In the May/June issue of the Golf For Women magazine there is an interesting article on How to Play Faster . It states that slow playing golfers are the scourge of the game and gives twelve steps to speed up your game. To start off the article is listed some examples and this one floored me. In an LPGA tournament Lori Garbacz realized after the first round that the play would be slow, so she had her caddie use a phone on Hole #14 to Domino’s Pizza and it was delivered to her on Hole #17. It didn’t help her score of 86 or make the round go faster as it took five hours and twenty minutes.

It states in the article that probably isn’t the slowest round recorded some of the Ryder and Solheim Cup events can stretch beyond that mark. Many of these twelve suggestions are listed here with a paragraph describing each, find this magazine and check out this article.

1. Shop Around – find courses that have tee times 8-10 minutes apart.
2. Be ready to play on the first tee – No warm up be ready to play.
3. Practice your short game – getting to green in short order saves time
4. Pick Up – If your score will go beyond your computer limit – pick up
5. If You are alone in a cart, you should be moving towards your ball
6. When it’s cart-path only, take multiple clubs, including a wedge
7. Be prepared – carry an extra ball, tees, marking coin in your pocke6t
8. Appoint a pace-of-play warden for your group – keep players moving.
9. Don’t play with men – typically slow by bets, matches, wind & putts
10. If you have a choice, play a back-tee yardage shorter than 6,500
11. Consider Walking – fast cart you have to wait once you get to your ball
12. Discover the joy of a sensible pre-shot routine – this is my pet peeve.

Men aren’t the only slow players I have several reasons why I hate slow play. I have been playing golf for over 50 years and this has always bothered me. When I am on the course I want to play the game and I usually play fast. With women it is the visiting on the tee, on the green and between shots on the fairway. I want to get the game over with then I will visit for as long as it takes. I do have an electric golf cart and some gals will ride together and be visiting when it is time for them to hit the ball. Our course has tee times separated by the given times so the trick is to keep up with the group ahead and learn your distance then hit away. It keeps your rhythm in tune when you can play along without all the waiting.

Another of my pet peeves is the pre-shot routine. We have one gal that has a waggle before every shot. One time we counted twelve waggles and if she is distracted she has to start all over again. She has done it her way for years and she is a great gal and is in her 80’s like me, so there is no way she is going to change. Another new player has started a different kind of waggle but it is time consuming as well. There is also the time in lining up putts, some may walk around and take more time than needed. They could be looking their putt over when others are putting.

On our Ladies Day events our chairman sends us out by handicaps or speed of player. I have been in our first group out many times. One day our group just had three playing and we whipped around the front nine in less than two hours. Getting to the tenth tee I waited for one of my partners and asked her, “Are we playing to fast for Mary” who had not arrived. She said, “Yes and even for me” so we slowed it down a tad but still came in under four hours.

I love golf, it is a great game and you can play this game for the rest of your life. It is good exercise, good concentration and work at improving your game. I would love to hear from any one as to how you feel about slow play and what your club is doing about it. Do you have any other tips that would speed up play?