Play FAST with 7 Simple Tips

June 12, 2013

Our partners at Golf Channel recently conducted a study with the National Golf Foundation, revealing that slow play has become a growing issue for the game of golf with six-hour rounds more and more common.

As a result, we’re looking at ways golfers can help pick up the pace and combat slow play. Here are seven simple tips to play faster.

1. Keep moving: Proceed quickly to your ball and be ready when it’s your turn to hit.
2. Be ready to hit: Take 45 seconds max to hit your shot.
3. See it, read it, hole it: While others are putting, prepare for your putt. Go to the next tee.
4. Use USGA rules with discretion: Take no more than three minutes to look for balls and take relief.
5. Always be prepared: Start the round with tees, markers, balls and a ball-mark repair tool in your pocket. Replace head covers while you walk. Write down scores on the next tee, so you aren’t making others wait.
6. Play your tees: Choose a set of tees with a rating of 142 minus your handicap index. Or just tee it forward. Not sure your handicap index?
7. Speak up: If you see a problem, ask courses to set up the course properly and, most importantly, to manage the tee sheet responsibly.

And, to help you find courses we already know play FAST, we continue this month’s countdown of the Top 100 Fastest GolfNow golf courses by looking at No. 51 – No. 75:

51) Dublin Ranch Golf Course (Dublin, CA)
Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, Dublin Ranch Golf Course is a unique, scenic course set in the foothills overlooking the Livermore Valley that boasts spectacular views, a beautiful clubhouse and superior customer service.

“A great way to get out and play 18 without sending half your day on the course,” said one golfer. “Everything was in perfect shape, staff was friendly and helpful. There are also some great views as you move along the course.”

52) Steel Canyon Golf Club (Atlanta, GA)
Located in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, Steel Canyon is a fun and different, 18-hole, par 61 executive golf course great for beginner and novice golfers.

One golfer referred to Steel Canyon as a “fun, quick little course,” as “every hole has some little challenge to it, and the elevation changes give the course some real character.”

53) Date Palm Country Club (Cathedral City, CA)
54) Fox Creek Golf Club (Hempstead, TX)
55) Rancho Vista Golf Course (Palmdale, CA)
56) Homestead Springs Golf Course (Groveport, OH)
57) Scholl Canyon Golf Course (Glendale, CA)
58) Honey Creek Country Club (Conyers, GA)
59) Crimson Creek Golf Club (El Reno, OK)
60) Choctaw Creek Golf Course (Choctaw, OK)
61) Emerald Falls (Broken Arrow, OK)
62) Spessard Holland Golf Course (Melbourne Beach, FL)
63) Paradise Valley Park Golf Course (Phoenix, AZ)
64) Fiddler’s Green At Cecil Field (Jacksonville, FL)
65) Cherry Blossom Golf & Country Club (Georgetown, KY)
66) Greenfield Lakes Golf Club (Gilbert, AZ)
67) Windswept Dunes Golf Club (Freeport, FL)
68) Pinebrook/Ironwood Golf Course (Bradenton, FL)
69) Oakmont Golf Club – East Course (Santa Rosa, CA)
70) Deercroft Golf & Country Club (Wagram, NC)
71) King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort (Saint Simons Island, GA)
72) Pine Oaks Golf Course (Ocala, FL)
73) Zephyrhills City Golf Course (Zephyrhills, FL)
74) Maple Run Golf Course LLC (Thurmont, MD)
75) Southwood Golf Club (Tallahassee, FL)

To see more of GolfNow’s top-rated courses as ranked by everyday golfers, visit our Top Rated page.

-The Daily Tee