Confusing pace in golf is a rite of passage. You hear one buddy complain about the pace of this group and another lament their pace on the greens, and it’s easy to get them mixed up. Getting a handle on both meanings - how you move on the course and how the ball moves on the green - is fundamental to playing smarter, more enjoyable golf. This guide will walk you through both concepts, giving you actionable steps to improve in each area.
Before we go any further, let's clear up the confusion. When golfers talk about "pace," they are usually referring to one of two distinct things:
We're going to cover both because being a good playing partner (with good pace of play) is just as important as being a good putter. We'll start with how to move around the course, and then get into the finer points of speed on the greens.
Nothing can sour a beautiful day on the links faster than slow play. Waiting on every shot is frustrating for your group and for everyone behind you. Being a player with a good pace of play is a sign of respect for the game and for other golfers. The good news is that it has nothing to do with rushing your shots and everything to do with being efficient between shots.
Follow these simple habits, and you'll never be the person other groups are complaining about.
Now we get to the part of "pace" that directly impacts your score: speed control in putting. You could read a green perfectly, align your putt perfectly, and have a perfect stroke, but if the pace is wrong, the ball will never go in the hole. End of story.
Good pace means the ball is rolling just fast enough to reach the hole and drop in on its intended line. Ideally, if it misses, it will stop about 12-18 inches past the hole, leaving you with a simple, stress-free tap-in.
Conversely, bad pace is what leads to the dreaded three-putt. Leaving a 20-foot putt five feet short or blasting it six feet past the hole puts immense pressure on your next putt and adds strokes to your card faster than anything else.
Feel for pace isn't something you're born with, it's a skill you develop through practice and a solid mental framework. Here’s how to build it from the ground up.
Your first stop at any course should be the practice green, and not just to make a few short ones. Your goal here is to calibrate your internal "speedometer" for today's conditions. Find a relatively flat spot and forget about making putts. Instead, hit putts from one side of the green toward the far fringe. Your only goal is to make the ball die as close to the fringe as possible. Hit 10-footers, 20-footers, and 40-footers. This non-technical drill awakens your feel and helps your brain understand how much effort is needed to send the ball a certain distance on these specific greens.
While "feel" is subjective, you can give it structure by connecting the length of your putting stroke to the distance of the putt. This creates a repeatable system. Great putters don't just "feel" it, their stroke is an almost unconscious, automatic reaction to the distance they see. Here's a simple system to start with:
This is a starting point. Your personal "toe-to-toe" distance might be perfect for a 12-foot putt, not an 8-foot one. The goal is to experiment and build your own system so that your brain can easily match a stroke length to a distance.
The secret to effortless pace is a smooth, even tempo. A short, quick, jabby stroke sends the ball rocketing off the face, while a long, slow, hesitant stroke often comes up short. The tempo should be consistent regardless of the length of the putt, only the length of the backswing and follow-through should change.
A great way to feel this is to think of a pendulum on a grandfather clock. It swings back and through with the same rhythm, every time. To ingrain this, putt while saying "tick-tock" in your head. The backswing is your "tick," and the stroke through the ball is your "tock." Match the motion to the words. This helps eliminate the jerky "hit" at the ball and promotes a smooth, accelerating-through motion.
Once you have a general feel, you need to adjust for variables.
Knowing the theory is one thing, grooving the feel is another. Here are three simple drills you can do on any practice green.
Pace is a huge part of being a well-rounded golfer. Understanding and respecting pace of play improves the experience for everyone, while mastering pace on the greens is the fastest way to slash your handicap. Practice being efficient with your time between shots and dedicate real effort to your distance control in putting, and you will see a tremendous difference in both your scores and your enjoyment of the game.
Getting better at golf requires solid information and smart, guided practice. We designed Caddie AI to serve as your personal on-demand golf expert, helping you dial in these skills. Whether you need a simple putting drill to fix your pace on the practice green, or an instant strategy on the tee box to keep your group moving, our Caddie provides immediate, intelligent advice. It helps take the guesswork out of the game, letting you build confidence and focus on hitting better shots from tee to green.
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