WATCH BILL HAAS, ROBERT GARRIGUS, PAT PEREZ, BRANDT SNEDEKER, RORY MCILROY AND DUSTIN JOHNSON, JUST TO NAME A FEW OF THE FASTER PLAYERS ON THE PGA TOUR. They set a good example for how long you should take to hit the golf ball. They’re usually hitting as soon as the other guy’s ball is in the air. •••
PLAY READY GOLF. Get your yardage and pick your club while you’re walking to the ball or while you’re waiting for your fel- low-competitors to hit. Four hours is more than enough time for a round of golf.
DON’T:
WATCH A NUMBER OF THE LADIES ON THE LPGA TOUR who have their caddies line them up on every shot (though for amateurs this could help, so I encourage it every now and again to check your align- ment, but definitely not on every shot or two-foot putt). Six-hour rounds aren’t fun for anyone. •••
MARK A PUTT INSIDE THREE FEET. The pros are playing for millions and an 18-inch putt could cost them hundreds of thousands and a major championship. Un- less you’re playing for more than you have in your bank account (which you shouldn’t be doing in the first place), just putt out.
PGA champion Rory McIlroy sets a great example for pace on the golf course.
At the end of the
day, the most impor- tant thing is...HAVE FUN. Yeah, yeah, I know, that sounds so cliche, but it’s easy to forget. There’s no reason to get angry and throw clubs. It shouldn’t be stressful for an amateur to play a round of golf. I understand that some of us are inher- ently competitive and we can’t help getting fired up a little, but let’s keep it within reason. Four- letter words sort of go hand-in-hand with golf, so I recommend you use those as a release, then move on to the next shot. Perhaps Ryan
Palmer, a three-time champ on the PGA Tour, had the best advice: “Get a six-pack before you tee off.”
Unless you’re playing for more than you have in your bank account, don’t mark really short putts.
Stephanie Wei is a freelance writer–reporter and a recovering former college golfer. She shares a different perspective in her coverage of the PGA Tour at weiunderpar.com. She’s also a contributor for Sports Illustrated Golf+.