IF you're like most recreational golfers, slow play is often the bane of your experience on local courses.
According Patrick Mateer, author of The Return of the Four Hour Round, it doesn't have to be. In the book, Mateer singles out slow play as the biggest inhibitor to an enjoyable round and sets out some simple steps that we as individual players can take to help solve the problem. According to Mateer, while today's golfers have advantages in superior clubs, balls and swing instruction, being taught how to play in an efficient manner is a thing of the past.
"People don't want to play slow, they just do," Mateer said. "All the tours set a poor example and we don't teach it anymore. People don't know how to move around the golf course." While not a fan of "speed golf," Mateer believes that it's possible to play with purpose, socialize and still reduce playing time.
"I'm not a proponent that you can't tell stories and chat," Mateer said. "Then again, I don't want to be out there for six hours doing it." With a golf swing clocking in at 1.2 seconds, less than one per cent of a four-hour round is spent making contact with the ball. Walking, talking and pre-shot routine make up the rest of your time on the course. Mateer outlines simple steps that can help reduce playing time: be prepared, be in position, move with purpose and simplify your pre-shot routine. If each player in your group simply took ten fewer seconds per shot, playing time can be reduced from five hours to four hours.
Ultimately, all who golf have both the ability and the obligation to speed up play. Patrick Mateer's The Return of the Four Hour Round is a great place to start. Check it out online at fourundergolf.com.
