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Started By
Message
Advice Needed for pace of play
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:31 am
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:31 am
My son is playing HS golf and had his second match last night, which was 18 holes. My plan was to ride around and just watch him from a distance where he couldn't see me (at his request). I get a text from him that one of the coaches asked him if I could come drive him from hole to hole to speed things up. I get to him and his group is 3-4 holes behind. I start helping him and his playing partners and quickly realize its 100% my son that's holding up the group. He's crazy slow. Every time he does anything like writes down a score, takes a sip of water, etc... he stops to do it. I was taught to always keep moving and that pace of play is extremely important. It was such an issue we barely finished and every other group was long gone.
I play with a quick pace and always have a club in my hand. I'm extremely mindful of the group behind me, almost to a fault. He is the opposite. Dude has never been in a hurry a day in his life.
Any advice you can give for me to share with him?
I play with a quick pace and always have a club in my hand. I'm extremely mindful of the group behind me, almost to a fault. He is the opposite. Dude has never been in a hurry a day in his life.
Any advice you can give for me to share with him?
10
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:35 am to NS Who Dat Nation
Get two of these...
Put one around his neck and another up his a$$. Whenever he slows up play, just shock the ever living sh!t out of him.
You'll make him the fastest golfer in the state!
Put one around his neck and another up his a$$. Whenever he slows up play, just shock the ever living sh!t out of him.
You'll make him the fastest golfer in the state!
This post was edited on 3/15/22 at 5:48 pm
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:38 am to MMauler
quote:
MMauler
That's one way to do it. Man I wish I had that setup for some groups in front of me at times. 
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:40 am to NS Who Dat Nation
quote:
Any advice you can give for me to share with him?
Be brutally honest with him. Nobody is going to want to play with you if you don’t speed up. Eventually, you’ll be penalized for playing so slowly.
Kids that age typically want to do everything at 100mph. Is he a big fan of a slow pga tour player? Do you play slow?
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:50 am to Tyga Woods
quote:
Be brutally honest with him
This. Slow play is the absolute worst and effects everyone on the course just tell him to speed it up.
Get yardage, pick a club, take a practice swing and hit it. It may help him play better as well as he may be overthinking his shot
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:53 am to Tyga Woods
quote:
Is he a big fan of a slow pga tour player?
Nope
quote:
Do you play slow?
Helllllllllll no. I pride myself in my pace of play. You'll rarely see me without a club in my hand, even when driving to my next shot. No one waits on me.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 9:55 am to Mstate
quote:
Get yardage, pick a club, take a practice swing and hit it.
He wants to use my laser range finder but I won't let him because I know it will only slow him down more. I have been letting him us my digital one bcs i know it speeds me up, but not the case with him.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 10:01 am to NS Who Dat Nation
You likely have a smart kid. Just sit down and discuss it. Then take him out for a round and show/explain to him that he should be getting ready for his next shot while the other players hit theirs so that when it is his turn, he is ready to address the ball and hit. The score writing and water drinking should be done also when it isn't his turn.
Many kids and even adults have no concept of others because they have just never thought about it. Once it is pointed out, they adjust quickly.
Many kids and even adults have no concept of others because they have just never thought about it. Once it is pointed out, they adjust quickly.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 10:22 am to NS Who Dat Nation
quote:
He wants to use my laser range finder but I won't let him because I know it will only slow him down more. I have been letting him us my digital one bcs i know it speeds me up, but not the case with him.
I used a laser in high school golf and I thought it helped speed me up but I play pretty fast anyway.
If he is really slow his buddies may start giving him shite about it and that will definitely help him speed up
Posted on 3/15/22 at 10:31 am to NS Who Dat Nation
It may not be as simple as telling him to play faster. He may need some help adjusting his routine and some specific advice on how to do so.
I'd recommend playing a couple of rounds with him and help him adjust to a new playing style and give him some specific feedback. I had to do this with my nephew; a few of these helped and he's a very quick player these days.
1. Keep a clock on every hole. Target 15 minutes, and make sure he feels the pressure of making a decision quickly. This will actually help him commit to a shot and focus on execution.
2. Make sure he's planning his next shot as he walks to the ball, not planning after he gets to the ball. Take in the angles and threats he's assessing. Does he need to hit a draw or fade, does he need to avoid bunkers or water, does he have a forced carry where he needs to decide on a layup or go for it. Walk with him and talk him through that process and what he should be trying to assess and make sure the decision is made before he gets to the ball.
