Waiting on a tee box for a five-hour round to finally end can take the fun out of any golf day. There’s a better way to play, and it’s called Ready Golf. This isn’t about rushing your shots or compromising safety, it’s about playing smarter and more efficiently so everyone enjoys the game more. This article will break down what Ready Golf is, how to use it correctly on the course, and how it can make your weekend golf game much more enjoyable.
At its core, Ready Golf is a common-sense approach to pace of play. It’s an agreement among a group of golfers to set aside the traditional order of play ("farthest from the hole plays first") in favor of a more efficient method: if you're ready to hit and it's safe to do so, you play.
This simple change in mindset can shave 20-30 minutes off a round without making anyone feel rushed. It’s about minimizing downtime and maximizing playing time. Instead of standing around waiting while your friend across the fairway spends two minutes debating between a 7-iron and an 8-iron, Ready Golf encourages the other ready players to proceed with their shot.
Think of it as teamwork. The goal of the group should be to move along at a good pace, and Ready Golf is the most effective way to achieve that in a casual round. It encourages you to prepare for your shot in advance so that when the coast is clear, you can step up and go.
This is a common question, and the answer is a resounding yes, with some important clarifications. The governing bodies of golf, the USGA and R&A, are huge advocates for improving pace of play. They explicitly encourage Ready Golf in stroke play formats.
Rule 5.6b, “Playing Promptly,” recommends that players should play at a prompt pace throughout the round. A note to this rule states: “To help with the pace of play, it is recommended that players play “ready golf” in a safe and responsible way.”
However, it’s also important to understand Rule 6.4b for “Order of Play in Stroke Play.”
In short, for the vast majority of rounds played by amateur golfers (stroke play), Ready Golf is perfectly acceptable and officially encouraged. The story is a bit different for match play, but we'll cover that later.
Understanding the concept is one thing, putting it into practice is another. Ready Golf isn't chaos. It's an orderly system that requires awareness and communication. Here’s how it works on different parts of the course.
Traditionally, the player with the best score on the previous hole has the "honor" and tees off first. In Ready Golf, this changes.
This is where Ready Golf makes the biggest impact. The "farthest from the hole plays first" style can lead to a lot of wasted time here.
The putting green can be a major source of slow play, but Ready Golf offers a simple solution.
Ready Golf is fantastic, but it's not a free-for-all. There are specific times when you must revert to the traditional order of play. Think of these as the absolute “don'ts” of Ready Golf.
This is the non-negotiable, number one rule. Never, ever hit if there is even a remote chance you could endanger another player. Be constantly aware of where everyone in your group is, as well as players in other groups and course maintenance staff. If you're ready but someone is in front of you, you wait. No amount of time saved is worth causing an injury.
In match play, the order of play is part of the game's strategy. Seeing what your opponent does with their shot can heavily influence your decision. If a player hits out of turn in match play, their opponent has the right to recall the stroke and have them play again in the correct order, without penalty. To avoid this, it's best to stick to the proper order in match play unless you and your opponent explicitly agree to use Ready Golf before the round.
Etiquette and courtesy are still paramount. If a fellow player is lining up a challenging 40-foot putt, don't walk over to a nearby bunker to take an aggressive practice swing. If someone is concentrating over a critical chip, give them the space to play without distraction. Be a good playing partner first and a "ready" golfer second.
Successfully using Ready Golf comes down to a shift in mindset and good communication within your group.
Ready Golf is not about rushing, it’s about being ready and efficient. It transforms golf from a game of waiting into a game of continuous flow, and the result is a faster, more athletic, and ultimately more enjoyable day on the course for everybody.
Adopting Ready Golf is one of the easiest ways for any amateur golfer to immediately improve their experience on the course. By thinking ahead, communicating with your partners, and always prioritizing safety, you can contribute to a faster, more fluid round that keeps everyone engaged and having fun.
Feeling confident and prepared is a big part of being ready to play. When you’re uncertain about the strategy for a hole or a specific shot, it leads to hesitation and slows you down. That core idea of confident, decisive play is something we focused on when creating Caddie AI. By giving you instant strategic advice for any hole and expert guidance for any tough lie - you can even snap a photo of your ball to get a suggested play - the goal is to remove doubt. When the guesswork is gone, you can stand over the ball knowing you have a smart plan, which helps you commit to your swing and play with more confidence and better pace.
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