While We're Young!

[Jud_T]

Hot on the heels of the USGA taking on the anchoring issue, today at Merion they announced a new initiative to address pace of play called "While We're Young".  They realize this has become a major problem and a hinderance to the growth and enjoyment of the game.  This effort will involve research, education, PSA's and has the endorsement of all the major organizations in the industry.  Hopefully all you guys who were so vocal about how they were missing the forest for the trees with the anchoring ban will get behind this one.  Maybe the PGA Tour will actually assess strokes to guys on tour with some regularity.  Perhaps a developer will choose to build a golf course that is less than 7000 yards and par 72.  9 hole golf courses will make a comeback.  Long rough, 7 minutes between groups, member tees with slopes above 130 and 25 handicaps plumb-bobbing for a snowman will go the way of the buggywhip.  Hey, a guy can dream.  I'm very interested to see what their research comes up with.  Talk amongst yourselves.

[Tom_Doak]

They don't need to "announce an initiative".  That's like when politicians announce a bipartisan commission to study an issue -- it saves them from actually having to DO anything about it. 

They need to TAKE some initiative, and enforce the rules.  Unless they do, this is just marketing b.s.

[Powell Arms]

Took the pledge - among the first 199 to do so.

The pledge is here: http://www.usga.org/MicroSite.aspx?id=21474856307

Educational info here: http://www.usga.org/MicroSiteContent.aspx?id=21474855490

I think making the everyday player aware of ways to speed up their round without being rushing is worthwhile. 

As for pros, college and others that should be setting an example, nothing but negative consequences will be effective, IMO

[Tony Ristola]

Saw that this morning, and well... my feeling is their bird will not fly. Wish it would, but when folks are paying good money for a round, they're not too eager to up the pace of play. We can come back here in 5-years and see what this campaign has wrought... my bet... Zero.

The way to achieve their goal? Merion WAS 6500 yards and could host a US Open. Today it's 7000 yards and considered short.

One course I grew up playing was 5500 yards and we could play 18 in 3-hours... it was a time a 250-yard drive was considered pretty long, and a 400-yard par-4 wasn't driveable, but a drive and 6,7-iron.

They want to speed play so more will play the game... roll back the ball to 1981 lengths... or shorter. Courses can be shorter, maintenance reduced, less water used, etc.... and rounds faster.

Anything else is just jawboning.

[Howard Riefs]

The related article in today's NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/sports/golf/us-open-usga-looks-to-caddyshack-zinger-to-speed-up-play.html?ref=sports&_r=0

[Terry Lavin]

They don't need to "announce an initiative".  That's like when politicians announce a bipartisan commission to study an issue -- it saves them from actually having to DO anything about it. 

They need to TAKE some initiative, and enforce the rules.  Unless they do, this is just marketing b.s.

This is more than twenty years too late, just like the anchoring ban.  And they still haven't done anything about the ball!  Talk about glacial speed!  The big irony here is that this has been an oft-discussed issue for decades, the USGA voted to come up with a program at their winter meeting, announced it this week and only announced that they'd have a plan sometime later this year.  What a joke.

[Tony Ristola]

They don't need to "announce an initiative".  That's like when politicians announce a bipartisan commission to study an issue -- it saves them from actually having to DO anything about it. 

They need to TAKE some initiative, and enforce the rules.  Unless they do, this is just marketing b.s.

This is more than twenty years too late, just like the anchoring ban.  And they still haven't done anything about the ball!  Talk about glacial speed!  The big irony here is that this has been an oft-discussed issue for decades, the USGA voted to come up with a program at their winter meeting, announced it this week and only announced that they'd have a plan sometime later this year.  What a joke.

The folks in the USGA and R&A seem detached from the game and the problems facing it. They apply band-aids to a game that requires major surgery, and surgery that is known to greatly help fix the problem. This latest waste of money illustrates it clearly.

[Bryan Icenhower]

For the vast majority of those playing the sport, the problem isn't the driver, the ball nor anchoring.  Its pace of play, and it needs to be addressed. 

In the past week I have heard of a 5+ hour round at a public course and 3:45 for 9 during a member guest.  When I compare that to my last 2 rounds, 3 hours at Hidden Creek and 3:25 at Stonewall, its apparent to me that one of the bigger issues is speed.  Is the USGA going about it in the right way, not sure, but it does need to be addressed.

[Jeff Taylor]

So the USGA and the PGA tour assessing strokes to players will motivate marshalls at the local muni to force customers to pick up their ball and move to the next tee?

[Greg Tallman]

Wonder how many fist fights those commercials will cause at Bethpage Black? 

[Matthew Petersen]

Yeah, this is just going to make for a weekend full of USGA ads about how pace of play is important while we watch US Open rounds take five and a half hours. I am all for a serious push from governing bodies to encourage faster play. But they must lead by example.

[Patrick_Mucci]

They don't need to "announce an initiative".  That's like when politicians announce a bipartisan commission to study an issue -- it saves them from actually having to DO anything about it. 

