There has FINALLY been action with regards to slow play on the LPGA tour! LPGA Tour rookie Lucy Li incurs slow-play fine during third round of Chevron Championship but why was Patrick Cantlay not fined?!
Patrick cantlay has been put under the microscope with a lot of golfers on the liv golf tour, the pga tour and in major golf events. Was Brutally Slow” Pace Of Play An Issue At The Masters? I certainly think it was! There was a noticeable slowdown in the pace of play at the Masters in 2023, Brooks Koepka called it “brutally slow” and i am not surprised! Brooks was saying the group in front of them with Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland may have been responsible.
BC Heritage winner Matt Fitzpatrick has spoken out about slow play in golf and more recently the masters 2023! Matt called on the slow play on the PGA tour calling the current situation “a disgrace.”
Fitzpatrick, 28, played this past Sunday’s final round in a group with Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay. Matt Fitz isn’t the only one speaking about slow play! LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka, who was playing Augusta National in the group behind Cantlay with eventual winner Jon Rahm, took a shot at the 31-year-old following the round saying he and his playing partner Viktor Hovland were “brutally slow”… surely it is time for something to be done about this?!
Well it has been! The first golf major of 2023 saw a huge slow play fine for pace of play on the seventh hole! This is huge for the LGPA tour but why has nothing been done on the PGA tour? ON liv golf tour? At the masters?
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49 Comments
I think we should get rid of fines!! Just straight to penalty strokes…
strokes not money. Shot clock. You have 1 minute to play the ball. (or whatever time is right as a standard)
Fining will likely only incentivize those that have money earning issues…something like eventually taking their tour card away if they are repeat offenders might help.
Cantlay has replaced Kevin Na as the Human Rain Delay
The pitch clock in baseball has changed the game for the better. Penalties are strikes or balls, depending whether the batter or pitcher is in violation. The game is so much better/faster now. Average game time is down nearly 30 minutes, and it’s so much better for the fans.
Slow play SHOULD be penalized with strokes. No question. Impacting game results is much more impactful.
Hit them with both the fine and stroke. This would really impact and try and stump it out
Yes penalty strokes
I think your right on issuing penalty strokes over money because that might not change behavior if you can afford to pay up. But losing a stroke is or two will most likely cost you the tournament.
You never really explained what happened. You did mention changes must be “across the board” several times. You’re better than that.
I think disqualification should be the penalty because it is the same as cheating.
It is about pace of play, not making it a 300 yard dash. There are certain holes or lies that might require a little extra time. I’m also not interested in refs/umps/youtubers timing every shot looking for an infraction. I don’t know how you regulate without becoming an issue in itself. I’m not sure I’d want a stop watch nazi watching every play. Yet, if I’ve got a terrible lie, I’d like a quiet stress free minute to figure out how the heck I’m going to play this shot. Maybe an average. If you take “too” long on one, the next couple you’d better be ready and keeping the pace. If it’s hurried, it will spoil golf for everyone, If it’s slow, it will spoil golf, usually for others. I hope we don’t go overboard on fixing an issue. I’m not looking forward to starting blocks on every tee.
It seems the extremes are the issue, so let’s not ruin it for golf by over correcting or enforcing draconian time limits on every shot. Can you, or others come up with a fair and equitable method to ensure the pace of golf remains the goal. Not penalizing every infraction. If golf had no rough, no buried lies, no woods or other impediments, that would be fine. But the beauty of golf, every day, every course, even a second round is completely different. At least for me.
See if you and your followers can come up with a great solution.
Why hasn't this happened on the PGA tour.Simple no balls.Lets fine a virtual nobody, and be seen to be doing something when actually doing F. ALL.🙄
I agree, but I would rather see penalty strokes instead of fines
Pay a fine(s), lose strokes. Losing strokes could mean losing $$$$$$. A fine, not even close. It's a no brainer.
The LPGA is a constant for slow play. That is one of the reasons why the viewership is low. One example the missed her putt and the ball was 6” from the cup and proceeded to mark it and go through her whole putt routine.
