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Tom's Featured Tip: Saving/Wasting Time On The Course
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Saving/Wasting Time On The Course
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Saving/Wasting Time On The Course
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
In my newsletter on 10/18/23 I recommended a pre shot putting routine as follows:
- Stalk the putt to determine the break
- Align the ball so that the lines on the ball point towards your intended aimline - more details on that sequence here:
Newsletter #781 - Aligning Your Putts
- Standing behind the ball - make three practice strokes while looking at the hole to get a feel for the stroke you want to use
- Standing next to the ball - make three practice strokes while looking at the hole to get a feel for the stroke you want to use
- Step into the ball, get your stance, align your putterface
- Look at the target, look at the ball, then execute your stroke while looking at either the target or the ball, your personal preference.
You perpetuate slow golf by teaching all these practice strokes ...add in aimpoint walking the line x 4 players = 5 hour rounds
Any advice on how to speed up play ? When our fall league team encounters this type of player we tend to play faster to get done before dark...
This email really torqued me, but I kept my composure in my reply:
Thank you for your feedback.
A pre shot putting routine can be done in an acceptable amount of time if the player does most of it before it's his/her turn to putt.
That means getting to your ball without delay and getting almost everything done - except for the practice strokes - before your playing partners even get to their ball.
I'm a huge proponent of ready golf and fast play, and I coach my players accordingly.
In fact, when players in my group wait until it's their turn to start their routine (if they have one) I remind them that they could have done some of it before it was their turn.
And most amateurs really have no clue about aimpoint.
As far as league play goes, it's always agonizingly slow, I've rarely experienced it to be otherwise.
Thanks again for your feedback, I'll address your slow play concerns in my next article, as I said before I hate slow play also,
All the best,
Tom
I want to expand on a couple of things in my reply, and add a couple of my own time saving ready golf tips that you can put into action immediately.
First of all, at every lesson that I give I remind my students that slow play is the bane of the game, so keep things moving. Play ready golf.
That means economizing on time where you can, but not rushing your pre shot process.
Hurry to the shot, but don't hurry the shot.
To put that into perspective on the specific putting pre-shot process that the reader mentioned, here's how that advice works for me.
After my group pulls up to the green, I'm usually the first one on the green.
By the time the rest of my group gets there, I've already stalked the putt ( walked up to and around the hole), determined my aimline, and marked my ball. If my ball isn't in anyones way, I put the ball back down on the green and remove my marker.
Time wasted: zero. Time saved: about 30 seconds
When it's my turn to putt, I put the ball down if I haven't done so already, then I go through the pre-strike portion of my routine as follows:
- Standing behind the ball - I make three practice strokes while looking at the hole to get a feel for the stroke I want to use
- Standing next to the ball - I make three practice strokes while looking at the hole to get a feel for the stroke I will use
- Then I step into the ball, get my stance, align my putterface, and stroke my putt.
These three steps take me about 12 seconds max.
The reader asked for some advice on how to speed up slow play, so here's what I do personally to be true to my philosophy of Hurry to the shot, but don't hurry the shot.
- If you are the last player to tee off, get in your cart holding your driver and headcover, put the headcover on the club while you are getting to your next shot and bag your driver when you get out of the cart.
Time saved: 10 seconds.
- If you are playing in a motorized cart, as I assume that the majority of you are, drive to the closest ball, drop the player off, then proceed to your ball.
Time saved: could be as much as a minute or more.
- When you get to your ball, if it's safe to swing, go ahead and take your shot. Don't wait for others to hit first as long as it's safe to swing. If you are playing in a medal play tournament,
you may wait until you are away to swing.
Time saved: could be as much as a minute or more.
- After you hit your shot, get into the cart, club in hand, and wait until the cart stops again for your next shot before you clean your club and bag it.
Time saved: could be as much as a minute or more.
- Along that note, if you use iron head covers, take them all off before you start your round and leave them off for the whole round.
Time saved: minutes overall.
- When you get to the green, take care of most of your pre shot routine before your playing partners get to the green, and be ready to putt when it's your turn.
Time saved: 30 seconds at least.
- After everyone has finished putting out, get to your carts quickly, drive to the next hole, THEN record your scores.
Time saved: 20-30 seconds..
If you do all of the above, you'll not only have plenty of time to execute your pre-shot routine without holding anyone up, you'll also save a lot of time over the course of a round.
I play this way with two different foursomes, and nobody ever catches up with us (incuding theesomes) unless there's a group in front of us holding us up.
The last thing the reader asked for was tips for speeding up league play.
Leagues are big money makers.
The ONLY way speeding up league play happens is with a ballsy ranger who keeps things moving.
Public courses with private ownership are reluctant to do that because they don't want to aggravate the league players that are there as much for the social aspect as for the golf.
Leagues on a public course with private ownership are always going to be a slow go, period. Patience is required.
Try playing ready golf, you'll like it.
Email Comments: to TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer, The Stack and Tilt Swing
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health, and remember that golf is a game of discovery. Dont be afraid to experiment when you practice, it's good for your golfing brain.
Tom
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All the best,
Tom Tucker
Teaching Professional, Batavia Country Club
WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
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Cell: (716) 474-3005
Email: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
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