Former U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover is well aware that the sport has problems that need to be addressed, including the pace of play. However, he also has some solutions to those problems ahead of the cut in tour cards from 125 to 100 that is set to take place next season.
To improve the pace of play Glover wants to see one technique banned from the tour. In a recent episode of “The Lucas Glover Show” on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Glover explained that banishing the AimPoint green-reading technique in which players straddle the lines of their putts and assess the breaks with their feet, could improve things.
“Statistically, [AimPoint] hasn’t helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour,” Glover said to his co-hosts, Mac Barnhardt and Taylor Zarzour. “Statistics have borne that out. It’s also kind of rude to be up near the hole, stomping around figuring out where the break is in your feet.
“It needs to be banned. It takes forever.”
Glover feels this isn’t the only thing that can improve the pace of play. He also feels that honorary observers should be outside of the ropes.
“Tour’s not going to like this,” Glover said. “Honorary observers are a couple of people that the Tour puts in a group to walk inside of the ropes that probably work for the sponsor or are a guest of the sponsor. Guess what? They get in the way.
“They don’t know where to walk off of the greens, they don’t know where to stand. A lot of times, the group behind is waiting on them.”
Those aren’t Glover’s only proposed solutions.
“There are way too many golf carts on the golf course during play,” Glover said. “Easily, the number one reason players back off golf shots is because a golf cart is going by or a golf cart stopping. And usually, it’s for a good reason. They’re bringing water to put in coolers, or they’re shuttling people. But there’s got to be a way to eliminate some of the carts.
“The No. 1 reason a golf pro will back off a shot is a golf cart on the PGA Tour, I would almost guarantee it.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the tour takes any of Glover’s proposed ideas into consideration.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.