A recently completed trial using distance measuring devices and an ongoing study implementing a revised pace of play policy constitute the basis for an optimistic outlook that pace of play on the PGA Tour should improve in the 2026 season.
Just how much it could improve tour officials couldn’t say during a Zoom presentation Wednesday to a select number of media.
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But starting this week at the Rocket Classic, some pace of play information will be revealed to fans as the tour posts data on PGATour.com on average time for the field to play each hole and group times for nine and 18 holes. The former will appear on the course and hole stats page on its website and the latter will accompany each player’s scorecard.
The tour has undertaken these initiatives in response to its fan forward survey, which identified the need to address slow play and which was first revealed in January at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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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.”
The tour recently completed a trial on the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour allowing the use of distance measuring devices, which, ShotLink data indicates 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 said overall speed of play and individual speed of play improved. About 75 percent of players on both tours said they support the use of DMDs on a permanent basis. The matter will be taken up in the near future by the Player Advisory Councils of both tours.
Image: Orlando Ramirez
As for the revised pace of play policy, that was instituted this year on PGA Tour Americas and the Korn Ferry Tour in which a player is assessed a one-stroke penalty upon being informed of a bad time – usually, but not always, after a group is informed that it is out of position relative to the group in front of it. Previously, a player received a warning and then was penalised after a second bad time. The revised policy allows for 40 seconds to hit a shot except in certain instances when 50 seconds is permitted.
The Korn Ferry Tour is the only tour in which the DMD trial and the revised pace of play policy were simultaneously in effect.
“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 10 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. It has definitely made a big impact. We felt that it would, but we needed to see it.”
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Rules official and TV video analyst Mark Dusbabek added that the tour has made use of the Video Review Centre to speed up the handling of rules incidents. In addition to the seven program feeds that are monitored, the video rules official has access to approximately 25 additional cameras. The video rules official can use them to alert the on-site referee to potential rulings that might come up, who can then dispatch a rules official to the area.
“Conservatively speaking … we are shaving about a minute off of every … in the response time of every ruling. Now, you take that 20 times during a tournament, that’s five minutes per round, so that’s been a big advantage for us there,” Dusbabek said.
The tour already has taken steps to improve pace of play next year. The policy board earlier this year voted to reduce field size at most events in 2026. In concert with that decision, the tour cut the number of exempt players from the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list to 100 at the end of this season.
