"Slow play is a legitimate issue, but not to the point where I think we need to do something like that."
Another head-scratcher from Commissioner Tim Finchem, this time in John Feinstein's Golf World column on slow play:
Of course, it has been 18 years since a PGA Tour player received a stroke penalty for slow play -- and Finchem doesn't sound as though he wants to see it happen again anytime soon.
"Slow play is a legitimate issue," he said, "but not to the point where I think we need to do something like that. The real problem isn't how long it takes to play a round but when one player makes it uncomfortable for the other player or players because of his pace. That's just bad etiquette. And it's true, we do have some players who are in denial about being slow."
So is the Commissioner sending out word, or has sent out word that he does not want a stroke penalty assessed? We know he's not a fan of controversy, so it wouldn't be a stretch to think he's sent word that penalty shots are brand-averse.
Gary Van Sickle also tackled slow play this week for SI and did it in very entertaining fashion. Naturally, he picked the one week they actually played faster at The Players, but he still offers several insights into the problem and a glossary of slow play handbook.
Clockblocked - Forget Greenwich Mean Time. On the PGA Tour, Time Par (no relation to Old Man Par) is what matters. Time Par is the time it should take to play each hole, as determined by the rules crew after careful study. At the Players, for instance, Time Par was two hours, 14 minutes for the front nine and 2:15 for the back, plus five minutes to make the turn. Time Par for the entire round by a threesome was 4:34, 3:58 for a twosome.
The 40 Time - How cool would it be if golf, like basketball, had a shot clock? It would be handy too, because once a group has been alerted that it's on the clock, a player has 40 seconds to hit his shot once it's his turn. The first to play the tee shot on a par-3, a second shot on a par-4 or par-5, a third shot on a par-5 or a stroke near or on the green, gets an additional 20 seconds. If a player exceeds his allotted time, he receives a bad timing.
Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 09:48 AM
Reader Comments (28)
the way they handled harrington last year at firestone when in final group with woods was example of how not to do it
there are too many intangibles to determine exact timing required for a shot -- penalty rulings, changes in wind conditions, waiting for crowds etc - so a shot clock isn't practical
maybe should ban waggles and practice shots
If a player has to 'back off' a shot for a legitimate reason-noise,movement ,wind etc then the clock would be paused.
I do like the visual of, once a group is out of position, a golf cart with a huge shot clock appears and follows the group until they are back in position.
But who am I kidding, they're never going to do anything.
Not ditzy. Dizzy. Thank you.
I think we're miffed because there aren't any truly interesting personalities on Tour any more and watching anybody these days is like watching watching grass grow ... under the feet of slow and boring golfers!
He seems to be afraid to talk about it openly, while all sorts of goofly little metrics ideas float around about how to time things, and what sorts of extra rules, penalties, etc.
I think the opposite approach is actually the right way; treat it as a matter of etiquette, not rules. Shame the slow players. Talk about them. Encourage the network anchors to talk about the problem. But I cannot see how any shot-clock mechanisms will add to the game. I like to see Tour golf played by the Rules of Golf; and those Rules don't say much about the kind of slow play we see from Furyk and Crane and Glenn Day and others.
Johnny Miller comes in for a lot of abuse among us Shackelford devotees, and I may have contributed from time to time. But I give Miller big props for saying things, however occasionally, about slow play in general and slow players in particular.
Who is the slowest player on Tour?
Ben Crane: 39%
Kevin Na: 31%
Other votes: Glen Day, J.B. Holmes, Jeff Klauk, Chris Tidland, Omar Uresti
Loose Lips: "Hate to say it's Ben Crane because he's trying really hard."
The average will help smooth out any legit step aways or extra time taken on important shots or putts.
Some guys will be at 2+ minutes while others will be 1 minute - the shame idea is a good one - time to start clowning heavily on the slow players.
I've seen a lot of guys play live on both the Nationwide and PGA. There are essentially two types: those who can't make a decision on club, etc. This might be understanable when it is windy, but on a calm day, it is completely maddening. At some level, these players are not as annoying. They are having a discussion, considering the shot, etc. I'm not sure why they need 8 minutes to hit a shot from the center of the fairway, but at least they clearly do something. Then there are the fidgeters and pre-shot routine nuts. They are intolerable. I watched a guy on the first tee of a Nationwide event take 6 practice swings, 2 half practice take aways and then a number of sergio-milkings, and then a countless infintesimal shifts going right up his body (you could actually see it moving up his body), he was ostensibly making sure everything was where he wanted it.
Rupert
The PGAT slow play spills over to slow play for recreational golfers.
How about mandatory continuous putting?
I played with an engineer who went through a Crane like pre-shot checklist everytime he hit the ball. Finally I told him that if he didn't speed it up, I simply could not play with him anymore because it was beyond aggravating. He sped up his routine, dropped a couple practice swings, and started to play a lot better. It has been refreshing to watch.
If they can taser a fan who won't cooperate...why not a player?
I don't think penalty strokes are "brand-averse" but I do think cutting down the time to push the product by speeding up play might be.
I was quite pleased when Sky got back tv rights for the pga tour. Silly me. I'd forgotten just how little golf one actually sees and when it's diluted further by having to endure watching a golfer go through a tourette-like pre-shot routine, watching paint dry becomes the preferred spectator sport.
technology exists, so why make caddy or player walk off yardages to sprinklers or like - or stand in fairway for 5 mins looking at a book.
waste of time.
I reffed a PGA event in the UK where rangefinders were allowed and theres no doubt the players with them were quicker.
Skycaddie types quickest,then the Bushnell type with yardage charts way behind.