Slow Play Burn Your Buns?

I once witnessed a group of players become so frustrated with the pace of the group in front of them, that a player deliberately drove his ball into them before they had cleared the proper distance! This is a very dangerous thing to do, but just one example of how slow play
can frustrate those with little patience.

There is numerous things a foursome can do do to keep up their pace of play. Most of the courses here in Florida where I live set tee time at 10 minute intervals, which will allow you approximately 15 minutes for par fours, and 20 minutes for par fives, which will equate to 4-1/2 to 5 hours per round. A simple glance at your watch can tell you if your on pace.

Another surefire method is to simply be aware of the group behind you. Are they waiting on the tee blocks for you to clear the fairway after your second shots? An old adage often used to speed up play is "see it, feel it, hit it", simply meaning to visualize your shot, take a practice swing, and hit the ball. This will eliminate a lot of unnecessary standing over the ball and taking too long to hit your shot.

Eliminate too much time looking for "out of bounds", or lost balls by hitting a "provisional" when you are relatively certain your shot is out of play. In most cases, if your ball sailed 50 yards into the woods, there is not much point in looking for it!

Perhaps the biggest cause of backups I see is on par fives. You will typically see a player who has a 280 or 290 yard shot into the green, standing in the fairway waiting for the group in front to clear the green before hitting. Not too many players I have seen get that kind of distance out of their 3 wood. Know how far you hit your clubs when you catch the ball flush, and you'll be able to safely approach more often.

Read your putts while other player are putting out. A lot of time can be saved by being prepared to putt when it is your turn. If you miss your putt and it is within 18-24" of the cup, go ahead and putt out instead of marking and going through the process a second time.

Be prepared for your round before arriving at the course. Have your clubs cleaned, balls and tees readily available, shoes serviceable, and your arrival at the tees will be smooth and punctual!

Remember, no one has fun if the game is rushed, but if you will follow some of these "speed up" tips, everyone will have all the time they need to execute their shots properly!