Someone needs to hurry up and address the slow play in pro golf
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Over the past few years there has been a good bit of talk about slow play on the professional tours but little action.
The LPGA deserves a bit of credit concerning the subject as it has actually handed out a few stroke penalties for pace-of-play violations.
The PGA Tour, however, continues to just penalize slow play infractions with modest monetary fines, and these fines seem to have little impact.
Something more should be done.
Forty years ago, the average round of golf on the pro tour was right at four hours. Today's rounds seem to drag on forever as Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie recently noted when discussing the pace of play at this year's British Open.
"They say there's a huge deterrent for slow play, but five hours 40 minutes! Was anybody penalized yesterday? No," Montgomerie said. "Something's got to be done because it's too slow. It does my head in, the slow play."
Hopefully, the tours get serious about fixing this issue. Our local golf scene would also be better served by a faster pace of play. We all could take inspiration from 1920 British Open champ George Duncan, a notoriously fast player.
According to writer Ernes Hargreaves, Duncan would simply walk to his ball, drop his arms and immediately swing.
He always analyzed his shot as he approached his ball, and there was no pause when he got there.
As for practice swings, he regarded them as totally unnecessary, and barely legal, close to practicing on the course.
A typical round for Duncan lasted just two and a half hours.
Now that's fast.
Women's amateur
On Monday, Hollidaysburg's Crosby Denis scored rounds of 77 and 81 to finish in a tie for fifth place in the prestigious West Penn Women's Amateur championship held at Green Oaks Country Club in Verona.
Denis, one of the best golfing talents to ever come out of central Pennsylvania, will be returning this fall for her senior year at Hollidaysburg.
West Penn Seniors
Three local golfers posted great finishes at Wednesday's WPGA Senior Series event at Latrobe Country Club.
Neither Artie Fink Jr. nor Todd Homan, friends since youth, could gain bragging rights as both golfers finished in a tie for second-place in the Senior Division.
Iron Masters' Ron Hinish also finished in a tie for second-place in the event's Super-Senior Division.
WPGA Mid-Amateur
Last week, Down River's Brady Smith was one of 18 golfers to earn a spot into this year's WPGA Mid-Amateur Championship at a qualifying event at Green Oaks Country club in Verona, PA.
Smith scored a 73, finishing tied for sixth and earning entry into the 41st Mid-Amateur tournament scheduled for Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Sept. 8.
105 Years Ago
During the last week of July in 1921, a crowd of nearly 400 gathered at the old Whitsel farm just south of Huntingdon to celebrate a groundbreaking ceremony for what would become the Huntingdon Country Club.
Several local politicians addressed the crowd, and refreshments were served before the local Boy Scout orchestra performed "The Star Spangled Banner."
A large American flag was raised, and guests were given tours of the property as many got their first introduction to golf, which officials described as "a game which threatens to displace baseball as the national sport."
Ken Love covers local golf for the Mirror. He can be reached at GLTR777@atlanticbb.net.