Is Your Group Guilty? Common Slow Play Habits And How To Break Them

Few people would admit to being slow golfers and contributing to slow play, but the evidence shows there are plenty out there.

If rounds on any given day are taking four-and-a-half hours plus, then at least one group on the golf course is playing at that pace.

If you find your group never waits to play a shot and is constantly being pressured by those behind, then you might have a pace of play issue. It may not be you personally, it could be the group as a whole.

But, perhaps, you might be part of the problem! Here we take a look at some common slow play habits. If they look all too familiar, don’t fear, we also give you some tips on how to break them.

Not playing ready golf

Fault – Too many groups are not adhering to the recommendation in the R&A guidelines on pace of play that, when playing stroke play, you should use “ready golf.” It’s a good few years since the concept was introduced so most people should understand ready golf by now. But it seems there are still those out there reluctant to employ it. Many golfers still seem to think it's impolite to play out of turn, so they dutifully wait until they are the player furthest from the flag before they take their shot.

Fix – When it’s safe and possible to do so, it’s fine to play out of turn. If you see that a playing partner who is further from the flag isn’t at their ball or isn’t ready to play when you are, just go for it. Playing ready golf can knock tens of minutes off a round. If your group is still waiting patiently to play in the “correct order,” suggest to your regular partners that you make a change. Drop the “honour” system for teeing off. If you’re at the tee first and are ready to go, just tee off. If you have the honour but aren’t ready, tell your playing partner who is to go ahead.

Stopping to chat

Fault – One of the most infuriating sights on the golf course is a group with clear air in front of them standing in a cluster having a chat. If you’re not playing golf at any point when the hole ahead has nobody on it, there’s a problem.

Fix – Obvious really, don’t stop for a chat when the course ahead is clear. There’s so much time to talk on the way around a golf course, there’s no requirement to do it when you should be playing. Talk while you’re walking or driving, not when you should be teeing off! If you see your playing partners stopping for a chat, chivvy them along.

Not hitting a provisional

Fault – You hit one off the tee and don’t see where it ended up. It might be in some bushes… you can’t quite be sure. You just wing it and think, “It will probably be alright.” But when you get to where it ought to be, you can’t find it. You spend three minutes looking around to no avail before having to trudge all the way back to the tee to hit another one. That’s wasting minutes of time.

Fix – If in doubt always hit a provisional. If you think your ball might be lost, declare that your playing a provisional and hit one to where you know you’ll find it. You can hit more than one if necessary. That way, if you don’t find the original in three minutes, you can move over to play the provisional and save yourself some time. Even more time will be saved by hitting a provisional if you think you’ve gone out of bounds. If you have and you can see your original beyond the white stakes, you can go straight to the provisional and waste very little time at all. Encourage playing partners to hit a provisional if there’s any doubt.

Quiz: 10 questions every golfer should know the answer to

Not watching the ball

Fault – One player in the group is driving off while the other three are having a quiet chat to the side of the tee. “Did anyone see that?” says the player on the tee, “I totally lost it.” Unfortunately, as the rest of the group weren’t paying attention, nobody saw it and it could have gone anywhere. That likely means a forlorn three-minute search from one side of the hole to the other. A complete waste of time.

Fix – Always watch your playing partners hit. There’s time to chat or to check the messages on your phone while nobody is playing. If you pay attention to what happens to your playing partners’ balls, you might just see what nobody else did and save quite a bit of time as a result. If you don’t think anyone is watching as you prepare to play, ask them to do so!

Poor bag/cart management

Fault – Time losses can add up if a player or players leave their bag or their cart in the wrong spot up by the green. If it’s left on the right side of the green and the next tee is off to the left side of the green, it will take an extra minute or so to wander in the wrong direction before heading on.

Fix – You should always try to leave your equipment in the right place so you can walk to it and then directly on towards the next tee. If you notice a playing partner is regularly leaving their bag or cart in the wrong spot, politely point that out to them. It could save valuable time and prevent groups behind from tearing their hair out!