SLOW play comments from Mike Jones Club Captain

Nigel Davies, Seniors Captain has asked for this to be put on the Seniors Blog. Nigel indicates emphasising that in no way are we trying to teach our grandma to suck eggs but that there may be things in there that we could all benefit from?

Some suggestions from Mike Jones (Club Captain) to increase the pace of play and avoid slow rounds :

On the tee, if it's you to go first or second, mark your card after you've teed off, be ready to play, club selected, ball and tee in hand ready to go.

Spotting balls: watch all the balls being teed off and make a mental note of a reference point of where it has ended up; which tree, branch, marker etc. Two seconds extra spotting can save 5 mins looking (and a lost ball). Did it bounce, did it plug etc? Walk directly on the line of flight to the ball, you'll have a much better chance of finding it on that line.

Once found put your bag just to the right (for a RH player) then you won't have to move it when you set up to play, and if you change club or wipe your club it's there just one step away.

Be ready to play, practice swings and pre shot shuffles etc. Your partner plays, you say good shot or otherwise and then you play.

When at the green, take your trolley to the side of the green where the next tee is, you will only walk 10 -15 yards sideways then be away, rather than leaving it at the front before the white line, otherwise, you finish playing, walk 25 - 30yards back to your trolley, then 30- 40 yards to clear away from the green. Twice the mileage, twice the time.

Putting: be ready to putt, choose your line and clean your ball, repair a pitch mark while someone else is putting (while observing etiquette, out of sight etc.). If you just miss and are able to finish off and putt out, do so, to save having to come back and re-set and ask who's honour it is.

Simple maths calculation: if a group of 4 players saved 10 seconds per shot each, averaging 5 shots per hole, that is 200 seconds per hole ...  x 18 holes equals 3600 seconds or 60 minutes ... changing a near 5 hour round to 4 hours or less.