Is JB the slowest player ever????

[forefortheday]

Watched the Tavistock Cup last night and had the misfortune to watch JB Holmes for a couple of holes!!

Is there a slower player anywhere in the world?

He stood on the tee box and it was waggle,waggle, twitch, twitch,practice swing,twitch,waggle etc for about 5 minutes then he finally hit the ball (well I must say) a few holes later the cameras switched back to him he was in the rough with a tough shot onto the green so the whole process began again twitch,waggle, practice swing etc then to make matters worse some eejits mobile went off so the whole thing began again!!!!

The guy must pay out all his winnings in slow play fines I mean how does he get away with it? After watching him for a few holes I began shouting at the telly get on with it you f*****g idiot I dread to think what he'll be like in a tournament that actually matters!

 

[toonarmy]

I appreciate the irony of possibly the slowest player on the European Tour being called Nicolas Fasth!

The difference between taking your time and slow play is huge. I'm all for letting people compose themselves, but slow play - genuine slow play - drives us all mad.

 

[theeaglehunter]

you've got to feel sorry for the players who get drawn with him in tournamnets. How can they possibly play to potential and build momentum when you've got that prat pissing about before every shot.

 

[medwayjon]

Holmes is an a-hole in my eyes. Sorry to be so rude about it but what he did in the WGC against Tiger was a disgrace.

He should be penalised heavily and if this does not work the PGA should look at handing out a ban of some description as what he does is beyond a joke.

I couldn't play golf with this guy, after a couple of holes he would be on his way to a&e with a putter imbedded somewhere painfull.

 

[grumpyjock]

If the mindset is not present step away and try again.
I am another,mind empty take stance and then swing.
We can always go for the clock if someone is taking to long in there preshot buildup.
Was at one course outside Doncaster where there was a Chinese tour on in front of us after lunch talk about slow would not let us play through at every tee we had at least a 10min wait. Plenty of time for preshot mind set just let them get on with it and had a laugh.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Does anyone know if the players on the USPGA are put on the clock as they are on the European tour. I'm sure if it happened over here there would be a rules official out giving them a warning and then putting them on the clock within a couple of holes.

Am I right in thinking that there is still a ruling which means players can be penalised shots for persistant slow play. Seem to remember it happening to Langer and his group back in the 90's where they incurred a one stroke penalty.

It never seems to happen in the States. On Sky in particular you often here the commentator mentioning that a group has been warned about their pace but never over there. I'd have thought with the way they are so pedantic about TV schedules it would be a major thing to get players moving to fit in the coverage.

Holmes won't change. Fines won't do it as his earnings outweigh any potential fine. The only way I can see him being forced to change is if they introduce some sort of ban for repetitive slow play. Can't really see them having the balls though

 

[brendy]

Wouldnt it be funny if they had to cut for one of their multitude of ad breaks and came back and he was still twitching getting ready to hit!

 

[Marko77]

Don't know if anyone pulled out before competition began last week or whether it was just through design but he was in a 2ball group amongst 3balls for the first 2 days of the WGC @ Doral?

A measure to combat his slow play perhaps?

 

[brendy]

Jesus Marko, if thats the case surely there is grounds for whoever got lumbered with him to complain that his slow play was hampering their own progress.

 

[Marko77]

I know this is a measure being considered at our club.

Anyone found guilty of slow play to play near the back of the field in a 2ball until he corrects his ways. Preferably with a Committee member as the playing partner.

Im not in favour of it for the exact reason you state but obviously others deem it a possible solution?

 

[brendy]

As someone else said earlier, there is a big difference between deliberate and slow, if you are constantly aware of how slow someone else is, your game speeds up to offset the slowness of your group as a whole, comsciously or subconsciously. I am deliberate but not slow though, I am always at my ball and ready to play when its my turn.

 

[John_Findlay]

Put him out with Rory Sabbatini and see who finishes 8 holes before the other. It's gonna be a lonely life for JB if he keeps up his nonsense.

 

[theeaglehunter]

does anyone actually know why he does it? Is it deliberately to put off his partners? He surely doesn't need to do it, maybe he has an OCD in pre shot routines .

 

[HTL]

Sergio went through a similar stage, he use to regrip the club so many times the crowd began to count and hassle him over it, his coach solved the problem by duck taping (more probably sellotape) his hands to the club.

J.B is really getting on my nerves with his slow play, he also has a real ugly looking swing.

 

[muttleee]

Just as a hypothetical question...if you noticed that your scores improved when you played slowly (eg following a slow group in front), would you be tempted to play more slowly on purpose??

I agree though...slow play should be punishable by amputation of the first appendage that presents itself.

 

[kjackson1969]

I watched parts of both days of the Tavistock Cup and JB was fine on the first day when there was no real pressure. The second day was more painful to watch as the closer he crept to winning the tournament the slower he became.

Must be a pressure thing. When the pressure was on playing against Tiger at the matchplay he was sooooo slow. I do not think he would be aware of playing slow. He just seems to take more and more practice swings as the pressure mounts.

 

[viscount17]

This should all have been sorted out at his Q-school.
It can't be beyond them to impose a time requirement as one of the qualifying standards and to require your re-attendance (no matter what your level) if you consistently fail to maintain it.