3. Have him get a better idea of distances naturally. While walking to the ball ask him how for out he thinks he is. Ask him if he knows the total distance of the hole and where you are in relation to the tee and green. Ask him about markers along the way and how many paces he is from that. Advise him to look for distances on sprinkler heads as he walks and get a feel for wind. That way when he gets to the ball he should have a bead on distance and know what club he should pull. Then he can hit the laser to verify the distance, not rely on it and then try to figure things out once he arrives to the ball.
4. Go to the range and work on a shorter pre-shot routine. Get the distance, select the club, pick the target, groove in a couple of practice swings and then go for it. Have a timed goal in mind. Say 30 second from getting the distance to swing. Then go out with him and train that process during a practice round.
5. Reading greens more efficiently. This process is so different for everyone and the techniques that you can use vary widely. But again, train an efficient pre-shot routine. Get a feel for distance (I pace shots out) get your triangulated view, pick your target line, groove a few practice swings for feel and hit.
There are a lot of other things you can do, but these are basic were effective when I had to help. I will emphasize you need to give specific and positive feedback rather than just saying "go faster" and he'll have to train a new process, which will be uncomfortable for a time, just like completely changing your grip.
If none of that works, try the shock collar.
I'd recommend playing a couple of rounds with him and help him adjust to a new playing style and give him some specific feedback. I had to do this with my nephew; a few of these helped and he's a very quick player these days.
1. Keep a clock on every hole. Target 15 minutes, and make sure he feels the pressure of making a decision quickly. This will actually help him commit to a shot and focus on execution.
2. Make sure he's planning his next shot as he walks to the ball, not planning after he gets to the ball. Take in the angles and threats he's assessing. Does he need to hit a draw or fade, does he need to avoid bunkers or water, does he have a forced carry where he needs to decide on a layup or go for it. Walk with him and talk him through that process and what he should be trying to assess and make sure the decision is made before he gets to the ball.
3. Have him get a better idea of distances naturally. While walking to the ball ask him how for out he thinks he is. Ask him if he knows the total distance of the hole and where you are in relation to the tee and green. Ask him about markers along the way and how many paces he is from that. Advise him to look for distances on sprinkler heads as he walks and get a feel for wind. That way when he gets to the ball he should have a bead on distance and know what club he should pull. Then he can hit the laser to verify the distance, not rely on it and then try to figure things out once he arrives to the ball.
4. Go to the range and work on a shorter pre-shot routine. Get the distance, select the club, pick the target, groove in a couple of practice swings and then go for it. Have a timed goal in mind. Say 30 second from getting the distance to swing. Then go out with him and train that process during a practice round.
5. Reading greens more efficiently. This process is so different for everyone and the techniques that you can use vary widely. But again, train an efficient pre-shot routine. Get a feel for distance (I pace shots out) get your triangulated view, pick your target line, groove a few practice swings for feel and hit.
There are a lot of other things you can do, but these are basic were effective when I had to help. I will emphasize you need to give specific and positive feedback rather than just saying "go faster" and he'll have to train a new process, which will be uncomfortable for a time, just like completely changing your grip.
If none of that works, try the shock collar.
This post was edited on 3/15/22 at 10:44 am
Posted on 3/15/22 at 10:45 am to NS Who Dat Nation
I'm slowly getting adjusted to my kids playing youth sports and your willingness to recognize and accept it's your kids fault is sadly rare. Attaboy.
As for playing faster, if he is stepping off yardage from sprinkler heads, get him something to get the distabce quickly. The GPS watch is cheap and super fast.
Is he a good player? Constantly over thinking shots? Or is he just a slow twitch human being who moves at a glacial pace, with no sense of urgency? These are two completely different golfers and the fixes aren't the same.
I learned to play fast trying to beat the sun on 9 holes after work. Maybe try that??
As for playing faster, if he is stepping off yardage from sprinkler heads, get him something to get the distabce quickly. The GPS watch is cheap and super fast.
Is he a good player? Constantly over thinking shots? Or is he just a slow twitch human being who moves at a glacial pace, with no sense of urgency? These are two completely different golfers and the fixes aren't the same.
I learned to play fast trying to beat the sun on 9 holes after work. Maybe try that??
Posted on 3/15/22 at 10:52 am to RolltidePA
Great points. I try to play fast, in fact if I stopped to analyze things more I’d probably score better. But I hate to have a group behind me waiting on me to hit.
We never play honors golf but first ready golf. Even on the tee box. I realize on some money games that might be an option
We never play honors golf but first ready golf. Even on the tee box. I realize on some money games that might be an option
Posted on 3/15/22 at 11:01 am to RolltidePA
quote:
RolltidePA
Thank you for all your tips and taking the time to type that.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 11:02 am to The Johnny Lawrence
quote:
Is he a good player? Constantly over thinking shots?
