GM Tweet on Slow Play

[SVB]

GM just tweeted on tips to avoid slow play.

After watching pain dry at the Honda at the weekend I forwarded GM\'s tweet to both European tour and PGA Tour.

Not sure how to encourage others to do so as new to this twiter thing but hopefully others will do the same / can get ball rolling.

S

 

[pogle]

Reminds me of Euan Murray's commentary during the play off. He remarked that Harrington had, throughout his career, been notoriously slow. Ric Beem pointed out that when Harrington was a top-10 player, he was just "very deliberate".

 

[Slab]

GM just tweeted on tips to avoid slow play.

After watching pain dry at the Honda at the weekend I forwarded GM\'s tweet to both European tour and PGA Tour.

Not sure how to encourage others to do so as new to this twiter thing but hopefully others will do the same / can get ball rolling.

S

What did it say?

Edit: OK found it here in features

Was wondering if they had anything new to say but is the same as usual

 

[Beezerk]

I may print that off and stick it in the locker room!

 

[Oddsocks]

We was in France this weekend and in playing partners words " **** me you don't hang about " .... And I blame the forum

My response was " it's freezing , and it f honours are so important be ready to take them "

It's amazing after three holes everyone seemed instantly ready to play all the par 4/5 pretty much straight away. The par 3's on the coast were a bit trickier, but we pulled 3 holes clear on both days from the other group that come. The bar was so much Warmer than the course :thup:

 

[sportsbob]

When the likes of Harrington are playing for the amount of money that they are competing for, you can understand why they are slow (or deliberate). No excuse for us amateurs to be slow though

 

[duncan mackie]

When the likes of Harrington are playing for the amount of money that they are competing for, you can understand why they are slow (or deliberate). No excuse for us amateurs to be slow though

this argument doesn't work for me -
1. everything's relative so you would seem to be condoning a player taking 'even more time' when something's more important (to him) regardless of the impact on others.
2. the Tour players have a responsibility not to look slow, or encourage slow habits, in those observing (and indirectly remunerating) them.

I have no problem with players taking time in challenging conditions - but the sort of time being taken by some is absolutely ridiculous

 

[pokerjoke]

this argument doesn't work for me -
1. everything's relative so you would seem to be condoning a player taking 'even more time' when something's more important (to him) regardless of the impact on others.
2. the Tour players have a responsibility not to look slow, or encourage slow habits, in those observing (and indirectly remunerating) them.

I have no problem with players taking time in challenging conditions - but the sort of time being taken by some is absolutely ridiculous

I agree with this.

I didn't watch the final round at all but I did catch the play off on the 17th.
As I was watching Harrington I heard myself saying im glad I didn't watch the final round.
To be fair they do play for a lot more than us but it was like pulling teeth.

Some say slow play is killing the game? well when is someone going to do something about it?

A match referee needs to start issuing warnings early in the round if the group are slow
and then start penalising shots otherwise it will continue.

Snooker is a prime example for me why viewers are turned off.
I only watch Ronnie sometimes as most of the others are boring as hell.
Sometimes they can deliberate for minutes on one shot.
Have you noticed how sometimes the tv are waiting for a live shot to be played in golf
but it takes so long they go back to the recorded shot,this has got to be because they
think the viewer will turn off.

My point is do something about it now or maybe more and more will switch off.

 

[Slab]

I agree with this.

I didn't watch the final round at all but I did catch the play off on the 17th.
As I was watching Harrington I heard myself saying im glad I didn't watch the final round.
To be fair they do play for a lot more than us but it was like pulling teeth.

Some say slow play is killing the game? well when is someone going to do something about it?

A match referee needs to start issuing warnings early in the round if the group are slow
and then start penalising shots otherwise it will continue.

Snooker is a prime example for me why viewers are turned off.
I only watch Ronnie sometimes as most of the others are boring as hell.
Sometimes they can deliberate for minutes on one shot.
Have you noticed how sometimes the tv are waiting for a live shot to be played in golf
but it takes so long they go back to the recorded shot,this has got to be because they
think the viewer will turn off.

My point is do something about it now or maybe more and more will switch off.

When the talk is about slow play and how we need to get things done I'm always reminded of the meeting for the People's Front of Judea!

 

[duncan mackie]

When the talk is about slow play and how we need to get things done I'm always reminded of the meeting for the People's Front of Judea!

sadly me too...

pj's observation around the TV coverage is interesting because it's the right place to start. Whether the tour has asked them to do this or whether it was driven by a perceptive understanding of the audience I don't know - heard rumors that it was a tour request in relation to a couple of serial snails but it's the right place to start.

personally I now watch via my own personal delay mechanism (Sky record/playback) even when I'm watching 'live' - this co-incidentally means that adverts fly by at x30 as well the downside is the occasional gem from the commentary teams gets missed =another upside is that boring drivel from the commentary teams gets missed too.

