Please remember that your goal is to keep up with the group in front of you. Your group is technically out of position if it (a) is taking more than the allotted time to play and (b) reaches the teeing ground of a par-3 hole and the preceding group has cleared the next tee; reaches the teeing ground of a par-4 hole and the putting green is clear; or reaches the teeing ground of a par-5 hole when the preceding group is on the putting green. Both (a) and (b) must apply for a group to be out of position.
It may be of interest to some of you that the USGA has begun implementing a checkpoint system whereby players must reach each checkpoint hole in the allotted time or they will be warned and then penalized. Please consult the USGA for details. (A sample of the USGA policy can be viewed by visiting: http://www.usga.org/committees/ChampManual/Appendices/AppndxV6.pdf
Linda’s Pace of Play Suggestions
1. Be ready to play when it’s your turn. You should choose your club (or bring a selection) before it’s your turn and walk to your ball. Try to analyze your lie and figure out the yardage while others are hitting so that you’ll be ready to step up and hit when it’s your turn.
2. Drop your partner at his ball and proceed to your own. He can catch you after his shot or you can return to pick him up.
3. Park your cart on the side of the putting green towards the next tee. This way others can hit up as soon as you clear the green.
4. The player closest to the pin should mark his ball and proceed immediately to the flagstick, which he will attend, if necessary, or remove. Be conscious of your shadow on the green--you should not cast a shadow on anyone’s line of putt or over the hole when attending the flagstick. The first player to hole out should immediately pick up the flagstick and replace it after the last player holes out.
5. Leave the putting green quickly after holing out, and record scores on the next tee.
6. When a player is in his pre-shot routine, all other players should be still and quiet. No one should be standing (or sitting in a parked cart) behind the ball (to the right of a right-handed player) or behind the hole (on an extension of the line of putt).
7. Don’t wait until it’s your turn to putt to check the line and break from behind the hole. Most of your observations can be done while walking onto the green and waiting for others to putt.
8. Speed up your pre-shot routine. ONE PRACTICE SWING is sufficient, especially if you are out of position!
9. If the group behind you is playing much faster, wave them through. Do the same if it looks like it will take more than a minute or two to find your ball. You are allowed five minutes to find a ball, but that doesn’t mean the players behind you must stand around and wait while you are doing so. Note: You MUST abandon the search for a lost ball after five minutes; BY RULE, it is deemed lost at that point.
10. If a player is searching for a lost ball, hit your own ball first and then help him in his search. (Note: There is no penalty for playing out of order in stroke play. In match play, there is no penalty; however, your opponent may recall your stroke if you hit out of turn, so be sure to request permission to do so.
11. If there is a possibility your ball is lost or out of bounds, hit a provisional ball.
12. In a better ball tournament, pick up your ball when it will not count and record your most likely score preceded by an X.
13. On any holes where you have a blind shot, send one person ahead to spot the shots.
14. If you lose more than one clear hole on the players in front, you should invite the following group to play through. Conversely, faster players may ask to play through.
15. If you are riding in a cart, hop in the cart with your club in hand after you make your shot for the ride to your cart mate’s shot. Clean your club, replace your headcover, and select your next club while your cart mate is hitting his shot.
16. There is no penalty in stroke play for playing out of turn. Play “ready golf” until you reach the green. Below are examples of situations in stroke play where you should definitely play out of turn:
a. You are ahead of another player, but you are in the woods and will be punching out onto the fairway.
b. You are ahead of another player, but you are planning to lay up and the other player is waiting to hit a longer shot.
c. The players in front of you are out of your range.
d. Your ball is just off the near side of the green, and another player has a long walk to his ball off the far side of the green.
e. Another player is searching for a potentially lost ball.
17. Don’t be shy about encouraging members of your group to speed up play, and don’t be offended if they ask you to do so. Such encouragement may be more helpful if you offer specific suggestions, such as;
“Hey, Joe, that one is probably in someone’s backyard. Why don’t you hit a provisional?”
“Yo, guys, why don’t you start putting while I head for the far bunker?”
“Hey, partner, I’m in with 4 and you lay 5. Why don’t you pick up?”
“Um, Sally, why don’t you leave me here with a few clubs and go right to your ball? I’ll catch up with you after I hit, or you can spin back and pick me up after you hit.”
“Hey, girls, if you’re going to lay up, why don’t you go ahead and hit? I’m going to try to carry the hazard and reach the green, so I have to wait for it to clear.”
“Say, fellas, I can’t see the group in front of us. Let’s all try to do whatever we can to catch up.”
If you lighten the criticism –make it sound more like a suggestion– people will be more inclined to cooperate, and everyone will have a better day.
Copyright © 2008 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
