HUGGAN’S ALLEY: JOHN HUGGAN
IT WAS, amidst many over the years, nevertheless a head-shaking moment of no small magnitude. There we all were, gathered around the 1st tee at Gleneagles, waiting for the opening tee-shots on day one of the recent Solheim Cup. The four players were there. In fact, they had been there for a few minutes, taking in the scene and basking in the adulation of the somewhat raucous but good-natured gallery. It was an encouraging time, one that made me feel good about the greatest game. Then Morgan Pressel had to go and spoil it all. After being announced, the 31-year old American – a veteran of five previous Solheims and, presumably, multiple practice rounds in the lead-up to her sixth – stepped forward and teed up her ball. So far so good. Ah, but then it happened. Before Pressel got involved in her no doubt absolutely essential pre-shot routine, her caddie walked forward. Yardage book open, the pair then indulged in a conversation about what sort of shot she should hit.
With a driver. On a straightforward par-4. And after Pressel had spurned many opportunities to figure out what to do in the minutes leading up to that moment. Sometimes, I just despair. Unhurried and point-missing play is, of course, not restricted to the women’s game. As a group, the men are just as bad. But the biennial contest between Europe and the United States was – especially on the second day – a terrible advertisement for golf. Close to unwatchable, the fourball contests stretched to almost six hours. Little wonder then that the host broadcaster in the United Kingdom, Sky Sports, received many messages from viewers, all saying basically the same thing. “Tried to watch. But gave up. Just too slow.” Anyway, one week later, your intrepid correspondent was out and about again. This time to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship, the so-called “flagship event” on the European Tour. To their credit, those in charge at the Old World circuit have been coming up with plans to combat the cancer that is slow play. And at Wentworth one of those went into operation, albeit in a limited fashion.
“A lot of the time players are unaware that they are out of position,” explained John Paramor, the European Tour’s vastly experienced chief referee. “So we felt that we would like to find a method that would tell them when they are. So we are trialled a system where they had that information on five tees (numbers 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16). The previous group’s time was recorded when they walked off the green. Then that time was deducted from that of the next group, who were then able to tell if they were within the time allowed.”
More exactly, a monitor on those five tees – using a three-colour, traffic-light system – told the players where they stood. A red number meant that the group in question could expect a visit from a member of the rules team. Green was good, the group were playing at a pace deemed appropriate. And amber indicated only that they were a little slow and getting a wee bit of a move-on might be a good idea.
“Going forward, we will want to see those numbers available on every hole,” continued Paramor. “There will be a tag attached to someone in each group. At the BMW it was the score recorders. That also relayed information to ‘headquarters.’ All the referees on the course – who each had a tablet – knew where everyone was on the course.”
Clearly, it is early days. Play was still anything but quick at Wentworth. But the European Tour is to be commended for its on-going efforts to improve things. All of which is in complete contrast to the almost total immobility emanating from the PGA Tour’s headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Whisper it, but Commissioner Jay Monahan purrs with pleasure when someone like JB Holmes takes an age to play a shot late on Sunday evening. Monahan loves it when the tournament coverage runs over into television land’s “prime time.” More eyes watching increases his leverage with sponsors and advertisers. It’s all about money for the suits. Any damage done to the game en route is of the collateral variety.
All of which is nothing new. Slow play has been an issue ever since the first Scottish shepherd whacked a stone with a stick. And any attempts to combat it have forever been unsuccessful. An example:
“Be observant, reach your decision quickly and execute your shots with promptness and dispatch.”
That was the message posted at the 1st tee during the 1950 US Open. And 69 years later, Morgan Pressel still wasn’t listening. I’m off for a lie down.