Slow Play @ MDGC

It is very important that the speed of play is maintained on the golf course. It is acceptable for a group of 4 to complete a round in approximately 4 hours.  Anything more than 4 hours 30 minutes is not acceptable and could cause a penalty to yourself or your group. Some things you can do to improve your pace of play:

• Always go direct to your ball if it is safe to do so. Don’t walk to your playing partner’s ball if your ball is in another direction.
• Don’t wait for it to be your turn to play, if it is SAFE to play your shot, then you should hit
• If you’re playing partner has lost their ball, make sure you know where your ball is before searching for your partners
• You have 3 minutes to locate your ball before it is deemed as lost. During this time you should call the group behind through you. After 6 minutes you should return to where you played your last shot and play another ball with a 2 stroke penalty
• If you hit your ball into the rough, or don’t know where your ball went, you should play a “Provisional” ball. This should save you time should you not locate your original ball.
• If you hit your ball off line, watch your ball until it stops. Get a line on where it went (ie. a tree, stake, marker, etc) which should make it easier to locate.  Remember: ALWAYS WATCH YOUR BALL WHENEVER IT GOES OFF THE FAIRWAY.
• Don’t have lots of practice swings, one is sufficient
• When putting, be ready to putt when it is your turn. You should line up your putt whilst waiting your turn. If you’re playing partners are not ready and you are not going to interfere with their line, you can putt. ALWAYS putt out unless you are going to stand on someone’s line.
• When approaching a green always take your buggy towards the next tee.
• Always score your card on the next tee, however if it is your shot first then you should write your score after you play your shot.
• On all putting greens, the closest player to the flag should always attend the flag for his/her partners.
• The first person to complete their putt should take the flag
• In events such as Stableford, Par, etc, whenever you cannot score on a hole, you should always pick your ball up.

REMEMBER:  

Your place in the field is just behind the group in front, not just in front of the group behind