natural flow

The natural flow of a round of golf is something I think is very important to low scores. This flow includes all aspects of your round and must be flexible. Previously, I mention that I use techniques adjust to a slower round, especially during tournament play. These techniques work for me hopefully you will find them useful.

It is important to understand that staying within your natural flow as much as possible during a slow round is important to great golf. Even though the play is slow, the following things I never change:

Preshot routine – regardless of what is happening around me or how long I have to wait, I never change my preshot routine. Same routine and same tempo through each shot.
Walking to your ball – I walk to my ball at my normal speed. Keeping my same speed helps with my natural flow and preshot routine. Sometimes I have to wait for others to hit, but that is normal. If I am waiting for quite a while see the points below I use to help pass the time. (Attention – if everyone is always waiting for you….well maybe it is time to speed up a bit)
Club Distance – knowing generally how far I hit a specific club never changes. The exact yardage may vary slightly depending on conditions, but for the most part, my club distance will never change.
Course Management – I try to play within my capabilities all the time. If I never draw the ball, as an example, I do not attempt in during the middle of my round regardless of how inviting the shot may be.

After ensuring the four points above never change, I still find that I still have lots of time to kill before it is my turn. To lower my frustration in these moments, here is what I do:

Carry a wet towel – I use a wet towel to clean my golf ball before I putt. I generally clean my ball every 3 or 4 holes, but now it is at every green.
Clean your clubs after every shot – I know most of you will say that I should be doing that anyway, however I am talking about giving it a good cleaning. This takes a few moments longer and allows players to get a head start before I walk to my ball.
Examine the conditions – while waiting for my turn to hit, I take a closer look at the wind, my lie, the lay for the hole and the location of the pin. Most of the time I do this while walking to my ball, but when things are slow, I wait until I get to my ball on the fairway.
Have a snack or drink– I keep some food in my bag. Just snack food or the odd sandwich. I also carry plenty of water. I find that on slow rounds I need to keep my strength and having liquids or food helps pass the time and keep me energized.
Stay mentally focused – I hum a tune in my head. It varies from round to round, but it keeps me in the moment. When I am waiting, I find music helps pass the time way. It keeps me calm and relaxed.

The above mentioned techniques are probably not a big surprise to most of you avid or competitive golfers. They work very well for me and the list is definitely not an all-inclusive one.

I would interested in what techniques to you use to keep the slow play monster from bothering your game?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Slow play is one of my pet peeves in golf! I find that waiting on every hole is frustrating and fuels my negative talk about golf and life in general! Playing with or behind players who are more focused on talking, having a libation, or watching every play from every position should not be allowed on my course! Slow play…grrrr….where is that marshal!

Can I play through?

I have talked about slow play before and many people have chimed in with their frustrations. (See May I Play Through and Can I Play Through for more details) I realize that this topic can push the buttons of most golfers, however it is an important topic that many amateurs seem to overlook.

There are some players who are naturally slow players. Others like a very quick pace. The natural flow of a round of golf, for these diverse players, is completely different. It is this natural flow that I want to discuss.

The natural flow of any player is not limited to their golf swing. The tempo of their swing is extremely important and generally correlates with how long it takes a player to loop around the course. The natural flow of a player encompasses their swing, their routines, how fast they walk between shots, their decision-making, etc. Every action during their round of golf is part of their natural flow of their round.

Natural flow is critical to low scores in tournaments. How many times have you played with people who stated they are a single digit handicap, yet shoot in the 90s! I realize it can happen once in a while, but not two or three days in a row. If asked about their challenges, they would suggest that they are just having a bad day. However, under closer scrutiny, they have changed their natural flow and it was completely messed up.

Novice amateurs try to ape a better golfer. This is a great practice (learning from others), but not during a tournament. I have played many rounds with players who completely change their natural flow under the pressure of competition; interestingly, the times I score the best is when I keep to may natural flow and ignore theirs. Sometimes this is challenging when playing with extremely slow competitors, but if it is their natural flow, there is nothing one can do. To compensate for slow play in tournaments, I have developed some techniques that work to keep my natural flow.

I will let you know what they are, but before I do I would like to know what you think. Am I crazy to think there is a natural flow to a persons golf game? Inquiring minds want to know!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!