Tips to Speed Up a Slow Round of Golf

If the ranger has ever told your golf group to "pick up the pace", or if you are playing with one "turtle" in the foursome, this article might just help keep you on track to a four-hour round.

In golf, there is nothing worse than being stuck behind a group with empty holes ahead of them.

Your choices are slim as to what to do - you can "play through" making the group ahead wait for you to finish or you can drive past, politely letting them know that you are skipping the hole. Neither option is ideal as it throws you off of your game, interrupts your pace and may not allow for an accurate score.

If you or your group is guilty, it can throw off your timing and pace and your round will suffer. Amateurs see this problem occurring on a regular basis but it does happen within the ranks of the PGA Tour pros as well.

A Golf.com poll recently confirmed that there is a pace-of-play problem among top amateur junior golfers. Although measures are starting to be taken within the professional ranks, slow play is harder to control among average players.

Recently, Golf for Beginners offered three tips to speed up slow play on the golf course based on a recent occurrence by a tour pro. Since this hot topic is not going away any time soon, let's start by stating the pace of play rules for our readers and penalties for the infraction.

The R and A states that “The player must play without undue delay...”. The penalty for a breach of Rule 6-7 is loss of hole in match play and two strokes in stroke play, and for a repeated offense, disqualification." Depending on the number of times the infraction occurs is directly relevant to the consequences.

In addition, the R and A has come up with a possible way to monitor the infraction at the club level. "Formulate a simple condition whereby the management establishes a time limit that it considers is more than adequate for players to complete the round and/or a certain number of holes (which will vary depending on numbers in groups and form of play). In the circumstances where a group exceeds the prescribed time limit and is out of position on the course, each player in the group is subject to penalty."

Golf for Beginners offers a few tips for those who are personally guilty of slowing down the pace of play. If you are new to the game, start at a forward tee box, count your number of shots and pick up your ball and move it forward if you find yourself slowing the group.

Be considerate and you will still have fun - you will continue to learn no matter where you are on the course.

For better amateurs, the USGA suggests that golfers become, "more efficient with your valuable time, as well as everyone else’s." Make assessments before you get to your ball so you are ready to hit your shot.

Speeding up pace of play will only happen if golfers recognize the gaff and take positive action while maintaining the decorum of the game.

How do you help speed up slow play? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Recovering From Your Best Golf Round Ever

It's easy to discuss what you would do to recover from a bad round of golf but how do you follow up after your BEST round?

When you shoot a really low score in golf, do you tell anyone? Sure you do...you probably shout "I scored a 36" from the rooftops to whoever will listen...even if they don't play golf. Subsequently, when the score is not so great, it may still go into your GHIN but without any fanfare.

So, when you shoot your best round of golf EVER, is it followed up by an equally amazing performance?

How well do you recover?

It isn't easy but Golf for Beginners has a few tips to help you become more consistent from round to round.

Although I have several 9-hole rounds in the '30s, my average 9-hole/18-hole round is in the '40s and I am regular '80s golfer. That being said, future rounds have fallen quite short of my expectations...even my husband has to give me the "what's wrong with you" stare when we play golf, making me even more self-conscious of my shortcomings.

I am getting rather good at making excuses, and the weather, being hot and extremely muggy, is actually helping my defense, even though I should be able to shake off the heat and concentrate on one shot at a time.

SportsPsychologyGolf says that, in order to shoot a low round, "it takes a hot putter, a short game that is more precise than usual, plus a modicum of luck. But it also takes smart course management, complete focus on the task at hand, and total self-composure."

Whew, sounds like a lot of things have to fall into place in order to shoot a low score...right?

How often are all of the above ingredients put together in one round, artfully blended together on the course into one "professional golfer" package"?

For the vast majority of golfers, whether beginners or strong amateurs, Golf for Beginners suggests the following tips for a quick comeback in golf:

1. Have a short memory: Where it's good to fist pump after draining a long putt, it's just as bad to keep with you that snowman you made on the previous hole.

2. Overcome Obstacles: Pressure affects everyone differently but, according to Dr. Bob Rotella, "Having control of your mind and using it properly can separate you from the competition." Instead of thinking that you will ever get the perfect score, consider that "the essence of golf is reacting well to inevitable mistakes and misfortunes." Once you understand that the challenge and fun are in overcoming obstacles on the course, you will have a much happier time and perform better.

3. GASP: Not hitting the ball well? Sometimes, you just need to go back to the basics - Grip, Alignment, Stance, and Posture. Make sure you start, and finish, in balance!


We hope that your next round of golf is your best one ever and that you follow up with equally great rounds, one shot at a time.

Follow Golf for Beginners on Twitter and feel free to comment in the section below.

How to Be the Comeback Kid in Golf

In Wiktionary.org, the comeback kid is "a person who repeatedly demonstrates the propensity to overcome downturns or periods of bad publicity and rebound to victory or popularity." In golf, the comeback kid has been related to Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay, and Rory McIlroy for rebounding after trying circumstances during a tournament.

After nearly five years on the European Tour without a win, Paul Casey finally broke through and has now earned the title! Rolling in two clutch birdies on the 16th and 17th holes on Sunday at the Porsche European Open secured Casey's win.

Overcoming adversity on the golf course or coming from a stroke (or more) back may be easier for the tour pros but not so simple for the average golfer.

Although not everyone has the longest drive or can make all of their GIR's (greens in regulation), golfers can learn to master the art of putting. Almost any golfer can learn to putt well to save the hole. (How many times have you breathed a huge sigh of relief after sinking a long bogey putt?)

Here are a few tips to help you assess your round, stop the slippage and use your putter to be the comeback kid on the golf course.

1. Visit the practice green before every round and roll a few putts to get down the speed and see the line.

2. While practicing, try to get within the "circle of trust" near the hole.

3. "Think Roll, Not Hit" - according to Dave Stockton, this mental golf tip is the key to distance control while putting. The two main thoughts surrounding putting are speed and line - you get the idea behind distance control and you are halfway to being a better putter.

Let's end this golf blog with a few statistics. Short game guru Dave Pelz states that "putting accounts for approximately 43 percent of your total strokes." Both putting and chipping account for "fifty percent of shots are hit within forty yards of the hole," according to GolfStateofMind.com.

I will leave you with this great putting demonstration by way of Phil Mickelson on Twitter. Enjoy!

A little taste of Augusta. Spending all week putting on my green with speed at 15.6-16😎⛳️ #Lefty pic.twitter.com/GprpRJCXTB

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 5, 2019