TERRE HAUTE — Golf is a wonderful game but it can be very trying. Not only is it often a daunting task to hit that little golf ball with accuracy and athleticism, sometimes your playing partners or competitors can make a round of golf about as much fun as getting your teeth pulled.
The main reason (besides lack of ability) for stress on the golf course is slow play. If you have played more than one round of golf in your lifetime, odds are that you have been subjected to slow play. If you’ve only played one round in your lifetime, odds are that you were the cause of it! That is excusable though. People new to the game have a lot to learn and a lot to think about. It’s the habitual slow players who have played the game for a long time that should really know better, and speed up their games.
Slow can be a relative term, so for the sake of clarification, slow play is when someone takes longer than the time stipulated by the course that it should take to play nine or eighteen holes. For most courses, eighteen holes should be able to be played by a foursome in four or four and a half hours. Some treacherous courses expect play for a foursome to take up to five hours. Anything longer is what I would consider a death march!
Ability, or lack thereof, is not the main cause of slow play. If your score is in the 100s, you would think you’re going to take longer than someone who shoots in the 70s or 80s. That’s not always the case though. I have seen low handicappers play painfully slow, and high handicappers zip right along. It doesn’t really take all that long to hit a shot, it’s the time taken between shots that can add up to an exorbitantly long round.
Obviously searching for a lost ball is going to take some time. If you have to search for lost balls often, use that opportunity to motion the group behind you to play through. Having the next group waiting on every hole adds stress to your game that you could do without. To avoid hunting for lost balls all the time, pay attention when other players are hitting, to be able to help spot where their ball lands.
Tournament play usually takes longer than your typical just-for-fun round because the players are concentrating and they have to try to make every putt. Also, they have to play within the rules, which might send someone back to the tee after they find they have hit their ball out of bounds. Tournament play has recourse though; there are rules of golf that have to do with Pace of Play. Rule 6-7 “Undue Delay; Slow Play” stipulates that players must play without undue delay and in accordance with guidelines set by the rules committee. The penalty for breaching rule 6-7 is loss of hole in match play, or a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. The committee may modify, in stroke play only for the purpose of preventing slow play, the penalty for a breach of rule so that the first offense is a one stroke penalty, the second offense two strokes, and any subsequent offense would deem disqualification.
The USGA just released an e-mail this week regarding the pace of play and they made some suggestions on how to speed up play. One way to quicken things is to hit a provisional ball if there’s any chance that your ball might be out of bounds or lost. Also, players should always plan the next shot while walking to their ball or while they’re waiting for other players to hit. When it’s your turn to hit, you should be prepared to take aim and hit the ball, after taking maybe one practice swing. Multiple practice swings aren’t usually necessary, and only serve to make you more nervous to hit the actual shot. Occasionally a pitch or chip shot might require more than one practice swing, especially when hitting out of the rough, to get an idea how the grass is going to affect the club head. When it comes to putting, line up your putt if you can while others are putting, as long as you do not get in their way. Then when it is your turn, hopefully you can step up to your ball, take no more than two practice swings, and putt your ball into the hole.
Beginner players and young players should establish a pre-shot routine that is efficient and timely. If they learn to feel comfortable only after having taken three practice swings, stepping away from the ball, restarting and taking three more practice swings, they’re going to be annoying to play with, to say the least. I watched a boy in a junior tournament this summer who would set up at his ball, look at his target, look at his ball, back up at the target, back at his ball, etc, 13 to 18 times! He even did it on putts. The poor kids that had to play with him got so frustrated they just stopped watching him.
You will get a lot more enjoyment out of golf — as will everyone else on the course behind you — if you are prepared to play when it’s your turn, and you limit your practice swings. Cutting down on the number of shots per round would help too, but that’s something that can be addressed by your golf pro!
Speaking of fast play:
Check out the new GPS added to the carts at Oak Ridge Golf Course in Brazil. The system has an 11-inch color monitor that gives yardage to the pin, all carry points, and an aerial enhanced graphic of the hole being played.
Quote of the day:
“If you ever get a tee time in hell, there will be two certainties: 1) You will be playing behind Bernhard Langer, and 2) The course will include Hazeltine’s 16th.” – Rick Reilly, writer.
Upcoming event:
The Ladies City Match Play Golf Tournament (68th annual) is scheduled for July 27th through 30th at Rea Park Golf Course. To be eligible you mush have lived in Vigo County for six months prior to the closing date, or must be an active member of a Vigo County Golf League or Club. Entry fee is $40, which includes green fees and luncheon. Carts are extra. Entry forms are available at area golf courses.
Vigo County Golf Leagues
Rea Park First Financial Ladies 9-hole — Standings: Shepard’s Gas 482, VFW No. 1 403, VFW No. 2 394, Elliott’s Jewelers 387, Bratt Animal Hospital 380, Tabco 344. Low gross: Stipanuk 49. Low net: Stipanuk, Miller 38. Play of the day: Stipanuk (41). Chip-ins: Anderson (14), Foster (12).
Rea Park Wednesday Evening Ladies — Week 10 results (team points): Honselman-Long 24, Cannon-Bocard 20, Hamilton-Hiatt 20, Durand-Petty 18, Meyer-Atterson 17, Padgett-Johnson 17, Mann-Mahalek 17, Anderson-Spurr 17, Newton-Bedwell 17, Harden-Snow 15, Lanke-Pair 15, Hyde-Rusk 13, Horrall-Mozley 12, McCord-Clements 12, Swalls-McAleese 12, Ugo-Whitaker 10. Low gross: Sharon Horall, Renee Honselman, Stephanie Meyer 42. Low net: Stacey Bocard, Madonna Johnson 34. Chip-ins: Linda Snow (4), Susan Clements (6), Brenda Anderson (8).
Mark’s Par Three Senior Men — Low gross: Jim Lindsay 36. Low net: Lindsay 29. Closest to pin: Darrell Morning (12). Longest drive: Jim Lawson (18). Longest putt: Larry Jennings (17). Standings: Mattingly Collision 268, Midwest Gas 227, Fuson Cadillac 223, Vigo Bowl 218, Old National Trust 216, Dew Drop Inn 214, Tabco 201, Don Wills Cash Register 193.
On & Off the Course
On and Off the Course: Pace of play shouldn’t be snail’s pace
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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