SammmeBee
Journeyman Pro
But if they walk very quickly and don’t take many shots….?
Poll: Would you like to see shot penalties for slow play?
- Thread starter MarkT
- Start date
But if they walk very quickly and don’t take many shots….?
Mandofred
Well-known member
If I were at work (I'm retired) and took as much time as I "felt" I needed (too much time) to do my job......which would negatively effect other workers and the business, I think my boss would tell me to stopping mucking about and get going.
May or may not be easy to do, but there are plenty of people getting paid to make these decisions. If they could make the time allowed rules sensible and simple........ Like a lot of people though....if there are loopholes golfers will take advantage of them.
May or may not be easy to do, but there are plenty of people getting paid to make these decisions. If they could make the time allowed rules sensible and simple........ Like a lot of people though....if there are loopholes golfers will take advantage of them.
Kellfire
Blackballed
When people get bored watching a sport they supposedly love.
sweaty sock
Hacker
Its already in the rules, its like asking if a penalty should be qpplied for taking relief from a hazard. The fact its not enforced (particularly to the big name players), should be an embarrassment for all involved.
sweaty sock
Hacker
Just read the thread, Jeez you lot are Schizophrenic, in other threads one mention of slow play at the weekend and all hell breaks loose.
What about this. Pros have to get round 18 holes in 5 hours. Sounds slow but takes care of waiting for crowds, extra long courses etc etc. If they lose their place on the course, they get a 20 minute bonus for letting the group behind through.
If there's no group behind, and they are not keeping up, and it takes more than 5 hours, well a penalty up to and including a million strokes.
This is a decent example to set, keep up, dont unduly delay other groups, and let faster groups through.
Only variable we dont know about, is if tv has any influence. For instance American football regularly delay plays to wsit for tv broadcast commercials to finish, maybe the same happens to final groups? Maybe not... but one things pretty certain, soon, every round played in pro golf would take 4 hours 55 mins, tv would love that!
What about this. Pros have to get round 18 holes in 5 hours. Sounds slow but takes care of waiting for crowds, extra long courses etc etc. If they lose their place on the course, they get a 20 minute bonus for letting the group behind through.
If there's no group behind, and they are not keeping up, and it takes more than 5 hours, well a penalty up to and including a million strokes.
This is a decent example to set, keep up, dont unduly delay other groups, and let faster groups through.
Only variable we dont know about, is if tv has any influence. For instance American football regularly delay plays to wsit for tv broadcast commercials to finish, maybe the same happens to final groups? Maybe not... but one things pretty certain, soon, every round played in pro golf would take 4 hours 55 mins, tv would love that!
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
I have been playing for the same period. The expected time for a Saturday medal where I played back in the 80s was 3 hours 20 minutes. Players used to have to put the time of start and and time of finish on the cards so the secretary could see where any hold ups were coming from and speak to the players involved.
SammmeBee
Journeyman Pro
Wouldn’t work at your place now as all the staff would have gone home by time they needed to check…..
Mandofred
Well-known member
It doesn't have to be the same day. They could check the cards the next day....granted, the group could lie about how fast they played. Golfers just aren't as honest as a lot of people would like to think.
Orikoru
Tour Winner
I've voted no, as I think there's a danger they start being given out unfairly or inconsistently. I'd maybe say yes if they were only given out rarely in the most extreme circumstances. i.e. someone takes a VERY long time over shots on more than three occasions or something. I just think the amount of money that rides on it for them, they should be allowed to take their time over key shots.
Robster59
Tour Rookie
Yes, but that's groups of various abilities who are spraying the ball all over the place and losing them, going into ponds, etc.
Professionals should be going around in the 70's, be hitting straighter, have people helping them to look for balls, and play in groups of 2 or 3. They should be capable of getting around the course much faster than club players.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
That does not work as they woud be out of sync with the cards from the players around them.
These days we have a fairly good idea from IG golf anyway. One of the options within IG is to compare tee booking start against time of score input on the PSI or App. Whist not totally accurate as players may delay putting the scores in it can, again, be compared with players around them. Using this has highlighted it is 2 or 3 groups of early morning starters that are holding up the rest of the field and enabled the captain to identify them and have words.
Personally I had very good idea of who they were anyway as we normally tee off about 11 and you could see who had had already finished their round and the sort of gaps around the 15-18th.
Mandofred
Well-known member
What happens if a footballer takes too much time for a thrown in? They get zapped.
