Should putts of shorter than 12" be conceded to pros?

[Jon Wiggett]

I think they should have to putt out without marking once they start even if they stand on another player's line. Make the game much quicker.

[Adrian_Stiff]

I think they should have to putt out without marking once they start even if they stand on another player's line. Make the game much quicker.

Exactly.

[Thomas Dai]

I think they should have to putt out without marking once they start even if they stand on another player's line. Make the game much quicker.

Exactly.

+1....or is it +2
Especially these days in the age of soft spikes and bubble soles.
Atb

[JLahrman]

I think they should have to putt out without marking once they start even if they stand on another player's line. Make the game much quicker.

I believe they tried that at the 1966 US Open, when Casper came back to tie Palmer from 7 back with 9 to play. If I recall the story right, they were tied coming to 18, and both hit the green with Palmer away. He lagged and left himself a 3-foot downhiller that he had to putt before Casper putted from about 15 feet, and Palmer was already shell shocked after losing his huge lead.


Supposedly Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus were sitting next to each other on the hill after finishing their rounds, and Marr whispered to Nicklaus "if Arnold missed this one, the new rule goes out the window". But Palmer actually made the putt, though of course he went on to lose the playoff the next day.

[Kalen Braley]

They'd have to paint a gimmie circle around each hole.

I like it,  they could take a page from soccers book and have a guy at each hole put down spray foam before each group plays thru! 

[A.G._Crockett]

Many, many things wake me in the night with sorrows, fears, and regrets.

The pace of play on the PGA Tour, thankfully, is not on that list. 

I'm sure there is some reason that I should be worried about how long it takes to play golf on Tour; I just don't know what it is.  Hell, I even enjoyed watching Speith take that drop!

Have you watched an MLB game lately?

[jeffwarne]

No.


BUT, we should outlaw the televising of any putt inside that length

Yep, along with caddy discussions and practice swings

[Garland Bayley]

I think they should have to putt out without marking once they start even if they stand on another player's line. Make the game much quicker.

Exactly.

+1....or is it +2
Especially these days in the age of soft spikes and bubble soles.
Atb

Trust me Dai. You don't want to putt after I have walked on your line in my bobble soles. 

[Paul Rudovsky]

Want to speed up play at  all levels of the game and make it more natural?  Simple...make any golf ball with a line or logo that is straight for more than say 0.25" non-conforming...and make it illegal for to mark a ball with a straight line of more than 0.25".  Try watching players on tour or at your home course remark their ball and line up the ball with the intended line...must take a good 10 seconds on average per putt addition time.  If say 25 putts per player per round lined up (most do not line up a 6" with the line) in a foursome that is 100 putts, 1000 seconds, or 16 minutes 40 seconds per round (if if is 15 seconds per putt it is 25 minutes per foursome round)...


and how can we let a player line up a putt that way when the caddy cannot stand behind the putt (or ahead of Jordan Spieth on 13 Sunday at Birkdale) and a player cannot place a club on the ground to help with alignment when taking a shot.


the ball manufacturers can scream bloody murder, but too bad...they can still manufacture whatever they want just a penalty for any player who uses it in competition governed by these rules.

[Joe Bausch]

Your idea is interesting, Paul R, but I could see a manufacturer changing the name of their golf ball to:

T–– –––––t

And that could pretty much serve the same purpose!

[Wayne_Kozun]

And people would come up with some other way to slow down their putting routine if they didn't use a line.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Joe-- see my comment "make any golf ball with a line or logo that is straight for more than say 0.25" non-conforming"
Wayne--this may well be a long term battle, but one worth fighting

[Peter Flory]

Then players would make a series of dots that form a line. 

[Scott Warren]

Gimmes inside one foot? Nah, make 'em putt it.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Then players would make a series of dots that form a line.

Peter--


What about is a player took about 6-8 tees and stuck then in the ground for an approach shot from the fairway to indicate the correct alignment of a shot? 

[Peter Flory]

Then players would make a series of dots that form a line.

Peter--


What about is a player took about 6-8 tees and stuck then in the ground for an approach shot from the fairway to indicate the correct alignment of a shot?

There is a rule against that isn't there? 


You can lay a club toward you target, then line up to the club, and then remove the club though.  Nobody seems to do that, but maybe they should (based on how many people you see aligned no where near their intended target line). 

[James Brown]

How long was Scott Hoch's putt?

[Peter Flory]

24 inches.  He maintains to this day that he hit the putt how he wanted to (inside left edge) and it just didn't go in. 


Faldo really benefited from some missed opportunities from his opponents at Augusta. 

[SL_Solow]

If anyone was watching the Women's Open from Kingsbarns  today, Mel Reid who was leading missed a putt that appeared to be about a foot long.

[Carl Rogers]

This would result in more rulings &  delays ... was the putt 11 7/8" or 12 1/8" from the hole?

[Carson Pilcher]

Maybe they could change the Rule to INSIST on continuous putting and no marking and cleaning of the ball after the first instance.  That would definitely speed up play would it not?

For some of the pros that mark their ball no matter what....this would blow their minds!!!....and I'm all for it.

[Thomas Dai]

24 inches.  He maintains to this day that he hit the putt how he wanted to (inside left edge) and it just didn't go in. 
Faldo really benefited from some missed opportunities from his opponents at Augusta.

Hale Irwin's air shot putt at Royal Birkdale when Tom Watson ultimately won one of his Opens comes to mind.
Atb