Ready Golf: How to Play Faster Without Breaking the Rules

Ready Golf lets you play when you're ready and it's safe instead of waiting for the strict honour order, and it's officially recommended by the R&A and USGA for stroke play under Rule 10.2b. A group of four using Ready Golf consistently saves roughly 20 to 40 minutes per round without any penalty.

What is Ready Golf?

Ready Golf is a pace of play practice where you play your stroke when you are ready and it is safe to do so, instead of waiting for the strict order of honour (furthest from the hole plays first).

The R&A and USGA officially recommend it for stroke play, as set out in their 2019 guidelines. It's not an exception to the Rules — it's a legitimate use of the stroke play order of play rule (Rule 10.2b), which allows players to agree to play out of turn. Unlike informal courtesy habits that vary by club or country, Ready Golf has a precise rules basis: knowing exactly where it applies and where it doesn't is what separates using it confidently from inadvertently causing a dispute.

In match play, order of play can be strategically relevant and a player may require their opponent to replay a stroke made out of turn (no penalty, but the stroke must be replayed). That's why Ready Golf doesn't apply in match play.

Situations where to apply Ready Golf

On the tee

• The player who reaches the tee first and is ready may play, regardless of who has the honour
• If the player with the honour is taking time to prepare (digging through the bag, putting on their glove), another player who is ready can play first
• All players in the group should be implicitly aware — no formal permission is needed, but make sure nobody is in the line of play

In the fairway and rough

• If your ball is closer to the hole than another player's, you would normally wait for them to play first. With Ready Golf, if they're not ready and you are, you can play
• Always make sure the other player has seen you're about to play and is neither in your line nor in a danger zone

On the green

• Continuation putt: if you've just putted and the ball has stopped very close (an obvious tap-in), finish it out without waiting for others to putt. This eliminates the repeated "go ahead" gestures that slow play down
• Reading the green in parallel: while marking your ball, use the time to read the green, estimate distance, and prepare your putt while others are playing
• If your putting line passes through where others will putt, wait — Ready Golf doesn't justify crossing anyone's line of play

In bunkers

• If your ball is in a bunker but not blocked by another ball, you can enter the bunker and prepare while another player plays from elsewhere

When NOT to apply Ready Golf

• When there's any risk of hitting someone: never play if there's any doubt your shot could reach another person
• When it would interrupt someone's concentration: if a player is mid-routine and is in your visual line, wait
• In match play: order of play can be tactical. Your opponent can ask you to replay if you play out of turn, though there's no penalty for you
• When the other player hasn't seen you're about to play: Ready Golf requires mutual awareness within the group

The real impact on pace

A group of four players applying Ready Golf consistently can gain 20 to 40 minutes per round compared to a group that strictly waits for honour on every shot.

The holes where most time is lost without Ready Golf:

1. The tee — 4 players preparing one after another instead of in parallel
2. Short approach shots — waiting for the distant player when you're already ready
3. The green — waiting your turn for an obvious 8-inch tap-in

A fourth category that Ready Golf alone can't fix: rule disputes. When players aren't sure how to proceed after an unusual lie or boundary situation, the group can lose 5–10 minutes debating or waiting for a marshal. Lazar's AI referee programme for golf clubs addresses this by giving players instant rule access through QR codes on buggies — so the group keeps moving without having to call the pro shop.

Ready Golf and the honour rule

Applying Ready Golf doesn't cost you the honour. In stroke play, playing out of turn has no consequences — your stroke counts and there is no penalty (Rule 10.2b). Honour is just an organisational guide, not a sanctionable rule in stroke play. Understanding how order of play works — from who tees off first to the fairway ordering rule — clarifies exactly what Ready Golf is bypassing, and why it can't be applied in match play.

In match play, if you play out of turn, your opponent may require you to cancel the stroke and replay it in the correct order (no penalty for you, but you must replay).

Frequently asked questions

Is Ready Golf actually allowed under the Rules of Golf?

Yes. The R&A and USGA explicitly endorse Ready Golf for stroke play in their 2019 pace-of-play guidelines, and Rule 10.2b permits players to agree to play out of turn with no penalty.

Does Ready Golf apply in match play?

No. In match play the order of play can be tactical, and your opponent may require you to cancel and replay a stroke made out of turn (Rule 6.4a), so Ready Golf is not used.

Can I lose the honour on the next tee if I play Ready Golf?

No. In stroke play there is no penalty for playing out of turn and the honour is simply an organisational guide; playing Ready Golf does not affect who has the honour on the following hole.

When should I definitely not play Ready Golf?

Never play Ready Golf if there is any risk your shot could reach another person, if it would interrupt a player's concentration, in match play, or when the other players haven't seen that you're about to play.

How much time does Ready Golf really save?

A foursome applying Ready Golf consistently typically gains 20 to 40 minutes per round, mostly by eliminating sequential preparation on tees, short approaches, and tap-in putts.