Let’s face it—golf is not the quickest sport out there! You might want to play golf, but things like work, life, or other commitments get in the way of playing as much as you’d like. Sure, you can go to the range or take a lesson since those don’t require as much time, but chances are you want to get out and play a round. Here’s how to make sure you can fit golf into your life.

Reflect

How much time does golf really take? Do you play 9 holes? 18? Consider how much time your recent rounds have taken you to play. Chances are, as you improve as a golfer, your play time will decrease, but maybe not be a significant amount. Try to determine how much time you’re actually taking to play.

Also, how far do you have to drive to get to the courses you like to play? Travel time influences how long your golf outings will take. Some golfers have many local options while others don’t. When you’re looking to get out and play, you might need to consider playing courses that are closer to you, even if they’re not your favorite.

Plan Ahead

Your phase of life and personal circumstances will influence how often you can play as well as how much time ahead you need to plan a golf outline. If your’re retired, you have more flexibility than the golfers who work full-time. Whether your goal is once a quarter, once a month, once a week or more, planning is usually necessary. Sit down with your calendar and make appointments with yourself to golf; be realistic about how often you can play, but also making an effort to scheduling in the amount of golfing outings that you’d like to.

Decide What’s Important

Sometimes we have the time to golf but our friends don’t. So consider if your priority is golfing with others of golfing on your own (a balance of those two is great). If you’re willing to golf on your own, then you can plan outings on your own and then invite people to join, but still golfing even if no one is available to join. But, if your preference is golfing with others, then you’ll likely need to plan even further ahead, reaching out to other golfers with messages like “I want to go golfing next month—which of these days work for you?” That way you’re starting the conversation and can work to get tee times on the calendar.

Reflect Again

What else gets in the way of golfing? What it’s not fun to look at our family or other commitments as getting in the way of golf. they do, right? Your kids may not be thrilled with you spending hours on the course every weekend or work may get mad if you keep taking those long lunches. So consider what barriers are holding you back and then see what you an do to handle these—get creative. Can your tee be your caddy? (You might want to offer to pay for lunch at their favorite restaurant!) Can you take a half-day at work and hit the course by 2pm? Think creatively to deal with those barriers.

Golf is a hobby that you need time to participate in, so reflect, plan ahead, prioritize, and think creatively to get in golf as much as you can. You might not be playing golf as much as you’d like to, but with these steps you can probably get out on the course more than you do now.