Slow Play Manifesto

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What follows was not written by me. It was a list provided to me by a reader with 100 tips for reducing slow play on golf courses. The list was given to him in paper form by a stranger named Jim that he met on the golf course. The reader transcribed it into a series of e-mails and sent them to me.

The list is shown here in its entirety. Some of the tips are more etiquette-centric, and I might not agree 100% with each and every item, but I wanted to publish the complete list here. (For instance, I disagree with the second part of number 44. Strictly speaking, that would speed up play, but I believe that there is enough room to speed up a round without sacrificing other areas of etiquette, such as raking bunkers.)

Feel free to share the list in any way you see fit.

A Supplement to the USGA Rules of Golf to Encourage a Faster Pace of Play

“Slow Play!” is the universal complaint of golfers everywhere. Compared to other recreational activities, golf times are excessive.

Half of a football game is played in a little over an hour; a complete game in a about 3 hours. A full nine inning baseball game lasts about the same. A good movie runs about two hours. If you rent a horse, a bicycle, or a tennis court, you readily agree to a time limit, usually not longer than two hours. Why then take four-and-a-half to five hours to play a round of golf?

The answer is that slow golfers don’t realize how slow they are playing, nor would they know what to do about it if they were told they were slow.

The following rules are designed to encourage slow players (especially the high handicappers) to take less time on the course, and coincidentally, to derive more pleasure from the game without sacrificing a single stroke. To the contrary, the same rules that save time will also contribute directly or indirectly to a lower score.

