Longest rounds by time

[JHoulihan]

I was watching the Waste Management today in Phoenix with breaks between groups ranging from between 10 and 30+ minutes on multiple holes. The leaderboard shows that 9 players did not complete rounds due to darkness. The first group not to finish started at 101 local time with sunset at 601 pm meaning they played 17.5 holes in 5 hours time. Is this really happening more that I realize since I just happened to be watching live at the tournament site or does this happen multiple times/multiple venues yearly?

[Garland Bayley]

You are just lucky that you weren't watching the women play!!!


Just read the Fleck vs. Hogan book. Back in the day they were playing in three hours while having to find balls in knee high rough.


And then Ohio begat Jack.

[Matthew Essig]

Players not finishing their rounds the first two days at Scottsdale happens every year, without fail.
An hour frost delay is EXTREMELY common, which is automatic darkness suspension at the end of the day with the last groups only completing 2/3 of their rounds.

However, they got lucky and didn't have one today.


Limited daylight is the biggest factor. This is the first event of the year in the mainland without a companion course. 132 players. Groups tee off every 9 minutes, which is the shortest gap of the year for threesomes, I believe. After the reworking of the course, it isn't a walk in a park the desert anymore. Add the 100,000+ crowd watching on a Thursday...


Let's just say, I'm not surprised.

[Jon Wiggett]

Matthew,


is not the main reason that the PGA Tour seems incapable of getting the players round in a sub 4 hour time rather than daylight?


Jon

[jeffwarne]

Matthew,


is not the main reason that the PGA Tour seems incapable of getting the players round in a sub 4 hour time rather than daylight?


Jon

Nine minute intervals,off both tees, in a 132 man field stroke play threesome is NEVER going to work-ever-especially in the land of preshot routines

[Jon Wiggett]

Matthew,


is not the main reason that the PGA Tour seems incapable of getting the players round in a sub 4 hour time rather than daylight?


Jon

Nine minute intervals,off both tees, in a 132 man field stroke play threesome is NEVER going to work-ever-especially in the land of preshot routines

Jeff,


if the players take 4 hours for the round which should be no problem for practiced professionals then they need less 10 hours 36 minutes of daylight. Sun up at 7am means sundown at 6pm. The fact that rounds take so long is the problem not the reason.


Jon

[Matthew Essig]

Matthew,


is not the main reason that the PGA Tour seems incapable of getting the players round in a sub 4 hour time rather than daylight?


Jon

Nine minute intervals,off both tees, in a 132 man field stroke play threesome is NEVER going to work-ever-especially in the land of preshot routines

Jeff,


if the players take 4 hours for the round which should be no problem for practiced professionals then they need less 10 hours 36 minutes of daylight. Sun up at 7am means sundown at 6pm. The fact that rounds take so long is the problem not the reason.


Jon

But they go off both tees. It isn't like a group that tees off first thing in the morning can fly through. If they do, they just end up waiting for an hour at the turn. There isn't much time to be shaved off anywhere. The lack of a companion course and daylight is the big issue... in this case.

Not saying pace of play isn't an issue, cause it is.

[John Kavanaugh]

Maybe selling commercials is the real issue. These guys like to get paid and if they all play in three hours they are going to be paid less.

[Jon Wiggett]

Matthew,


is not the main reason that the PGA Tour seems incapable of getting the players round in a sub 4 hour time rather than daylight?


Jon

Nine minute intervals,off both tees, in a 132 man field stroke play threesome is NEVER going to work-ever-especially in the land of preshot routines

Jeff,


if the players take 4 hours for the round which should be no problem for practiced professionals then they need less 10 hours 36 minutes of daylight. Sun up at 7am means sundown at 6pm. The fact that rounds take so long is the problem not the reason.


Jon

But they go off both tees. It isn't like a group that tees off first thing in the morning can fly through. If they do, they just end up waiting for an hour at the turn. There isn't much time to be shaved off anywhere. The lack of a companion course and daylight is the big issue... in this case.

Not saying pace of play isn't an issue, cause it is.

Matthew,


the point was that it IS possible. Nothing more or less. Yes, you can use all sorts of excuses as to why the situation is as it is but NOT that it is not possible because it obviously is. The problem is nobody with a say really wants to solve this issue otherwise it would have been solved long ago. The people moaning are not the Pro's or PGA Tour but the majority of amateur golfers who suffer the few fools copying the example they see on the TV.


Jon

[Wade Whitehead]

What incentive does the PGA Tour have to speed up play?

There is none.

