Lambda Links

Handicaps
Events and Courses
On Golf
Pace of Play

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Pace of Play
It is Lambda Links’ goal to play in 4.5 hours or less (15 minutes per hole). Slow play hurts both your foursome’s score plus all the groups behind yours. Below are the guidelines to ensure a pleasant pace of play.
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 Your chief activity on the course is golf—socializing, etc., is secondary. Someone should always be preparing to swing or putt.
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 Be ready to play when it is your turn. Anticipate your shot, so when it is your turn you have selected your club, are addressing the ball, and are immediately ready to hit/putt. Any conversations should cease.
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 Play “ready golf.” If you are ready, announce you are hitting or putting, and proceed. If you want to putt out, go ahead and do so—you don’t need to ask permission. There is no penalty for playing out of order. Only in Match Play, such as a USGA Amateur tournament, must golfers play in order.
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 Be cognizant of your time: 1 hour for the first 4 holes, 2 hours 15 minutes for front 9. Also be aware of the foursome behind you.
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 Always keep up with the group in front of you. When you get to a par 3, if the foursome in front of you has already teed off on the next hole, you are probably behind and need to catch up.
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 Play appropriate tees: play whatever tees you like, but realize that back tees may mean more lost balls and a slowdown in play for your foursome. If you cannot reasonably make at most a double bogey (108 score) from the back tees consider playing the forward tees.
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 Play appropriate tees: play whatever tees you like, but realize that back tees may mean more lost balls and a slowdown in play for your foursome. If you cannot reasonably make at most a double bogey (108 score) from the back tees consider playing the forward tees.
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 Foursome should watch each other’s shots to help locate balls quickly.
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 Walk quickly to your ball or cart. If you can walk to your ball without getting in someone’s line to the green, please do so.
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 Quickly get off the green when you are done so golfers behind you can hit. Write scores down at the next tee.
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 If carts are restricted to the cart path take several likely clubs with you to your ball to avoid returning back to the cart. Also, take some clubs with you when looking for your ball.
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 Park carts and place bags behind the green on the way to the next hole, so they are not the in way and golfers behind you can proceed.
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 Always use a maximum hole score. If keeping a USGA Handicap, the maximum hole score is based on the Equitable Stroke Control (see HI FAQs). Otherwise, use “double par” as a maximum. E.g., if after 7 strokes on a par 4 you are still not in the hole, pick up your ball and give yourself an 8.
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 “Gimmes” are a good way to speed up play. For example, if a golfer’s third stroke leaves the ball within 2 feet, someone in the foursome can give him/her the putt, and the golfer is finished with a 4. Putts are often given “inside the leather” (put the putter head inside the hole, if the ball lies shorter than the distance to the putter grip then the next putt is given). If playing a match, such as “skins,” once a hole is won or halved concede the remaining putts.
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 If you are way behind consider skipping putting. Assume anything within 8 feet is a one-putt, everything else a two-putt.
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 If you are way behind consider skipping putting. Assume anything within 8 feet is a one-putt, everything else a two-putt.
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 If the course is backed up, then there is little you can do about it—just don’t be the group holding up everyone behind you.
There are slow good golfers and fast poor golfers. If you concentrate on your golf, are ready to play when it is your turn, and play to your maximum hole score, you can play within 4.5 hours.