Day Opens The Door For New Commish To Attack Slow Play
New PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan probably took a few aspirin when he saw that world No. 1 Jason Day returned from time off and, unprompted, proudly touted plans to play slower in 2017.
After all, the new Commish has more on his plate than you'd expect given the supposedly great product Saint Finchem left behind. Big picture stuff like trying to fix a confusing schedule, repairing relations with sponsors and keeping FedEx around should be Monahan's first-month priority instead of jumping in on the slow play debate.
But did Day just hand Monahan the perfect opening to attack the slow play problem?
Because of Finchem's many blind spots related to the actual product of PGA Tour golf, none was more perverse and damaging as his desire to see pace of play policies ignored. Finchem prioritized protecting the gentleman's game imagery above the gentlemanly behavior of playing golf at a considerate pace. Finchem never shied from bragging about his players taking hats off and shaking hands for the 18th green cameras.
Slow players? That could be swept under the rug because television wouldn't show someone rudely taking three minutes to play a shot, until they started showing such antics down the stretch because they had no choice. Then a Sean O'Hair or Kevin Na or Jason Day made it apparent how ungentlemanly it is for someone with PGA Tour level talent to take that long to hit a shot, and the Commissioner openly resisted penalty shots.
It is no coincidence that in the nearly 20 years Finchem was in office, the last penalty occurred in his first months on the job and never since. He also worked to undermine the stature of his officials by prolonging contract negotiations and underpaying the unionized force charged with enforcing the rules. And don't think players were oblivious to this neutralization of the referees or the amount of time that has passed since the last penalty (1995).
Even the USGA appeared has bowed to Finchem, implementing its very effective pace of play system at all but the one of its championships. It just happens to be the one where coddled PGA Tour players play: the U.S. Open.
Now that Finchem is retired, the PGA Tour slowpokes' sense of taking as much time as they'd like came flooding out of Day's mouth prior to Kapalua's 2017 season kickoff event. With no fear of being penalized and a rumored $10 million a year from Nike to pay any minor fines, Day made clear he's not going to rush himself.
The full comment:
Jason Day on slow pace of play in golf ... pic.twitter.com/u2wfqW0BmF
— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) January 3, 2017
Imagine a pitcher declaring that he will not throw a pitch until he's ready or a free-throw shooter backing off five times before taking a free shot? The leagues would crack down.
In an era when no sport can afford to be seen as slowing down, the PGA Tour has shied away from enforcement that might help solve the problem. However, a new commissioner is in town and he's just been given a natural opening to push back.
Monahan shied away from taking a strong stand on slow play in a Q&A at PGATour.com earlier this week, understandably not needing to start his tenure off on a combative foot. Yet Jason Day has uttered comments far removed from the simple reality that the PGA Tour survives on its entertainment value, not on how it pads Day's bank account. The suggestion he will back off until he's ready made clear Day's entitlement level runs so deep that even his truest believers might not feel sorry to see a PGA Tour rules official stalking him around Kapalua. And Torrey Pines. Or any fairway he pitches his tent upon to indulge himself at the expense of our viewing pleasure.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 08:55 PM 50 Comments | in PGA Tour, Pace of Play, Slow Play, Tim Finchem
Reader Comments (50)
Slow play is really boring when watching pros live and when playing behind a slow group oneself. It's the latter which is the worst feature of the game for newcomers. I shall never play behind Day so he won't hold me up!
It's a polite formality Jason. We don't really care about your 27 ailments........
No one should be immune from being assessed slow play penalties. Be it Tiger, Jason or anyone.
Playing traditional golf without aids seems to win at nearly every turn either with Caddies or push carts for the clubs.
Like all the problems with the game today the issues will not be addressed as real golf is hardly ever played these days and the responsibility for that rest with many of today’s players - to be called a golfer, you first need to understand and then play the Royal & Ancient Game of Golf, it’s that simple.
Instead of trying to find a way to punish the slow player, why not find some way to reward the faster player. How about letting the speedier player choose his tee time for the next round instead of letting score dictate he starting time?
I sometimes get the feeling Geoff does not like Tim Finchem . Nothing definite , just a feeling . :0)
Just about everybody on tour these days plays slow. The reason they play slow is because over the years they've been forced to figure out a way to manage a 5-hour round. AS A TWOSOME some of the time, even.
When the tour brass don't think it's an issue and would never think of penalizing someone for it, the players ain't stupid. They'll adjust their playing rhythms because they know the turtles playing up ahead of them have the blessing to play as slow as they want.
So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
So using distance aids is faster than using your own body - OK for you - you may be right, but that wold just prove that slow play is down to players not playing golf- however I will give you that design has not helped nor have the R&A. Its the lack of control over technology when added into this has created the problem - giving us the game we have today - What field sport has allowed the equipment to keep out growing the field its played upon. Don't we ever learn from our errors?
I was ambivalent towards Day before this. Now I'll be rooting against him. Need more Snedeker types in the game.
