Follow These Fast Play Tips and You’ll Fit Right in at Bowling Green!
Golfers who enjoy Bowling Green know and understand the time-honored basics of fast play etiquette.
Ready Golf
- When a player is at their ball and ready to play, they should go ahead and play-so long as it’s safe.
- Again, if you are not in the line of play, you can move forward toward your ball
- It’s not the U.S. Open. If you are on the tee and ready to tee off, go ahead and tee off.
- Putting. Again – it’s not the U.S. Open so putt continuously: if you are not in someone’s line, go ahead and finish that short putt.
All of these contribute to a pace of play that allows everyone to enjoy the course in a timely fashion – we’ve even proven our four hour round with timed testing!
Think Ahead
As you walk or ride up to the next shot, start assessing the situation and getting a feel for the shot, the wind, and the yardage. You’ll spend less time analyzing the shot when you get to the ball.
As you ride or walk up to the green, you can often learn more about the next shot from in front of the green than on the green. Look for tell-tale slopes, mounds, and swales that will affect the break. Look for where the water will roll off. Often, the best read is the first read. Go with your gut.
Focus on the Pace of Play
Assume a group of four, each player shoots 100, plays in 4 hrs 30 min
By focusing on ‘Pace of play’ can you save 2 or 3 seconds per shot?
2 seconds: 4 players * 100 shots = 400 shots
400 shots * 2 seconds = 800 seconds
800 seconds = 13.33 minutes saved
3 seconds saved per shot equals 20 minutes off the round!
Riding in a Cart?
- Drop your partner off at their ball, then ride ahead to yours. Switch drivers if necessary.
- Carts on the path? Take several clubs when you walk to the ball so that you don’t have to walk back to the cart.
- If there is a group behind you, limit the time looking for a ball that is obviously not going to be found to one minute.
Out of the Hole? Putting up a Big Number? Pick Up and Move On.
The USGA Handicap System allows a maximum score depending on handicap and par. Use the simple guidelines below.
| Your handicap / Average Score | Maximun Score per hole |
| 9 or less / 80 | Double Bogey |
| 10 – 19 / 90 | 7 |
| 20 – 29 / 100 | 8 |
| 30 – 39 / 110 | 9 |
| 40 and over / over 120 | 10 |
Navigation
- Where you walk and where you park the cart can significantly affect pace of play.
- Park or leave your bag off the green on the side closest to the next tee.
- Line up your putt while others are putting.
- When putting, leave the clubs you used for chipping in line with the next tee.
- Mark your scorecard after leaving the green.
- Talk while you walk.
Follow these simple guidelines and always be thinking about how you can play a little faster each hole and you’ll enjoy your golf more at Bowling Green or anywhere in the world! Groups behind you will also be able to play faster. Remember that we monitor pace of play and ask slow golfers to leave the course-for the benefit of those of you who follow the guidelines and believe in the four hour round.
Your place on the golf course is immediately behind the group in front of you, not immediately in front of the group behind you.
