So as we all know, slow play has been a major issue in golf, frustrating players, fans, and reporters alike. The latest drama unfolded at the Farmers Insurance Open, where winner Harris English and his group took a staggering 5 hours and 29 minutes to complete the final round. CBS reporter Dottie Pepper was visibly frustrated, calling out the players for their lack of respect for fellow competitors, fans, and broadcasters, emphasizing that the pace of play “just gotta get better”.

This sentiment is echoed by many in the golf community, who are growing increasingly impatient with the slow pace of play. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has always been known for defending the PGA Tour, as she did recently when she stated that “professional golf will always be king” and emphasized the importance of golf media personalities and pro golf working together to reach more audiences.  However, it seems like slow play is something that even Spiranac can’t look past. Despite her defense of the PGA Tour, she acknowledges that pro golf is struggling to capture audiences and identifies the slow pace of play as one of the major issues that needs to be addressed. She suggests that the PGA Tour needs to speed up the pace of play, incorporate fresh talent into broadcasts, and reduce commercials to make the game more appealing to viewers.

“No one is blind to the fact pro golf is currently struggling to capture audiences. They need to speed up pace of play, get fresh talent incorporated into the broadcasts, introduce the audience to the rookies, less commercials, and most importantly have the best players in the world on one tour”, she wrote in her latest tweet.

Slow play is a problem that plagues golf tournaments, and it’s not just limited to the PGA Tour events.

“It’s definitely a problem out here right now”, Charley Hull said on slow play in LPGA

The slow play virus has found its way to the LPGA Tour, and it’s having a significant impact. The LPGA Tour has also been affected, with players and officials calling for harsher penalties to tackle the issue. Charley Hull, a professional golfer, recently proposed a strict penalty system, suggesting that players who accumulate three bad timings should face a two-shot penalty for each infraction, with the ultimate consequence of losing their tour card if they receive three such penalties.

“I’m quite ruthless, but I said, ‘Listen, if you get three bad timings, every time it’s a two-shot penalty. If you have three of them [penalties], you lose your [LPGA] Tour card instantly,” Hull said. World No. 1 Nelly Korda agreed that slow play is a big issue, and said, “I personally think it’s a pretty big issue… I think it’s not good for the fans that come out and watch us.” Lexi Thompson also chimed in, stating, “Rounds shouldn’t be taking more than four and a half hours, especially in threesomes. Four and a half should be the max. It’s definitely a problem out here right now.”

What are your thoughts on slow play in golf? Do you think harsher penalties would help speed up the game? Let us know in the comment section below.