1/29/2013 2:01 PM
While watching Sunday evening with Tiger way left, I think on his second hole, he sent Joe LaCava (hopefully I spelled that correctly) up to the green to get a yardage, or that is what it sounded like by one of the announcers, not sure if it was Faldo or Baker-Finch. I heard the statement about, he wished the golfers just carried a range finder, he "paints" the flag stick, gets a yardage and plays the shot. "It would speed up play on tour".
As I thought about it, I had a couple of reasons to not agree. One then everyone does it and it will slow down play for regular golfers, (not that it doesn't happen now), and two, is it really giving the golfer the true picture of the shot? And for the money these guys play for....
I don't think Tiger could have even seen the pin with the range finder with the big tree in the way, but it also doesn't tell him how much green he has to work with, what is the yardage to the front, the back etc. I would think a pin placement sheet and yardage book would be a much better tool. The golfer knows if they can bump it in short of the hole, or green even, or what kind of carry they need to have, along with some "safe" spots. Really the beauty of the game, the options we have to play certain shots. (not that I can play them, but I do like to think about it.....of course everyone playing behind me at a chapter meeting now knows why I'm so slow?)
Just wonder what everyone else thinks.
Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO