PGA Tour golfer on maddening issue: "It's fewer players than you think"

PGA Tour member Michael Kim has implored the North American circuit to allow rangefinders and ban yardage books. 

Kim made the claim on X as he offered his verdict on the news the Tour is reportedly going to trial the use of rangefinders in competition. 

Tour insider Dan Rapaport broke the news ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and apparently it is 'one of a number of initiatives' to combat slow play. 

Slow play has been a hot topic in recent weeks, with the rounds at the American Express and Farmers Insurance Open taking in excess of five hours. 

LPGA hall of famer and CBS' veteran on-course analyst Dottie Pepper called out the players directly during last week's final round broadcast. 

World No.3 Rory McIlroy has suggested smaller fields may be the solution, though he conceded that would 'p--- a lot of people off'. 

"Smaller fields would help pace of play, but that takes away playing opportunities from people," McIlroy said.  

"The other thing is when we play in this time of the year, the tee times have to be a little bit tighter together so they can get everyone through with daylight.

"If you could space the tee times out a little bit more, that would hopefully make things flow a little bit better."

Kim wrote a lengthy post on X on 30 January where he admitted there are far too many slowpokes.  

He said there are plenty of players on the circuit that aren't ready when it's their turn and even start talking to their caddies when the action is on them. 

"It sucks to play with them regularly," he said. "But it's less players than you might think."

Kim claimed the Tour has shied away from introducing a shot clock in the past because of the training that volunteers would need to undergo. 

There would be inevitably arguments, he said, between the volunteers responsible for timings and the players. 

Still, he has been persuaded that a shot clock should be adopted. 

"Let's do it," he wrote. 

"It may be counterintuitive but the focus should not be on keeping up with the group ahead but in fact staying ahead of the group behind you. 

"Trying to keep up only makes the traffic jam worse."

Kim also suggested that yardage books should be banned instead of being permitted alongside DMDs. 

The PGA Tour is yet to comment on the reported plans. 

DMDs are used in some competitions. 

For example, the PGA of America has allowed players to use them in all of their major championships since 2021. 

They are also permitted in LIV Golf League events. 

Arguments against their use include undermining skill and taking away strategy. 

Many also argue that golf is a game steeped in tradition and therefore it should be about human skill rather than tech assistance. 

Some leading figures in the sport have claimed that their use actually slows pace down even more, with players using the devices to double-check the yardages given to them by their caddie. 

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