What happens if somebody in track+field takes too much time? They get zapped.
What happens just fill in the sport/job etc? They get zapped.
Golf is just a sport...why should they get all the time they "feel" like they need to the detriment of other people?
What happens if somebody in track+field takes too much time? They get zapped.
What happens just fill in the sport/job etc? They get zapped.
Golf is just a sport...why should they get all the time they "feel" like they need to the detriment of other people?
Mandofred
Well-known member
Just wondering what would happen if the club mgr (anyone of importance) drove out on the course to put the hammer down on slow players. I've seen it done in the US in an effort to keep things moving. If a group can't play at a reasonable speed, maybe they should be asked to leave?.....or hopefully it will scare them enough that they actually make an effort to speed up a bit.
This really isn't a problem at our club. They have made pushes in the past to get people moving quicker (within reason) and it worked for quite a while. A normal round of golf usually is in that 4 hr range.....I don't really mind if it is 4:15 or so. When it gets close to 4:30 it just starts to gnaw at my bones.....
This really isn't a problem at our club. They have made pushes in the past to get people moving quicker (within reason) and it worked for quite a while. A normal round of golf usually is in that 4 hr range.....I don't really mind if it is 4:15 or so. When it gets close to 4:30 it just starts to gnaw at my bones.....
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
The PGA tour set up their new pace of play initiative at the start of this year (which includes shot penalties) As far as I can tell a penalty shot has been issued once, at the PGA in May
So this is a brand new pace of play initiative, with all the latest data and full knowledge of the weight of public opinion plus ample opportunity to discuss with all stakeholders to get this right... and because only once has a 1-shot penalty been issued it must be a fact that the PGA tour no longer has a pace of play problem
So this is a brand new pace of play initiative, with all the latest data and full knowledge of the weight of public opinion plus ample opportunity to discuss with all stakeholders to get this right... and because only once has a 1-shot penalty been issued it must be a fact that the PGA tour no longer has a pace of play problem
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Yes. Golf is (supposed to be) an honourable sport where consideration for and of others is as important as what is good for self.
Slab
Occasional Tour Caddy
... and a quick google tells me the european tour launched its new pace initiative 12 months earlier in Jan 2020 (inc shot penalties) but I cant find anyone being issued with this (I only had a quick look though) but its sure not widespread, so that tells us the ET doesn't have a pace issue either
So if neither of the main men's tours have a pace problem, what's the problem ?
wjemather
Well-known member
Yes, most tour pros need to speed up and penalising them strokes is the only way to affect their behaviour. Too many of them are never ready to play when it's their turn; they then spend minutes talking things through with their caddie and browsing through charts before pulling a club - all with complete impunity because the policies that the tours have in place currently are far too easy to manipulate and avoid penalties, or the penalties are financial and of nominal value to the player. There is simply no reason why highly competent professionals playing in a 2-ball, or even a 3-ball, cannot get round any course in under 4 hours.
Griffsters
Hacker
We should have a qualifying day for medals, where everyone races around for pole position on the 'grid'. Those that want to race around can battle it out for pole position. The slower players end up at the back, everyone is a winner 
Mandofred
Well-known member
People aren't saying that everybody needs to start "hurrying". All people are after is not to play incredibly slowly. It's different for everybody. Some people insist that taking your time (no matter how long) is just part of the game. Others really do want to play pretty quickly. I don't see any reason why anybody should have to play a round of golf in over 4.5 hrs....taking their time. Some would then say the pro's need to take their time because of all the pressure/money......my response is that the pressure/money is the same for everybody if they have to play a little bit faster. All the pro's would just have to make decisions a little quicker.....everybody would be in the same position.
) is just part of the game. Others really do want to play pretty quickly. I don't see any reason why anybody should have to play a round of golf in over 4.5 hrs....taking their time. Some would then say the pro's need to take their time because of all the pressure/money......my response is that the pressure/money is the same for everybody if they have to play a little bit faster. All the pro's would just have to make decisions a little quicker.....everybody would be in the same position.
Beedee
Assistant Pro
Shot clock with a couple of timeouts available for the genuinely tough decisions. It worked well at the Austrian open a few years ago. Scores weren't adversely affected, play was brisk, and almost no penalties were required. The players just got on with it.
Perhaps if people started shouting "hurry up" instead of "mashed potatoes"?
Perhaps if people started shouting "hurry up" instead of "mashed potatoes"?
