How to Find Time to Play Golf

Carving out five hours for a full round of golf can feel like a logistical nightmare for most of us with jobs, families, and other commitments. If your clubs are feeling neglected, it’s not because you love the game any less, it’s because life is demanding. This guide moves beyond vague encouragement and gives you practical, real-world strategies to help you get out on the course more often, without having to completely overhaul your life.

Shift Your Mindset: Redefine What It Means to "Play Golf"

The biggest mental barrier preventing most people from playing more is a rigid definition of what "a round of golf" means. We get stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset, believing that if we don't have a 5-hour window for 18 holes, a cart, and a beverage afterwards, it's not worth going at all. This is the first thing we need to change. To play more golf, you have to embrace shorter, more focused golf experiences.

Think about it: a 45-minute gym session still moves you toward your fitness goals. A 20-minute read is still valuable. Golf is no different. By opening your mind to different forms of "playing golf," you’ll discover pockets of time you never thought you had.

Three Ways to Play More with Less Time:

• Embrace the 9-Hole Round: This is the most obvious and powerful change you can make. A 9-hole round, especially if you're walking, can take under two hours. Tucked into an early morning, it gets you home before the family is even up and about. Squeezed into a late afternoon, it’s the perfect way to decompress after work. It delivers the satisfaction of a "real" round but at half the time commitment. Stop seeing it as an incomplete experience and start seeing it as the perfect, efficient golf session.
• The "Sunset Loop": Have an hour to spare before dark? Head to your local course and ask if you can just play a few holes. Most courses are quiet in the last hour of daylight and will happily take your money for a quick 3-to-6-hole loop. There's a special kind of peace on a nearly empty course as the sun goes down. You can play two or three balls, work on specific shots, and just enjoy the walk without any pressure.
• Turn Practice into a Game: A trip to the driving range isn't just mindlessly banging balls. Turn it into a targeted, satisfying session. Instead of just pulling driver, spend 45 minutes working through your bag with purpose. Play a virtual hole: hit a driver, then an 8-iron, then a wedge. A 30-minute stop at the practice green can do more for your score than three hours of unfocused play. These shorter sessions keep your swing feeling natural and maintain your connection to the game, so you don't feel rusty when you do get out for a full round.

Master Your Calendar: The Art of Scheduling Your Swings

Hope is not a strategy. You will never "find" time for golf. The world will always fill your empty time slots with other obligations. You have to make time by treating golf with the same priority you give any other important appointment. If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t exist.

Look at your week and decide, proactively, where your golf time will go. Don't wait for a perfectly free weekend day to magically appear. Be deliberate. Scheduling golf accomplishes two things: it forces you to commit, and it allows you to plan the rest of your life around it, just like you would a doctor's appointment or a business meeting. This simple act of putting it on the calendar also helps alleviate guilt, because it’s no longer something you’re impulsively sneaking away to do, it’s a planned part of your week.

Practical Scheduling Tactics:

• The Early Bird Round: Waking up at 5:30 AM isn't for everyone, but the reward is a wide-open golf course. An early tee time, especially if you're playing solo or as a twosome, means you can be walking off the 18th green by 10 AM. You get your golf fix in before the day truly begins, and you're home for the day's other responsibilities without feeling like you abandoned anyone.
• The Productive "Lunch Break": If your workplace is near a range or a short course, consider dedicating one lunch break a week to your game. Packing a lunch frees up that hour. You might not have time for 9 holes, but you can definitely hit a small bucket of balls or spend 45 minutes on the putting green. It’s a fantastic mental reset during a stressful day.
• Communicate Your Tee Time: One of the biggest sources of friction for busy golfers is springing a 5-hour disappearance on their family or partner. Putting your round on a shared calendar a week in advance manages expectations. "Hey, I'm booking a tee time for next Saturday at 8 AM" is received much better than "Bye, I'm heading out to golf now!" Planning ahead shows respect for others' time and makes everyone's a lot weekend smoother.

