The PGA Tour have a serious problem right now when it comes to pace of play.
Numerous players have openly discussed the issue, including Lucas Glover who actually devised a nine-point plan to help eradicate slow play on the PGA Tour.
Many PGA Tour players nowadays take far too long during their pre-shot routines and at times, tournaments have been unwatchable this season.
The pace of play during the US Open at Oakmont was hugely concerning, and fans have been calling for change for a while now.
The real issue for the Tour is that fans will begin to switch off if the problem continues to get worse, or even if the pace of play simply doesn’t improve from where it’s at right now.
The good news is that the PGA Tour are clearly very aware of the issue, and so are the TV companies it seems.
Golf fans rejoice as new innovation exposes slowest players on the PGA Tour
Golf fans watching the telecast last night would have noticed a new feature on their TV screens.
The American TV companies used a “pace chart” on the left hand side of the screen during their broadcast of the BMW Championship.
The chart informed the viewers how fast or slow each twosome was playing, highlighting how far in front or behind they were concerning their allotted time.
And golf fans the world over clearly loved the new feature.
One fan simply said: “I don’t like it…. I love it.“
While many others echoed a similar sentiment. “It should be the only graphic they show“, one fan exclaimed. While another gleefully suggested that the new innovation will actually help to speed up the pace of play: “Yes – public shaming to get them to play faster!“
And the messages continued to roll in, in support of the TV broadcasters’ step to ensure more transparency regarding which players are causing the slow play issues.
One fan declared: “I love it! Only way it ever changes is to call them out publicly,“ while another echoed a similar sentient: “Yes. This will put pressure on the players due to peer pressure.“
Then it was suggested by one fan that ‘public humiliation’ is the way forward: “Absolutely brilliant. Nothing like public humiliation. The clock doesn’t lie.“
Meanwhile, another said this new innovation has been a long time coming: “Absolutely, I know this is their job, but the game needs to be respected. Proper pace of play is part of the game. Check the etiquette section of the rule book.“
It’s clear to see from those posts that players being timed and now called out on live TV is a step in the right direction.
However, it remains to be seen whether it actually makes a difference to the slow play problem in the long run.
The average time a round of golf takes on the PGA Tour
Whilst some rounds have taken six hours to complete on Tour this season, the average has been a lot quicker than that.
The average time it has taken to play a round of golf on the PGA Tour during the 2025 season is four hours and 46 minutes, according to the Tour’s official website.
That is an improvement on the 2024 season, by around five minutes.
So what has helped speed up the pace of play?
Well, with the introduction of reduced field Signature Events, the pace of play has improved significantly. There also seems to be more awareness from the players regarding the issue.
However, there is still a very long way to go.
The PGA Tour conducted a trial period earlier this season where the players were allowed to use distance-measuring devices.
The results from that trial are still under review, but if it can be proven that rangefinders improve the pace of play, there is no reason why the PGA Tour shouldn’t allow them in every tournament from the 2026 season onwards.
There really isn’t any excuse for rounds of golf taking much longer than four hours, aside from when mother nature wreaks havoc with proceedings.
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