slow play

Did a little research and here is the latest on slow play on the tour. This was back in 2020.
"PGA Tour implements stricter policy, harsher penalties to prevent slow play
The policy will go into effect later in the 2019-20 season......By Kyle Porter, Jan 14, 2020 at 5:35 pm ET

You all have hollered, and the PGA Tour has listened. This week, the PGA Tour announced a new slow-play policy that will go into effect at the RBC Heritage the week after the Masters.

In a two-pronged approach to quelling slow play, the PGA Tour has decided to crack down on players who take an excessive amount of time to hit shots. This will be done two ways.

Observation list: Players will be put on a list based on ShotLink data over their last 10 tournaments based on "egregiously slow" play. They will be subject to a 60-second shot clock at all times if they are on the list in the given week of a tournament.
Excessive shot times: If anyone takes more than two minutes to hit a shot without a "good reason for doing so," you're given an excessive shot time.
The biggest change is probably that now you get penalized a shot for two bad times in a tournament, not just a single round, which is what the rule previously stated. Not only can you get penalized in the two new ways above, but all of the old ways still apply, too.

Here's Bob Harig of ESPN with a succinct breakdown of those.

Currently, any group that is deemed out of position -- a hole behind the group in front or with a significant gap -- is told it is out of position. That means any player in that group can be timed and if a time limit for various shots -- typically 40 seconds -- is exceeded, the player is warned. A second bad time results in a 1-shot penalty, which has happened in an individual stroke-play event on the PGA Tour just once going back to 1995.

So, I remain mildly dubious considering this type of incident has resulted in a stroke penalty one time in 25 years. But still, give it up to the PGA Tour for moving forward, for raising the stakes (literally) here and for the implementation of its two new rules.

Additionally, fines and penalties for slow play have been enhanced significantly. Officials will now assess a one-stroke penalty for the second bad time in a tournament, not a round, and for every bad time thereafter in the same tournament. The fines for the second bad time in a season and for 10 cumulative timings in a season have also been raised to $50,000 (from $5,000).

"We felt we needed to ratchet up the deterrence," PGA Tour Chief of Operations Tyler Dennis said. "We've significantly upped the ante on stroke penalties. Currently it's by the round; now it's going to be over the entire tournament. It's more likely that a player could find themselves in this situation."

This is a story that won't go anywhere, especially as golf becomes easier and easier to view. Fans, other players and media will only apply more scrutiny to every scenario moving forward as the PGA Tour starts to prepare to handle it."

The problem is finding the real culprit who is causing the issue

Sometimes a ruling is required which takes time

Some players are just slow that they have a set routine and will go through it whatever

The big issue is what to do about it ...do you fine the slow players or deduct shots etc

Sometimes it is the way the course is set up as in the case of some of the British courses

Agreed. As a regular muni player, slow play is about the only thing I don't like about golf. The tour players are setting the example and they are the worst. Why can't today's players learn how to read a green without walking the entire length of the line? Especially since they have practice rounds to try putts from all over the green?

I also love listening to a 10 minute dissertation between caddie and player before the player yanks one 40 yards off line. As long as they are allowed to spend all this time, including waiting for a "favorable" wind, everyone who sees them on TV thinks they need to do it on the course, and slow play will continue to get worse.

the changes MLB made seem to be speeding up their games, maybe need to get serious about enforcing rules for slow play

I wonder how many pros could play when it takes nearer 5 hours per round which the majority of regular golfers play constantly

I'm what you consider a regular golfer and most of my casual rounds are 4hrs or less (no gimmies or Mulligans). The rounds I have that are in the 5hr realm usually are tournaments or scrambles which take a lot of patience or adult beverages in order to survive

I am a muni player and we always get the blame for slow play. Why because of the number of players that play our courses over the period of a year. We have been rated by golf.com as the number 19 muni in the US, which has increased out play to over 70,000 rounds per year. I play in the am M/W/F and we finish normally under four hours. They playing Pebble Beach, 5-6 hour rounds. These high demand courses that tourists flock to can take some of the credit also. High handicappers wanting to brag that they played from the tips, everyone in the group going to each other ball, spending more than three minutes looking for a ball, these are things that contribute to slow play. If everyone was responsible and made an effort stopped goofing off on the course slow play, at the amateur level, four hours could be the normal. Also, put some blame on the courses, where cart path only can come into play and lack of rangers/marshals, who are not moving the crowds along. When the whole community gets involved, then it can be better controlled.

