Ban TIO, Phones And Long Putters... And Allow Pros To Wear Whatever They Want! 8 Things We'd Outlaw From Pro Golf
What are our bugbears in professional golf? Here, we list the things we'd outlaw from the sport's elite level...
'Inside The Ropes' is the chance for Golf Monthly's expert team to share its honest thoughts on the biggest subjects in the game. This time, we list our bugbears with professional golf that we think should be outlawed.
What should be outlawed from professional golf? That's the subject of this week's Inside The Ropes. The things that annoy us and ultimately we believe would be better off gone from the top-level game.
From long putting routines to long putters, controversial temporary immovable objects and the constant use of smartphones from spectators, here are some of the things our team want outlawed from pro golf...and be sure to let us know yours in the comments section at the bottom of the article:
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Major putting green changes
NB: I find everything to do with the putting surface and the process of putting painful.
It all takes far longer than it should and TV broadcasters haven't yet mastered the art of cutting to the action at the appropriate point.
We don't need to see players surveying the putt from all sides of the hole or doing AimPoint; one practice stroke and the real thing is perfect. But, I appreciate it's a difficult job for directors, so let's make it easier for them.
My radical new plan is to outlaw marking the ball multiple times per green and capping it at once per hole.
If you're in the way of someone else after your first putt, finish out – I don't care if it's on the same line.
An even more out-there suggestion is to adopt the crazy golf model of continuing to putt until your ball is in the cup.
I also don't think caddies should be allowed to help read a putt. It's not a luxury afforded to the average amateur, and I don't think the pro game should be easier in any way than the unpaid ranks.
Phones
CK: It is, somehow, a Masters tradition that I only started really appreciating in the last two years or so, but my god does the patrons at Augusta National watching the golf with their eyes rather than through the camera app on their smartphone breathe some fresh air into a sporting event.
As a collective society, our phones have taken over our lives. I'm guilty of this too - I'm not proud of my screen time and I rarely leave a room in my flat without it in my pocket.
However, when I'm at a sporting event, I try my best not to go on it and to instead watch the action with my eyes and live in the moment.
The moment Scottie Scheffler's ball flies into the gallery, he's surrounded by an army of iPhones pointing at him.
Why not ban phones for spectators so we can all enjoy the golf in real time rather than through a screen?
Thick rough at the edge of water hazards
CK: Talk about niche, right? But I've had this opinion for years - why on earth is there a bank of rough preventing balls from feeding into the water on so many PGA Tour venues?
The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands springs to mind, where a water hazard is in play to the left of the drivable 15th hole, but balls always get saved by lush rough where they paint the red line.
Do this for 17 at TPC Sawgrass, too. Less rough means more jeopardy and the potential for more chaos. Is this unfair? Maybe a little, but technology in golf is de-skilling the game so it is time to fight back against -20 winning every week.
Tell the pampered pros to deal with it.
Ban dress codes on tour
JL: I feel pretty confident most of my colleagues will say broom-handle putters, but I don't agree. I tried one once and it was so awkward. So, if you can use it, all power to you.
What people really want is to avoid the doubt of anchoring, and that goes back to questioning each individual player's integrity rather than an issue with the club itself.
Instead, what I'd love to outlaw from professional golf is a ban on clothing restrictions.
I don't see what difference it makes for a pro to wear whatever they want, especially if it'll help them win.
Hoodies, shorts, whatever - it's all good with me!
Long putters
EH: Yes Jonny, you were right - long putters are what I'd first put forward to be outlawed in professional golf.
The 2016 anchoring ban was supposed to be the end of the broom-handles, but the governing bodies were not tough enough on them.
Sure, anchoring is now a thing of the past but long putters are still a way for players who struggle with the yips and other flaws to continue to shoot low scores and contend. It seems a bit wrong to me.
If a pro struggles with the driver yips, they cannot turn to an alternate method, so I think putting should go back to being the art of mastering the short stick.
I would like to see the putter having to be the shortest club in the bag. Simple.
TIO
EH: Scottie Scheffler's TIO ruling at The Open was highly controversial, and I have long been saying the rule needs changing.
The pros are the best 0.001% of golfers in the world, and TIO structures almost act as safety zones and bumpers for them.
Yes, they are essentially 'temporary', but not for the golf tournament. They are permanently there all four days, and the players know it.
Find yourself up against a grandstand after over-shooting the green? Take a penalty drop.
Slice your drive behind a leaderboard? Flop it over or chip out sideways.
Hit it into a hospitality unit? Take a one-stroke drop from the point of entry. Easy.
Getting rid of the TIO rule in the pro game would make things harder for pros who are finding the game easier and easier at the top level thanks to the technology and science they benefit from.
Pre-shot routines over 45 secs
For me, a player should be ready to take their shot once their playing partner has played. Time and time again individuals aren't ready to go once someone else has gone and it's infuriating to watch.
I know players have their own individual quirks, but the fact some take minutes to play after they've been through yardage, wind, club, shot shape etc. is painful.
It genuinely feels like players have bets on to see who can have the most over the top and flamboyant pre-shot routine. Almost as if how many club twirls, glances at the flag and peculiar movements can be done before you eventually pull the trigger.
For me, if players were fined for making their pre-shot routine over 45 seconds that would really help. Take a leaf out of Ryan Fox's book. He's won an Open Championship and his speed of play is a shining example of how the game should be played.
7 and 9 woods
This is a controversial one, but I believe that the highest fairway wood the professionals should use is a 5-wood that's set at 18°, as I believe 7- and 9-woods are just cheat codes that eliminate the skill of hitting a long iron.
Introducing a 7-wood, or 9-wood, to the bag means players can stop the ball far more easily on the green with their tee shots on long par 3s and approach shots into long par 5s.
If they had to use a 2-iron, or 3-iron, it would involve a lot more skill, as they would have to manipulate the flight to create the stopping power to get it close to the flag.
What's more, these fairway woods are far easier to hit from the rough than long irons, an area where you should be punished when there's a chance of bogey being on the cards.
I'd rather 7-woods and 9-woods be replaced by long irons, especially when testing the best players on the planet.
What would you like to see outlawed from pro golf? Join the conversation in the comments section below.