1. Start your round on time! When the starter calls your name, have your clubs and carts in position so you can walk immediately onto the tee. Choose partners, make bets, and determine honors in advance of your tee time. If your tee time is 8:15, don’t just show up at 8:15. Your first hitter should strike his ball at 8:15.
2. Take warmup swings off the tee before the first hitter tees up. It is inexcusable to take a divot on the teeing groung with a practice swing.
3. All manmade noise and motion should cease as soon as each hitter addresses his ball. If possible, stand so that you are out of his sight until he has finished his swing.
4. Watch the flight of each hitter’s ball and be prepared to help him find it if it is not in the fairway.
5. If your drive appears to have gone out of bounds and you intend to hit a provisional ball, wait until the others have hit their drives. It will give you a chance to relax and settle down.
6. Watch the flight of your own ball intently so you can walk or drive directly to it. This is especially true if you have hit it poorly. Looking away and acting disgusted will not get you much sympathy, and it may cause you to lose your ball.
7. Be sure to know the identity of your ball before you hit it. A good reminder is to keep an identical ball in your pocket. Try to use a different trademark or number from those of others in your group, or put a personal unique mark on your ball.
8. Anticipate your turn to tee off. Give the previous hitter time to watch his ball until it comes to rest, and to pick up his tee. Then, move immediately to your pre-chosen position between the tee markers and tee up your ball.
9. It is time consuming and unnecessary to step back, set your feet, waggle, sight your target, and take a full practice swing, or worse yet, two or three full practice swings. One “loosening up” swing to get the rhythm is plenty. Many good players take no practice swing at all.
10. When addressing the ball, put all other things out of your mind. Conversation, or banter, is unwarranted even when you’re only talking to yourself. It isn’t wrong to ask your fellow players to stop talking when you are ready to hit.
11. Keep your mental checklist short. If you consistently take more than 15 seconds over the ball, you are probably confusing yourself.
12. After hitting, spot your ball, pick up your tee, and promptly move out of the way of the next hitter. Regardless of your exuberance over a good drive or dismay over a bad one, be considerate of the next hitter and be quiet and still while he addresses his ball and hits.
13. Mulligans are not sanctioned and you should not take one unless the others in your group suggest it. Even so, think of the reaction of the group waiting behind you before you tee up a second ball. You should never take a Mulligan anywhere except on the tee, preferably the first tee only. (A provisional ball is not a Mulligan).
14. If you have never shot bogie or better, you should not play from the championship tees. The intermediate tees (members’ tees) will provide as much challenge as you can handle.
15. When playing in a mixed group, it will not speed up play for all to hit from the intermediate tees. Most ladies should hit from the forward tees.
16. On a golf course, the rules of golf supercede the rules of gallantry. Treat ladies with the same etiquette you treat every golfer, e.g., observe honors at each tee, but hit from the intermediate tees before proceeding to the forward tees.
17. Cart management is a skill in itself. Cart partners should share driving duty so there is never a delay while waiting for a designated hitter to return to the cart. In general, maximum driving and minimum walking will result in the shortest time from tee to green.
18. If partners’ drives are reasonably close to each other, both balls should be played from the same cart position.
19. If carts are unrestricted, drive first to the partner’s ball farthest from the hole, making sure you don’t go farther than either opponent’s ball. It is preferable to park behind the hitter at least a comfortable two club lengths from the arc of his swing.
20. If carts are confined to the cart path, carry two or three clubs to your next shot so you’ll be sure to have the one you need without going back to the cart.
21. If your partner dubs his fairway shot and needs a shorter club for his next shot, it may be quicker to take it to him than to wait for him to make the round trip to the cart and back.
22. If you can benefit your opponents by driving their cart forward when they are both walking after their shots, offer to do so.
23. When jockeying carts down the fairway, be aware of other players’ positions so as not to park too near the line of their shots. A good rule of thumb is to think of their ball at home plate and the flagstick at second base, and stay out of fair territory.
24. If you have a good line on your ball, you should be able to find it fairly quickly in the rough. If it can’t be found within 2 minutes, it is probably buried and you wouldn’t gain much by trying to hit from that kind of lie. Drop a second ball and keep moving! (In a friendly game, it isn’t necessary to return to the spot you hit from.) If you are worried about losing a new ball, don’t play a new ball. The maximum time allowable to look for a ball by rule is 5 minutes.
25. Don’t help look for another player’s ball until you are sure where yours is, then help look.
26. Don’t leave your golf bag and go looking for a ball without taking the club you’ll need, and a spare ball to play when necessary.
27. When someone helping you hunt for your ball asks what you’re playing, call out the trademark and number.
28. If you or someone in your group sees a splash where your ball lands, you may assume it has gone in the water. Don’t spend time looking for it on the bank on the hope it bounced out.
29. If you know your ball went out of bounds, abandon it and play another ball in bounds. The white “out of bounds” stakes are designed to keep golfers out, not golf balls.
