Here's the one thing not addressed in the "new" structure: the glacial pace of play. On Sunday, it took the final pair over an hour to play 2 1/2 holes.
Yeah, it's the U.S. Open. Yeah, there's a big check and immortality on the line. Yeah, Clark had a clear rules situation on No. 16 which necessitated all the rigamole of declaring, dropping twice, clearing the lie and then placing it basically on a tuft of grass in the middle of the rough. And then taking a couple of minutes to discuss everything.
But if there's a sport that needs a shot clock now, it's professional golf. Football has it. Basketball has it. Baseball has it.
There's no reason players and caddies can't be discussing the possible options while walking to the ball or waiting for their turn on the next tee. I'm gobsmacked by how long it takes for two or three players, men and women, to clear the mechanism and hit a ball. Rounds at the Greater Metro Car Dealers Closed should not be taking five to six hours, let alone at Augusta or Shinnecock Hills.
One, it's terrible television. Two it's terrible for the people on public courses who think they need to go through a two-minute pre-shot/pre-putt routine, only to dribble it 25 years down the fairway or whack it into a hazard. Or four-jack from 12 feet while plumb bobbing and finger reading because Joe Pro does it.
Forty five seconds from the time the caddie drops the bag to the follow-through, a minute tops. If they need the yardage, give them real-time access to the data that I can see on my laptop. That's enough time to choose a club, determine the wind direction, pick a landing spot and make some practice swings. Then hit the damn ball.
Same thing with putts. Once you mark your ball, two minutes to walk and judge the speed and distance before you make your first strike, no more than a minute to clean up the miss.
The clock should reset when the group reaches the tee and is cleared to hit and then for each player. The clock should reset when the group reaches the first player's ball (and exceptions made for lost ball or rules questions) and then for each player. The clock should reset when the green in front of them is cleared for approach shots. The clock should reset when everyone has reached the putting surface and all balls are marked, and then for each putt.
If the timer runs out before you advance the ball, that's a penalty of one stroke added to your score on that hole.
Somebody has to be able to design a lightweight, battery/solar operated two-sided shot clock on a pole that can be carried with each group, set in an obvious but inobtrusive place near the golfer and caddie to be able to determine how much time they have remaining to hit. And there need to be 18 rules officials, one assigned to every hole so decisions can be made quickly and keep play moving. I actually like the idea of the gallery counting down the seconds like in an NBA or college basketball arena. You want pressure? Let the clock get down to single digits.
I don't care about strolling from green to the next tee or down the fairways, or the eventual backups in play. That's OK and unavoidable, given the course. But there's no reason the PGA and LPGA tours can't play a modified version of "ready golf" instead of whatever slog we're watching right now.
