PGA Tour’s Plan to Fix Slow Play: The Four Solutions That Could Change Golf
From tech upgrades to public accountability, here’s how the PGA Tour is tackling slow play and why it matters for players and fans alike.
The PGA Tour has had enough. Fans have been voicing their frustrations about slow play, and the Tour is taking action. After gathering feedback from surveys and broadcasters, they’ve identified four key solutions aimed at speeding up rounds and improving the viewing experience.
These changes aren’t just about pace—they’re about making golf more engaging for everyone, from the players grinding on the course to the fans watching at home. So, what’s in the works?
Rangefinders Are Coming to More Events
If you’ve watched a PGA Championship recently, you’ve seen players using distance-measuring devices (DMDs) to speed up decision-making. While traditional yardage books and caddies are still the norm, introducing rangefinders at more Tour events could significantly cut down on the time spent pacing off distances and debating club selection.
The PGA of America brought this change to the PGA Championship in 2021, and now, the Tour is considering wider adoption. For a sport that’s often slow to embrace innovation, this could be a big step forward.
More Efficient Video Reviews to Prevent Delays
Rules disputes can drag out rounds, causing groups to fall behind schedule. The PGA Tour wants to fix that by making better use of its video review centre. Faster rulings mean less time standing around debating whether a ball moved or if relief is allowed.
With golf broadcasting increasingly relying on technology, improving this process could have a ripple effect—not just on the pace of play but also on the clarity of rules enforcement for fans watching at home.
Naming (and Shaming?) the Worst Offenders
One of the most eye-catching proposals is the public release of slow-play data. The Tour is considering publishing a list of the slowest players based on “average stroke time” data.
While this isn’t quite a full-on "wall of shame," the idea is that transparency will encourage players to pick up the pace. Golf has traditionally handled these issues behind closed doors, but this shift could add a layer of accountability that forces players to be more aware of their time management.
Making Penalties Public to Enforce Accountability
Slow play penalties have existed for years, but they’re rarely talked about. The PGA Tour wants to change that by publicly disclosing fines and penalties given to players who repeatedly violate pace-of-play rules.
Right now, many fans don’t even realise when players are fined for slow play because the details are kept private. By bringing these infractions into the open, the Tour hopes to show that it’s serious about enforcing the rules—and ensuring slow play doesn’t go unpunished.
Will It Work?
So far, slow play remains a stubborn issue. Even after the Tour reduced field sizes for certain events, rounds have continued to stretch past five and a half hours. At The American Express, the final group took 5 hours and 40 minutes to finish. The following week at Torrey Pines, the last trio needed 5 hours and 30 minutes.
CBS commentator Dottie Pepper summed it up bluntly:
“I think we're starting to need a new word to talk about this pace-of-play issue, and it's 'respect'—for your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it. It’s just got to get better.”
With these new measures, the Tour is taking steps to address the problem. But whether they’ll actually speed up play—or just spark more controversy—remains to be seen.
Thanks for reading, David Skilling.