Barb Hanson
The most important skill in golf is…….keeping pace of play. I’ve been asked many times when a new golfer should play golf for the first time. And I always answer, “When (s)he can keep pace of play.”
For a beginning golfer, keeping pace is just one more thing to think about, and it can be very disconcerting to feel like you’re slowing things down.
Here are a few suggestions for keeping up – as a beginner.
1) Announce to your foursome that you are a new golfer, but that you will keep up.
2) Use one or more of these strategies to help you keep pace and announce this to the group as well:
- Shorten up the course by teeing off at the 100-yd. or 150-yd. marker.
- Give yourself a maximum number of fairway strokes, i.e. 5 or 6; then pick up, go to the green and join in on the putting.
- Walk! By walking, you’re only concerned with your own ball, not that of your cart mate. Walk and hit. Walk and hit.
- If you must use a motorized cart, walk as much as you can. Returning to the cart after every shot is very time-consuming.
- Play “ready golf.” Hit when you’re ready (and when it’s safe) even if it isn’t technically your turn.
- Use continuous putting; once you begin putting, continue to putt until you’ve holed out unless you’re interfering with someone else’s putt.
By utilizing one or more of these strategies, a new golfer can eliminate one of the sources of nerves when (s)he hits the links.