The previous installments of “Golf Course Confidential” dealt with agronomy, which is the heart of my business. However, I occasionally will use this space to discuss other issues in the game. Feel free to send your reactions to these articles as well as ideas you might have for future columns.

I currently serve on the New Jersey State Golf Association’s tournament committee, sometimes officiating at NJSGA and other events. These help me keep sharp on the Rules of Golf and give me a break from turf and trees. I also recently worked with the recent Big 10 Championships, held at Windsong Farm GC in Minnesota, and the Carolinas Golf Association Senior Amateur Championship, held at Forsyth Country Club.

These events attract many good players so I always learn something. For example, while at the Big 10 Championship I learned that top college players are nearly incapable of making decisions on their own, rely too heavily on their coaches, and, as a result, play extremely slowly. I suffered through rounds that lasted 4:45 to 6 hours-twosomes and threesomes!

I saw players taking 10 to 20 practice swings per shot. (The record was 22; I’d have to quit the game due to muscle fatigue if I took that many practice swings.) One contestant lined up a putt for more than a minute, squatting, reading, taking eight practice strokes, and still missing three feet right.

Admittedly, the conditions were tough, with winds blowing up to 35 mph. But six-hour rounds? For groups of three’s? If that weren’t crazy enough, the host coach wanted the superintendent to make the greens even faster when the wind already was causing balls to move on the slick surfaces.

Some observers blame rangefinders for slow play, but I disagree. These college players had yardage information at their fingertips, provided by officials, coaches and teammates. Yet they still couldn’t take a shot without someone else lining them up, telling them how to swing, and talking about their spine angles.

Yes, coaches want to win. I was told they’ve petitioned the USGA to allow even more time for talking to players between shots. But when a team is 20 over par after the first day you want to say, “Hey, coach, cut it out.”

You also want to tell coaches to have their kids better prepared before an event begins and to be more realistic. Every college player thinks he can hit it 320 into the wind: coaches should be saying no, but all I heard from them was yes, which led to bad shots and more wasted time. It didn’t help that many kids don’t know the Rules, something else the coach should be responsible for.

I hope the NCAA reduces the amount of time allowed between shots, restricts how much and what a coach can say to a player during a round, mandates more Rules classes, and adopts the idea of “Ready Golf.” But I doubt it will.

Instead, here are a few ways all golfers can play faster.
–Regularly look back to be sure you’re not holding anyone up
–Play from the correct set of tees
–Start thinking about your next shot while walking/riding to it
–Take one or two practice swings, no more
–After hitting a shot, move. Don’t re-rehearse the shot you just missed
–If it’s cart-path-only, take more than one club when walking to the ball
–Park carts intelligently around tees and greens
–Start reading putts as you reach greens; don’t wait to start until it’s your turn to putt
–Unless you’re in a tournament or counting every shot, concede putts inside the “zone of friendship”
–Don’t give lessons to another golfer while playing no matter how good you are
–Play “Ready Golf” at all times