Professional golfers used to play without delay!

“Did You Know”
Professional golfers used to play without delay!

There was a time when tournament rounds were played in three to four hours, and even less at times. 

In late July of 1915 the Connecticut Open was played at the Shenecossett Country Club. Play began in the one-day 36-hole tournament at 9 a.m., with the 72 entrants paired in twos. Some of the pairings finished the first 18 holes in less than two hours, with the others were around in 2 hours. Then there was a cut to the low 60. The ones who made the cut were paired in fours for the final 18 holes. With a total of 148 strokes, Whitemarsh Valley Country Club’s Jim Barnes won by five strokes, over Jock Hutchinson and Mike Brady. 

Six years later and four years after having left Whitemarsh, Jim Barnes returned to Philadelphia for the Main Line Open. The tournament was staged by the Philadelphia professionals, who were on the verge of forming the Philadelphia PGA. The tournament was in early November at the Tredyffrin Country Club in Paoli, with 36 holes in one day. Having missed a train connection, Barnes arrived late. He began play on the 10th hole with a professional who had been waiting for him. Playing the first 18-holes in one hour and 45 minutes Barnes shot a course record 72. As some players were completing their 36 holes, Barnes was finishing his first round. After a break for lunch, Barnes played his second round in two hours and ten minutes. Barnes won by five strokes, with a total of 149 strokes for the day.

The 1924 Shawnee Open was held in the middle of July with 36 holes a day for two days. There were 90 entries. At the end of the second day Leo Diegel and Willie Macfarlane were tied for the title. That same day the two professionals played an 18-hole playoff, with Diegel ending up the winner. That was 54 holes of tournament golf in one day.

The 1940 New Orleans Open, played in mid February, had a starting field of 175 players. Even with less daylight at that time of year, the first two rounds were completed each day without problems.

Then in November 1946 there was the Orlando Open at the 6,454-yard Dubsdread Country Club. World War II had ended and the golfers were eager to get back to competing. The golf professionals from the northern states had some down time and the tournament committee took entries right up to the eve of the tournament. On Thanksgiving Day, 210 professionals and amateurs began play at 6:45 a.m., all from the first tee. The committee stated that play began early so the players would not be hurried along too much. Everyone completed their rounds. After round one there was a cut to the low 100 scores.  

In 1950 the US Open was scheduled for Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania in mid June. A few days before play began, Joe Dey, the executive director of the USGA, announced that excessive slow play would not be tolerated. Dey said that the first three players at the previous year’s US Open at Medinah had taken three hours and 27 minutes to finish their first rounds, and the last three players that day needed four hours and 14 minutes. Dey said that due to that, the field for the 1950 Open had been cut from 171 to 165. Dey threatened two-stroke penalties or even disqualification for offenders.

Now, 75 years later, the 2025 US Open was in Pennsylvania at the Oakmont Country Club with 156 in the field paired in threes. In order to complete play before dark, the USGA started play from the 1st and 10th tees. The first pairing took five hours and 30 minutes, and the last players needed 5 hours and 50 minutes to complete play in the first round.

In 2025 the golf ball goes much farther than 1950. Because of that, the golf courses are longer – 700 yards or more. With that errant drives go farther into trouble. The greens are faster, which take more time to figure out. The USGA rules have become more lenient. Instead of “playing the ball as you find it”, the present rules give the golfers relief from nearly every imperfect situation. The USGA rules have been modified to speed up play, but sometimes they seem to slow down play, with things like tapping down every imperfection in the line of one’s putt. Until 1960 the USGA rules did not allow a golfer to lift and clean his golf ball on the green. Even on the green, if your golf ball was in its own pitch mark you just played it to the best of your ability.

Remember Lloyd Mangrum being penalized for lifting his ball on the 16th green during the 1950 US Open playoff to blow off a bug. A golfer could only lift his ball on the green if it interfered with the play of another golfer.

Five-hour rounds of golf and longer are difficult to watch. Now for entertainment between golf shots, the PGA Tour allows spectators to have their cell phones on the golf course.