How is Ready Golf going at your club?

North Mimms

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Have to agree with that really. The guys I played with this past weekend all seemed prepared to play ready golf, but also nobody just strode forward and took their shot just because they were ready - we mostly waited for the guy whose turn it actually was to say 'you play if you're ready' as it feels more like the good-etiquette way to do it. Perhaps this will change over time.

Call me old-fashioned - but a recognition of this basic etiquette is quite important - not absolutely important - just quite important. I am not a fan of change for the convenience of some golfers, or where it is done to avoid having to deal with an underlying problem.

This is the problem.
Most of us don't play like our pants are on fire, but if someone is ready to play, and waiting to be given the nod, why isn't the person whose honour it is either playing their shot or saying "off you go"?
Etiquette cuts both ways.

Ready golf had been encouraged for years. Why are people still hanging back?
 

JezzE

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Quite disappointing to read such resistance to ready golf.
If it's your honour on the tee, take it. Faffing about filling in your scorecard and expecting others to wait for you is poor etiquette, much worse than "shall I go then?"

Of course Ready Golf helps reduce slow play.
Either whoever is ready, takes their shot or preferably the person whose honour it is is READY and takes their shot.

Agree with this 100% - those who don't think ready golf has the potential to improve round times must play at very different courses and with very different people to me

Agree that it's probably better to be invited on the tee, but I have to say that I'd have no hesitation these days in saying, 'Shall I go then?' if the person with the honour gets to the tee and starts filling in his scorecard or just stands chatting to someone else...
 

Capella

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The concept was "officially" introduced at our club two years ago with an article they put up on the website. It is now slowly beginning to take hold with most players. When you end up playing with people you haven't played with before, normally at the first time when a situation occurs where you are ready to play out of turn, you ask once, like "Is it okay if I go?" and then usually the answer is: "Yes, sure, whoever is ready can go" and that stands for the rest of the round. If someone played a birdie (or, among us higher handicappers, a good par), the others sometimes good naturedly insist on that player going first, honoring that special feat, but apart from that, I never had anyone insisting on the honor being kept in place. (Thinks are differently in comps, though) We do have a strong female membership and mixed groups are the rule more than an exception, so the order of play is determined by what tee box you hit from mostly anyway.
 
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We introduced it a few years back and on the whole it's accepted but there is always the same type of people who believe in the honour etc as posted by SILH - soon it will be adopted into the R&A within their etiquette. The ET will adopt it and it's already been requested when playing in PGA Pro Am's.

There will always be the odd minority opposed to it but they will filter out when they realise that not everyone has 6 hours to play golf.
 

North Mimms

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Thank you Lord T!

I don't know how golf will ever develop and widen its appeal while there is such resistance to change and improvement.
Just because "this is the way it was in 1920" is not a reasonable argument!
 

patricks148

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i wasn't aware of any directive ref this but all the guys i play with have been playing ready golf for some time. with the exception of a tie in match play where i think it still is important, we even do this in comps within reason.
 

Fish

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Thank you Lord T!

I don't know how golf will ever develop and widen its appeal while there is such resistance to change and improvement.
Just because "this is the way it was in 1920" is not a reasonable argument!

Some just take and adopt 'the honour' too seriously, like some huge achievement that allows the rest of the nearby field to see that they are teeing off first as they obviously won or had the best score on the previous hole, it's quite sad really, so if you want that honour, then be bleedin' ready to play!!

It was like a situation I had in matchplay last year, I was on the green on a par 3 and he was just off the green but much nearer to the hole, he said 'shall I come on', I said 'No!', he said that it would be quicker as he would need to attend the flag and then replace it for himself, I said 'tough, I'm putting for the hole, if you chip in I've removed my advantage knowing I need the long putt placing pressure on myself', it had nothing to do with it being quicker IMO but he even asked the pro (not the best person to ask IMO) as he was adamant that people off the green should play first!! I said 'show me that in the rules', he said, 'it might not be, it's just the way it's always been and how I/we've played for years', with that kind of goings on out on the course, it makes you wonder how many real rule infringements there are during matches amongst there own crowd :mmm:
 

Marshy77

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Most people I've ever played with have always been of the attitude that if your ready go ahead. Had a few that like to stay in honour order but generally it's always been a very relaxed view to playing when ready.
 

Jates12

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I didnt even know this was a thing until i read this thread as it happens when we play anyways. The only time we revert to honor is when on the tee. The rest of it is, if you're ready play your shot. I wish that all groups at our GC played that way but most dont.
 

North Mimms

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Some just take and adopt 'the honour' too seriously, like some huge achievement that allows the rest of the nearby field to see that they are teeing off first as they obviously won or had the best score on the previous hole, it's quite sad really, so if you want that honour, then be bleedin' ready to play!!

It was like a situation I had in matchplay last year, I was on the green on a par 3 and he was just off the green but much nearer to the hole, he said 'shall I come on', I said 'No!', he said that it would be quicker as he would need to attend the flag and then replace it for himself, I said 'tough, I'm putting for the hole, if you chip in I've removed my advantage knowing I need the long putt placing pressure on myself', it had nothing to do with it being quicker IMO but he even asked the pro (not the best person to ask IMO) as he was adamant that people off the green should play first!! I said 'show me that in the rules', he said, 'it might not be, it's just the way it's always been and how I/we've played for years', with that kind of goings on out on the course, it makes you wonder how many real rule infringements there are during matches amongst there own crowd :mmm:

In stroke play, most people would let the person off the green play first even if they are closer, as it avoids flag faffing. But they are clearly aware that they are playing out of turn, as most will ask "shall I come on?" so I don't think it is indicative of widespread rule breaking

In matchplay I would stick to the correct order even in that situation
 

jim8flog

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This will be adopted for the 2019 Rules changes (along with the other 100 or so changes).

