Lets punish slow coaches - Coltart
by Richard Field, 17 May 2008
The PGA Tour should seriously look at dealing out penalty shots for slow play according to Setanta Golf analyst Andrew Coltart.
The Scottish professional believes the European Tour have made the best strides so far in trying to eradicate slow play, but things are lagging behind in the States according to Coltart.
“The guys have got to try and get a grip and try and sort this out. It was only about 30 or 40 years ago that they were taking about three and half hours to get around 18 holes.
“Where are we going to be in another 15 to 20 years time?”
There has not been a penalty stroke issued on the PGA Tour for 16 years and Coltart does not see an imminent change.
“I don’t see it happening. That’s going to be a very contentious issue in terms of who that stroke gets dealt to.
“And unless there are mitigating circumstances I would love to see them do it, but it is going to be very difficult to implement.
“But that is the only way you are going to help these guys because they are too busy thinking about the shot they have got and they are completely selfish they don’t believe there is anyone else out on the golf course.
" ‘Nobody is going to try and upset me. I’m going to try and hit this shot close to the hole and I will take as long as I like’ and they are actually quite shocked when the referee appears!
“It is going to be very hard to add penalty shots but this is going to be the only way to nail the guys.”