Ready Golf
Ready golf is a stroke play term for playing when ready rather than waiting for the player farthest from the hole to go first. Recognized under Rule 6.4b(2) of the Rules of Golf, it aims to improve pace of play.
What is ready golf?
The R&A introduced the term “ready golf” in its Pace of Play Manual to address one of golf’s longest-running complaints: slow rounds. USGA research published in 2025 found that the average round of golf now takes 4 hours and 30 minutes, the highest figure on record.
The practical idea is simple. A golfer can hit before it’s their turn, as long as it’s safe and the player whose turn it is isn’t ready to go. Standing around waiting for the “right” person to play eats up time, and ready golf removes that delay where it makes sense.
Both the R&A and the USGA back the practice. The R&A formally introduced ready golf at its amateur championships in 2017, and the term was folded into the 2019 rules overhaul. It now sits inside Rule 6.4b(2) under the heading “Playing Out of Turn in a Safe and Responsible Way.”
Ready golf is not a free pass to rush around or hit when other players aren’t expecting it. It’s an agreement to keep things moving when waiting serves no purpose.
How ready golf works
A group playing ready golf still respects safety and concentration. Nobody hits when someone stands in their line of fire, and nobody putts while another player is reading the green from behind. Only the order of play changes.
Common examples include:
- A shorter hitter going first off the tee while the longer hitter waits for the group ahead to clear the fairway
- A player hitting their approach if another player closer to the hole is still walking up to their ball
- Someone on the green putting out while their playing partner is still in a bunker
- A golfer playing a shot while another player rakes the bunker they just left
- Continuous putting, where a golfer finishes a short putt instead of marking the ball and waiting for another turn
The R&A’s wording in Rule 6.4b(2) makes the conditions clear: a player may play out of turn “so long as in playing out of turn the player does not endanger, distract or interfere with any other player.”
Ready golf vs. traditional order of play
The traditional order of play has two parts. On the tee, the player with the lowest score on the previous hole (the “honor”) plays first. After that, the player farthest from the hole plays first until everyone holes out.
Ready golf replaces that sequence with a simpler one: whoever is ready and safe to play goes first.
| Situation | Traditional order | Ready golf |
|---|---|---|
| Teeing off | Player with the honor plays first | Anyone in the group can tee off if the honor player is not yet ready |
| In the fairway | Farthest from the hole plays first | Whoever is prepared and safe plays first |
| Around the green | Farthest from the hole plays first | A player on the green can putt while another is still in a bunker |
| On the green | Mark, then putt in order of distance | Continuous putting allowed if it does not cross another player’s line |
| Lost ball | Group helps search before playing | Players hit first if able, then help search |
When ready golf applies
Stroke play is where ready golf belongs. The format treats every golfer as competing against the field rather than against one specific opponent, so the order of play doesn’t carry tactical weight. Playing out of turn changes nothing about any player’s relative position.
Match play is different. The order of play matters because a player might want to see an opponent’s tee shot before deciding their own line, or want the opponent to putt first on a tricky read. Under Rule 6.4a, if a player makes a stroke out of turn in match play, the opponent has the right to cancel that stroke and force a replay. Two opponents can agree to play out of turn to save time, but each agreement has to cover its specific situation. A blanket arrangement applying to the whole round is not allowed.
Most amateur tournaments now allow ready golf, including R&A and USGA championship events. The practice fits casual rounds and club competitions equally well.
When ready golf does not apply
Some situations call for sticking to the traditional order, or impose penalties for breaking it:
- Match play, by default. The standard rule is to play in order, and an opponent can cancel an out-of-turn stroke under Rule 6.4a.
- Agreements to play out of turn for advantage. Two players cannot agree to play out of turn to help one of them. That’s a breach of Rule 6.4b and carries the general penalty of two strokes for both players in stroke play.
- Safety risks. Hitting toward another player or group is never acceptable, ready golf or not.
- Standing on another player’s line on the green. If putting first would mean walking across the line of another player’s putt, the closer player marks the ball and waits.
- When the player whose turn it is wants to go first. The R&A specifies that if the player whose turn it is to play is ready and indicates they want to play, the others should generally wait.
Related Golf Terms
- Rake the bunker — Smoothing out sand in a bunker after playing from it.
- Quadruple bogey — A score of four over par on a single hole.
- Rangefinder — A device used to measure the distance to a target on the course.
- Reading the green — Assessing the slope and grain of a green to determine the path of a putt.
- Rainmaker — An extremely high shot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ready golf allowed in tournaments?
In stroke play tournaments, yes. The R&A introduced ready golf at its amateur championships in 2017, and most club and amateur stroke play events now follow the practice. Match play tournaments still use the traditional order of play.
Does ready golf apply on the green?
Yes. A player can putt out of turn if doing so won’t disturb another player’s line. The R&A specifically allows holing out when a ball has come to rest just outside the hole, and the player wants to finish.
What is the difference between ready golf and the honor system?
The honor system gives the player with the lowest score on the previous hole the right to tee off first on the next hole. Ready golf bypasses that whenever the honor player isn’t yet prepared to play.
When was ready golf officially added to the Rules of Golf?
It appeared in the 2019 rules overhaul, under Rule 6.4b(2). The R&A had been promoting it through its Pace of Play Manual for several years before that.
Can ready golf be used in match play?
Not by default. An opponent can cancel a stroke played out of turn under Rule 6.4a. Two players can agree to play out of turn in specific situations to save time, but each agreement is situational and not a standing arrangement.
Sources
- R&A. “Ready Golf.” Players’ Rule Finder. Accessed May 2026.
- USGA. “Order of Play / Ready Golf.” Accessed May 2026.
- USGA. “Recognizing and Improving Pace-of-Play Pain Points.” April 2025.
- Golf Monthly. Ellwood, Jeremy. “What Does Ready Golf Mean?” November 2023.
- National Club Golfer. Carroll, Steve. “What is Ready Golf and when can you use it?” July 2024.
