As a golf professional the one complaint I hate to hear is slow play out on the course. There are two causes when it comes to slow play: the golf course can cause the back up if tries to squeeze in groups between regularly scheduled tee times, or the players can slow the play down. Our goal as golf course operators is to eliminate our side of the problem. With ten minute tee times, pace of play should never be a factor at the Pearl.
I came up with a few tips for the average player to improve their experience and pace of play.
1) If you have a cell phone, use it. If you see a group holding up the golf course use your cell phone and call the Pro Shop so they can send assistance right away.
2) Provisional Ball. We all hit poor shots and we all hate to lose a ball. Try not to compound the pain of losing that ball by having to drive back to your original spot. If you hit a poor shot and think it may be hard to find hit a provisional ball just in case you don’t find your first ball.
3) Scare Tactics: NC’s Copperhead Snake. If you go by the rule book a player has exactly five minutes to search for their ball before they must proceed to the original spot to hit another ball in play. Everyone has someone in their group breaking that rule. Here is my theory on how to police this. Remind your foursome about the abundance of North Carolina’s Copperhead snake. 37% of the venomous snake bites in the United States are from Copperheads. That percentage goes up to 64% in North Carolina. Copperhead bites are rarely deadly but extremely painful. So unless that $1 Top Flite is really worth it go ahead and follow tip number two: hit a provisional ball and keep the game up to speed.
The main thing we want to impart is that slow play effects everyone out on the course. Be kind to your fellow golfers and use the tips provided above to keep your play at optimum pace. The Pearl will do its part by scheduling 10 minute tee times, now do yours!
