Oct 11
21
Ready Golf – Part II
Ready Golf – Part II
Article by Tom King
Introduction
As I stated at the end of Part I we are now going to discuss the Numero Uno place to waste time on a golf course and the methods to do so are almost to numerous to mention ?The Green.?
Before we get started on Part II I think it would be a good idea to revisit the extreme scenario I outlined in Part I of this article.
Been There ? Seen That
Ever seen this scenario? Par 3, the foursome in front of you has three players on the green one in the bunker. The gentleman in the bunker was the last off the tee so now he?s the last to get to the bunker. The 3 players on the green are standing around talking as bunker player gets his sand wedge and heads into the sand-trap, thinks about how to play the shot. No problem except all he gets is ball, no sand, so ball flies over the green into the bunker on the other side of the green. The other 3 duffisses laugh, and continue to converse. Bunker player now rakes the first bunker, walks to the other side of the green, hits lands barely on the green so now he is still ?away?. Bunker dude rakes again starts onto the green and then realizes that he forgot his putter. The 3 dummies continue to lolly-gag around and make fun of the sand genius. Made a mess of this one Duffis they yell at him. So he now putts and comes up 6 inches short and of course marks his ball!! Now the other 3, one by one, read their putts, line up their putts, hit their putts, miss their putts, mark their balls and start all over again. These are the same guys who go ape when a Player Assistant/Ranger ask them to speed up a little and then get to the clubhouse and complain about the pace of play. Einstein did not play golf but he must have had these guys in mind when he defined insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!
Why is the green so problematic? Easy to answer:
1.36 strokes of Par (that?s 50% or more) on every 18 hole golf course are on the green.
2.Most golf course designers protect the greens (i.e. sand traps, pot bunkers, water, etc)
3.It?s where some people insist on scoring the hole (don?t ask me why maybe it?s Alzheimer?s)
4.Money, Money, Money (I?ll explain later)
So let?s get started>
Around the Green (Not putting that?s a separate subject)
The very first mistake many people make around the green has to do with Golf Carts. Surprised! Here is an example of what I see all too often. Cart path is on left side of the fairway/green and next tee is at 10 o?clock in relation to the green. Golfer 1 lands on the green Golfer 2 lands in the right front bunker. They drive the cart up and park it just in front of the right hand bunker (probably closer to the green than they should regardless), Golfer 1 grabs his putter and heads for the green Golfer 2 grabs a sand wedge and heads into the bunker (sans rake). Golfer 2 blasts out onto the green, realizes he did not bring the rake so now here walks through the bunker to get the rakes making even more of a mess and proceeds to rake the trap. When he finishes he goes back to the cart puts his sand wedge in his bag, grabs his putter and heads to the green. When they finish putting instead of going off the back, where they should have parked, they have to come directly back toward the fairway then drive around the green to gat out of the way. All these tow idiots had to do was have Golfer 1 drop Golfer 2 off at the bunker with both his sand wedge AND putter and drive around to the back side of the green. Remember that this is supposed to be thinking mans game!!
Always leave carts and clubs in the direction of the next tee. I see people do the right thing with the cart then when the come onto the green after chipping on or coming out of a trap they leave short irons on the ground by the front of the green
On The Greens
Watch the Pro?s on the putting green you will see again see the good, the bad and the ugly. The good ones like Tiger, Phil, Fuzzy and Fred Couples all spend the time on the green examining their upcoming putt even while another player is preparing to putt. Even after the other player has putted they watch that putt closely to gain information about speed, break and grain. The best putters have a short pre-putt routine that never varies. On the other hand Jim Furyk dove me insane when he was doing the three examine, three address five minute putting routine, face it even TV stopped showing him getting ready to put because it was to painful to watch. Unfortunately watching the Pro?s has also contributed a great deal to slow down the game for us regular golfers. We are not playing in threesomes, don?t have experienced professional caddies with us and we are not putting to win the US or British Opens You?ve seen the guys I?m talking about waiting until it is their turn to play, then walking around the putt as though they were putting to be 1st or second where the difference is 5,000. Ready Golf on the Green is getting ready to putt before it is your turn! Emulate the good you see not the bad, line up your putt while other players are putting, so they’re ready to putt when it’s their turn.
Ready Golf also means finishing the hole. If your ball is not in someone else’s line, and if the player does not have to spend a lot of time surveying the putt, they should request to continue and putt out. Said another way if you miss a putt by one or two feet, can stand where you?re not on another player?s line, make the putt don?t mark the ball and wait for another turn. Now if it is a difficult putt and you think you need extra time to survey it then mark it. But again start examining it while the others are putting.