WW

[David_Tepper]

A large portion of the Lawrence Donegan/John Huggan podcast of 3 weeks ago with Paul Lawrie is a discussion of the problem of slow play on tour and how hard it is to speed up play. Definitely worth hearing.

http://www.bytheminute.co/podcasts/bythemingolf/459

[Terry Lavin]

Because of weather issues it took our afternoon group in this year's Beverly Medley three DAYS to finish our first of three rounds. And we weren't exactly watching our health during the delays!

[Pete_Pittock]

The field size of 132 players means 44 threesomes. With split tees and morning and afternoon waves it should work. 11groups @ 9 minute intervals, means the lead group should arrive at the turn with a clear hole ahead. But that means 22 groups over 16 holes. If they went @ 10 minute intervals, the first group would arrive at the turn just as that landing area clears, so 22 groups over 18holes, which should flow smoothly. Once in rhythm, it is hard to speed up.   

[Jon Wiggett]

What incentive does the PGA Tour have to speed up play?

There is none.

WW

Wade,


you are correct but of course this is only because the PGA Tour is not interested in being there in 10 years time in the same format. Numbers of golfers are falling which also means less people watching golf which also means lower advertising intakes. One of the reasons for lower numbers is the time it takes to play. Although it is not the only reason it is one that the PGA Tour should be tackling if they were interested in the long term which of course they do not appear to be.


Jon

[Wade Whitehead]

What incentive does the PGA Tour have to speed up play?

There is none.

WW

Wade,


you are correct but of course this is only because the PGA Tour is not interested in being there in 10 years time in the same format. Numbers of golfers are falling which also means less people watching golf which also means lower advertising intakes. One of the reasons for lower numbers is the time it takes to play. Although it is not the only reason it is one that the PGA Tour should be tackling if they were interested in the long term which of course they do not appear to be.


Jon

Jon:

I understand your point, but it requires that the Tour have an interest in growing the game.  This is about money, plain and simple.

If a tournament director has a choice between Tiger Woods being on television for 5 hours or 4.25 hours, which should s/he choose?

Longer rounds mean more spectators get to see any given player.

For the recreational player, slow play manifests as groups waiting on every shot on every hole, with an occasional backup on a tee.  On the pro tour, players aren't usually waiting to play, in general; they're just taking forever before every shot (just like every other player in front of and behind them).

There just isn't an economic motivation for them to play faster than they do (and it may not be in the best interest of the sponsors who support the enormous purses for which they are competing).

WW

[Kyle Henderson]

What incentive does the PGA Tour have to speed up play?

There is none.

WW

I have stopped watching televised golf because of the slow play.


Similarly, I often think about not playing myself anymore, again due to the pace of play.


If others follow suit for the same reason, the incentive to speed up will be more apparent.

[Jon Wiggett]

Wade,


this is where I disagree a little. It is not to do with growing the game for the PGA Tour but everything to do with having a LONG term viewer base. Unfortunately business is very much about the next quarter or two with absolutely no regard being paid to long term sustainability. When the viewer numbers fall to the point that tournament sponsors, advertisers and TV channels are no longer willing to pay the kind of money they do now then the decline of the pro tour will hit home big time. I gave up watching most PGA Tour events years ago as it was unbelievably dull week to week and that was at a time when I was really into everything to do with golf. Now it is the Masters and US Open with even the Open no longer on my list since it left the BBC.


The problem with growing the game is that none of the main players are in the least interested in doing it which is the biggest scandal in golf but nobody seems to want to rock the gravy boat.


Jon

[Steve Lang]

   Well, someone is watching... must be those retail golfers that use Golf Advisor to find places to play.


We had first tee time yesterday and played in 2:40 Hrs, mainly because we were finding a lot of balls in one fav pond! 


My longest round ever was 3:15 hours for a 9 hole, after work league... too much beer in one group!

[Mark Smolens]

When I was in law school 3.5 to 4 hour rounds on the weekend at Waveland (all I could afford) were the norm. It's a friggin 9 hole course! Thank god for the Mexican guys outside the fence selling beers out of coolers, and the ability to hit balls into the Lake while waiting.

[Mark Chaplin]

5 hours to play Cypress Point took the biscuit. 45 minute wait on the 16th tee for 3 groups in front of us to play, of course there are worse places to spend 45 minutes!

[archie_struthers]

 


One of the beauties of a private club is the 3 1/2 hour round !

[JMEvensky]

 


One of the beauties of a private club is the 3 1/2 hour round !

Would that this were always the case.

[BHoover]

Supposedly the pace of play at Oebble Beach for today's 3rd round is a brisk 6 hours plus.