Ready Golf (Pace of Play)
Also known as: playing ready golf
"Ready golf" means whoever is ready hits next, instead of strictly waiting for the golfer farthest from the hole. It is widely encouraged in casual and recreational rounds to keep pace of play reasonable.
Traditional golf etiquette has the player whose ball is farthest from the hole play first, in strict order, on every shot. Ready golf sets that strict ordering aside in favor of simple efficiency. Whichever player is prepared and safe to hit next simply goes, regardless of whose ball is farthest away. It must not create a safety issue or genuinely disadvantage another player's ability to plan their own shot.
Ready golf is now widely encouraged, including by golf's own governing bodies. It is a response to slow pace of play, one of the most common complaints about the sport at the recreational level. One simple example: a player closer to the green hits first if the group farther back is still searching for a lost ball. Another: a player who is already set up tees off first while a partner is still choosing a club.
Ready golf is encouraged etiquette and practical pace-of-play management, not a formal, enforceable rule with penalties attached. It works because every player in the group buys into moving the round along, rather than insisting on strict traditional order for its own sake.
Example
While one player in the foursome searches for a ball in the rough, another player whose tee shot found the fairway is already set up and simply plays their next shot rather than waiting for strict "farthest from the hole" order.
Why it matters
Ready golf is one of the simplest, most beginner-friendly ways to help pace of play. It does not require rushing any shot or changing your own routine.
Frequently asked questions
Is ready golf allowed in every round?
It is widely encouraged in casual, recreational, and even most competitive stroke-play rounds specifically to help pace of play. Some formal match play or pro situations still expect stricter honors order, so it is worth checking local custom for very formal events.
Related terms
- Provisional BallA provisional ball is a backup shot played immediately when the original might be lost outside a hazard or out of bounds. It saves the group from having to walk all the way back to the tee if the first ball genuinely can't be found.
- MulliganA mulligan is an informal "do-over": hitting a second ball after a poor shot without counting the first one. It has no basis in the actual rules of golf and is purely a casual, friendly-round convention.
- Match Play vs Stroke PlayStroke play scores every shot across the whole round for a cumulative total. Match play scores hole by hole, awarding each hole to whoever takes fewer strokes on it. So a single bad hole only costs one point, not a pile of extra strokes.
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