2 Rules That Need To Be Enforced On Tour

[2over]

Watching the horror show of slow play that is J.B. Holmes caused this post. The rule that you have 40 seconds to play a shot needs to be enforced. Always. On everyone--and not just when a group is "out of position". They're all out of position because this rule is not enforced! A round of golf with professional players should not ever take longer than 3.5 hours--never, never, no, not ever, no, not once. Slow play is destroying golf, making it horrible to watch as well as play.

Also, many players are following Langer and Adam Scott in anchoring long putters to their chests. Several at the Open.

While I think the anchoring ban is a dumb rule and poorly written, failing to enforce it invites anarchy in the game. While I'd be OK with just removing the rule (better than having it and letting some players cheat), I think long putters are a bad look and remove an original core skill from the game (controlling the twitchy muscles in your hands/wrists), so my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft." (this also should prevent chipping on the green; you're welcome :smile:

[JabbathePutt]

my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft."

 

Gary Woodland disagrees....

 

 

[golfandfishing]

While I don’t disagree with either of your ultimate points, you arrive at them in a disingenuous fashion. You say the 40 second rule needs to be enforced, but at all times not just when on the clock. Well, that’s not the rule. You also say players are following Scott and Langer by anchoring putters to their chest. Well, they aren’t following either of those guys if they are anchoring, neither anchor.

[shanx]

Give JB a break, it was brutal out there today.

Majors have their own pace, sometimes I feel the deliberation adds to the suspense and drama...

 

 

[tiderider]

the players run the tour ... they can have the rules enforced/changed whenever it suits them ...

[widow-maker]

> @2over said:

> Watching the horror show of slow play that is J.B. Holmes caused this post. The rule that you have 40 seconds to play a shot needs to be enforced. Always. On everyone--and not just when a group is "out of position". They're all out of position because this rule is not enforced! A round of golf with professional players should not ever take longer than 3.5 hours--never, never, no, not ever, no, not once. Slow play is destroying golf, making it horrible to watch as well as play.

> Also, many players are following Langer and Adam Scott in anchoring long putters to their chests. Several at the Open.

> While I think the anchoring ban is a dumb rule and poorly written, failing to enforce it invites anarchy in the game. While I'd be OK with just removing the rule (better than having it and letting some players cheat), I think long putters are a bad look and remove an original core skill from the game (controlling the twitchy muscles in your hands/wrists), so my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft." (this also should prevent chipping on the green; you're welcome :smile:

 

The rule has to have some wiggle in it because not all situations are the same. When you hit a ball into the high rough and have a dune in between you and the hole it's different than being in the fairway and waiting for your turn to play. On certain shots you may have to take extra time because of the situation at hand. But, I agree that they should enforce the rule when you've been standing at your ball waiting for others to play and then it's your turn. No reason not to have your yardage and game plan when it comes to take your turn.

[Vindog]

I watched the online version of the telecast, and maybe I missed it, but was the Holmes Koepka group on the clock/out of position? Those guys were spraying it everywhere.

 

Also your "putter rule" is garbage. Limiting club length does nothing to fix the anchoring "problem." So I guess thanks for nothing

[Hawkeye77]

Putter thing is dumb, take the rant elsewhere, been done to death a million times on here.

 

JB is slow, other players are slow, didn't seem to be affecting the pace of the entire tourney all that much nor the players behind him - conditions were brutal and plenty of major final rounds take a long time. The few times I checked how far his group was behind seemed to be being exaggerated on here, but who knows on a day like today. It's their thing, if they really wanted change it would have happened a long time ago.

 

Slow play isn't destroying golf, lol.

[ThinkingPlus]

> @Hawkeye77 said:

> Putter thing is dumb, take the rant elsewhere, been done to death a million times on here.

>

> JB is slow, other players are slow, didn't seem to be affecting the pace of the entire tourney all that much nor the players behind him - conditions were brutal and plenty of major final rounds take a long time. The few times I checked how far his group was behind seemed to be being exaggerated on here, but who knows on a day like today. It's their thing, if they really wanted change it would have happened a long time ago.

>

> Slow play isn't destroying golf, lol.

 

The only golf related activity being destroyed by slow play is thread content on GolfWRX.

[JaNelson38]

> @2over said:

> Watching the horror show of slow play that is J.B. Holmes caused this post. The rule that you have 40 seconds to play a shot needs to be enforced. Always. On everyone--and not just when a group is "out of position". They're all out of position because this rule is not enforced! A round of golf with professional players should not ever take longer than 3.5 hours--never, never, no, not ever, no, not once. Slow play is destroying golf, making it horrible to watch as well as play.

> Also, many players are following Langer and Adam Scott in anchoring long putters to their chests. Several at the Open.

