As mentioned previously, #GolfChat Authors produced some great articles on Pace of Play. These are not your usual complaints about being stuck on the golf course longer than expected. They cover various views about the Pace of Play that I think you will find very interesting. Continue reading
slow play
Being Chased From The Golf Course
Have you ever been chased from the golf course! Through the years, I have left the course for only a couple of reasons and in all cases I have to point my finger at mother nature. To clarify, I have left the course after nine, but I do not really consider this being chased of the course. That was a matter of time or just not wanting to play the back nine. Being chased from the course, for me, occurs before or after the turn.
Recently, I asked the question to The Grateful Golfer community and I was not really surprised by their responses. Most were the same, however a couple of the answers were not part of the poll, but they did make me smile.
Continue reading
Ready Golf to Eliminate Slow Play
My last article on Slow Play sparked some interesting conversation. This is a real issue for most avid players and the solution, as I found out, cannot be found in one specific area. For this, I think we can all agree that continuous reminders and education are part of the solution to reduce slow play. I purposely used the word ‘reduce’ because I am not sure slow play will ever be eliminated.
I would like to thank MM Golf Studio for asking such a great question!
What is ‘ready golf’?
I know I talk about it all the time, I have touched on the topic from time to time, but I have never really provided a complete answer. Continue reading
Fixing Slow Play in Golf
Slow play is a challenge for courses that seems to not go away! It is frustrating for most players who have expectations of finish by a certain time to get home to watch Brooke Henderson or Rickie Fowler win their first Major! Slow play will not go away if we continue to approach golf in the same way.
As Albert Einstein once said: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results!
Slow Play Costs Jordan Spieth
Slow Play! No Way!
As one of my must read golf blogs, White Dragon Golf, by Pete Robbins, hammered home a misunderstood point about a contentious topic: Slow Play! This what Pete wrote:
World #1 Jordan Spieth received a slow play penalty at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships.
Jordan reported that he had no idea why he got the penalty in the first place, he said it was a surprise to his playing partners Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler as well. The official ruling was that he took too long over a putt, while already being on the clock.;
“It didn’t make any sense to me”
“It didn’t affect the round, but Rory and Rickie were surprised as well.”
Under the European Tours slow play policy, two monitoring penalties will result in a fine, of about $2,800.
Rory commented;
“It was a bit of a weird one.”
“Sometimes the refs have to use common sense. With the time we’re allowed if you take an extra look at a putt you’re over the time.”
“But if we’re in position relative to the group ahead there’s no reason to time us.”
So I guess walking around to check all angles of a putt is verboten on the Euro Tour, you just have to stand up and hit it. Officialdom gone mad, if you want to watch the best golf in the world, let the players take some time over a putt. There are too many rules already.
Everyone plays to quick!
As you can see, Spieth’s playing partners were flabbergasted by the call and wondered why the penalty was assessed. The apparently were keeping pace with the group in front of them, and they were not holding anyone up! Thus, is this really slow play.
According to Pete, Spieth took too long over his putt. He had already been warned, thus the reason for the penalty. However, does this really constitute slow play when you are keeping pace with the group in front?
Personally, if a group is keeping pace, it is impossible to call someone for slow play! A player might take a bit longer putting or aligning a shot, but as long as it does not jamb you for time on your shots or cause the group to fall behind, slow play cannot be called. I am not sure what the referees were thinking, but I am sure more of the story will unfold over the next few days!
What do you think? Should Jordan Spieth have been called for slow play?
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 