The PGA Tour has acknowledged fan concerns about the slow pace of play at its tournaments and has developed solutions to address the issue. These plans were revealed during a discussion with a small group of media practitioners at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Based on insights from a fan survey conducted last year, the Tour will implement rule adjustments designed to improve the pace of play and enhance the spectator experience, both on-site and for those watching the broadcasts.
Golfer Jordan Spieth stated: “I think, from my understanding, the Tour is trying to do a lot of polling to the fans and also a lot of conversations with networks… Obviously linear television’s changed from the last time a deal was done to the next time anything can happen.”
He added: “Trying to figure out what’s the best product that we can put forward, whether it’s on the course here or it’s through other — different things like TGL and how do you reach a different audience… Some people who love this product may not take into watching TGL. I’ve talked to others who love TGL that may not tune in on Saturdays and Sundays to a PGA Tour round. I think just broadening that to kind of bridge the gap and invite some new fans in.”
PGA Tour’s four solutions
The Tour revealed the following solutions to address the problems:
Distance-measuring devices: The use of rangefinders is nothing new in men’s professional golf. Players are permitted to use them at the PGA Championship. The PGA of America introduced this rule in 2021 to help speed up play, and the PGA Tour may follow suit soon.
Increased use of video review centre: Rules-related concerns often cause delays and throw off schedules. The PGA Tour plans to make better use of the video review centre, which should help reduce these delays and allow play to resume more quickly.
Public embarrassment: The PGA Tour plans to release a list of the biggest slow-play offenders, using data on “average stroke time” to highlight the players causing the delays.
Accountability: The PGA Tour intends to show fans that it is serious about enforcing play-time rules and ensuring players are fined or penalised for delays.
The PGA Tour also implemented major changes to its membership structure last fall, including reducing the size of the tournament fields. One of the reasons for this decision was to address the concern about the pace of play. However, it had minimal or no impact after three full-field tournaments.
CBS’ Dottie Pepper admitted: “I think we’re starting to need a new word to talk about this pace-of-play issue, and it’s ‘respect’ — for your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it… It’s just got to get better.”