KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – The PGA of America believes pace of play will improve in this week’s PGA Championship by allowing the use of distance-measuring devices.
Players and caddies say not so fast.
Committed to speed up play, the PGA of America is the first major governing body to allow distance-measuring devices in its foremost professional events, starting with the 103rd edition of the PGA Championship this week on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
“We’re always interested in methods that may help improve the flow of play during our championships,” Jim Richerson, president of the PGA of America, said in a media release in February announcing the decision. “The use of distance-measuring devices is already common within the game and is now a part of the Rules of Golf. Players and caddies have long used them during practice rounds to gather relevant yardages.”
The response from players and caddies? It. Will. Slow. Play. Down.
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“I love what the PGA of America is trying to do. The organization has been at the forefront of change,” said Paul Tesori, longtime bag man for Webb Simpson. “The PGA Championship is the only major we’ve played lift, clean and place. The PGA of America was the first to allow shorts.
“But I think they reached into an area where I don’t think we need help.”
His boss agreed.
“This is a fact: it’s not going to speed up play because everybody I know and have talked to, we still want front numbers, and the range finder, you can’t always get the accurate front number,” said Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open champion and current world No. 10. “So you’ll probably have the player shoot the pin, the caddie will walk off the number because I’m going to want what’s front. I haven’t read the reasoning behind it or their desire to test it out that week, but I don’t think it will really make a difference.”
And as Scott Sajtinac, caddie for 2013 PGA champion Jason Dufner, said: “Too much information is needed that is unzappable by a laser. But some will sure try to laser something extra.”
The devices, in accordance with Rule 4.3a (1), can only report on distance and direction. Those that also can calculate other data including elevation changes and wind speeds, are not allowed.
Since 2006, rangefinders and GPS devices have been allowed for recreational golf and tournaments with the rule stating that local rules would allow tournament committees to ban them. While rangefinders have been allowed in the U.S. Amateur since 2014, top professional events, including the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, do not permit such usage.
As well, the PGA Tour conducted a four-tournament test of distance-measuring devices on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017 but did not change its view.
“We decided at the time to continue to prohibit their use in official competitions on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and Korn Ferry Tour for the foreseeable future,” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “We will evaluate the impact rangefinders have on the competition at the PGA of America’s championships in 2021 and will then review the matter with our player directors and the Player Advisory Council.”
Where one and all do agree concerning the rangefinders – which also will be allowed in the PGA of America’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship – is that time will not be wasted when players hit wayward shots, which could be frequent on the windswept grounds of the Ocean Course.
“I have a hard time seeing it speed things up, unless you get it way offline or you’re out of contention,” Jordan Spieth said. “We’ll plan on using it, but I think it will be more confirmation than anything. It’s not going to be we just step up, shoot it, and go. I mean, these pins get tucked and the wind’s blowing and you got to figure out a few more things than just the number to the hole.”
Added Bryson DeChambeau, the PGA Tour’s longest hitter: “It’s going to help me for when I hit it offline. We’re not going to have to go to a sprinkler head and walk 40, 50 yards away from a place to find a number.”
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But here’s where it will slow up play, according to players and caddies. How long will it take to pull the trigger if the player shoots one number and the caddie walks off a different number. They’d likely repeat the process. Then if there still is disagreement, the two would discuss how to go forward.
“I don’t know of one caddie who was consulted by the PGA of America, and that’s frustrating,” Tesori said. “We’d have stressed that normally, I’m getting a lot of info: the yardage to the front number, the carry number, left and right numbers, the distance behind the pin. And we’re talking about the wind and roll out. Of all the info, the last number we get is to the pin.
“If you shoot a rangefinder from 150 it will say 150 one time and 149 another and then 151. If you’re two yards off that can mean difference between 9-iron and pitching wedge. And if our numbers are different, we’ll redo all the numbers and if we’re still split, we’ll figure out what to do and away we go.
“As professionals, we have never done this before. It will be another part of the process and that will take time.”
World No. 2 and 2017 PGA champion Justin Thomas said he doesn’t like the PGA of America’s decision for many reasons but one in particular.
“I think it takes away an advantage of having a good caddie that maybe goes out there and does the work beforehand as opposed to someone, especially now between the yardage books, the greens books and range finders, you technically don’t even really need to see the place or play a practice round,” Thomas said. “You can go out there and know exactly what the green does, you know exactly what certain things are on certain angles because you can just shoot it with the range finder.
“I made my stance on it pretty clear. I don’t really like them.”
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