It will also be introduced for match play but slightly modified.

In match play you may offer or the opponent can ask to play out of turn. Once agreed then you cannot make them play again.

So the " Can I come on" will be acceptable from 1/1/ 2019 unless you say "no".
 
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jim8flog

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As many have said the basic concept of Ready Golf is that is when it is your turn to play you should be ready to play having done all the prep work quickly and expediently If you are not then somebody who is can go.

Our group has practised many of the recommendations such as shorter hitters go first on the tee for years.


We have actually managed to speed up the slowest player as he has realised we are not going to wait for him before playing.
 

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Routinely remind people they should be hitting their shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball.

Otherwise I think we are pretty good. Obviously, there are always a few individuals out there not making the change.
 

pauljames87

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I didnt even know this was a thing until i read this thread as it happens when we play anyways. The only time we revert to honor is when on the tee. The rest of it is, if you're ready play your shot. I wish that all groups at our GC played that way but most dont.

On the green is where I find it worst when playing with certain people I play with.. two players will be almost equal distance apart.. and each will be thinking its not my turn its his.. just seems a lot of faffing

last round I played was better though because even though we were caught behind a slow group infront I kept suggesting should I go first as the shortest hitter and it certainly helped keep us from getting frustrated as someone was always going
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Don;t get me wrong - I'm not against 'ready golf'', and I assume it can't apply to matchplay - but in medal format I raise the risk that some who want to 'get on with the round' could be racing ahead of the rest of a group and playing before the others because they are 'ready'. And being forward of the rest could be deemed to be distracting or rushing the group.

I note that risk can have positive as well as negative impacts :)
 

North Mimms

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We don't do ready golf other than on a very ad hoc basis during a friendly knock. No need or wish to make it the norm and it doesn't address the slow play issues - just like a sticky plaster over a festering sore.

Don;t get me wrong - I'm not against 'ready golf'', and I assume it can't apply to matchplay - but in medal format I raise the risk that some who want to 'get on with the round' could be racing ahead of the rest of a group and playing before the others because they are 'ready'. And being forward of the rest could be deemed to be distracting or rushing the group.

I note that risk can have positive as well as negative impacts :)

Your first statement implies that you don't support Ready Golf.
Ready Golf is not about rushing, it's about using time effectively and efficiently.
If the entire group plays ready golf it keeps things moving. Otherwise you end up with with three "purists" playing slowly in precise order, not keeping pace, and a fourth (usually me!) rushing their game in an effort to get the group back on track
 

Capella

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Ready Golf is not about rushing, it's about using time effectively and efficiently.

Exactly. If anything, it gives slower players more time to prepare for their shot, because where they are holding everyone up in traditional order of play, with ready golf, other players can use that time to prepare and hit their shot in the meantime. All it needs is a little bit of awareness. Of course you don't jump into anyones line of play (or even their field of vision) to play your shot out of order. It is more about teeing off while s.o. else is still taking off his jacket or searching for his banana, chipping onto the green while the away player is still contemplating which wedge to hit or is still raking the bunker from his last shot etc. It is not about putting pressure on someone. Quite the contrary, it is about taking pressure off, by signaling: "Okay, take your time there ... I'll just go while you are still busy doing xyz"
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Your first statement implies that you don't support Ready Golf.
Ready Golf is not about rushing, it's about using time effectively and efficiently.
If the entire group plays ready golf it keeps things moving. Otherwise you end up with with three "purists" playing slowly in precise order, not keeping pace, and a fourth (usually me!) rushing their game in an effort to get the group back on track

Not that I don't support it - more that I haven't heard of it being recommended at my place and the OP implies that it's something that's been recommended by some body. It's just never come up in any chat I've had with others either before, after or during a round. As it happens we do play 'ready golf' on an ad hoc basis in friendly knocks.
 
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Orikoru

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Not that I don't support it - more that I haven't heard of it being recommended at my place and the OP implies that it's something that's been recommended by some body. It's just never come up in any chat I've had with others either before, after or during a round. As it happens we do play 'ready golf' on an ad hoc basis in friendly knocks.
On my club's website they posted this message so I figured it had been 'recommended':

06/06/2017 - “Ready Golf”[FONT=&quot]In this year’s Amateur Championship (strokeplay rounds) The R&A is adopting the principle of “Ready Golf” in order to assist pace of play. Where possible competitors are asked to similarly give this a try. Examples of “Ready Golf” in action are: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Hitting a shot when safe to do so if a player farther away faces a challenging shot and is taking time to assess their options.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Shorter hitters playing first from the tee or fairway if longer hitters have to wait.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Hitting a tee shot if the person with the honour is delayed in being ready to play.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Hitting a shot before helping someone to look for a lost ball.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Putting out even if it means standing close to someone else’s line.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• Hitting a shot if a person who has just played from a greenside bunker is still farthest from the hole but is delayed due to raking the bunker.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]• When a player’s ball has gone over the back of a green, any player closer to the hole but chipping from the front of the green should play while the other player is having to walk to their ball and assess their shot.
[/FONT]
 
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