Farthest From the Hole
Ready Golfers can still play in accordance with the strict rules of golf on the green meaning that he/she who is farthest from the hole putts first. But in Ready Golf, the person farthest from the hole should be ready to play first. There are, on the other hand, a few common sense exceptions.
Say someone hits their shot and goes from one side of the green to the other or actually rolls off the green, common sense would dictate that another player who may be closer to the hole should hit before that provided the other player is ready. For example: One of the members of a foursome?s putt rolls off the green into a sand trap still farthest from the hole, the need to use common sense and putt rather than stand around watching the player in the trap walk back to his cart to retrieve a sand wedge so they can play the next shot. Play should continue until that player is ready to make the next shot. Nothing is more painful to watch than three players on the green waiting while the fourth player goes and gets another club, hits then cleans up the sand, walks to the ball, surveys the putt and then plays.
A players ball lands way beyond the green on the second shot, they are still farthest from the hole, but the players closer to the hole who are ready, because the are adhering to the concept of Ready Golf, should hit first to speed up play.
Replacing the Pin
What?s so hard about this is beyond me!! The fist person in the hole should immediately go get the pin. He or she should hold the pin by the top enclosing the flag so it can not flap around and distract another player while they are putting. By doing this as soon as the last person in is finished he/she can put the pin in and exit the green.
Money, Money, Money
Want to see painfully slow golf around a green get $ $ $ involved! Understand again that at least half the round at par is played on the green so when you add betting, Nassau?s, $ $ per hole, presses, automatic presses, etc. into the mixed you are looking at a train wreck in the making. If you can?t afford to lose then don?t bet. If you want to make a lot of money playing golf go join a tour there are lots of them. Enough said!
Between the Holes
Where Should Fill in the Scorecard
Leave the green and green area: It drives me crazy to see four guys standing in the middle of the green figuring out their strokes on the hole while people are waiting in the fairway, or doing it sitting in the cart on the cart path beside the green. Leave the green go to the next tee box and write down you scores. Maybe they all have Alzheimer?s and will forget before they arrive at the next tee 20 seconds for when they leave the green!!
Comfort Stations
When you get to the ?Comfort Station? if you don?t need it do not stop. If only one member of a foursome needs to stop then at least two players should go directly to the next tee and hit
The Beverage Cart
This is a wonderful invention and a cause of great delay on a golf course. Here again it is a matter of using brain power. On a good day at Reunion we have 6 beverage carts roaming our courses, one on each nine. Nobody is going to go thirsty, or run out provided the player?s brains are engaged. Know ahead of time what you want, who is buying. Think about only having the beverage cart stop once per nine holes (stock-up). Of course alcoholic beverages do wonders on improving the pace of play particularly on the inward nine or even better on the afternoon replay round.
Here in Florida most of the beverage carts are staffed by attractive young women (a marketing thing, ya think) so to add to the inherent delay associated with a beverage cart when young men start thinking
with their libido instead of there brain it is delays become even more pronounced. I used live on the first hole of a very popular vacation oriented golf course and cannot tell you how many times I watched guys try to put the make on the ?Cart Girl? while other players were standing on the tee. Understand that was the first tee so you can bet that every time after that that she came around they did the exact same thing.
In Summary
?Get to your ball as soon as possible and be ready to hit.
?Ready Golf is a series of small things done incorrectly that contribute to slow play.
?Play from the appropriate tees for your skill level.
?Don?t travel in packs.
?Think about your next shot while traveling to you ball.
?Carry extra tees, ball markers and a couple of balls in your pockets so you don’t have to return to your golf cart to get them when needed.
?Hit provisional balls if you think your ball may be lost OB or unplayable.
?Limit your search for lost balls. (faa-gat-about-it)
?Socialize in the clubhouse not on the course, have fun enjoy the company and play golf on the course.
?Leave carts away from the green in the direction to the next tee.
?Leave the green and post to your scorecard at the next tee
?A good pace of play will increases enjoyment of the game, a slow pace of play will diminish the experience.
?Keep up with the group in front of you at all times.
?When it’s your turn to putt, be prepared to step right up and take the stroke.
?Ready Golf means being ready to play, not playing when you’re ready. Ready Golf isn’t about rushing your shots it’s about being ready to take your shot when it’s your turn, and behaving intelligently on the course.
About the Author
<p class=”MsoNormal”>Tom King is a retired Army Engineer Officer, an avid golfer and currently works part time as a Starter/Player Assistant at Reunion
Resort & Club in Reunion, Florida. He also maintains his own Golf resource website at Tees 2 Greens
