A nearly five-and-a-half-hour final round reignited the debate on slow play, with sharp criticism from Dottie Pepper and renewed calls for action in golf.
The issue of slow play in professional golf came under scrutiny during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, where the final group took nearly five and a half hours to complete their round at Torrey Pines.
While lengthy final rounds are not new to the PGA Tour, the sluggish pace drew sharp criticism from on-course commentator Dottie Pepper. Speaking during the broadcast, Pepper highlighted the excessive pre-shot routines and player indecision, describing the experience as “painful” for viewers.
“We’re starting to need a new word to talk about this pace-of-play issue and its respect—for your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it,” Pepper remarked. “It’s just got to get better.”
Pepper’s candid comments, a rarity from a TV broadcaster, reignited a debate that has long plagued the sport. Her remarks have since spurred widespread discussion, with prominent golf writers weighing in on one of the game’s most persistent problems.
Eamon Lynch of Golfweek critiques the governing bodies’ leniency and calls for stricter enforcement of pace-of-play rules and suggest if something isn’t done, the broadcast ratings will eventually dive.
The slow play problem isn’t going away, although fans are, if broadcast ratings are any guide. And that’s what has changed in this hoary old issue — the context. The PGA Tour no longer enjoys a reservoir of goodwill among fans. Player greed has laid waste to that.
Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated chatted to Pepper about the slow play scourge but she doesn’t believe a shot-clock is a viable solution to the problem. Harig also suggests it’s not just a single reason for the increase in the time it takes to play a round of golf.
Saturday’s conditions at Torrey Pines did not make matters any easier. The temperature was a cool 61 degrees, with steady winds that gusted up to 25 mph. That is not conducive to fast golf.
Nor is deep rough, fast greens and one of the harder courses players face early in the season.
Equipment advances, including clubs and golf balls, coupled with better agronomy, has led to an onslaught on scoring, which in turns leads to officials attempting to set up courses with deeper rough, more difficult pins and faster greens.
All of that leads to more time.
And it’s not just the PGA Tour suffers from this growing problem. Golf tournaments at all levels worldwide have succumbed to slow play as golfers emulate the best in the world with pre-shot routines that couldn’t be further from “ready golf”.
Joel Beall at Golf Digest ighlighted the broader implications of slow play on the sport’s reputation and viewer experience. Beall noted that alternative formats of golf, such as YouTube’s shorter content and the fast-paced TGL league, are gaining popularity among fans.
“The irony is that golf has already proven shorter formats can thrive. The meteoric rise of golf on YouTube stems partly from its ability to deliver compelling content in an hour rather than six. And TGL, while still in its infancy, has earned praise for its brisk pace. These aren’t mere alternatives to traditional golf – they’re harbingers of changing viewer expectations.”
As the debate over slow play continues, the need for meaningful reform has become increasingly urgent, with fans and stakeholders alike calling for solutions to preserve the integrity and enjoyment of the sport.
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