7 Tips To Help You Play Faster... And Keep Other Golfers Happy

Slow play in golf is always a hot topic of conversation. Just recently the LPGA made a stand by updating their pace of play policy, introducing fines and shot penalties. They are the pros, the best of the best, so what about us mere mortals on the course?

Club-level golf has indeed got slower; most weekend golfers don’t expect to see much change from five hours. Growing up playing golf, three and a half hours was always set as the benchmark and if you didn’t achieve that, there would be comments. I would love to see that pace of play make a comeback, so here some suggestions of how to speed up your game.

Take Responsibility

There is a fine line between being an efficient golfer, who is ready to play, or trying to play so fast that you spoil the atmosphere for others by constantly rushing. The good news is that it doesn’t take too much thought to ensure you are doing what you can to maintain a favourable pace of play and your good habits will hopefully rub off on those around you.

A well organised golf bag is a great first step. We have all witnessed people emptying all sorts out of their golf bags just to find a pencil every other hole. Keep the things you know you will need easily to hand. Consider organising your golf bag seasonally. A golf bag packed for winter and bad weather should look different from one packed for summer months. This simple act of taking responsibility for your equipment will have a big impact on your readiness and efficiency of play.

Tech Talk

The last ten years has seen golf go through a huge tech boom and now people are keener than ever to have the best golf range finders, shot trackers, GPS apps, watches, AI enhanced golf trolleys and much more. All this tech can come with the price of slowing down the game while people input data or check recorded data.

While I believe some of the insights that tech can provide are very useful, it can ruin the natural flow and rhythm of a game and potentially hinder people’s ability to be in the moment and cause indecision.

If you have new tech, my advice would be to practice with it first before you inflict your learning curve of using it on others. It’s also worth remembering the danger of how terribly boring you can become if you get too obsessed with your own stats. All too often I see golfers wildly overestimating other people’s interest in their driving averages. Like pictures of your own children, your stats are only interesting to you, so be mindful of that.

Be Ready

Ready golf has been in practice for over 15 years, with The R&A actively promoting its adoption in 2019 as part of a series of rule updates introduced that year. Ready golf is used primarily when playing stroke play and is essentially players going to their own ball and hitting their shot when it is safe to do so. Sounds simple enough, but I still see too many golfers sticking to the old rules of waiting for the player who is the furthest away to hit. When done correctly, playing your shot when ready is such a simple and effective way of maintaining a good pace of play.

Another aspect to be aware of, and there is no fancy way of saying this, but avoid ‘faffing’ - the definition of which is: spending time in an ineffectual way. Faffing before you hit the shot can involve club selection, tech use, too many practice swings and readjusting again and again.

When you watch professional golf, this is all too common even though the Rules of Golf state you have 40 seconds to line up, take a practice swing and then hit your shot. It still doesn’t stop people from having lots of practice swings which, from my years of coaching, does not tend to improve shot outcomes. Having a solid pre-shot routine and being ready to play will not only benefit your golf but will ensure you are doing your bit, to encourage a healthy pace of play.

Flow Of Play

When taking people out on the course for the first time I always incorporate the importance of looking where you are going and leaving your bag or clubs used in the path of where you will be walking next.

We’ve all been there waiting on the fairway, or a par-3 tee box, watching golfers run from one side of the green to the other to collect their bag. It’s frustrating because it is so easily avoided. Think of it like following the flow of a river in the direction you are walking; you never want to have to walk back on yourself or against the flow.

When is it appropriate to let people through? The analogy I use is to think of the course as a motorway. If the group behind you includes less players, or is a faster playing group that is continually waiting, pull over to a safe place and let them play their shots. If you can play your next shot safely while waiting for them to pass, then by all means do, however, if you are also waiting for the group ahead, think of a traffic jam. There is no benefit to any group being let through because there is nowhere to go. When it comes to this issue, common sense goes a long way.

Marking The Card

There is nothing more frustrating than waiting to hit your shot into the green and seeing the players ahead standing next to the green marking their scorecards. Confirm your scores/points while walking off the green towards the next hole and then mark the card when your playing partners are preparing to hit their tee shot. There is a bit of art to getting the timing right as ideally you will be watching your playing partners tee off so you can keep an eye on their ball, as nothing wastes more time than looking for a ball.

Watch And Learn

I always advise golfers who are looking to shave a few shots off their round to watch their playing partners' shots onto the green to see how they bounce and roll. This can give you some real insights into the pace and borrows. If you pass other greens that you will be playing later, have a look at the pin position. These actions will result in you being quicker to make shot decisions.

Putt Out

Don’t rush at the detriment of your own score, but I have witnessed far too many people marking putts that should just be holed out. Marking a ball takes time and can add to the dreaded faff!

For the most part, being allowed to leave the flagstick in when putting has made play on the green quicker, but in some cases, it has added to indecision. Last year I played with a golfer who expected me to remember the length of putts she wanted the flag tended, taken out or left in. Safe to say, it got old real quick! My life off course is hectic enough without having to remember the multiple ways she wanted the flag. The new rules regarding putting work best when you communicate clearly on every green how you want the flag.

I hope these tips provide something for everyone. We can all be guilty of having moments of zoning out and not paying attention to what’s going on but if you take responsibility for what you can control and your own speed of play that can only be a good thing.