Yes, there's a lot of inconsistency with how it's policed on the amateur and professional levels. For me, I've played numerous tournaments over the years and the last tournament I played last month, was the first that I was ever put on the clock. It was a par 5 and we were on the tee box while the group in front of us was on the green. I could see the group in front of them on the next hole teeing off. It wasn't worth the argument with the official and I just acknowledged the warning and continued to play. I've played courses where they give each group a tracker that shows the course where everyone is in real time and if there's gaps, they're quick to alert the group that's causing the problem.

My town course if you aren’t in 1st hour can take 5 hours! Slow play is a killer. People watch to much TV. We play in. 3.5 to 3:45 hours all 4 walking. We are only together on tee and greens!

My first question on pace of play is how far apart are the tee times. 8 minutes is a harbinger of a disaster. Pin placement on weekends can contribute. Packing the groups 10 minutes apart won’t work with tucked pins on the sides of ridges.

For a while yesterday I was behind a foursome playing from the tips. One was hitting the fairway but only driving about 225. Another was a bit longer but never on (very generous) fairways. 5-10 minutes for most holes looking for balls adds up.

I like courses where the marshals reiterate that the course strongly recommends tee boxes based on handicap and this can be enforced if pace of play is an issue.

Most people do not realize that there is a three minute limit on looking for a golf ball. People need to be aware where they hit their golf ball. If you feel it went out of bounds, declare and hit a provisional golf ball. We need to put some of this into consideration at the TTIs. Over five hours last year.

One of the biggest problems I feel is players playing the wrong set of tees for their ability. The average player is probably playing 1 or 2 tees further back than their ability dictates. Also, too much time spent on the green, with constant marking and remarking and players replaying their missed 3 footer while people are standing in the fairway, waiting to hit. As far as the pros go, if the slow play rules are not going to be enforced, then it's a moot point.

Im lucky enough to play a course that limits the number of members so never really have slow play.. all tee times are 15 mins apart so gives everyone time and if you are behind somone they always let you through.

There is no way the last group at Masters should have spent 95 minutes on the tees waiting.. Id love to see Augusta go back to using their caddies... But aside from The Masters.....

Allow range finders.

Simplify the rules and have a rules official assigned to every group, they have the $$!

That rules official can time the players, Cantlay, you better win a lot because you'll be getting fined a lot.

Enforce the rules you have.

Peer pressure, it worked on Na and Garcia.

FINE them and make the fines public, other sports do.

Until the officials start handing out stroke penalties, the players won’t do anything. One stroke for the first, two for the second, and so forth. Also, let the penalties carry over. If they get one in the first round, and another in the third, than that one is the second infraction, so it’s 2 strokes. They get one the next tournament, it’s their third. Make these penalties mean something. Fines don’t work.

Common sense is needed, how they fix it... No idea.

On the PGA Tour is one thing, at your local club is another. The bottom line, with most golfers shooting 90 or above, 2 players in 1 group having a bad hole is going to slow things down considerably. Add a difficult course and men playing tees they shouldn't be playing from, and the problem keeps getting worse. On the PGA Tour, there's always been a few guys, I caddied in a few Pro-Am's years ago, NOBODY is in the league of Faldo/Norman when it comes to slow play.

On my course on a weekend the Marshall will use a flag system to tell you if you need to pick up the pace

Green flag you are ok
Yellow flag you are falling behind
Red flag they warn you to pick it pace

The real issue is that no course will push away paying players

Same when you see people playing from the tips who have no business playing them what do you do tell them to move forward ...

You're right about the importance of good marshalls on the course. Ours are very visible, and will engage in friendly conversation and routinely update you on how you're doing on your pace of play, down to the minute. Unfortunately that approach won't solve the Tour problem.

Major League Baseball added the pitch clock and other changes for the better. In the long run, shortening the game time for the better.. The PGA Tour needs to do the same. The pacing back and forth, marking and remarking on the greens gets boring to watch.