GO GOLFING PACE OF PLAY TIPS

At Go Golfing events, where many players are unfamiliar with the courses, 4.5 hours is a reasonable pace of play. Maintaining a reasonable pace of play is an important element in having a good experience on course. It is often a combination of little things not done that wind up contributing to slow play and on-course traffic jams. 

Here are some tips for making sure your pace of play is as brisk as it should be. Remember, pace of play isn't about rushing your shots, it's about being ready to play your stroke when it's your turn and behaving efficiently on the course. 

1. While walking to your ball, use the travel time to begin thinking over your next shot - the yardage, which club you will use, and so on. Begin preparing before you get to your ball. 

2. If you are sharing a cart, drop the first player off at their ball, drive on ahead to the second ball. The first player should walk over to the cart as the second player is playing his shot. 

3. Carry a few extra tees, ball markers and a spare ball in your pockets so you do not have to return to your golf bag if you need one. 

4. When you think your ball may be lost or out of bounds, hit a provisional ball straight away. 

5. It is nice to watch a good shot, it is more important to watch a bad one to see where the ball finishes. Get a line or a physical marker to help the search for your ball. Please do not spend more than 2 minutes searching for a ball. 

6. On the green, begin lining up your putt and reading the break as soon as you reach the green. So, when it is your turn you are ready to make the stroke. GOLF 

7. When it is your turn to putt, be prepared to step right up and take the stroke. 

8. Leave your bags or golf carts to the side of the green, and in the direction of the next tee, never in front of the green. 

9. After holing out on the green, write down your scores. If you have the honour, go to the next hole, tee off and then attend to your scorecard. 

10. If you notice you have fallen behind the group in front, play ‘ready golf’ until you have caught up. 

11. In stableford competitions, if you cannot score, please pick-up. 

12. If a player in your group is ‘slow’, offer encouragement and help, not abuse. 

13. If it takes you longer than 15 seconds to calculate distances with your range-finder, then you shouldn’t be using it.