I just hope that all of the tour's follow suit. No excuse not too.👍
The tournament I played last week took 6 hours, we sat for 3-4 minutes at every tee box,
I totally agree!! add on Penalty Strokes!! There caddies should time the players to warn them that they are to slow! It is not fair on the players behind them! PS Just like to thank you also for all your great video tutorials, I took lots of your advice and put it practice when I played league on Monday and I won! 🥰⛳️🏌🏻♀️
You are absolutely correct! Money will not make any difference, strokes will. You are also spot on about slow play bleeding into the average golfer. I work as an assistant superintendent so I’m on the course every day. Our members do a pretty good job at playing ready golf, but when the high school and college kids come to qualify it grinds to a halt. The biggest issue I see is that players aren’t getting ready while someone else is playing. Watching these kids putt makes me want to scream! My rant is finally over😂 Love your content!
The slow play of the pga has never really been addressed when players have pointed it out the issue in the past. This time is somewhat different to previous discussions due in large part to the reaction on social media. I do not think that the pga can just wait for this issue to go away because they have a lot of issues in the air and they want the pga shield to be as popular or shine brighter as it has shone in the past. This does not mean that they will start to enforce their current rules because I do not feel they wish to garner any more adverse reaction from their players and stars of their product. I can see the pga consider to implement the middle ground approach taken by the LPGA of a fine first followed by strokes. In this way they may balance out possible adverse reaction of their stars and players while providing symmetry amongst the tours. Time will tell.
I'm more interested in seeing slow play addressed at the club level since that is where I play. I have no voice in what the PGA does to control pace of play
The stroke’s penalty would be a better idea since additional strokes could mean a missed cut, which in turn, means a monetary penalty as well.
If you go straight to shot penalties which I agree that in its self becomes a financial fine due to the chance of losing places and even missing the cut
Strokes for sure. Look how many tournaments are decided by one stroke. One stroke makes a huge difference in how one places in a tourny which enturn has an effect on how much one wins. There is alot to say about one stroke.
Yeah why was Cantlay not fined? pick on a lesser being like the rookie Li. A fine wont solve the problem….penalty strokes is the way to punish slow play,
Completely agree.
The PGA Tour & DP Tour, will no doubt cherry-pick WHO they will apply the rule too. The sooner they do a TOP-DOWN attack on slow play, the better. They already know who the regular slow players are, the players themselves call it out for what it is, a virus that is nothing new. I remember playing in comps during the late 80s until early 2000s and the slow play mirrored pro tournament back then. They do need to take the slow play, bull by the horns, hit the slow players hard, setting an example, that should, in time, trickle down to the club comps, who copy what is seen on tour.
I agree, I agree, I agree
The pga is horrible for slow play. Just look how long they spend lining up a freaking put. First from behind, then in front, then side, then stand over the line to feel the break with their feet. Then you got the ones that use their fingers, then they have their caddie look at the line. Come on no wonder they make golf look so boring on TV, and I love golf been playing for 52 years. But slow play is the worst.
Slow play is why I only watch the highlights on YouTube, and don't watch the tournaments anymore!⛳⛳
Don’t think fines will have the desired impact on multi-millionaires.
As a starting point let’s identify the slow players. Whether that’s by timing individual shots or by logging round times. Golf abounds with statistics (like strokes gained here there and everywhere) so surely it’s not beyond them to create a league table from fastest to slowest so that, in the same way we know whose best in average driving distance, we will all know who is slowest. Then if those at the bottom of the league don’t improve sufficiently put them out at the back of the field on the first couple of days with (no live tv coverage – by all means record their rounds so as to show highlights). At least the early rounds aren’t then ruined for everyone (players and spectators alike). If they make the cut then I would do the same for the third round, having them play with a marker if need be. In the fourth round, if they are in contention (top 10 or within 10 shots of the lead) then they find their natural place but are accompanied by a time-keeping official for the whole round and, if and as appropriate, put on the clock and then penalised. If they are not in contention put them out first and early, with a marker, and no coverage. The result is that the field and the spectators enjoy the golf and the culprits understand that no one really wants to watch them – unless and until they speed up. Suspect it would take one or two seasons at most to remove slow play from the game.
