The slow play in golf is one of the reasons why golf is losing players.

Being on a golf course for 4 ½ hours or more is unbearable! You end up spending half of the day in the activity.

When I started playing, the other players taught me some guidelines to follow in order to play faster, but I never saw the results.

On rare occasions, a round would be completed without delay and in less than 4 hours. The problem: Nobody follows the guidelines!  

In my experience, the moments where the most time is lost is on the tee-offs and on the greens.

Because of distraction, talking, or long routines before hitting, players waste much time.

I can understand that the players need a routine and need time to concentrate before taking a hit. I do that; I need that. But the routine and the time taken to concentrate have to be limited. 

Some players think that they are playing a major tournament!

Golfers need to find a good pace to make the game more enjoyable; it’s not necessary to be in a hurry.

The USGA is looking for a way to help in this matter. The new rules included some pointing in this direction. If you want to read them, you can click here.

Based on my experience, here are recommendations to play faster:

– Find your pace. You don’t need to run or be in a hurry all the way. Maintain the pace through the entire course and you will enjoy the game more.

– Be on time for the tee-off and ready to start. Prepare the ball, glove, club, etc.

– Think about how you are going to play your next shot and don’t wait to be on the shot for that.

– When using a cart, take 2 or 3 clubs with you and walk to your ball. 

– Have a short pre-shot routine. My best rounds in golf have happened when I managed to concentrate in such a way that I didn’t have to think much about the shot and managed to keep my routine short.

The routine is important because it helps you to concentrate, but please, don’t be one of the golfers who believe that they are playing a PGA championship!

If your routine is too long and it doesn’t work, change it!

– Let the player who is ready play first! Forget the rule/etiquette that has the one who made the lowest score go first or the one that is farthest from the flag, etc.. 

– Don’t waste too much time calculating shots. Avoid walking back and forth to calculate the distance.

– Play a provisional ball if you don’t know if your ball went out of bounds or if you are not going to find it.

Avoid having to walk back to hit again, it’s preferable to place another ball where the original ball supposedly fell and take the penalty points.

– Do not talk just before the shots.

– On the green, the player who is ready plays first. Please don’t study the putt too much!

– Putt with the flag in the hole and help other players when you can. 

– Fill the scorecard on the next hole.

– Put the cell phone off.

Please, if you have more ideas or advice on how to play fast share it!