Pace of play OT

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

It sure seems that pace of play on the PGA tour is not slower than ever. I know this has been an issue for a long time. Are there any records to support this.

[Mac Plumart]

Tiger...I don't know about records.  But all I can say is that I like to watch some of these PGA matches with no volume on the t.v. and I find myself saying over and over, "just hit the damn ball already!!!" 

Imagine actually walking along side these guys playing a match.  UGH!!!  Hit the damn ball already!!!  Frustrating!!

[Jud_T]

Mac,

Part of the problem is that they're not playing a match.   It's an even bigger problem in the fun factor in the junior ranks.....Pro Match play died the day they broadcast their first PGA event on TV and sold ad time....

[John Moore II]

It sure seems that pace of play on the PGA tour is not slower than ever. I know this has been an issue for a long time. Are there any records to support this.

I don't know that there are any records for pace of play, but it does take a long time. I walked along side a friend of mine playing a Nationwide Tour event and it took 5 hours and 30 minutes for them to play. Its just a bunch of stuff compounding on each other that makes that happen. Large fields are one problem; trying to get off 156 players each day. And two tee starts hurt too. But a lot of it is because officials don't want to really push players to play fast, and even if the first group plays the front nine in 2 hours they are stuck on the 10th tee (or the first if they started on 10) waiting on the final group to tee off. So now, instead of being the first group, they are the 15th or 16th group and then the back nine is a crawl. Its worse in the evenings because the whole course is full and basically as soon as the last group makes the turn onto their back nine, a new group is waiting to tee off on their first hole. So pace of play compounds through the day. Even with single tee starts, if the first group took 4 hours to play, the last group would still not be done in under 5 hours. Its really an impossible problem to fix.

[jeffwarne]

It sure seems that pace of play on the PGA tour is not slower than ever. I know this has been an issue for a long time. Are there any records to support this.

I don't know that there are any records for pace of play, but it does take a long time. I walked along side a friend of mine playing a Nationwide Tour event and it took 5 hours and 30 minutes for them to play. Its just a bunch of stuff compounding on each other that makes that happen. Large fields are one problem; trying to get off 156 players each day. And two tee starts hurt too. But a lot of it is because officials don't want to really push players to play fast, and even if the first group plays the front nine in 2 hours they are stuck on the 10th tee (or the first if they started on 10) waiting on the final group to tee off. So now, instead of being the first group, they are the 15th or 16th group and then the back nine is a crawl. Its worse in the evenings because the whole course is full and basically as soon as the last group makes the turn onto their back nine, a new group is waiting to tee off on their first hole. So pace of play compounds through the day. Even with single tee starts, if the first group took 4 hours to play, the last group would still not be done in under 5 hours. Its really an impossible problem to fix.

Does the Tour need a 156 player field in a minor league?
Would anyone (beside 20 players) notice if 2o guys didn't play every week?
Would attendance drop? (other than those 20 wives/parents?)
What makes it particularly tough (on younger players) is that no on ever retires from golf
You play the nationwide tour n the way up and down
Minor leagues in all other sports you get cut if you're 35 and on the way out
Nationwide is full of older players

[Jon Wiggett]

Maybe they should just set a time of four hours to play. I mean for a three ball it should not be so difficult. Then if a group falls behind scheduelle one warning followed by penalty shots and eventual diqualification would see even slow coaches speed up.

Jon

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Assuming on a Par 72 there are 10 par 4’s, 4 Par 5’s and 4 Par 3’s then the course can have 14x2 + 4x1 = 32 Flights on the course.

If the organisers allow 10 mins per flight - which the PGA does -  at the Start Box then the round time is predicted to be
 32 Flights x 10 mins  =  320 mins  =  5 hours 20 mins.

Therefore the pace is already set at the Start Box - unless everyone conveniently speeds up and gets off the course ahead of schedule.

Maybe the organisers should set the Start times at 8 minute intervals which would give a round time of  4 hours 15 minutes  - as most european clubs do.


Or even better every 6 minutes equating to 3 hours and 12 minutes  

[Jud_T]

Maybe they should just set a time of four hours to play. I mean for a three ball it should not be so difficult. Then if a group falls behind scheduelle one warning followed by penalty shots and eventual diqualification would see even slow coaches speed up.

Jon

Unfortunately they don't have the stones to actually assess Tiger or Phil strokes, or anyone else for that matter...Anyway it's an edited putting contest for TV: slow play allows time for more commercials! 

[John Moore II]

Assuming on a Par 72 there are 10 par 4’s, 4 Par 5’s and 4 Par 3’s then the course can have 14x2 + 4x1 = 32 Flights on the course.

If the organisers allow 10 mins per flight - which the PGA does -  at the Start Box then the round time is predicted to be
 32 Flights x 10 mins  =  320 mins  =  5 hours 20 mins.

Therefore the pace is already set at the Start Box - unless everyone conveniently speeds up and gets off the course ahead of schedule.

Maybe the organisers should set the Start times at 8 minute intervals which would give a round time of  4 hours 15 minutes  - as most european clubs do.


Or even better every 6 minutes equating to 3 hours and 12 minutes  

I have never heard that formula, but it does work out to be about right in practice for 10 minute tee times. For 8 minutes, it might work or it might not and certainly for 6 minute tee times the formula would not work out. With full courses like they have, pace of play is very, very hard to manage. Even if the first group gets done in less then 4 hours, you are still looking at 5+ for the final groups. Pace is very hard to manage on golf courses with any kind of walk between the greens and tees.