30. If you are ready to hit your fairway shot and one of your group is still looking for a ball across the fairway, go ahead and hit your ball, spot it carefully, and then join in the hunt for the other ball.
31. In a friendly game, your fellow golfers will not object if you move your ball out of serious trouble (soggy ground, rocky ground, under a fallen branch, etc.) or anywhere that a full swing could cause damage to the club or produce dangerous flying debris.
32. Golf protocol calls for the player farthest from the hole to hit first and suggests that other players not proceed closer to the green until the farthest player has hit. This rule is usually bent to allow all players to go to their balls simultaneously to save time, but the correct order of play should be observed whenever possible.
33. Shots from the fairway, rough, or bunker may take more deliberation than a tee shot, since lie and distance to the pin are not as well known. However, club selection can often be made while you’re approaching your ball, especially if it is near a visible yard marker.
34. As in the case of a tee shot, an approach shot need not be preceded by one or more full practice swings. A relaxed calisthenic swing is enough.
35. It oftentimes will save strokes and time to chip a sure shot back into the fairway than to aim a low percentage shot towards the green. It’s invariably a waste of time to try to hit out of an unplayable lie.
36. Always position your pull cart at least two club lengths to one side of your ball so you won’t find it necessary to move it again after you address your ball.
37. Virtually all golf carts can be driven at top speed without risk. Terrain permitting, keep the “pedal to the metal”.
38. One of the challenges of golf is to estimate the distance to the green, your height above or below it, the effect of the wind, and to select the right club to get you there. Asking another player ”What did you hit?” is a social aspect of a friendly game, but frowned on by purists. Do your own thinking and be decisive, don’t vacillate.
39. Offering advice on the golf course is out of line unless it is requested. Actually giving a lesson is never condoned by those behind you waiting to hit.
40. It does not save time to hit into the group ahead, and it is very bad manners. Wait until they are out of range of your best shot. Even the sound of a golf ball hitting the turf nearby can upset a struggling golfer and may produce a backlash slowdown or other hostility.
41. Good manners and good sense dictate that no golfer do anything intentional to interrupt any other golfer’s concentration. Fewer strokes all around will result. A golf course is no place to indulge in one-upmanship.
42. If the group on the green of a standby hole waves you on, be prepared to hit promptly. If they have an open hole ahead of them, signal them to putt out and move on. Similarly, if your group is on a par-3 green with an open hole ahead, remove the flagstick and begin putting. The group on the tee behind you will understand.
43. Before stepping into a bunker, locate a rake and place it nearby. Take the shortest route to your ball, but avoid plodding up and down slopes. They are harder to rake afterward.
44. After hitting from a bunker, rake all your own footprints and divot reasonably smooth, but don’t feel compelled to rake the whole bunker. If it’s in really bad shape, it represents an equal unfairness to all and you may conscientiously decide that raking even your own marks is only a waste of time.
45. If your ball lies in another fairway you must yield the right of way to golfers playing that hole. However, give a clear indication that you wish to hit, and react quickly when invited to. Be resigned that your main goal is to get back to your own fairway, and spend less time deliberating than you normally would when going for the pin. Remember, you are the one who hit it where it is. Don’t penalize others for your mistake.
46. After recovering from an errant shot, you will ingratiate yourself to the others if you quicken your step a bit to at least partially make up for the lost time. Brooding and sulking are conducive to slow movement. Don’t succumb.
47. If another player’s ball lands in your fairway, keep playing until you see that he is ready to move into position to hit, then invite him to do so. If you delay him until your group have all hit beyond his ball, his delay may backup to haunt you.
48. Be just as considerate of a stranger playing from your fairway as you would be to a member of your own group. Man-made noise and movement should not be made to intrude on a golfer’s concentration during his address and swing.
49. If you have actually struck your ball par times and still aren’t on or very near the green, you aren’t playing golf – you’re only taking up space on a golf course. Pick up your ball and try again on the next hole.
50. As you approach the green, think about where you want your clubs to be when you finish putting, and deposit them there. In most cases, this will be off the fringe towards the next tee. Never park your cart or bag in front of the green where you have to walk back toward the golfers behind you after you’ve putted out.
51. If your approach shot came in high and hit the putting surface, you probably made a visible ball mark. Find it and fix it first thing. Use this opportunity to “read the green”.
52. On the green, it is good manners not to walk between any ball and the hole. However, it is acceptable to simply “step over” a line between the ball and the hole when it will save a longer walk around.
53. It is not necessary to mark every ball on the green. Golfers who know each other will advise whether or not they want a certain ball marked. But, if you’re in doubt about your own ball, mark it.
54. If you think you will want another player’s ball marked, say so before you address your putt.