No sir, not this
quote:
Or is he just a slow twitch human being who moves at a glacial pace, with no sense of urgency?
100% this in everything he does
Posted on 3/15/22 at 11:23 am to NS Who Dat Nation
quote:
Thank you for all your tips and taking the time to type that.
Happy to share. My nephew was playing competitive golf a few years back when he was in high school and was struggling mightily with pace. My sister and her husband don't play and asked me if I could help. It sounds like he and your son are wired the same way, he just kind of moseyed along with everything.
One thing I kind of took note of, is that he would take a mental break after he hit the ball and wouldn't zone back in until he was at the next shot. The biggest hurdle with him was getting him to follow the Tiger approach, where he got 10 steps after he hit a ball to zone out or be mad, or whatever. After that, he had to get to work processing the next shot. Getting him ready for the fact that with competitive golf you always need to be tuned in and mentally working, with the exception of your post shot grace period, was difficult.
It's a different story if you're cruising along, throwing back some beers and listening to music during a round for laughs. Getting him to understand what type of round you are playing and the difference of preparation for each was something I didn't expect to have to do.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 1:43 pm to NS Who Dat Nation
Just tell him to speed things up. Pace of play should never be an issue because it's so easy to avoid. Get to your ball and get your yardage. Grab the club you need. If it's your turn to hit then hit the ball. If it's not wait until it is address your ball and hit it. The people I've played with over the years that are slow are due to the fact that they wait till their turn to get their yardage and pick their club or even put their glove on. Be ready to play so when it's your turn all you have to do is hit the ball.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 3:25 pm to redfishfan
quote:
Grab the club you need. If it's your turn to hit then hit the ball. If it's not wait until it is address your ball and hit it.
This 100%. My dad plays slow and I am always telling him this, but he is always telling a story, joking around, or just off in another world.
At the other end of the spectrum, I can not stand it when I feel our group is playing at a good pace, then some dudes trying to set a golfing speed record come up behind us. Drive right up to their ball and swing away with no pre-shot routine. I will usually let them play through (asking "where's the fire?" under my breath). I would rather wait on slower group ahead than to be getting pushed from behind by speed golfers.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 4:25 pm to NS Who Dat Nation
quote:
Dude has never been in a hurry a day in his life.
Well Dad, you probably should’ve corrected this a while back, but you’ve got a great opportunity to instill a sense of urgency and some hustle in him. Hopefully it will manifest itself and he’ll appreciate what you’re giving him. Hustle will carry him in every aspect of his life if he has it. Good luck.
Don’t be hesitant to put a (figurative) foot in his arse. My dad did and I’m grateful for it.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 6:27 pm to NS Who Dat Nation
I think you can tell him until you are blue in the face. But this will NOT improve the situation.
As mentioned before, you need to play with him & show him some of the ideas mentioned. Give him the muscle memory of playing at a faster pace. It will take time (multiple rounds) to break the old/bad habits & build the good/new ones.
Enjoy the time with your son.
As mentioned before, you need to play with him & show him some of the ideas mentioned. Give him the muscle memory of playing at a faster pace. It will take time (multiple rounds) to break the old/bad habits & build the good/new ones.
Enjoy the time with your son.
Posted on 3/15/22 at 8:57 pm to NS Who Dat Nation
I’ve observed the HS boys teams in our area and they are slow.
They are good players, but lots of practice swings and slowly walk from shot to shot.
Encourage him to be ready when it’s his turn. Tell him “Tiger walked fast from shot to shot to intimidate the other players.” If he’s shooting in the low 60s, I guess he’s doing it right. Anybody can shoot 41 in 90 minutes for a 9 hole match.
Slow play is an issue on Sunday afternoons at our club.
The Saturday morning groups fly around the course.
I like to play fairly quickly. Walking 3.5 hours, riding 3 hours IF course is not crowded.
They are good players, but lots of practice swings and slowly walk from shot to shot.
Encourage him to be ready when it’s his turn. Tell him “Tiger walked fast from shot to shot to intimidate the other players.” If he’s shooting in the low 60s, I guess he’s doing it right. Anybody can shoot 41 in 90 minutes for a 9 hole match.
Slow play is an issue on Sunday afternoons at our club.
The Saturday morning groups fly around the course.
I like to play fairly quickly. Walking 3.5 hours, riding 3 hours IF course is not crowded.
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