TIPS TO SPEED UP PLAY


The ideas that follow can best be interpreted as ways you can be more efficient in your golf. While the ball may go awry from time to time and require looking for it, there are some things that can and should be done to reduce the time required for a round. Please help out!

Ready Golf: A good discussion of what is meant by "Ready Golf" has been posted to this site. Click here to read through the document and acquaint yourself with the principles. Many of the ideas below are based on practicing Ready Golf.
  1. Play ready golf; it is not required to use honors as the basis for the order of hitting, putting, etc.

  2. Club covers: Leave them off or if they are important to you, hold on to your club and drive to your partner's ball before putting the cover on your club.

  3. If balls are on opposite sides of the fairway and about the same distance away from the green, it is okay to hit the balls at the same time.

  4. Take practice swings while waiting. When it's your turn on the tee or in the fairway, limit practice swings to a maximum of one.

  5. Two players in the same bunker -- the first one to get out gets the rake and smooths the sand. (Assumes rakes are available.)

  6. Putting: The first one to putt out grabs the flagstick and waits to put it back in. Also, begin lining up your putt as soon as you reach the green so when it's your turn you can step right up and putt. (Assumes we are allowed to touch the flag stick.)

  7. If falling behind, the first 2 players to finish the hold leave and drive to the next hole.

  8. Dave Pelz Rule: Always replace one club with another. For example, keep the putter in your hand while driving to the next tee, and then replace it with the driver. Keep the driver in your hand until you pull out your approach club and so on.

  9. Always park your cart on the side or back of the green, never in front of the green.

  10. Carry an extra ball, a ball marker and tees in your pocket so you never have to return to your bag to find one when it is needed.

  11. Mark your scorecard after reaching the next tee.

  12. On a cart path only hole, take more than one club with you when you walk to the ball from your cart.

  13. Drive your cart to the first ball, drop off the first player with his/her club, and then drive to your ball. After the first player hits, he/she should befin walking towards the cart as the second player is hitting his/her ball.

  14. Beverage cart approaching? Play your shot first and then order your food or drink.

  15. You should concentrate on the people in front of you, not on the people behind you.  If something has delayed you, let the group behind play through and then stay up with them.

  16. Help spot balls for other players if they seem to consistently lose sight of their shots or simply cannot see well.

  17. Sometimes a foursome may fall significantly behind the group in front of them and a course marshal will direct them to skip a hole. If that does occur, upon finishing the current hole, the foursome should skip the next hole and record an "X" for each player. The tournament scorer will give each player a score on that hole that results in a net bogey.

    18. ETIQUETTE

    Etiquette does not reflect one’s score but rather how others perceive you on the course and eventually, how willing others will be to play with you. It boils down to respecting the golfers you’re playing with and those who are playing ahead or behind you. Be on your best behavior on the course and strive not to upset or offend your fellow golfers.
    1. Be considerate of other players by not moving, talking or making unnecessary noise when someone is about to swing or putt.

    2. Do not stand directly behind the ball, directly behind the hole, or on a player’s line, when a player is about to swing or putt.

    3. Don’t walk on another player’s line on the green.

    4. Lay the flag down where it will not be in a player’s line of putt.

    5. If you use a suction cup or other pick up device on your putter, or if your putter head fits inside the hole, be careful not to damage the cup edges when retrieving your ball.

    6. Replace divots and add sand if needed, or fill the divot with sand mix – but don’t build a sand castle – just make sure the sand is level with the surrounding grass.

    7. Rake traps and knock sand off your shoes; replace the rake properly when leaving the bunker.

    8. Fix all ball marks on the green.

Updated 2/04/21