WGC Dell Technologies Match Play - Slow Play

[Sports_Fanatic]

I have some sympathy as you see the pace of play dramatically slow at golf clubs when it's just friendly match play between teams or comps with nothing really on the line, so what they are playing for is huge and bound to have an effect. No issue with the players therefore trying to play as best they can.

My issue is on the tours who should understand they are an entertainment product and therefore be actively managing this by monitoring pace and penalising so it doesn't occur.

 

[Beedee]

It’s their job. They’re not here to entertain you. You can choose not to watch. That’s logically the end of the discussion.

Professionals of any description make a living by providing a service in exchange for money. What service does hitting a little ball into a hole provide other than entertainment for spectators. So yes, they are there to entertain me. Why on earth would anyone pay a sportsperson to play their sport if it's not for the entertainment of spectators?

If no one wants to watch, where will the money come to pay their prize money? Why would Dell fork out millions in sponsorship if they know no-one's watching?

You're absolutely correct, I can choose not to watch. And if everyone does that then there's no more professionals who make a living through playing alone.

 

[Billysboots]

There were some interesting suggestions regarding how to speed up play including one I’ve never heard before, from Paul McGinley, I think it was.

His suggestion was doing away with greens books, his rationale being that the players spend an age studying them before then spending an eternity reading the putt anyway. His argument was that, quite aside from the use of books virtually doubling the time taken on each green, reading greens is an integral part of the game, so the players shouldn’t get the assistance provided by them. Could be some merit in that.

As for yesterday, I lost interest after the semi-finals so missed out on the really slow stuff. Can’t say I’m a lover of all the faffing about, but I’d rather tolerate that than watch no golf at all.

 

[Rlburnside]

There were some interesting suggestions regarding how to speed up play including one I’ve never heard before, from Paul McGinley, I think it was.

His suggestion was doing away with greens books, his rationale being that the players spend an age studying them before then spending an eternity reading the putt anyway. His argument was that, quite aside from the use of books virtually doubling the time taken on each green, reading greens is an integral part of the game, so the players shouldn’t get the assistance provided by them. Could be some merit in that.

As for yesterday, I lost interest after the semi-finals so missed out on the really slow stuff. Can’t say I’m a lover of all the faffing about, but I’d rather tolerate that than watch no golf at all.

Think they don’t allow green books at the masters so that would be better, I would like to see the caddies only tend the flags on greens

 

[Kellfire]

Professionals of any description make a living by providing a service in exchange for money. What service does hitting a little ball into a hole provide other than entertainment for spectators. So yes, they are there to entertain me. Why on earth would anyone pay a sportsperson to play their sport if it's not for the entertainment of spectators?

If no one wants to watch, where will the money come to pay their prize money? Why would Dell fork out millions in sponsorship if they know no-one's watching?

You're absolutely correct, I can choose not to watch. And if everyone does that then there's no more professionals who make a living through playing alone.

Yet look at their pay cheques. Obviously the market forces show their pace of play is fine.

 

[arnieboy]

Glad I recorded it and watched at five o'clock this morning with the fast forward button!

 

[Steve Wilkes]

Think they don’t allow green books at the masters so that would be better, I would like to see the caddies only tend the flags on greens

The Green books thing is a difficult one, to ban them you would have to ban the pros looking at any notes they have written down on anything, Yardages, Pin positions, Club distances and the like

 

[IanM]

It's hard to play a course quickly for the first time in an important match...

There must have been a wholesale rebuild at lunchtime

 

[USER1999]

Yet look at their pay cheques. Obviously the market forces show their pace of play is fine.

Well, may be for the moment, but once us old fogey disappear into the old peoples home, they will be begging on street corners. It's not entertaining at this pace, and it won't attract any new viewers.
Plan for the future? Is it Christmas said the turkey?

 

[clubchamp98]

Why the hell did the PGA allow the Slow Play yesterday, it was painful to watch.

By all accounts they didn't just loose a hole to Kuchar and Perez they lost several, I just don't get it, it was a bloody two ball after all

Yes very boring.
I turned it off will watch highlights tonight.

 

[USER1999]

Yes very boring.
I turned it off will watch highlights tonight.

Save yourself some time, there aren't any.

 

[Rlburnside]

The Green books thing is a difficult one, to ban them you would have to ban the pros looking at any notes they have written down on anything, Yardages, Pin positions, Club distances and the like

I’m not sure I follow your point, how would banning notes about the greens affect anything else?

I’m not sure but how does it work at the masters?

 

[ForeRight]

The Green books thing is a difficult one, to ban them you would have to ban the pros looking at any notes they have written down on anything, Yardages, Pin positions, Club distances and the like

The Green Books are very different to note books etc. There are already regulations in place about green reading materials limiting their scale and the physical size of the paper they're drawn on. Those regulations don't apply to any other notes the player may have.

If the authorities wanted to ban them, then they could without affecting anything else.

 

[Steve Wilkes]

The Green Books are very different to note books etc. There are already regulations in place about green reading materials limiting their scale and the physical size of the paper they're drawn on. Those regulations don't apply to any other notes the player may have.

If the authorities wanted to ban them, then they could without affecting anything else.

I've just read the rules, and I'm not sure this will sort out the problem, players will get round this with the amount of pages and wordings in text to give them the same info, only adding to the time taking (If that's the main reason against them), another small hammer trying to smash a coconut

 

[4LEX]

Embarrassing and glad the worst culprit got done over. In matchplay if anyone took that time I'd make him putt from 1 inch and refuse to acknowledge him for the rest of the round. Total piss take.

Green books should be banned too on the course.

But like Kellfire says, money talks. The TV companies are happy to have longer rounds - more adverts. It suits them as they know the viewer that's already invested 4-5 hours into a match isn't going to suddenly switch off.

 

[sweaty sock]

It’s their job. They’re not here to entertain you. You can choose not to watch. That’s logically the end of the discussion.

Thats 100% wrong. Their job is to entertain us! Where do you think the money comes from?!

 

[Kellfire]

Thats 100% wrong. Their job is to entertain us! Where do you think the money comes from?!

Nope. Their job is not to entertain us. We choose to watch them. We don’t have to.

 

[sweaty sock]

Same as actors and actresses then?

 

[clubchamp98]

Embarrassing and glad the worst culprit got done over. In matchplay if anyone took that time I'd make him putt from 1 inch and refuse to acknowledge him for the rest of the round. Total piss take.

Green books should be banned too on the course.

But like Kellfire says, money talks. The TV companies are happy to have longer rounds - more adverts. It suits them as they know the viewer that's already invested 4-5 hours into a match isn't going to suddenly switch off.

Yes agree .
But what really gets me is it’s the same adverts mostly for hours.
Plus sky advertising themselves ,? Don’t get that as we are already watching Sky.

 

[Steve Wilkes]

What would be interesting to know is how long did it take Tom Watson & Jack Nicklaus to play the final round in The Duel in the Sun 1977