"The improved course setups are allowing players to play a little more quickly."

Peter Kostis praises the shift in PGA Tour course setup toward a little less rough, a little more variety and a lot more excitement. He also offers this in another answer to readers at golf.com.

5. From watching golf on TV, it's tough to tell whether or not slow play is as much of a problem this year. From what you've seen, are the players just as slow this year, and what can realistically be done to speed up the pace of play?

Be certain of one thing: The pace of play on the PGA Tour is still brutally slow. That said, I think the improved course setups are allowing players to play a little more quickly.

This makes the USGA pace of play policy look like an easy sell:

Here is something I would love to try: Hold a tournament in which half of the total purse was guaranteed to be distributed to the players, but the distribution of the second half would be pro-rated based on the field's average time to complete the round. Set some "time pars" so that if everyone plays quickly, the players will be awarded the full purse on Sunday night. I think this would really encourage professional golfers to be more outspoken on the issue—and willing to call out slow players—because there would be economic ramifications.

And just because slow play is tolerated on the PGA Tour, that does not make it OK for you to play slowly at home. In my home club in Arizona, Whisper Rock, all runs are completed within four hours because that's what's expected. There are very few reasons your round should take any longer.