What to do Between Shots

By April 6, 2018Tips & Tutorials
the time between golf shots

There are many times during a round of golf when you will not be playing a shot.  If we take 5 hours as being the average time for a beginner to play a round of golf, it may take you between 1 minute and 90 seconds to set-up and play a single shot.

If you played a round of golf to par, this means you will spend 1.5 hours of the 5 hours playing shots.  If you double the number of shots that leaves 2 hours of free time, most of which will come between shots.

This time may seem irrelevant to you but if you are spending this much time between shots, how you use the time can have a big influence on your round of golf.

Something as simple as body language can play a big role in a round of golf and if you walk around the course between shots with your head down, you are not only in a negative position but you are taking your eyes off the golf course.

Even if you are having a bad round, do not allow your head to drop because the more you look at the ground, the more your eyes will need to keep adjusting to the sky when you look up again to play your next shot.

If you are playing with friends or in a group, your negative body language can have an impact on their round of golf.  If they keep looking over to you as you are walking to play your next shot and your head is down, this does not encourage communication.

Playing golf with friends is about more than playing well yourself and talking, about anything, between shots is much better than having your head down.  Remember, if you are having a bad round you do not need to drag your group down with you, so keep your head up and engage with the other players.

If you were having a great round and your friend was struggling and kept looking down between shots, offering little in the way of communication, it will have an impact on the enjoyment of your round.

Sometimes, you will play golf with someone who is a much slower player and you can be left with a lot of time as they play their shots.  Instead of standing around with nothing to do and becoming frustrated, have something prepared.

You could take some notes with you about the course you are playing and read up about the hole you are playing or in preparation for the next hole.  If you are second to play a putt, analyse the putt of the player ahead of you and use what you have learned when making your own putt.

If you prefer to switch off from the golf, take a small game to play or have some quiz questions ready, anything to keep yourself from becoming frustrated when waiting for your next shot.  If you become worked up between shots, chances are you are not going to play as well as you would if you were calm.