 

[ADB]

I watched one hole of the Honda (3rd Round) when Padraig was playing the 18th with Reed and Poulter (i think). PH stuffed his 2nd into the water by the green on this par 5 with his PP's both finding the green. They all walked up to the green together, then PH turned round and plodded slowly back 100 yards or so to his drop zone....with everyone waiting. Further contemplation and he eventually knocked his wedge to 20 feet or so...then the slow plod back to the green commenced. I would be biting my putter grip at this point if I were Reed or Poulter - it was painful.

The problem is that PH holed the putt (eventually) and walked off with a Par 5 - a great up and down. Some will say that this result was achieved by a considered and measured decision-making process - and that will always the counter argument to speeding up play (players livelihoods, every shot counts etc) but it made me not watch any more coverage. My view is that players habits have been allowed to go unchallenged for too long and this behavior is now the norm which makes change more difficult....but not impossible given the will.

 

[snell]

If I was playing for millions of dollars I'd be as slow as I needed to be!

 

[Wildrover]

When the talk is about slow play and how we need to get things done I'm always reminded of the meeting for the People's Front of Judea!

I thought it was the Judean People's Front

 

[CMAC]

everyone should be timed against Snedeker! 10% either way is ok but anymore and you're on the clock:whoo:

 

[jp5]

If I was playing for millions of dollars I'd be as slow as I needed to be!

Not if it ended up costing you the tournament with a stroke penalty!

Shame the PGA don't have the guts to enforce the rules. Only time I remember seeing a time penalty was against the Asian amateur, I think, in the Masters when he was already about +10.

Pull a penalty out on Harrington in the final round or even playoff and the pace of play would not drop to that level again I think.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Agree with jp5 :thup:

 

[pokerjoke]

I think though that if someone had the balls to do something along the lines of
a penalty shot against a player who was in contention on the Sunday could and I say
could lead to a revolt if it kept happening.

I could see a tools down.

I cant see any other way that will harm players into hurrying up apart
from penalty shots.
Trouble is some rounds on tv are taking over 5 hours.
Even Peter Alliss at times was getting frustrated.

 

[duncan mackie]

Not if it ended up costing you the tournament with a stroke penalty!

Shame the PGA don't have the guts to enforce the rules. Only time I remember seeing a time penalty was against the Asian amateur, I think, in the Masters when he was already about +10.

Pull a penalty out on Harrington in the final round or even playoff and the pace of play would not drop to that level again I think.

They do enforce the rules; rigidly. Harrington (and most others who take a long time over their individual shot) only fall foul of the rules when they are playing with others who, through their play (Poulter's frequent visits to the water and other areas that round being an example) or general pace of play result in the match being out of position in the field. If your group is in position you are not on the shot clock and can take as long as you wish to take a shot (until doing so gets your group out of position and you get warned, then put on the clock....).

A lot of groups are warned and put on the clock nowadays; at which point individuals (via their caddies) will act in the similar vein to pool players on the clock ie take exactly 2 seconds less than the allotted time! The unfortunate situation you referenced resulted in a player who was warned and put on the clock not changing their pace when required to do so (as was the lady golfer in a major matchplay event a few years ago).

The rules are there to prevent people taking unnecessary time to play a shot when their group is out of position and they are holding up the field - it's not there to penalise a player from taking the time he considers necessary when doing so does not cause delays to others.

 

[SVB]

They do enforce the rules; rigidly. Harrington (and most others who take a long time over their individual shot) only fall foul of the rules when they are playing with others who, through their play (Poulter's frequent visits to the water and other areas that round being an example) or general pace of play result in the match being out of position in the field. If your group is in position you are not on the shot clock and can take as long as you wish to take a shot (until doing so gets your group out of position and you get warned, then put on the clock....).

A lot of groups are warned and put on the clock nowadays; at which point individuals (via their caddies) will act in the similar vein to pool players on the clock ie take exactly 2 seconds less than the allotted time! The unfortunate situation you referenced resulted in a player who was warned and put on the clock not changing their pace when required to do so (as was the lady golfer in a major matchplay event a few years ago).

The rules are there to prevent people taking unnecessary time to play a shot when their group is out of position and they are holding up the field - it's not there to penalise a player from taking the time he considers necessary when doing so does not cause delays to others.

Then maybe Brad S should voulenteer to be in the first group for handful of tournaments - that would drag 'em round a bit!

 

[duncan mackie]

Then maybe Brad S should voulenteer to be in the first group for handful of tournaments - that would drag 'em round a bit!

not necessarily.... for clarity, they have a hole by hole schedule for every match that represent 'in position'. If they get out of position then questions get asked, fingers get pointed and, if appropriate, warnings are given. If warned you will have a catch up schedule to be met. If this isn't met you will get put on the shot clock as well as having a clearly defined catch up schedule as a match. Individual players are responsible for their shot times, the group for the overall catch up schedule. If an individual player is clearly causing the group to miss their schedule, but is meeting his shot clock, he may still be penalised individually rather than the group - but it needs to be clear cut otherwise the group will get penalised.

this is why the players themselves have a real problem with serial snails - it can represent a real risk to be drawn with them and will nearly always mean that they feel pressured despite being relatively fast players.