laying it nearby while you putt. Or, at the very least, put your wedge on the back edge of the green near the exit path to the carts. If you putt out first, grab the flagstick and your buddy's wedge so that he doesn't have the chance to forget. Once you're done putting, you'll be able to get off the green quickly. Prepare for Putts While you Wait On the green, begin lining up your putt and reading the break as soon as you reach the green. When it's your turn to putt, be prepared to step right up and take the stroke. In truth, green-reading begins the instant you get within 30 yards or so of the green - check the elevation, slopes, and grain early on and you'll save time when you start to fine-tune the line you've chosen. Fill Your Pockets Carry a few extra tees, ball marks and a spare ball in your pockets so you don't have to return to your golf bag to retrieve them, should you find yourself in need of one. Tend the Flagstick Have some common courtesy, and pull the flagstick when it's ready. If you're the last to chip onto the green or the closest to the pin, assume that it's your job. If it's not your job but you're closest to the pin, pull it anyway. Just make sure nobody really wanted it tended. If you're the first to putt out, grab the pin and be ready to put it in when the last person putts out. Continuous Putting Don't mark your two-foot putt. Just tap it in. Heck, in the day and age of soft cleats, "spike marks" are practically a non-issue (unless you regularly play with former sumo champions), so don't even worry so much about stepping on someone's line. you can do it quickly and without leaving a mark. Just putt out. Get Off The Green When your group has finished putting out, get off the green. Check your scores on the next tee and write them down while others are teeing off. Don't settle bets on the greens, don't give lessons, and don't practice putt if people are waiting to hit on to the green. Get off. Pick Up If you're playing a match that allows you to pick up when you're out of a hole, do so. Your 8 will not help when your partner has two putts for par, and watching you play Army golf is not an enjoyable experience for those behind you. Save Advice for the Range If you're the type who likes to offer tips to playing partners, save it for the driving range - or only do so on the course when you're sure that you're not slowing down play. Play, Then Talk Never hold up play because you're in the middle of a conversation. Put the conversation on hold, take your stroke, then continue the conversation. Call for Snacks Ahead of Time Many golf courses have a phone on the ninth tee. It usually rings the halfway house, where you can place orders. Stop in, grab your food, and get back to the tenth tee. Lollygagging in the halfway house is a sure way to get "jumped" by the group behind you. If you do need to take awhile (bathroom break, etc.), give the guys behind you the chance to play through. Hang Up Get off the cell phone or leave it in the car. Unless it's an emergency (in which case slow play shouldn't be an issue because you should be heading back to the clubhouse), just hang up. Golf courses should institute a local rule whereby it is both legal and in which players are encouraged to hit into any group in which someone is talking on a cell phone. Help Your Fellow Man If you're closest to the pin and your pal's in the sand and barely gets it out onto the putting green, pull the pin and then offer to rake the trap for him. Don't just wait around for him to rake and then putt. Be kind, and the golf gods will be kind to you. |
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