The Pace of Play Edition

You step into the morning light, where the air carries a subtle change, a hint of crispness cutting through summer's warmth. The seasons are shifting, slowly but surely, with an earthy scent teasing the breeze. Faint notes of fallen leaves and distant smoke waft as you stroll down the quiet street. On your walk, a tall oak stands guard, its leaves mostly green, but one flashes orange against the sky, a quiet signal that the longest days have passed.

Still, you press on. You hoist your bag into your car and head to the range, undeterred by the sun's lazy rise. Long shadows stretch across the freshly cut grass as you settle in. You shrug off your vest as your body warms, the familiar rhythm of your swing taking over. Each strike sends the ball soaring with a satisfying click, loosening muscles and sharpening focus. In this moment, your routine grounds you, blending the fading heat of summer with the promise of cooler days ahead. Practice is your anchor, turning potential into precision on the course.

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Morning and welcome back. Pace of play is top of mind after a few followers pointed out this video on twitter earlier in the week. While I remain skeptical on the validity and authenticity of it, the fact that it’s within the realm of reality tells me all I need to know about the current state of our game. It’s getting ugly out there.

As a side note, videos like this are billboard advertisements for why you should join a private club. In 99% of cases, you will not find anyone pulling out a level to read a putt at a private club. And if they do? See ya. Before joining a club, ensure you are crystal clear on the culture and attitude toward pace of play. Is the board committed to 4 hour rounds for all foursomes? How are they enforcing and penalizing members who are notoriously slow? Things to consider before cutting the initiation check.

Back to the matter at hand - Pace of Play. In my eyes, how quickly someone plays will tell you all you need to know about them as a person. Some will argue against this, and say “BTG, it’s too much of a generalization”, but I’ve played enough golf with enough people to believe this with absolute conviction. If you disagree? Don’t care. I’ve seen 20 handicaps play in 3:45 pretty easily, and I’ve seen scratch players play in 4:30 thinking they sprinted. It’s never about how good you are. It’s always about your respect for the game and your playing partners.

Obviously, this article excludes anyone who plays golf for a living. I won’t condone slow play on the PGA tour, but the game is different when it puts food on your family’s table.

With that being said, here are some reasons why someone may be a slow player:

Now that we’ve clarified the root issues of slow play, how can you avoid being the slow link in your group?

TLDR: Golf is meant to be enjoyed and played with a slight sense of urgency by everyone in the group.

Underrated, in my opinion.

I played with a few scratch players last weekend, and about halfway through the round I realized that while neither of them were playing particularly well, they were getting it up and down a lot. Now, part of this was their sound, foundational short games, but the other half is proper course management. They never missed in places that were “dead”. If they mis-hit a drive or approach, the miss was always manageable.

A good drill is to get a yardage book of your home course and put a red “X” anywhere that you can’t hit the ball if you want to make par. Some holes may have more X’s than others, but it’s an exercise in planning your misses to ensure you can make par from where you leave your tee shot or approach. The X’s may also depend on pin location, but most (like deep bunkers, hazards, OB etc) will remain constant.

To the best players and true sticks, this is second nature. Have this strategy ingrained into your game if you want scores to drop. I’d suggest using the drill above and tracking your results.

Don’t know what to wear at a private club? Here is a simple outfit that you can rinse/repeat anywhere: (not affiliated yet with any of these companies, but their stuff is the best).

Thanks for reading, and talk soon

-BTG

Email me: [email protected]

Each Saturday, we go deep — with a satirical essay covering behind the scenes nonsense at elite private clubs.

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