Tournament Preparation – Are you ready?

The majority of golfers are not ready for tournament golf basically because they play little to no tournament golf.  The demeanor of a golfer changes once the word “Tournament” is introduced as the basis of an event.  Only in time will the player settle in and have their emotions under control.  Sam Snead once quoted: “Forget your opponents; always play against Par.”  Isn’t that how most casual golf is played anyway?  Why not approach tournament golf the same way?

The pace of the game is slowed drastically because the avid golfer changes their routine and slows their game down; tension, stress and indecision have now been added to what is already a difficult process.  The end result is a pace of play issue that compounds the tournament experience.

Would you play at a course knowing that every round was going to be 5 plus hours to complete?  The good news; there is a fix and it requires little change in habit which has nothing to do with the swing or the game itself.  Example: if a group searches for a competitor’s lost ball and fails to play their shot first, the whole process adds at least an additional 10 minutes to the completion of a hole.  If a player failed to hit a provisional ball, it adds another 5-7 minutes to the hole.  A simple change in habit would have reduced the overall time lost to just 5 minutes.

The golden rule to pace of play: keep up with the group in front of you!  Golf is played forward, not backwards which means what is going on behind you doesn’t matter because you have already been there.  Listed below are some tips that improve pace of play by 20-30 minutes.  None of these tips have anything to do with the swing or changing pre-shot routine, but has everything to do with improving the pace of the game.

1.      Play Ready Golf – Each player should be at their ball with clubs in hand, not a spectator in the cart.    

2.      HONORS – observe honors ONLY if the player is ready, otherwise the player on the tee or ready to play has honors.  Observe honors ONLY if the player is ready.

3.      Pre-Shot routine – if it takes more than 30 seconds to play your shot, your routine is too slow and you did not prepare yourself for when it was your turn.  Go through your routine while others are playing their shot as long as it does not interfere with their play.

4.      WALKERS – MUST ride between lengthy holes.  Those in a cart should not wait until walker’s get into position or to the next tee.  If the group is playing ready golf, those in the cart will be ready and have at least one ball in play.  Far too often those in a cart are waiting for the walker to get caught up, remember, it is the walker(s) responsibility to maintain pace. 

5.      Putting – Order of play at times is the cause of slow play on the greens.  If you are ready to putt, you have honors.  Putt out as often as possible.  If your stance interferes with another competitor’s line or you have an awkward stance, then mark your ball.  Putting out saves time, you already know the line, just finish what you started.

6.      Do Not become a spectator in the cart.  Each player should be at their ball and not sitting in the cart while the other plays their shot.  Take enough clubs to hit the shot or distance you would like.  Walk to your next shot and your cart partner can pick you up after they have played their shot.  Always be moving forward.

7.      Provisional Ball – always play a provisional ball in the event your ball is possibly lost or OB.  IF there is any question, hit a provisional ball and then abandon the provisional ball once your original ball is deemed in play.

8.      CARTS - park cart so that you exit the back of the green.  Even if your ball is at the front of the green, the green clears faster if you are walking to the back.  This allows players to start preparing their shot and then hit once you drive off.

9.      SCORING- mark your scores at the next tee, NOT at the green.  Also, if you are behind, tee off first on the next tee and then mark the score whiles others are teeing off.

10.   PACE BETWEEN SHOTS - move with a good pace during the round, not a Sunday stroll, especially if you realize you are out of position.  If you quicken your pace after the shot, you will still be able to go through your routine.  Far too often players rush their shot but don’t quicken their pace between shots and feel rushed.  Simple rule, get to the cart, green or next shot quickly.  It takes the average golfer to play their shot 16-22 seconds once they are ready, speed up the other processes – NOT YOUR SHOT.

11.   HEAD COVERS/CLUBS – putt your clubs away once the cart stops at the next shot.  Seems small but if each player carried their clubs and head cover until they arrive at the next play, it does make a difference. Same goes for cleaning clubs, clean them while driving to the next shot or while waiting for your turn to play.

12.   Searching for Lost or Ball OB - The 5 minutes are NOT FREE; a group MUST make up the time lost searching.  Tip- Player’s in opposite cart should play their shots first and then help with the search.  After a minute or two, the cart partner should then play their shot.  Three balls would have been played during the 5 minute search.  If the group searches first and then play their shot, they add 3-4 minutes onto the time it takes to play a hole.  The point is – play first then help search.  NOTE – if a player is just having a bad round, at some point the group must keep playing and abandon the assistance.