PGA Tour addresses pace of play concerns ahead of 2026

The PGA Tour has addressed pace of play concerns, with the circuit set to introduce some huge changes this week.

Starting at the Rocket Classic, some pace of play information will be revealed to fans on the tour’s website.

The average time for the field to play each hole and group times for nine and 18 holes will appear on the course and hole stats page, as well as beside each player’s scorecard.

It comes in response to a survey which was revealed at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January and identified the need to address slow play.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, tour officials said they were optimistic that pace of play should improve in 2026, as a result of a recently completed trial using distance measuring devices and an ongoing study implementing a revised pace of play policy.

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“It’s an area we’re committed to addressing on behalf of those fans as well as our players and our partners,” said Andy Weitz, the tour’s chief marketing and communications officer and executive vice president of investor relations.

“We know there are a lot of things that go into the speed of play equation, but we’re committed to finding the right solutions and tackling it from every angle.”

DMDs were trialled on both the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour, which ShotLink data indicated was a success.

It found that that pace increased by 5.1 seconds on shots from the fairway and 4.9 second for shots from the rough.

Players and caddies surveyed also said they felt the overall pace of play and individual pace of play improved.

The revised pace of play policy, meanwhile, was implemented on PGA Tour Americas and the KFT this year. It made changes to stroke penalties and time allowed to hit.

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“Hearing from the Korn Ferry Tour and Tour of Americas referees, there’s no doubt that the modified pace of play policy has had a big impact,” said Gary Young, senior vice president of competitions and special projects.

“The number of timings that have taken place, that number has been reduced. During the same time period in comparison year over year, they went from having ten bad times during that time period on the Korn Ferry Tour to simply one bad time with this change in policy.

“There’s no doubt about it that the warnings themselves, when a referee goes out to warn a group, it’s carrying a lot more weight.

“Obviously there’s a sense of urgency that’s developed on the player behaviour side. They do not want to get on the clock, and if they are on the clock, they want to get off the clock as quick as possible. I

“It has definitely made a big impact. We felt that it would, but we needed to see it.”

Rules official and TV video analyst Mark Dusbabek added that the use of the Video Review Center has shaved about a minute off the response time to every ruling incident.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.