Woods chimes in on slow play

First topic message reminder :

From USA Today:

Of course Tiger Woods would like to play better. That is in his hands. He'd also like to play faster. That is out of his control.

While Kevin Na was ridiculed for his incessant waggles during the Players Championship, it seems like the world is getting slower playing golf.

Woods, who pointed out that rounds are taking almost five hours on tour, thinks a no-tolerance policy is needed.

Woods puts the onus on the young players saying college rounds are sometimes "six hours plus."

A player on the tour needs two clock violations to be assessed a stroke. Woods tells Ryan Ballengee of Golf Channel that "I think it's very simple. If you get a warning, you get a penalty. I think that would speed it up."

While a player can get up to a $20,000 fine, Woods says that is pocket change for those who run up the leaderboard and get six figures for their finish. "...That's what people don't realize – that one shot is so valuable out here."

I think if I was playing with someone who took a minmute per putt it would bug me, especially if you were to three putt.
Say you were in a four ball and for arguments sake everyone took a minute per putt with two putts each, thats 8 minutes just on putting not counting talking inbetween, walking up to the green, parking trolleys etc. So probably over 10 minutes. Thats three hours per round right there.

Hacker, your club can't be happy you take divots out of the green whilst putting.

It was 68 seconds actually.

super_realist wrote:Be nice if he could front a crusade against spitting, club throwing, swearing and sulking around the course like a petulant child but I doubt he will do that.

Agreed!!

It wasn't a divot Hacker repaired but a pitch mark.

I think all rough was kept at a height that would punish us amateurs but be easy to find your ball in. If rough was say 1 1/2 inches then less time searching for the ball but difficult to get a good shot out of it, would speed up the game.

Super

If the rough was actually rough it might help. Maybe some scrub with tufts about the height oldparwin mentioned would do the trick?

I think you lot are clutching at straws now, rough of all length is a feature of all golf courses nor. People would be better using course management to ensure they don't go in it, but most don't ever consider that approach and blame the course and rough for lost balls and long rounds when it is their own poor shots and decision making that are effectively slowing them up.

super_realist wrote:I agree, slow play is unrelated to talent. I've played with slow players off +3 amd slow players off 28. No need for either of them to play slowly. The brain acts better if it reacts instinctively, procrastination cannot be good for anyone. I dont think a long drawn out pre shot routine benefits anyone.

I will add though if people walked quickly between shots and didn't wait until their playing partners had hit before lining up the shot, checking yardages etc golf would be far quicker, although there is nothing worse than someone who plays too quickly either.

Good points, but someone playing off +3 plays a lot less shots than someone off 28. You have to factor that into the equation.

Assuming they walk at the same pace, a 28 handicapper would have real difficulty in going round in the same time as +3er. Even if he only took 20 seconds to select a club, address it, hit it, watch where it goes and put the club back - that would be about an extra 10 minutes of shots. Add in the fact that high handicappers are less likely to hit straight, and it means maybe another 10 minutes out there.

golfermartin wrote:One of the problems with the professional game is that they never call people behind through. I believe that they are not allowed to. This means that everyone behind a ruling, lost ball, walk back to play three off the tee cumulatively gets held up. Also amateurs, because the pros never call anyone through, think that's correct procedure. Hence we all suffer.

I have a vague recollection of a tournament in the past year or two where a pro group was called through, I think perhaps it was a short par 4, and someone had gone for the green and sailed wildly in to some cabbage patch... they wanted to search for it but as people were backing up on the tee anyway (with half the players trying to drive the green) they called the next group through whilst they did. Think Harrington may have been involved somewhere, but wouldn't guarantee it.


It's a valid point generally though. Yes 28 handicappers will hit a fair few balls into woods, reeds, jungles etc, then spend ages trekking around looking for them. But if they call through anyone they hold up whilst doing so, is there any problem?

I think pros call groups though, on the PGA Tour at least, a little more frequently than one might think - certainly wouldn't seem extraordinary if it happened any given week. Not the sort of thing that gets reported, but not a once-a-year thing either.

Ah, yes pitch mark. Slip of the tongue. If I was playing in a four ball it wouldn't of taken me that long unless I was putting first. I would of been ready to go straight after someone else had putted.. Maybe that one putt I took a bit longer. It was for birdie and I couldn't see the line straight away. Lorus, If I was putting for bogey's and double bogey's I might not take to long either...

More on slow play on tour, including Timmy Finchem's thoughts on the matter...

http://www.supersport.com/golf/us-pga-tour/news/120516/Slow_play_shows_up_at_worst_time_for_Tour

I think it's important to remember that slow play is not hurting the thing that really matters to the professional tour: revenue. 20 - 30 minutes more coverage? Doesn't bother me. In fact, as S_R alluded to, more than one programming director is saying bring it on.

Lots of good points made on this thread on how that rest of us can help improve pace of play. I would only add that while most professionals never ask that a ball on the green be marked on their approach, it seems too commonplace among golfers I've played with or competed against. I understand a short chip with ball between the hole and the shot, but often just a time waster beyond that.

number1hacker wrote:Ah, yes pitch mark. Slip of the tongue. If I was playing in a four ball it wouldn't of taken me that long unless I was putting first. I would of been ready to go straight after someone else had putted.. Maybe that one putt I took a bit longer. It was for birdie and I couldn't see the line straight away. Lorus, If I was putting for bogey's and double bogey's I might not take to long either...

When I am putting for birdies (I know it's as rare as visits by Halley's Comet), I putt at exactly the same speed as usual.