55. If it is obvious that another player’s ball should be marked and he is across the green, mark it for him (with his permission). It’s a thoughtful practice to carry an extra ball marker in your pocket for this purpose.
56. It is conventional to mark a ball by placing the marker directly behind the ball. Most golfers will not complain if you place your marker in front or to the side of your ball, but you must replace your ball on the exact spot from which you picked it up. To do otherwise can only be construed as carelessness or opportunism. Neither one is a virtue.
57. The player farthest from the hole is entitled to hit first even though all balls are not yet on the green. However, alternate hits of balls on the green with balls off the green would require alternate removal and replacement of the flagstick. It is common practice to wait for the last player to come onto the green before the first putt is struck. Whatever practice produces the shortest delay should be followed.
58. After repairing his ball mark, the player whose ball is closest to the hole should tend the flagstick for the first putter, if requested to do so. If not, he should remove the flagstick and place it on the green well out of the line of all putts, including an extension of the line beyond the cup.
59. Be prepared to putt when it is your turn! This means you must make your way to a point behind your ball before the next closest putter addresses his ball.
60. The best way to determine who is away is to stand on a line bisecting the angle formed by the lines of the two putts in question. Don’t let it become a federal case. You should not take the time to pace off each putt unless the order of play is critical to someone’s strategy.
61. If you have been observant while depositing your clubs and fixing your ball mark, you should be able to line up your putt by standing a few feet directly behind your ball. If you must sight it again from the other side of the hole, walk there and back briskly, and take a shortcut by stepping over the lines of remaining putts.
62. If you putt short of the hole, it will save time if you invoke the continuous putting rule and putt out. This should not be done hurriedly, but neither should your second putt require as much deliberation as your first one.
63. If you putt beyond the hole, begin walking to your ball right away, detouring as required to avoid walking in front of the next putter. Stop and remain motionless when the next putter addresses his ball. If it’s necessary to mark your first putt, do it promptly, or get permission to putt out.
64. In a friendly game, it is quite acceptable to concede short putts. If an opponent concedes your putt, don’t putt it! Pick it up!
65. Don’t anticipate a conceded putt. If it’s a tap-in and no one says anything, tap it in, but give it due consideration. A missed tap-in in an extra stroke. Don’t embarrass yourself by conceding your own putt. Your partners may not say anything, but they’ll be thinking it.
66. When retrieving a putt from the cup, step no closer than six inches from the edge of the hole to avoid distorting the lip. Similarly, when replacing the flagstick, aim it carefully into the center of the cup and make sure it seats firmly so it won’t bend over and dent the edge of the hole.
67. The first player to putt out should retrieve his ball and move in the direction of the flagstick to replace it after the last putt drops.
68. As soon as the flagstick has been replaced, all members of your group should quickly pick up their clubs and move immediately to the next tee. Take a quick look around for forgotten clubs.
69. Do not hit a practice putt either before of after your game putt. Practice strokes of any kind should be reserved for a time when you are alone and not being followed.
70. If you do not have responsibility for the flagstick, as soon as your putt drops, retrieve you ball and move toward your clubs, making sure to stop and remain motionless while others are addressing and putting their balls.
71. While selecting your club on the next tee, make sure all your clubs are there. A short trip back to the previous green is less embarrassing and delaying than a return to one several holes back.
72. Scores from the hole just completed should be collected and recorded as the next tee by the designated scorekeeper. No golfer should linger on or near the green after the flagstick has been replaced.
73. While proceeding to the next tee, mentally recall each shot and each putt you took and be prepared to call out your score to the scorekeeper when he calls for it. Do not confuse the scorekeeper by giving individual figures for swings, penalty strokes, and handicap. Just give him a single total of strokes, actual plus penalty, without regard for handicap. He should take care of that.
74. Time yourself occasionally. A foursome should play nine holes in under two hours. That means an average of thirteen minutes per hole. If a typical par-4 hole takes your group longer that that, tee to tee, you are moving too slowly.
75. While others are putting, position yourself so that your shadow does not fall on the line of another player’s putt, including a short distance beyond the hole. Moving shadows in a putter’s field of vision are just as disruptive to his concentration as moving bodies. If you don’t move, your shadow won’t move.
76. If your own shadow falls of the line of your putt, trry to ignore it the same way you would ignore the shadow of a tree or other inanimate object. Don’t wait for a cloud to obscure the sun even if it will only cause a short delay.
77. If your putt hangs on the rim of the cup, you are entitled to wait a reasonable length of time for it to drop (defined by the USGA as not more than 10 seconds). If all visible motion of the ball and grass has ceased, tap it in or pick it up. Don’t wait for growing grass to push it in.
78. If a conventional thin, flat ball marker, properly seated, is in your line, you need not ask for it to be moved. It will not deflect your ball from its line, and it may even help you to use it as an aiming point. On the other hand, a coin used as a ball marker must be moved.
