Friday, April 28, 2006

Joe,
I hear sometimes the pros get put on a clock for slow play. How is that fair to a fast player who must play with a slow player?
Kelly

Hi Kelly,
In my opinion, it is not fair to the faster player. That player is trying to hurry up while the slower player does not care, but both get the penalty for slow play. I think the time has come to use a shot clock for individual golfers, just like basketball, if you don’t get the shot off within a specified number of seconds, a penalty is assessed to you alone, not your playing partner. Another idea might be that when it is your turn, you can only line up a putt from behind your ball, walking elsewhere on the green should be disallowed. You would be able to do that either while first walking up to the green or while it is someone else's turn.
Joe