Diaz on Slow Play

Jaime Diaz's column on the Tour's slow play brought several letters, including that of Steven Roby of Glendale, Arizona:

I wanted to compliment Jaime Diaz on his fine back page piece in Golf World about slow-play! I realize his article was about the professionals, however, he failed to point out the single biggest problem for slow-play at the weekend municipals for us amateurs -- playing from the back tee markers when your absolutely shouldn't be. When Joe 20-handicap-amateur steps up to the 225 yard par 3, he doesn't have a chance of hitting that green. It just bogs down everything while he struggles to make his double. The regular men's tee yardage of 178 yards is plenty challenging enough, don't you think?

Please people, if you are not a certifiable 10-handicapper or less, don't play from the "pro" tees. If we all moved up a set of markers, I'll promise you two things: 1) The pace of play will be much faster and 2) we will all enjoy our round so much better.>

Luzviminda G. Veloso of Ridgewood, New York, had a similar reaction:

I want to thank Mr. Jaime Diaz for finally addressing "Slow Play" at the PGA. I believe I sent an e-mail to Mr. Hawkins about the same subject. He is dead on when he mentioned the LPGA. I watch their plays, too, and the ladies do not spend too much time practicing their strokes. They are more efficient in terms of positioning themselves and hitting their balls. Trevor Immelman made me fill like shouting during the Masters. I don't blame Rory Sabatini when he seemed to act rudely when he played with Ben Crane.

Ms. Veloso, I can't believe you said that.

We're right to push the pros--for the record, the Players final round took four hours, forty minutes in twosomes--but the pro game need not affect our own, and yet we let it. When Peter Kostis praises a player for looking at a putt from all angles, we wince, because we know we'll see a 20-handicap circling his 40-footer the next time we play on the weekend. It was refreshing to watch Brandt Snedeker, whose model is Tom Watson, play so crisply at the Masters. He's a guy we ought to emulate.

--Bob Carney