A new course usually costs you strokes around the greens before it costs you anything off the tee. The greens are a different speed, the turf reacts differently, and your chipping instincts are tuned to home. Fifteen minutes before the round fixes most of that, if you spend them on the right things.
Before you leave home
Find out what you're walking into. Look the course up in the ELZS course directory or on its website. Note whether it's a links-style course with firm turf or a parkland course with softer greens.
Call ahead for the green speed. The pro shop can usually tell you what the greens are running today. Match that number to an ELZS chart:
| Stimp reading | ELZS chart | | --- | --- | | Under 9 | Slow (green) | | 9 to just under 11 | Fast (blue) | | 11 to just under 13 | Super Quick (yellow) | | 13 and up | Ultra Fast (red) |
If no one has a number, start on the Fast chart and test it on the practice green.
At check-in
Ask the starter, even if you called earlier. Greens are often mowed or rolled before play, and the speed can change after rain or on tournament days.
While you're there, ask one more question: are the greens firm or soft today? Firm greens add release after the first bounce. Soft greens grab the ball sooner.
On the practice green: the 15-minute test
1. Putt first (5 minutes). Roll five 20-foot putts and five 6-footers. You're calibrating your eyes to the speed, not grooving a stroke. 2. Chip to a known zone (7 minutes). Find a hole 15 to 20 yards from the fringe. Look up your landing zone for today's chart, pace it off, and chip five balls with your main chipping club. 3. Read the result (3 minutes). If balls that land on your spot run well past the hole, the greens are playing faster than the number: move one chart faster. If they stop short, move one chart slower.
That last step is the most valuable thing you'll do before the round. It turns the posted number into the speed you'll actually play.
Build a pre-round card
Once you trust the chart, write your landing zones on a card for the distances you see most often. For one or two clubs, that's a small table:
| Distance | Sand wedge | 9-iron | | --- | --- | --- | | 10 yd | 5.0 | 3.5 | | 15 yd | 7.5 | 6.0 | | 20 yd | 10.0 | 8.5 | | 25 yd | 12.5 | 11.0 |
*Example card for a Fast (blue) green, in paces.*
On the course, pace off your distance, glance at the card, and pick your spot. You've done the math before the round, so the decision takes seconds.
What the Rules of Golf say
In competition, the Rules separate information you gather before the round from interpreting information during it.
Rule 4.3a lets you get distance information, for example from a rangefinder, unless a Local Rule bans it. It doesn't let you use a device that interprets that distance during the round, such as one that recommends a club or a play from where your ball lies (R&A Rules of Golf, Rule 4). The same rule allows information gathered before the round, and its examples include club recommendations.
In practice, that means:
- Use the ELZS app freely for practice, preparation and casual rounds.
- In competition, don't use the app to get a landing zone during the round.
- Before relying on any printed aid in a competition, including your own card, check with the Committee running the event.
On the first few holes
Watch every chip and putt in your group, including your playing partners'. Each one is free information about how the greens release. If balls keep running out, nudge your landing zones half a pace shorter for the rest of the day.
And remember that greens can change during a round. A morning that starts soft and damp can turn firm and quick by the back nine. Our guide to slope, grain, wet and firm greens covers the adjustments.
Frequently asked questions
How should I warm up at a course I've never played?
Spend 15 minutes on the practice green: putt to calibrate your eyes to the speed, chip five balls to a known landing zone, then compare where they finish. If they run past, the greens are faster than posted; if they stop short, slower.
Can I use a golf app during a tournament round?
Under Rule 4.3a you can get distance information unless a Local Rule bans it, but you can't use a device that interprets it, such as recommending a club. Information gathered before the round is allowed. Check with the Committee before relying on any printed aid.
How do I know how fast a new course's greens are?
Call the pro shop before you go and ask the starter at check-in. Then test it: chip to your expected landing zone on the practice green and adjust one chart faster or slower based on where the balls finish.
Get ready for your next new course
Find the course you're playing next in the ELZS course directory, then fill in your pre-round card from the app's landing zones.
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