[PHOTO: Tracy Wilcox]
It’s not a new problem, which is part of the frustration. It’s not as bad as it’s ever been, even if it feels like it. But this is an inflection point for the PGA Tour and slow play, thanks to a convergence of mounting fan outrage, broadcast pressures and the ongoing schism between the tour and LIV Golf. The question isn’t whether the tour needs to act, but why it would wait any longer.
At the Farmers Insurance Open, time seemed to stand still as the final group in the final round laboured through nine holes in three hours – a pace that mirrored the previous weekend’s American Express tournament, where the last trio’s closing round stretched to nearly six hours. These aren’t just numbers on a stopwatch; they represent a profound departure from golf’s intended rhythm, exceeding the standard four-hour round by margins that speak to a deeper malaise within the professional game.
The weekend’s turning point came not from the players but CBS on-course reporter Dottie Pepper, who gave voice to decades of collective frustration in an exchange with analyst Frank Nobilo. “You know, Frank, I think we’re starting to need a new word to talk about this pace of play issue, and it’s respect,” Pepper said. “For your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it. It’s just gotta get better.”
Pepper stands as one of golf’s most measured and respected voices. She’s neither a provocateur nor someone unfamiliar with the delicate balance between honesty and diplomacy, a nod to the PGA Tour’s unspoken but widely understood restrictions on broadcast criticism. Her words carried the quiet courage of someone who recognises that, sometimes, protecting something requires the willingness to chastise it.
The past three years of professional golf’s internal strife have been dominated by one word: “product” – a sterile term that has primarily translated into flooding purses with money to stem the tide of LIV defections. Beneath this surface-level solution lies a deeper trouble: the fundamental experience offered to fans remains unchanged, perhaps even diminished. This isn’t about competing business models; it’s about the soul of a sport caught between tradition and transformation. True competition should spark innovation and evolution, pushing the entities in question to be better, to serve their community’s needs and survive. The emergence of LIV exposed not just financial fault lines but a deeper creative stagnation within the PGA Tour, a reluctance to re-imagine what golf could become. Now, as final-round ratings in America plummet – down 19 percent last year, with the American Express tournament’s final round drawing less than half its 2024 audience – we’re witnessing not just a statistical decline but the quiet exodus of passionate fans who yearn for something more meaningful.
The PGA Tour’s battle to retain viewer loyalty places broadcast quality at the centre of its conflict with LIV Golf. Justin Thomas’ recent letter to tour membership acknowledges an uncomfortable truth: complacency is no longer acceptable. Throughout golf’s civil war, a crucial lesson has emerged; the game’s power brokers have taken their most precious asset – you, the fan – for granted. Your investment transcends mere viewership; it’s measured in passion, emotional connection and, most critically, time. Expecting audiences to dedicate six hours of their weekend to watching golf reflects a disconnection from modern reality.
The PGA Tour announced last year the plan to reduce in field sizes for the 2026 season. Much of this, according to tour officials, is in an effort to address pace of play; fewer players on the course naturally decongests things and allow players to speed up their play. There is scepticism from the tour’s own players that the plan will have the intended impact, but it also appears to represent only tinkering at the margins of the matter. The slow-play challenge runs deeper than field size, weather delays or individual players’ methodical routines. Golf faces a sweeping problem that demands comprehensive reform, not half-measures. The sport’s future requires thinking not merely about capital or legacy, but recognising and respecting the finite resource that is fan dedication.
There is hope, and it is the tour’s new equity partners, the Strategic Sports Group. Multiple sources close to SSG’s leadership reveal not just an awareness of golf’s pace problem, but a conviction that it can be solved. The group’s powerbrokers – including Steve Cohen, Tom Ricketts and John Henry – bring valuable perspective from Major League Baseball’s recent transformation. Baseball’s introduction of the pitch clock in 2023, though initially met with resistance, proved revolutionary for the traditionally change-averse sport. The results were evident: game times dropped by nearly 30 minutes, attendance increased for two consecutive years – a first in a decade – and television viewership surged by double digits.
A path forward in men’s pro golf remains complex. Sources within SSG tell Golf Digest that while the tour has resisted the notion of a shot clock, the baseball-minded executives have posed a compelling challenge: if America’s pastime, with a more established league and bigger fanbase, could embrace such fundamental change, what justifies golf’s hesitation? Beyond timing mechanisms, other solutions have emerged. Stricter enforcement of penalties – hitting players where it matters most: their scorecards, FedEx Cup points and ultimately their earnings – are gaining traction behind the scenes. A secondary cut after 54 holes has been floated to reduce course congestion, though this remains more theoretical than imminent.
The irony is that golf has already proven shorter formats can thrive. The meteoric rise of golf on YouTube stems partly from its ability to deliver compelling content in an hour rather than six. And TGL, while still in its infancy, has earned praise for its brisk pace. These aren’t mere alternatives to traditional golf – they’re harbingers of changing viewer expectations. While the tour attempts to tap into these emerging markets and expand its audience, it faces a disconnect: how can it attract viewers raised on condensed content with a product that demands the better part of a day?
This disparity hasn’t escaped the players. When confronted with complaints about recent slow play, Ben An, a member of last year’s International Presidents Cup team, offered a telling observation on social media: “At this rate, all the pro golfers are going to quit their job and be a YouTuber. Golf always has been 5+ hour coverage. As we get younger audiences, it’s hard for them to be entertained for that long.” An’s insight cuts to the core of the matter – while marathon rounds may be deeply woven into professional golf’s fabric, tradition alone no longer justifies their continuation. Rapidly falling ratings suggest audiences aren’t just growing restless; they’re voting with their attention spans. For the tour, the challenge isn’t simply about preserving the game’s heritage – it’s about ensuring its future in an era where time has become the ultimate luxury. While the game obsesses over slow play, a far more devastating clock ticks away: golf’s dwindling relevance in a fast-paced world.
