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🏌️ The Golf Draft: Ways to Play a Round Faster

Jonathan's Team

1. Ready Golf on the Tee Box — A

Good first-round pick.

The key is that you don't always have to wait for the person who is technically "away" or has honors. If you're ready and it's safe, hit.

It's a simple concept, but it can eliminate a surprising amount of standing around.

The weakness is that it's fairly narrow. It only addresses the tee box.

Good pick. Not a great #1 pick.

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2. Get Ready While Someone Else Is Hitting — A+

This is probably Jonathan's best pick.

While someone is hitting:

• Get your glove on
• Get your yardage
• Pick your club
• Take your practice swing
• Get your ball positioned
• Start your pre-shot routine

Then when it's your turn, you're ready.

This is the fundamental principle behind playing faster:

Don't wait until it's your turn to start preparing for your turn.

Excellent pick.

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3. Park Your Cart Where You're Leaving the Hole — A+

Another really strong one.

This is one of those tiny habits that can save time on every hole.

Instead of finishing the hole, getting back in the cart, driving around the green, then driving back toward the next tee, you simply position the cart intelligently in the first place.

It's particularly valuable when you're playing a course where the next tee is away from the green.

Small change. Huge cumulative effect.

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4. Tap In Your Triple Bogey — B+

😂

This is where Jonathan got aggressive.

The underlying idea is good:

If you're already counting up a big number, don't turn a 7 into an 8 because you're afraid to finish the hole.

But there's an important distinction between:

"Tap in your triple bogey"

and

"Don't waste time over a meaningless 3-foot putt."

The latter is the better argument.

Still, it's hilarious enough that I think it belongs in the draft.

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5. Know When to Pick Up — A

This is basically the bigger-picture version of #4.

If you're playing casually, there's no reason to grind out every hole when you're having a disaster.

Pick up.

Move on.

Keep the group moving.

And frankly, this might be one of the most important concepts for average golfers who want to play faster.

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Robby's Team

1. Ready Golf Everywhere Else — A+

This is the better version of Jonathan's #1 pick.

Jonathan limited ready golf to the tee box.

You said:

Why stop there?

Fairway.
Rough.
Around the green.
Putting green.

Obviously, safety and etiquette still matter, but if you're ready and it's appropriate to play, play.

This is a foundational rule that could improve almost every round.

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2. Cart Drop-Off — A+

This is one of the best practical tips in the entire draft.

Instead of both players sitting in the cart while one person gets out, walks to their ball, hits, gets back in...

Drop them off.

Then drive to your own ball.

Now both players are preparing simultaneously.

This is especially powerful when you're playing with someone who is considerably farther away.

It's basically parallel processing for golf.

😂

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3. Leave Extra Clubs in Your Exit Path — A

Very underrated.

If you're walking from the cart to the green and you're carrying multiple clubs, don't leave your wedges somewhere you're going to have to backtrack to retrieve them.

Leave them between the green and where you're going next.

Then after you hole out, grab them and go.

Again:

You're eliminating unnecessary movement.

That's the theme of your entire team.

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4. Fix Pitch Marks / Fill Divots While Waiting — A

I love this pick because it addresses something beyond just speed.

You're accomplishing two things at once.

Waiting for your playing partner?

Fix a pitch mark.

Waiting for someone to hit?

Fill a divot.

Waiting for the group ahead?

Do course maintenance.

You're not necessarily making the round dramatically faster by yourself, but you're making dead time productive.

And that's an important distinction.

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5. Limit the Lost-Ball Search — A+

This might be your most universally useful pick.

There's a difference between:

"I'm going to look for my ball."

and

"I'm going to spend four minutes searching every square inch of this forest for a $2 golf ball."

😂

Set a limit.

If you can't find it, move on.

The time savings across 18 holes can be enormous.

And it's particularly important because searching for a ball doesn't just affect you—it affects everyone behind you.

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The Interesting Difference

This is where I think the draft gets really good.

Jonathan's strategy:

Reduce the amount of time you spend preparing to play.

Robby's strategy:

Reduce the amount of time you spend not playing.

Jonathan is attacking the pre-shot routine.

You're attacking dead time.

And both are legitimate ways to speed up a round.

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Pick-by-Pick Grades

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🏆 Draft Superlatives

Best Overall Pick

Ready Golf Everywhere — Robby

It's essentially the expanded version of Jonathan's #1 pick and applies to the entire round.

Most Practical Pick

Cart Drop-Off — Robby

This is something golfers can implement on their very next round.

Most Underrated

Leave Your Clubs in Your Exit Path — Robby

It's such a small thing that people don't think about it.

Best "Do Two Things at Once" Pick

Fix Pitch Marks / Fill Divots While Waiting — Robby

Productive downtime.

Best Etiquette Pick

Know When to Pick Up — Jonathan

Not every hole needs to be completed.

Funniest Pick

Tap in Your Triple Bogey — Jonathan

No explanation necessary.

😂

Most Important Pick for Pace of Play

Limit the Lost-Ball Search — Robby

Four minutes looking for a ball is a long time when 18 holes are involved.

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🏆 FINAL VERDICT

Robby wins — 9.2 to 8.7

But this is much closer than the destination draft.

Jonathan's team is extremely cohesive:

Prepare while others hit → position the cart correctly → don't over-putt → pick up when necessary.

That's a legitimate philosophy.

But your team has a slightly broader approach:

Play when you're ready → separate cart travel → eliminate walking back → use waiting time → stop searching.

You're attacking wasted seconds throughout the entire round.

And I think that's what ultimately wins it.

The deciding pick:

#2 — Cart Drop-Off.

That one is brilliant because it changes the fundamental way two people use a cart.

Instead of:

Player A → wait → Player B → wait → move

you get:

Player A → Player B → move

You're turning two sequential activities into two simultaneous activities.