Golf House Kentucky is proud to debut a new video series geared towards improving pace of play for the 2019 season. This video series will showcase ways for junior golfers to improve pace of play and help understand the positive benefits to playing ready golf.

“Improving pace of play is a top priority for Golf House Kentucky at every level, from junior golf to amateur and professional golf,” said Brent Paladino, Executive Director of Golf House Kentucky. “Our goal with this video series is to raise awareness about steps that every golfer, regardless of skill level, can take to cut down the time it takes to play a round.”

Among the most common causes for slow play across the country is not being ready to play when it’s their turn and pre-shot routines taking too long. Topics covered in the video series include golf course awareness, how to play ready golf, an efficient pre-shot routine, steps to take on the putting green and managing equipment.

All members of the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour will be expected to watch the video series and complete a short quiz. Junior golfers will be expected to complete a round of golf in 4 ½ hours or less for all events on the tour. Members of the Junior Tour can watch the full length video and take the quick by clicking here.

Special thanks to the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and the Indiana Golf Foundation (IGF) who directed and produced the video series.

Part One: Course Awareness

It is always critical to be aware of your placement on the course. Do your best to have a view of your playing partner’s shot, but always be as close as possible to your own ball as long as it’s not distracting your playing partner. While the person hits, get pre-shot preparation in such as figuring out your yardage, taking practice swings or deciding on a club to hit.

Ready golf is especially encouraged in situations such as one player wanting to go for the green while having to wait, while another player is going to lay up. The person who’s laying up should not hesitate to hit first if the person attempting to go for the green is having to wait on the group in front. Another applicable situation is when a player in a group needs a ruling and is having to wait for an official to come survey the situation. Other players do not need to wait to hit their shots during this process. They should advance their respective balls as far as possible until the player who needed a ruling is ready to proceed.

Understanding situations like these by being aware of your situation compared to that of a playing partner’s is instrumental in shaving minutes off a round’s length.