Sepp Straka won his third PGA Tour on Sunday at the American Express. While the greens proved tough (many “concrete” references) at Pete Dye Stadium at PGA West, they evened out by Sunday.
What managed to be drawn out was the pace of play.
One of the rounds took over five and a half hours. How was that possible?
The conditions of the greens could have played a factor, but the issue has been one in golf for years now.
One suggestion? Adding a shot clock of sorts, similar to that of a pitch clock in Major League Baseball, could make time spent at a hole go by faster.
The players would be able to see the clocks at each hole, and fans could see the clocks much like a ticker on the bottom of their screens if they were watching from home.
Shane Ryan of GolfDigest.com offered his analysis on the shot clock, but more about how it would help the fans. After all, it’s about them.
“It’s more difficult than people think to really improve things in that way, however, what I would say – even if we look back 10 years — actually pace of play hasn’t gotten worse, but unfortunately, attention spans have gotten worse,” Ryan told The Golf Channel.
Ryan said during the adjustment period that fans might leave, but perhaps it would be the same number of fans who would leave because the rounds were getting too long.
In 2023, Ryan reported on the pace of play when the discussion was at its height. He spent some time with Gary Young, the PGA Tour’s Senior Vice President of Rules and Competitions. After that, he was convinced there was indeed a pace of play problem.
Players can be problematic – both of how they are as individuals or popularity. Meaning, perhaps Rory McIlroy isn’t being watched like a hawk with his timing. There’s also a factor to make courses easier, but that takes an entertainment factor out which is why we are having this discussion in the first place.
Three-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka mentioned the 40-second rule to take your shot and said if you exceed that, it should get a penalty stroke.
It’s working for baseball, shedding about 30 minutes off the game. Even those who have been in MLB for decades have not only embraced the change, but they have also said that it’s made the game better.
