Quickly Consider Slow Play! ⛳️
By Bennett Galloway
Nothing ruins a fun day on the course like slow play! It can kill your over-all experience and feel for any course regardless of how good it may be. Factor in some adverse weather conditions like heat, cold or rain and it becomes all the more unbearable.
The below are some simple steps that every golfer should follow. And remember it's not about rushing your shot, just simply being ready when it's your turn. If you already practice the below, you are not a culprit or cause of slow play and thus help stop other peoples eyeballs from bleeding! Do help spread the word!
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Always be ready to play when it is your turn. I know it is fun to watch other players make their shots, but you need to focus on your own play.
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Each player should proceed directly to his or her ball. The group should not travel as a pack, going to first to one ball, then the next, and so on.
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While walking (or riding) to your ball, use the travel time to begin thinking over your next shot - the yardage, which club you'll use and so on. Begin preparing mentally before you get to your ball.
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If using a cart, don't drive to the first ball, wait for the first player to hit, then head to the second ball. Drop the first player off at his ball then drive ahead to the next ball. The first player should walk over to the cart as the second player is playing his shot.
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If your ball is on the far side of the course be sure to take a couple of clubs with you when you walk from the cart to the ball. This way, you won't have to return to the cart if you decide you didn't bring the appropriate club.
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Keep your pre-shot routine efficient and speedy. One or two practice strokes is enough and the longer you wait before making your shot, the less muscle memory you will retain and actually lessen your chance of success.
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Always carry a few extras like spare balls, tees and ball markers in your pocket so you don't have to return to your golf bag or cart to retrieve them.
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If you think your shot might have landed out of bounds or be lost, immediately announce to your marker that you will hit a provisional ball when it is your turn. Don't walk ahead to search, only to have to return to the original spot to replay a shot.
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Never hold up play because you're in the middle of a conversation. Put the conversation on hold, take your stroke, then continue the conversation.
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On the green, begin lining up your putt and reading the break-even before reaching the green. This way when it is your turn you can step right up and make your putt, not begin to read it from that point!
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Leave your clubs on the side of the green in the direction of your cart or the next tee, never in front of the green or on the opposite side.
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Never stand on or next to the green after holing out in order to write down your score. Write it down when you reach the next tee.
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If you are the first to hole-out, either take charge of the flagstick or pick up other players clubs left around the green.
Keep up with the group in front of you!
An easy check you can do is to simply look ahead on the course to the group in front of you. If there is a gap between you and them, chances are you are playing slowly. One common misconception is worrying about the group behind you. As a golfer, your only responsibility with regards to pace of play is to simply keep up with the group in front of you. Period! Even if you feel the un-wanted stares from the players behind you when the course is backed up, that is not your concern and you should just block them out of your mind. The pace of play also has no bearing on golfing ability. If you get from tee to green in 3 or 8 strokes it doesn't matter. As long as you don't hover over the ball for too long before executing your shot, you will be okay!
These simple steps will help you navigate the course without causing delay to other players and also show your group that you have and practice good etiquette. Players who fail to follow this may often find themselves just not being invited to golf days while others are. This is one way the game self-regulates itself.
So in closing, do consider that it is not about rushing your play, but simply being prepared to make your shot when it`s your turn..;-)
Rest and Relaxation for Life
Rest and Relaxation for Life
What’s Unique About Golf in Japan?
What’s Unique About Golf in Japan?
Ever wonder why the game of golf, in Japan, has a different format from any other country in the world? It has been said that the Japanese are famous for taking a good idea and making it better. Golf has proven to be no exception.
Golf in Japan begin in 1901 By British businessman on Mt. Rokko above the city of Kobe near their mountain cottage affectionately named 101. The Kobe Golf Club officially opened on May 24th 1903 with all the fanfare, including the Kobe city Mayor and the Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, who was tasked with hitting the first ceremonial ball, which he proceeded to hit totally thin...topped worm burner!
With the rich history of country clubs in the United Kingdom, the expats in the area wanted to create a golf course and more importantly the country club experience they were accustomed to. The main purpose, create a country club space where they could relax with friends and business associates. Kobe borders the sea with a mountainous plateau, so not the best location to build a golf course, but build they did! Progress was slow but they kept at it and created the first six holes. At that time they would play the holes they had, loop back to the clubhouse, enjoy some hospitality, libations and the civility that club life provides. Following this they would strike out for the figurative, back nine, which was actually just the same six holes played again (for the back nine)
This is how the traditional lunch break in Japanese golf became an “industry standard!”
This is how the traditional lunch break in Japanese golf became an “industry standard!”
Why is this important you might ask? Because after they created the next 3 holes and the second nine, to complete a full 18 hole course, they had grown accustom to pausing after front holes and enjoying a break with drinks and food before setting out for the back nine.
*Note, this provided an opportunity for corporate entertaining on the course as business meetings were often held during the break after the front nine with many a fine scotch. Since early golfers in Japan were exposed to golf for the first time with this luxurious style, they felt the break at the turn was an important part of the game and a new tradition was born and adopted in Japan. This is how the traditional lunch break during a round of golf here in Japan became an “industry standard”, that holds true even to today. This is the only way the Japanese people knew how to play the game and business continued to be a big part of the golf industry fuelling its growth to over 2,450 luxurious world class golf courses in the peak at the early 90’s.
Not just a hotdog or a burger!
Not just a hotdog or a burger!
Corporations couldn’t buy golf memberships fast enough to fill their companies demands during the bubble economy of the late 80s. This accelerated and facilitated the creation of opulent clubhouses and plenty of projects for world renown course designers, who flocked here to cash in and practice their craft without all those pesky budget restraints! It was a free-for-all! These golf courses are today referred to as “bubbly courses”, due to their ridiculously large club houses, with very little to do with the actual game of golf. Due to the burst of the bubble and the contraction of the Japanese economy, most of these courses have changed from private to public; and owners more than a few times! What this means to you and the current dwindling Japanese golfers, is that everyone can enjoy crazy, opulent golf experiences, at very reasonable rates!
Well there you have it! If you want to come experience what is possible in the golf industry without any restraints to budget, you couldn’t ask for any better place than Japan!