> While I think the anchoring ban is a dumb rule and poorly written, failing to enforce it invites anarchy in the game. While I'd be OK with just removing the rule (better than having it and letting some players cheat), I think long putters are a bad look and remove an original core skill from the game (controlling the twitchy muscles in your hands/wrists), so my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft." (this also should prevent chipping on the green; you're welcome :smile:

 

Serious question - do you really expect when golfers are in threesomes that 200-plus shots between the three get done in 3.5 hours?

 

Say each man shoots 70, so 210 shots in 3.5 hours. That's one shot PER MINUTE, and we expect these guys to include walking 7400 yard courses to boot.

 

The slow play complaining needs to stop. It's not a problem, especially on the pro ranks where guys are playing for seven figures every week and 150+ guys are playing rounds on Thursdays and Fridays.

[Roadking2003]

> @2over said:

> The rule that you have 40 seconds to play a shot needs to be enforced. Always. On everyone--and not just when a group is "out of position".

 

Why? Why do you care? The pace of play had no impact on my enjoyment of the telecast.

[Roadking2003]

> @Vindog said:

> I watched the online version of the telecast, and maybe I missed it, but was the Holmes Koepka group on the clock/out of position?

 

Not that I noticed.

 

 

[Roadking2003]

> @Hawkeye77 said:The few times I checked how far his group was behind seemed to be being exaggerated on here, but who knows on a day like today.

 

I noticed on Saturday that they were a half hole behind. Lowry missed lots of fairways and that always slows play. Otherwise, I didn't think they were slow at all.

 

Unfortunately, Azinger fans the flames constantly by talking about Holmes slow play. He was talking about it today BEFORE they teed off.

 

He just doesn't like Holmes.

[sui generis]

> @2over said:

> Watching the horror show of slow play that is J.B. Holmes caused this post. The rule that you have 40 seconds to play a shot needs to be enforced. Always. On everyone--and not just when a group is "out of position". They're all out of position because this rule is not enforced! A round of golf with professional players should not ever take longer than 3.5 hours--never, never, no, not ever, no, not once. Slow play is destroying golf, making it horrible to watch as well as play.

> Also, many players are following Langer and Adam Scott in anchoring long putters to their chests. Several at the Open.

> While I think the anchoring ban is a dumb rule and poorly written, failing to enforce it invites anarchy in the game. While I'd be OK with just removing the rule (better than having it and letting some players cheat), I think long putters are a bad look and remove an original core skill from the game (controlling the twitchy muscles in your hands/wrists), so my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft." (this also should prevent chipping on the green; you're welcome :smile:

 

Why does anyone care how that TV reality show called the PGA Tour conducts its business? Furthermore:

 

a) Your statement that 40 seconds is a Rule is absolutely false.

b) You are again completely wrong. Langer, Mc Carron, and Scott are compliant with Rule 10.

 

Go away and talk about Ricky's white belts or something you could at least appear to have some knowledge of.

[Dave230]

JB Holmes actually wasn't that slow on Saturday, especially comparing to some previous rounds. Today it's hard to shoot 87 in the rain and not be slow. Probably suffers because of his reputation, but you can't say it isn't well deserved though.

[Outlier]

> @golfandfishing said:

> While I don’t disagree with either of your ultimate points, you arrive at them in a disingenuous fashion. You say the 40 second rule needs to be enforced, but at all times not just when on the clock. Well, that’s not the rule. You also say players are following Scott and Langer by anchoring putters to their chest. Well, they aren’t following either of those guys if they are anchoring, neither anchor.

 

Seriously? ....and so does Scott McCarron. That's what MY EYES tell me, and I happen to believe them. your results may vary, but the truth is they are cheating in "plain site".

[Titleist99]

> @widow-maker said:

> > @2over said:

> > Watching the horror show of slow play that is J.B. Holmes caused this post. The rule that you have 40 seconds to play a shot needs to be enforced. Always. On everyone--and not just when a group is "out of position". They're all out of position because this rule is not enforced! A round of golf with professional players should not ever take longer than 3.5 hours--never, never, no, not ever, no, not once. Slow play is destroying golf, making it horrible to watch as well as play.

> > Also, many players are following Langer and Adam Scott in anchoring long putters to their chests. Several at the Open.

> > While I think the anchoring ban is a dumb rule and poorly written, failing to enforce it invites anarchy in the game. While I'd be OK with just removing the rule (better than having it and letting some players cheat), I think long putters are a bad look and remove an original core skill from the game (controlling the twitchy muscles in your hands/wrists), so my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft." (this also should prevent chipping on the green; you're welcome :smile:

>

> The rule has to have some wiggle in it because not all situations are the same. When you hit a ball into the high rough and have a dune in between you and the hole it's different than being in the fairway and waiting for your turn to play. On certain shots you may have to take extra time because of the situation at hand. But, I agree that they should enforce the rule when you've been standing at your ball waiting for others to play and then it's your turn. No reason not to have your yardage and game plan when it comes to take your turn.

