As Canadian Journalist Carl Honoré once famously quoted, “Golf is famously slow.” Well, it is true, no one can contest that. So imagine an already “slow game” having problems with “slow play”. Yes, it can be hard to guess. However, in professional golf, slow play has become a major problem that irritates both players and spectators. Even the most committed golf fans become impatient when rounds last more than five hours. To give you an idea, an ideal golf match lasts around 4 hours 18 minutes.

Even prominent athletes such as Rory McIlroy have criticized slow play on the PGA Tour, referring to it as an “epidemic.” Others, like Charley Hoffman, believe that to keep spectators interested, golfers should speed up their game. In the meantime, the LPGA has set an example and established a benchmark for play speed, demonstrating that professional golf can be thrilling, swift, and entertaining. Why, then, is the PGA Tour unable to keep up? Let’s delve in to find out what happened!

LPGA “Pace of Play” numbers shake Jay Monahan & Co.

The LPGA has demonstrated a laudable initiative by successfully implementing efforts to cut round times. In a recent tweet, Golf Digest posted an update on The Founders Cup’s average pace of play. It mentioned that the final round of the Founders Cup last week was completed in 3 hours and 42 minutes, showing that the noteworthy upgrade not only raised the bar for professional golf but also improved the viewing experience of the audience. 

Recently, the LPGA revised its pace-of-play regulation to better accommodate slow play. Players must take their shots within a certain amount of time under the new rules. A player will be fined if they go above this limit by 1 to 5 seconds. A one-stroke penalty is imposed for exceeding by 6 to 15 seconds, while a two-stroke penalty is imposed for exceeding by 16 seconds or more. These modifications will go into effect on March 27 at the Ford Championship in Arizona.

In the meantime, things appear to be very different on the PGA Tour. A recurring problem has been slow play, with rounds frequently lasting longer than five hours. Meaningful penalties are rarely enforced, despite the general consensus that this is an issue. Fans are starting to notice how differently the two tours are addressing the problem.

Reactions on social media, particularly on X, have been booming. Fans are praising the LPGA’s strategy and urging the PGA Tour to adopt a similar stance. Others are complaining about the men’s side’s lack of enforcement and the lengthy rounds. There is mounting pressure on PGA officials and Commissioner Jay Monahan to take charge and make significant reforms. Now that the LPGA has established the norm, will the PGA Tour act at last, or will the slow-play drama go on? Let’s explore what fans have to say!

Fans react to shame the PGA Tour 

This issue has not gone unnoticed by the golf community. Supporters have shown their discontent with the PGA Tour’s handling of sluggish play on social media and other forums, frequently using sarcasm and scathing comments. “PGA should take some notes,” one golf spectator remarked in the comment section of the post, while another stated, “This is how it’s done!” These comments highlight the belief that the LPGA’s aggressive policies have established a benchmark that the PGA Tour has not yet reached and expressed a belief that the PGA Tour could benefit from the LPGA’s successful tactics in controlling play speed.

“No reason the guys can’t do this,” said another person, expressing their opinion. Another fan, however, responded, “See folks, it can be done… Play with purpose” stressing the idea that male pros can keep up a fast tempo just as well, implying that culture and enforcement are more of the problem than the player’s skills. This viewpoint is reinforced by the fact that other sports have effectively incorporated strategies to accelerate play, suggesting that change is achievable with the correct efforts.

“Faster than LIV and PGA. This is the way,” another golf aficionado stated, comparing the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the LPGA directly and highlighting how these organizations have done a better job of dealing with slow play. The PGA Tour’s faults in this regard are further highlighted by this comparison.

In the golf community, the disparity between the PGA Tour’s continuous difficulties and the LPGA’s effective pace-of-play policies has thus taken center stage. Taking a cue from the LPGA’s aggressive strategy, players and fans alike are urging the PGA Tour to confront slow play head-on. The onus now shifts to the PGA Tour to put practical fixes into place and win back the trust of its fans.