Ive begun to record the golf on Sky so I can fast forward through the tedious build up to the shots.
Players mimic the pros at the local courses. I am sick of waiting on people playing like its for $2M after they sliced the first 4 drives OB.
Last weekend we had 5 players (yes 5 that is how slow it was) playing faster than the 3 players in front of us. Unacceptable. 🙄
Not seen any mention of the 1 shot penalty imposed in 2013 Masters for slow play. Happened to be on Guan Tianlang a 14yr old (yes 14yrs) who still made the cut! Why NONE ever imposed on a professional there as far as I know.
Of course they aren't afraid to FINE an LPGA player, who's making scratch compared to her PGA counterpart!! When will the PGA officials grow a pair and start addressing the issue with the men? As for the penalties, they should be individual penalties, shot clock warning, and if the pace of play doesn't improve then strokes should be taken AND a fine given after the round! Quit placating these prima donna's and start doing your job PGA Officials! Slow play is just a matter of bad habits, it's unnecessary pre-shot routines, garbage thoughts, and inconsideration for the rest of the field. Pace of play should be emphasized at the very bottom levels of golf (Junior, Hight School, and College) right after mechanics, LOL!
Totally agree with you. Forget the money fine, as a sponsor will pay this. However losing shots, will lose sponsors and cash. Play faster. Everyone wins.
Slow play is taking over most golf courses, from people watching the pros on tv acting like time doesn't matter.
A weekend game in the afternoon at most courses now is 5 or more hours .
There should be universal golf rules for non tournament play in writing posted and followed by all courses.
1st warning go to the hole you should be on at this time, next warning leave with no refund.
People taking five minutes EVERY hole looking for a balls.
Three putting every hole (which is ok) but marking their ball and laying on the ground to get four points of view each time….
Playing from tee boxes that they cant even possibly drive over the hazard (water, ravine, swamp) and then taking the time to try to retrieve their ball.
.
Slow players slow the game down and back up the course, than a normal player speeds up their game to pick up the pace causing them to have a bad round.
I agree. Penalty strokes is the way to go. It cost the player money, finishing position and points. I can barely watch golf on TV because of the slow play.
I think they should keep it as is, but actually enforce it. I like the idea of a fine first because stuff happens and I like that fine/warning before actually taking away strokes. I look at it the same way as in like the UFC where you may accidently end up with a groin kick or an eye poke. Most of the time you get a warning, but if you do it more than once or it's deemed intentional, you take away a point. Adding on strokes is a MASSIVE step. I do think it's going to be necessary, but I think just them taking the first step of actually fining will open a lot of eyes!
I agree with you 100%. No fines but straight penalty.
LPGA has bigger ballz than the PGA…
Fines are insufficient,penalty shots hurt more,penalty shots would end slow play.
So a multi multi millionaire is now going to worry about a fine ……. I don’t think so total waste of time
Slow play should be penalised with added shots, ie 1, 2 then 4. You won't hurt the players with a fine. It has to be more punitive.
Imagine the scene. Cantley and Koepka coming down the last all square at a major. Cantley takes an age over a chip shot and an official steps forward and docks him a shot. Enough said.
Slow play just ruins my game. Shouldn’t take 4 hours to play; need to be ready to hit; get in the cart and go; stop taking 10 practice swings. I’m a 12 handicap, and can walk 18 in 3 hours and I’m almost 70!😊 Stroke penalties only. If they don’t make the cut, they go home.😢
Saw a video where a fan was timing Cantlay hit a shot from behind a tree…almost 3 minutes. Shots will be the only way they speed up. Pros will rationalize getting fined…so what if it’s a 25k or 50k fine if I win 100k, 250k, 500k, or a million. Ends justify the means. But shots, that will be hard to rationalize!
Additional strokes hurt worse than fines..IMHO
A bout time, but the men are worse. Slow play isso boring….