Fast play makes for fast friends!

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 You all heard the old adage "Fast Pay Makes Fast Friends." Well in golf, Fast Play Makes For Fast Friends - These friends are multiple  - your playing partners, the people playing behind you and the course staff.  One simple tip is to be ready to hit your golf ball.

I cannot tell you how often I have seen people unprepared to play their next shot.  You should anticipate how far your next shot and have at least two to three clubs out of your bag if you are not sure of the type of shot to hit or how far.  On the tee, your driver headcover should be in the cart sweater basket and not on your driver and you should be standing on the with you playing companions not sitting in the cart.  Try being prepared to play your shot each hole and your pace of play for the group you are in will improve by at least 8 minutes per round

 If you havent figured out the basis of the things I am recommending to make for a better golf experience is pace of play, this write up will seal the deal.  Pace of play is the number one reason why people leave the game as a slow round of golf causes time management problems as well as kills enjoyment of the game itself.  I have watched many of you use range finders and I cringe with some of what I am seeing.  The most efficient way to use one is as follows:

• Anticipate generally how far your next shot is
• Go to your ball as soon as possible and depending if you are dropped off or dropping your riding partner off, take 2 or 3 clubs, your range finder, and a towel to lay the range finder and clubs on if it is wet

I see people get out of the cart with just their range finder and their playing partner still in the cart. Then I see the golfer go back to the cart grad a club, then re-shoot the yardage again.  This is what I see the majority of you do.  I personally dont use a range finder because knowing exact yardage to me as a PGA Professional single digit handicapper is IO - information overload.

In summary, anticipate your next shot's distance, shoot your distance once, have multiple clubs, either drop off or be dropped off at your shot, hit your shot and then walk to your playing partner or proceed to pick your partner up. I guarantee this will speed up play immensely!

These few cart driving tips that will help with achieving that goal. 

• The shorter ball off the tee should hit first of course; however, if it is the driver, he or she should grab 2 or 3 clubs and the passenger drive the cart and go to their shot.  After the shorter shot is hit, that person should start walking to the further ball, and either that person drive back to pick up the driver or if close enough, the shorter ball hitter will have already arrived at the cart.  People that sit and watch each other hit shots in the cart is a time killer.  If a 4some, then mutliply minutes wasted by 2 and if shots dont hit the green and you do this, it makes it even worse

• Drive your cart past the flag on the green or as close to the next tee as possible.  This allows you to exit the green so that the people behind you are not having to wait to hit their approach shots to the green.  You can then enter scores in the cart behind the green or wait until the cart is driven to the next tee.  Driving your cart past the pin will save you at least 30 seconds to a minute per hole, or 10 to 20 minutes per round

Just driving the cart doing these two things will not lessen your camaderie and group enjoyment together but will make for a more enjoyable, speedier round and help those playing behind you enjoy the same!

Ready Golf means that ALL golfers should go to their balls as soon as possible and get READY to play their shots. While waiting to hit, PLAYERS should SURVEY their shot, SELECT their clubs, TAKE them from their bags, and STAND at their balls READY to step up and make the shot when it is their turn. That's Ready Golf.