5 Signs You Are Part Of Golf's Slow Play Problem (And How To Repent)
Slow play is a pandemic that is plaguing the game of golf... and you could be part of the problem! Here's how to notice the signs and fix your unhurried habits
Golf is not a race. However, a round of 18 holes should also never take more than four and a half hours.
Sadly, many of them do... and it really winds me up. Slow play isn't just rude, it's shows flagrant disregard for the time and commitments of others.
Maintaining a steady pace of play isn't difficult, if you adopt the right practices, but so many amateur golfers contribute to the slow play problem rather than helping to fix it.
Below, I share five of my main gripes around this well-documented issue and offer some advice to those who need a nudge (or a shove) into the right direction...
1. Ponderous Pre-Shot Routine
I am all in favour of a pre-shot routine, especially as many of our Top 50 Coaches advocate for a process that is consistent and simple to follow.
However, especially at the amateur level, you do not need to take four practice swings before every single shot.
I once played with someone who did two practice putting strokes by the ball, stepped back to read the line, walked around the hole to do the same on the other side and proceeded to then step back in for two further practice strokes before pulling the trigger.
The absolute lunacy of it all took minutes, on almost every putt, which isn't fun for those in the group (or those behind) and certainly didn't make said person a world-beating master on the greens!
How to fix it
Refine your pre-shot routine to be less than 10 seconds and start it as early as possible. Take a practice swing if you need ONE and be conscious of your pace of play.
2. Ball Searching Snoozefest
You have three minutes - and that's your lot!
The lost ball rule states you have three minutes to search... and it would be great if more people remembered that.
If you, like me, hit a wild tee shot or two - hit a provisional ball straight away.
Getting down there and not finding it leaves you two options, in my opinion, which is to 'pick up' for that hole or post an NR, because heading back to the tee after not hitting a provisional and wasting time searching should be a crime punishable by expulsion from the game.
Nobody wants to traipse around the weeds looking for a ball so far off line that the ground hasn't been walked on since 1999 - what would you even do if you found it anyway?
How to fix it
Pick a sensible club off the tee, hit a provisional if you need to and stick to the three minute search limit. If you lose a ball, it's not the end of the world.
Oh, and maybe consider playing something that you aren't going to lose sleep over if you lose two or three per round. That seemed to work for a friend of mine.
3. Cart/Bag Mismanagement
In golf, there are a number of things that need a little prior thought before you do them.
Reading the line of a putt and picking the right club to carry a water hazard are two great examples that people often pay attention to, but so many neglect the importance of considering where to put the cart or their golf bag.
It's soul destroying to watch the group in front walk away from the next tee box to fetch their bag, only to march back around the green to the correct side.
Don't even get me started on returning to their bag to fetch their putter and deposit a wedge!
How to fix it
It doesn't take cartographer or mountain leader to quickly work out on approach to the green where the most sensible place to leave your cart/bag is, so let's just be a little more aware.
4. Honor Observer
Embrace ready golf to speed up the pace of play
I get the benefit of the honor system in match play, as it can be used strategically to gain an advantage, but in individual competition and general play we should be adopted ready golf, right?
If I am searching for my ball (within the three minutes, of course) or deliberating over which club to hit in 30mph winds, I'd be more than happy for my playing partner to go in the interest of speeding up play.
The honor system feels quite old-fashioned, as is a golfing custom I'd like to see scrapped.
How to fix it
Consider your own pace of play at all times on the golf course and encourage others to play if you are in difficulty or a situation that needs more consideration.
This is especially important on the tee box, if the coast is clear and you are first on the turf - hit away, my friend!
5. Sedate Scoring By The Green
The moment that final putt drops in your group, you should be ready to immediately clear the green.
People behind you will be waiting for that moment, and the group behind them on the tee, so pulling your scorecard on the fringe and asking what everyone got is not ok.
That job can easily be done on the next tee box, as can sheathing your putter, so please, once again, have a little awareness of your surroundings.
How to fix it
Time for a new system. On the walk to the tee box you ask what everyone scored, if you don't already have that information to hand, then before pulling the driver head cover you squiggle down what you can.
If you don't quite get to it all, finish the job on the walk down to the fairway (or in my case, the rough). Easy peasy.