They need to TAKE some initiative, and enforce the rules.  Unless they do, this is just marketing b.s.

Tom's 1,000 % correct.

No need to announce anything, just enforce existing policies.

Slow play, at this stage, is about the "will" to reduce play to under 4 hours, per foursome, vis a vis enforcement.

Sunday morning, as I was teeing off # 1 at GCGC at 9:20, a twosome, who had teed off at 7:30, was on the 18th tee.

Institute the "differential" system and you'll reduce play for a foursome to less than 4 hours the first year it's implemented.

Talk is cheap.

[Richard Choi]

In honor if this initiative, I will make sure to play my rounds this weekend as fast as how guys at US Open play. I mean USGA follow their own principles, right?

[Greg Tallman]

It would be classic if a notoriously fast player pulls the "while we are young" on an offensively slow player while on camera this week. THAT woudl help.

[Patrick_Mucci]

It would be classic if a notoriously fast player pulls the "while we are young" on an offensively slow player while on camera this week. THAT woudl help.

Greg,

In a medal play event, the fellow competitor shouldn't have to be the policeman, especially with officials in abundance.

[Greg Tallman]

It would be classic if a notoriously fast player pulls the "while we are young" on an offensively slow player while on camera this week. THAT woudl help.

Greg,

In a medal play event, the fellow competitor shouldn't have to be the policeman, especially with officials in abundance.

Well, it is all too obvious they are reluctant to do so and thus perhaps the players will take matters into their own hands. It has happened before (Sabatini? and Crane) and would provide a good "TV" whilst smearing egg on the collective faces of the USGA for ignoring the matter that they are supposedly so passionate about.

[Richard Choi]

Isn't this like a chronic drunk driver, who is going to be getting drunk this very weekend, no less, starting a initiative for stopping drinking and driving?

This would be pretty funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

[Richard Choi]

Dp

[William_G]

If Trevino were playing, he would no doubt tell Jack, "while we're young", LOL   

[Mac Plumart]

I am all for a serious push from governing bodies to encourage faster play. But they must lead by example

I agree with this.  And we did see a penalty regarding slow play in the last major (The Masters).  Let's see how they enforce this at Merion.

[William_G]

Yeah, this is just going to make for a weekend full of USGA ads about how pace of play is important while we watch US Open rounds take five and a half hours. I am all for a serious push from governing bodies to encourage faster play. But they must lead by example.

Touche, but I did just see a very well done commercial/PSA about this matter, starring none other than Clint Eastwood and Arnie Palmer. Pretty damn funny stuff, courtesy of Arnie...

Who knew?

hahaha

[Matthew Petersen]

Yeah, this is just going to make for a weekend full of USGA ads about how pace of play is important while we watch US Open rounds take five and a half hours. I am all for a serious push from governing bodies to encourage faster play. But they must lead by example.

Touche, but I did just see a very well done commercial/PSA about this matter, starring none other than Clint Eastwood and Arnie Palmer. Pretty damn funny stuff, courtesy of Arnie...

Who knew?

Every USGA event already makes me paranoid I'm going to make an unobserved hole in one when I play alone, now I have to watch out for Arnie giving me a hard time, too?

[Tim Johnson]

Putting the debate on the pros slow play aside, the bigger issue at hand is the muni golfer. Although the muni golfer does stupidly model himself after the pros, how long the pros take is irrelevant especially with PVR, we can fast forward through the crap.

The big issue is regular folks trying to get a round done in a reasonably amount of time. We could convene panels, write essays online, educate marshalls how to more effectively move the people along and a host of other things that most probably wont get any concrete results.

The above way is kinda like waiting for the government to come in and fix a problem.....history has shown.......

Want to fix slow golf, keep an eye on your group, tell the guys in your group how to play quicker(nicely). There are some guys in my Sunday group who bitch about never going off first, now I know these guys very well so my response "because you are a *#@*ing slow golfer Andy, you dont give a shit about the other 11 guys waiting for you to clean your ball" This is always met with a couple of good laughs and Andy not really caring either way.

Dont wait for somebody else to make sure your fellow golfers are staying up, take it upon yourself. I appreciate it will lead to some issues but I have had enough of supporting the golf industry in my area and some jack ass comes out and says I paid for my green fee, I can take my time!

[Matthew Rose]

Just saw an ad.... with Tiger of all people. He's never been the fastest guy out there so I thought that was kind of rich.

[Richard Choi]

If you believe pros on TV have nothing to do with the slow play, you are delusional.

People did not have all these pre shot routines until the pros started doing it. What about marking and remarking your putts and viewing the putt from every angle? Pros started that trend as well. And if I hear another guy ask "Is it 182 or 184?", I am going to puke.

If USGA had the balls, they would actually do something about the issue, starting with the US Open. But like groove rule and belly putter ban, only thing they are interested is projecting like they are actually doing something.

Actually, if they REALLY wanted to speed things up, they would double the cup size and call it a day.