Optimize Your Time on the Course: Play Faster and Smarter

Once you’ve successfully scheduled a round, the last thing you want is for it to drag on. The more efficient you are on the course, the easier it is to fit golf into tight windows. A "fast" round isn't about rushing your shots, it's about eliminating the dead time between them. As a coach, I can tell you that most wasted time in golf happens when you're not swinging.

Adopting a "ready golf" mindset is everything. It’s about being prepared to hit when it’s your turn, knowing your yardage before you get to your ball, and thinking about your next shot as you walk or drive from the previous one. This alone can shave 20-30 minutes off a round without ever making you feel hurried.

On-Course Efficiency Strategies:

• Play Ready Golf, Always: The tradition of "honor" is fine in a formal tournament, but for a casual round, let it go. The rule is simple: if you're ready and it's safe to hit, you hit. If your playing partner is on the other side of the fairway looking for their ball, don't just stand there waiting. Get your yardage, select your club, and play your shot. The group will move much faster.
• Streamline Your Routine: Confidence comes from a consistent pre-shot routine, but that routine doesn't need to be 45 seconds long. Find a rhythm that’s brief and athletic. Two looks at the target, one or two comfortable waggles, and go. A snappy routine keeps your muscles in go-mode and your mind from overthinking.
• Leave the Pin In: Since the rule change a few years ago, putting with the pin in is often faster and has been proven to not hurt your scores. Instead of waiting for someone to tend the pin, players can just putt when they're ready. It's a small change that keeps the flow going on the green.
• Strategize While You Walk: Don't start your decision-making process when you’re standing over the ball. As you approach your shot, assess the lie, check the wind, and think through your options. By the time you get there, you should already have a plan and a club or two in mind. This simple habit keeps the game moving and your mind engaged.

Bring Golf Into Your Daily Life: Stay Connected

Sometimes the hardest part of a golf-less stretch isn’t the lack of playing, it’s the feeling of total disconnection from a game you love. Integrating small, golf-related activities into your daily routine can keep that passion alive and actually improve your game in short, five-minute bursts.

These mini-sessions feed your hunger for golf and build muscle memory for the specific skills that often fall apart first: putting, chipping, and swing rhythm. Even if you can only get to the course once a month, these daily touchpoints ensure your feel for the game remains sharp. This isn't about replacing on-course time, it's about supplementing it in a practical way.

Ideas for Five-Minute Golf Fixes:

• The Living Room Putting Green: An indoor putting mat is the single best investment a time-crunched golfer can make. Keep it rolled out somewhere convenient. Spend ten minutes every night stroking 6-footers. The repetition is what builds a consistent, grooved stroke that will hold up under pressure when you do get out to play.
• The Backyard Short Game: You don't need a perfectly manicured lawn. A small pop-up chipping net and a few foam or plastic practice balls can turn your backyard into a short-game lab. Work on hitting low runners and high floaters. Just 15 minutes of this a few times a week trains your hands and mind for scoring shots.
• Office Swing Trainer: Keep a weighted swing trainer or just your 7-iron in your office or garage. A few times a day, stand up and take ten slow, deliberate practice swings. Focus on the feeling of a full rotation and a balanced finish. This helps maintain your mobility and reminds your body what a real golf swing feels like. You’re building the core movements of the swing without needing a ball.

Final Thoughts

Finding more time for golf is not about waiting for a free day to appear on the calendar. It’s an exercise in reframing what it means to play and be a golfer, making the conscious choice to schedule smaller, sustainable golf sessions that fit your busy life.

When you do get out to play, making every moment count is vital. I've designed Caddie AI to help you do just that. Instead of wasting time second-guessing your yardage, club choice, or the right strategy for a hole, you get clear, expert advice right on your phone. It helps you play with more confidence and make smarter decisions, so you can focus on hitting great shots and truly enjoying the precious time you have on the course.