 

And I have seen every player on tour wait for the wind to stop swirling before hitting shots///

[buckeyefl]

> @shanx said:

> Give JB a break, it was brutal out there today.

> Majors have their own pace, sometimes I feel the deliberation adds to the suspense and drama...

>

>

 

What about every other tournament he plays in? It's not like it's an anomaly.

[dan360]

Hey. Stop trying to make my weekend me time shorter by forcing these fellas to play faster. I enjoy nursing a Guinness or 6 while watching the likes of J.B., Keegan, et al for 5-1/2 hrs on (insert name of) championship Sunday from the comfort of my fat boy special chair.

 

Much better than hanging out on the local track swatting at skeeters on the tee waiting for that guy who barely hits it 100 yards in a straight line standing 230 out waiting for the green to clear so he can take 17 practice swings adjust his glove three times and shank a 3 wood across two fairways into the maint shop.

 

That’s the dude who needs a 40 second clock. Not a pro playing shots worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Particularly when it really doesn’t affect our quality of life at all. Unless my me time is shortened. Then it’s a real thing.

 

#JB8hrroundsFTW

[callawayjay]

It’s pretty simple. Keep up with group in front. If you come in 19 minutes after the group in front you get penalized. Problem solved

[stanger37]

> @2over said:

"When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft." **(this also should prevent chipping on the green**; you're welcome :smile:

 

since when is this even a problem? are you creating something just to complain? So no more using hybrids or woods on the edge of the green tucked against the fringe. And Woodland chipping at the US Open off the green was pretty awesome for the moment? What am I missing here?

[MidwestGolfBum]

> @Roadking2003 said:

> > @Hawkeye77 said:The few times I checked how far his group was behind seemed to be being exaggerated on here, but who knows on a day like today.

>

> I noticed on Saturday that they were a half hole behind. Lowry missed lots of fairways and that always slows play. Otherwise, I didn't think they were slow at all.

>

> Unfortunately, Azinger fans the flames constantly by talking about Holmes slow play. He was talking about it today BEFORE they teed off.

>

> He just doesn't like Holmes.

 

To be fair, I actually found it a bit odd that he didn't have a club picked out ready to pull when he was announced. Not as much as to pull the Azinger "oh, here we go again" stuff, however.

 

Even when shooting 87, they never seemed to be that far behind the group in front and never really seemed to hold up the Lowry/Fleetwood group behind. Nobody was moving too quickly out there Sunday between the wind, the rain, and the fact that it was Sunday of a major.

[NoodleSalad]

Slow play is destroying **recreational** golf. It isn't destroying pro golf. If Holmes is taking too long the TV will cut away to someone else & then come back to him. No problem. If a group of multi-millionaires has a problem with this let them fix it.

[macedan]

Classic 1 post and disappear troll thread 10/10

[PostandGhost]

USGA and R&A should allow anchoring and limit the length of the putter to 38".

 

> @callawayjay said:

> It’s pretty simple. Keep up with group in front. If you come in 19 minutes after the group in front you get penalized. Problem solved

 

I like this solution for pace of play

[2putttom]

> @macedan said:

> Classic 1 post and disappear troll thread 10/10

 

it was a strafing run

[gvogel]

> @JabbathePutt said:

> my personal preference would be on re-writing the rule this way: "When making a stroke on the putting green, a player may only use the club in his/her bag with the shortest shaft."

>

> Gary Woodland disagrees....

>

>

 

I think that the rules could define a levering stroke - where one hand stays in the same position and the other moves the club head - and ban it. That would end the long putter. Which would be absolutely fine by me. It seems that both hands should be moving together in a golf stroke.

[NorthTexasGlfr]

> @macedan said:

> Classic 1 post and disappear troll thread 10/10

 

Even though I'm on the side that thinks they play too slow, I kind of figured it was pretty much a troll post when he said a round of golf with professional players should never take longer than 3.5 hours and "emphasized" it as dramatically as he did. Heck, everyone knows they should be able to play in 3 hours or less. Right? :)

[ray9898]

Off all the sports I follow, the golf board has the most whiners by far. It is pro golf, it takes a while, get over it.

[manku]

I like the slow play...it's nice seeing pros get steamy over waiting just like I do at my local muni sometimes!

I don't find pace of play any worse than 30 years ago...if anything, it's better. Sure, there are the occasionally groups you want to nuke, but for the most part I'd say the POP issues are mainly related to competitive golf.