Golf Vic Vol 60 No 2 2019

The pace of play on the PGA Tour has been getting headlines lately, with Rory McIlroy one notable voice decrying the tendency to five-hour rounds. How can this be fixed? Kirkman: We are already trialling things such as the use of range- finders and compulsory caddies in second-tier events. But it’s got to start with the coaching side of it, so young players are educated about pace of play and understand what’s not acceptable. At player meetings, it’s always a hotly debated agenda item – most players are sick of five-plus hour rounds, too. I’m attending a Federation of International Tours meeting in April when this is on the agenda, so will learn more about how other tours are planning to deal with this. Lunn: This topic ties in with the previous question. Modern golf takes far too long and that’s one of the reasons why Blitz Golf and the Perth Super 6 tournament have emerged. To me, the pace of play is one of the biggest issues facing golf administrators at the moment. It’s just crazy that five-plus hours can be the norm in tournament golf. When I was playing it was four hours. The tours seem to have accepted this creep and done very little about it. I think the US PGA Tour, as the biggest and most influential tour in the game, has to take the lead on this issue and others will follow. What about the opportunities and challenges facing trainee professionals – how does that feature in your plans? Lunn: Most people wanting to become professionals aspire to play on professional tours but of course not all of them will make it. So a lot end up doing traineeships. And we have developed with the PGA a bridging program for professionals who come off the tour and want to get their PGA vocational membership to teach. This program recognises their ‘prior learning’ on tour and takes that into account. Nathan Green has done this program, as have Tammy Durdin and Shani Waugh. We’re mindful that the bulk of our membership is vocational professionals and we want to do all we can to look after them. Kirkman: Of our 2900 members, 85% are vocational members and at any one time there are 250 or so undertaking the vocational trainee program, which leads to a Diploma of Coaching. So these are the people we are here to serve – not just the tour players but the vocational professionals and trainee professionals who work in golf clubs throughout Australia. Having said that, the bridging program is an example of how we can help the transition from tour member to PGA professional. Several tour pros, such as Nathan Green, Ryan Haller and Rachel Hetherington, have undertaken this program so that they can get the necessary qualifications to work back in the industry. And finally, the par-three 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass gets an inordinate amount of publicity, as does the stadium hole in Phoenix. Can that catch on in Australia? Kirkman: I think they’re both fantastic because they bring another audience and fan experience to the game. They’re the inspiration for our ‘Sonic Million Dollar’ 17th hole at Royal Pines during the PGA. It’s a water-carry hole, it’s a party hole with music, there’s a marquee right at the back of the green – people seem to love it. Lunn: I also think they’re great. Pro golf is about entertainment; we’re in the entertainment industry. And people have voted with their feet in Phoenix. That 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale attracts hundreds of thousands of people over the course of a tournament. People might say it’s a gimmicky hole, but who cares? People clearly like it. Big Bash cricket was thought of as a gimmick a little while ago, too. Golf can’t afford to be too sniffy about these things. We have to be forward thinking. Golf Victoria 19