Pace of Play on the Golf Course

It’s Not a Race. It's Not a Leisurely Stroll Either

Black Bear Ridge Golf Resort, Corbyville, Ontario, No. 8 Green (photo supplied by BBRGR)

If you are a recreational golfer playing 18 holes with friends, the last thing you want to do is create a traffic jam on the golf course.

I get a chuckle when I chat with a friend and ask him about his round, “Was it busy out there today?”, and his response would sometimes be, “Just behind us”. We would both chuckle because we knew that was a dead giveaway for someone playing too slow.

At most recreational golf courses, if you are playing in a foursome, it should take anywhere from 4 to 4.5 hours to complete 18 holes of golf.

No need to race like a speed demon to keep a good pace on the course. The secret? Use your time wisely. Strike that balance between giving each shot the time and attention it deserves and moving down the fairways at a steady pace.

Eight Tips to Help You Maintain a Good Pace of Play on the Golf Course

# 1 Be Ready to Go

If you have a 9:00 AM tee time, be ready to go at least fifteen minutes early. When it is your time to hit, have your club, ball, and tee in hand and ready to go. Don’t be the guy who comes flying into the parking lot when his three playing partners are standing on the No. 1 tee waiting for him to get ready.

# 2 Limit Practice Swings

It is always good to practice at the driving range. During the game, don’t stand over every shot, and take four or five practice swings. One, maybe two is fine. Any more than that you are wasting everyone’s time and holding things up.

# 3 Pick a Club, Any Club

You hit a great drive and you don’t want to waste your second shot by misjudging the distance to the hole. You shoot the pin with your rangefinder, 123 yards to the pin. You question that distance. You get your playing partner to double-check the yardage with his rangefinder and he confirms the yardage at 123 yards.

The wind is in your face, then left to right, then behind you. Your 9 iron and pitching wedge are in and out of your bag two times.

You finally settled on which club to hit. By now your three playing partners and the four golfers standing on the tee behind you are watching eagerly.

You now have way too much shit swimming around in your head. You swing (or was that a flail?) and chunk the ball. It rolls forward 20 yards. You sigh, your playing partners sigh, the four golfers on the tee blocks behind you all sigh, and everyone takes a deep breath in hopes the whole process is not about to repeat itself.

# 4 Swift Ball Searches

It used to be that golfers were allowed five minutes to search for a lost ball. To speed up the pace of play, USGA Rule 18.2 now reads that the time to search for a lost ball has been reduced to three minutes.

I have friends who are like bloodhounds when it comes to finding lost balls. Thank goodness for that. When I hit a wayward shot, I tend to not look at where it goes as carefully as I should. I want to get that shot out of my head as soon as possible, starting with when it is still flying out of bounds. As balls get more expensive each year, I am getting better at tracking them though.

Sometimes, while searching for your lost ball you find three or four other balls. Always look at the bright side. Loose one ball, find three. The downside is that you still lost a stroke. If you didn’t hit a provisional tee shot, drop a ball close to where you thought your original ball went out of bounds and carry on.

# 5 Be Prompt on the Greens

As soon as everyone gets their balls on or next to the green, determine who is away (who shoots first). Whosever ball is farthest from the hole is usually up first, no matter whether their ball is on or off the green. You can be at the back of the green with a front pin that is 20 feet away and your buddy is pin-high on the fringe, 10 feet from the pin. You are up first.

There is no penalty stroke if you hit your ball out of turn. It is more of an etiquette thing. Lots of time if a ball is in gimmie range, that golfer will tap it in to get out of the way, leaving you more time to line up that twenty-footer.

Also, if a player is not ready to hit, the golfer next in line to hit should ask if he can go ahead to keep the pace of play moving. This is referred to as “ready golf”.

# 6 Limit Distractions

There is nothing worse than playing with a golfer who is constantly on their phone during play. Ideally, cell phones should be put on silent mode and used for emergencies only.

Right up there with ringing cell phones are fellow golfers who want to constantly talk throughout the round.

I love hearing a good story on the tee blocks as we wait for the golfers ahead of us to play out of range, but once the coast is clear to hit, the chatter should stop so that we can all hit our tee shots.

# 7 Efficient Cart Usage

The driver of the golf cart can be very instrumental in maintaining a good pace of play. If you are the driver and you hit your ball down the left side of the fairway and your cart partner hits down the right side about the same distance, drop your partner off at their ball and proceed to your ball. Don’t sit in the cart watching your partner hit and then go over to your ball while he sits and watches you hit yours.

As you approach the green, one player should grab whatever clubs he needs to chip and putt onto the green and walk to their ball. The other player, whose ball is closer or on the green, should take the cart off to the side of the green, ready to head to the next tee blocks.

Do not leave the cart on the fairway in front of the green while you are putting. After sinking your putt, you should exit the green to one side or towards the back, not to the fairway in front of the green.

# 8 Play the Tee Blocks That Best Fit Your Game

One of the most common mistakes that recreational golfers make is playing from the wrong tee blocks.

As my friends and I continue to age, we have finally accepted the fact that if we move up to closer tee blocks, we have a much better game.

Don’t go by the colour of the tee blocks and assume that playing from the White Tee Blocks at Course X is the same distance as the Whites at Course Y. Determine what yardage best fits your game and play from the tee blocks closest to that yardage, regardless of the colour.

If you are hitting the driver and then a 3-wood into most par 4s, you are playing from the wrong tee blocks. Playing from the tips doesn’t make you a better golfer. If you can blast it down the fairway 250 to 300 yards, wonderful. If you hit your tee ball 200 yards or less, move up to shorter tee blocks so that you have an iron in your hands for your approach shot to the green.

Don’t Forget the #1 Rule of Golf

The most important thing to remember for all recreational golfers is that golf is meant to be fun.

Mastering the art of pace on the golf course will help to ensure you have an enjoyable experience out there and enjoy your game.

And besides, the quicker you play, the sooner you can get back to the clubhouse for a tasty treat and beverage.

Need a Place to Stay?

If you are visiting the Bay of Quinte/Prince Edward County Region for a golf getaway, here are two very useful links to find a place to stay.

For the Bay of Quinte Region visit: https://bayofquinte.ca/visit/boq-accommodation/

For Prince Edward County visit: https://www.staypec.com/members

Stay at The Hungry Golfer's two-bedroom cottage in Wellington. Perfect for one or two couples. Located in the heart of Prince Edward County's wine region.

Stay at a Golf Course by visiting The Hungry Golfer page "Stay at a Golf Course"