Agree they need to control things more, ie distance. Tennis "rolled" back their ball, golf must do the same.
But on GPS rangefinders, please allow me put this to you; Play a course you never played before, no yardage charts, no GPS, 150 markers etc and you will post a higher score than you would if you used a GPS rangefinder. Like it or not, that mattrers to any golfer who ever played the game going back 600 years who posted a score. Had they been available, Old Tom and Young Tommy would have used one if permitted by the rules. Can you imagine pros today on tour without yardages ? 8 hour rounds wouldn't surprise me.
Once that was determined a lot of the rest of what he is advocating for has fallen by the wayside for me. I read a good bit of it, but don't consider it relevant to my usage of a 'golf' course.
You play your game, you play by your rules of today, you do not play the game that was once The Royal & Ancient Game of Golf.
That game of golf requires no outside assistance, that means that you use your eyes, mind and body to judge distances, anything else just destroys the very game you want to play. Hence, I do not rate JN or come to that some of his designs, but then that's his game. However, my question or opinion is that its not golf, it’s not The Royal & Ancient Game of Golf but just simply ‘assisted golf’. Some, for whatever reason have get a lower score even if in doing so it desecrates the very game they wants to play.
As for playing a new course, I love it, the unknown challenges ahead, that’s golf it’s a real test of my skill as being a golfer, that is what golf is all about.
I could not accept outside aid even to assist me in shaving off a few strokes in a round as I would be cheating myself, cheating myself of the pleasure of doing it unaided. That is for me the greater reward, others feel that a lower score counts no matter the cost to one’s integrity, well golf goes matter to me. Play the games you want, all I ask is that you respect the Traditions of The Royal & Ancient Game of Golf and play unaided, unless you have an age or medical condition.
Have any of you read the conditions required to use carts on The Old Course and the other St Andrews courses – perhaps you should as its an eye opener when looking to using aids on a golf course – It reads as follows:-
“Buggy Policy (Carts)
Old Course
Golfers who are registered disabled with a permanent condition of disability and relevant supporting documentation may request a buggy for use on the Old Course between April and October. It will be driven by a qualified caddie driver. The buggy is provided free of charge but the appropriate caddie fee is payable. Golfer's disability documentation should be provided at the time of booking or when entering the Old Course ballot.
Other courses
Buggies may be taken on the Castle, New, Jubilee, Strathtyrum, Balgove and Eden courses by seniors over the age of 65 or golfers with a medical certificate, subject to availability. The fee is £30. Please book in advance.”
Played the Old Course twice, was assisted with a caddy and a yardage book both times. My integrity and respect for this great game is sound, thank you. Even Old Tom Morris had a caddie assisting him.
As for Old Tom, he had Caddies, but just to carry his clubs.
The love-in that the American media and advertisers have had with him has been remarkable. At least he has a major now (albiet, not the one he would prefer) and a bushel of wins. But I remember with only one win after a half dozen years on tour he was one of TaylorMade's most prominently hyped staff players.
Caddies have more than yardages in their heads. They advise on the slope of the terrain and strength and direction of wind and which club a player hit yesterday , last week , or five years ago. All this takes too much time for certain players and their caddies. Jordan Spieth takes way too much time to play a shot. Most of it is consultation with his caddie. The television networks think picking up their conversations on audio is so captivating , but it begins to sound kind of inane after a few hours of listening. Worse , is the player taking that big fat book out of his back pocket and staring at it for 30 seconds before he asks another question of the caddie. It all takes WAY too long and should be penalized on the spot. The reliance on caddies is nothing short of ridiculous. Ben Hogan never stood and talked to caddie about a shot in his life. I think he was known as a pretty good iron player. Judging distance and all the other factors in a shot is a skill that is eroded by leaning on a caddie or a device. That contributes to slow play as much as anything , and second guessing , which can kill your game.
I tend to agree with just about everything you say on slow play. On distance devices, lets say they are more accurate these days than some of the 150 markers on courses I have played in my time. Only good if one knows the yardages they hit each club of course. I do admit, when I haven't had mine, I do feel a little rusty with those senses you and Tom mention, but when I'm playing in a comp, I want to score my best and it helps. I think they do speed up play, only if the player notes the yardage, but has already taken into account slope, wind direction, etc as one walks up to their ball, not to do that once they have reached their ball. To me, this is just common courtesy to the rest of the players in your group and the course. One should be thinking about these things 30 yards before they reach their ball. All too often, someone like Spieth waits for a gust of wind to pass, etc then go through his painstaking routine once again. Phil and Bones could write a book with what they say over a shot. I agree it's too much.
1. Rummage through bag for the device
2. Fiddle with it to get told a yardage (ex. 175 yds)
3. Debate with partner, whose GPS watch says 172 yds
4. Set up over the ball
5. Scuff the ball along the ground for about 50 yards
6. Pack the device back in his bag
7. Walk to the ball
8 Repeat steps 1-6 above