79. If you have missed your third putt, pick up your ball and count four putts. If you go ahead and actually putt your ball a fourth time and still don’t hole it, you are a basket case and should be bodily removed from the golf course.
80. If you have never shot a round of bogey golf, you are not good enough to indulge in the time consuming rituals of the touring pros. You cannot look like a pro, or score like a pro, simply by studying each putt as long as some pros do.
81. When tending the flagstick for a putt (by request), stand very still until the putt is struck, then remove the flagstick immediately and back away a few steps. Remember, the flagstick may not be left unattended for a putt on the green.
82. If you are playing in a threesome or foursome, you should not be tending the flagstick if you are next to putt.
83. When requested to tend the flagstick for a chip shot or a putt from the fringe, make sure the flagstick is free to lift out quickly without bringing the cup with it. Remember, an attended flagstick must be removed before the ball arrives at the hole.
84. If your group is never delayed by the group ahead of you, but the group behind you always appears ready to hit, you are probably playing too slowly. Make a conscientious effort to catch up to the group ahead.
85. If you can’t catch up to, and keep up with the group ahead of you, wave the following group through. Keep in mind that this is a last resort because it wll slow your own round. “Playing through” is the correct thing to do only when the following group is fewer in number than your group and there is an open hole ahead.
86. When you are invited to play through, do so as quickly as possible. If you are going to insist on taking the same time over your shots and putts, and between your shots and putts as usual, you should not accept the invitation to play through.
87. When walking or pulling a golf cart, keep up a brisk pace. It will keep your blood flowing and will improve the tempo of your swing. If you must drag around a golf course like a man going to the gallows, maybe a more sedentary sport would suit you better.
88. Small talk has its place on the golf course, but it should be controlled so it neither disturbs the concentration of the hitter, nor delays the progression from shot to shot. If you are conversing with the next scheduled hitter when he gets clearance to hit, break it off. He will appreciate it and so will the golfers behind you.
89. If a golf cart, clubs, rake, hose, or other movable object is in your line, use reasonable judgment whether it must be moved. You should develop enough confidence in your swing that you can ignore short range obstacles that lie below your intended shot trajectory.
90. If honors are being observed on the tee, the scorekeeper should indicate the order of teeing off. There never need be an Alphonse/Gaston act on the golf course. Ditto in the fairway. If there is hesitation over who should hit next, don’t be shy. Go ahead and hit.
91. An alternate scorekeeper should be appointed to take over when the primary scorekeeper is first up on the tee. In the case of two-man teams playing team honors, the scorekeeper’s partner should take the honor on every tee where entitled.
92. The first scheduled hitter should tee up immediately upon arriving at the next tee. Carry a clean ball in your pocket for this purpose. Washing balls, getting a drink, lighting a cigarette, and other amenities can all be accomplished on the tee between hits without causing delay, simply by knowing your turn and being ready when it comes up.
93. The surest way to speed up the game is to hit fewer and better shots. A visit to the practice tee and green on your own time is a better investment than trying to work out your flaws on the golf course while using up everybody’s time.
94. Three attempts to hit out of a bunker is enough. Have a prior agreement that you may pick up your ball and score double par for the hole instead of making a fool of yourself. In the same vein, when you insist on pumping ball after ball into the same lake or canyon, your playing partners won’t remember your determination, only your foolishness. Use drop areas where they are provided. Otherwise, drop a ball where you can hit it safely and keep the game moving.
95. Decide before you start whether you will be playing summer rules, winter rules, or “made up” rules. If you shoot bogey golf or better, in fair weather between April and October you should be playing strict USGA rules. If you are a purist and your companions are not, at least take this into account when you make your bets.
96. Keep alert between tee and green as to the location and situation of all players in your group. It is not necessary to wait for a player in trouble to hit two or three shots in succession. Use reasonable judgment whether you can save time by hitting next.
97. Don’t fall into time consuming habits such as excessive waggling, practice swings, foot shuffling, backing off, changing clubs, and just plain fear of striking the ball badly. None of these things has been shown to improve scores. Know what you want to do when you first step up to address your ball.
98. On occasion, a green may be literally covered with leaves, twigs, seeds, or other impediments. If so, do not insist on clearing a long path for your first putt. Take time to remove only those pieces that would obviously deflect your ball.
99. You may occasionally need to move a ball slightly to identify it. If you do, make sure you restore it to its original lie. It is a serious breach of etiquette to pick up a ball, identify it as someone else’s, and drop it in a better spot as if to do its owner a favor. (It’s a more serious breach of etiquette to drop it in a worse spot).
100. Cooperate with rangers where they appear. If a ranger asks you to pick up the pace, don’t give him a lot of static. His point is that you are rapidly making it a miserable round for the groups backed up behind you.