Lowry: Slow play has ‘gone beyond a joke’
It’s one of the hottest topics in golf, so how refreshing to hear one of the sport’s top stars be so open about the slow play problem.
Shane Lowry, speaking to NCG, said it has “gone beyond a joke”.
He added: “They have to just start penalising players. They time you and players don’t really care about fines any more. Just penalise them. They have to be aggressive with it.”
One way the European Tour has attempted to tackle the problem this year is the introduction of the Shot Clock Masters in Austria. But Lowry isn’t a fan.
“We don’t need new formats. We don’t need the shot clock tournaments because slow players just won’t play in them, they’ll just play in something else. So I don’t understand why they haven’t just started penalising players.”
Speaking on the NCG Podcast last year, Andy Sullivan said he “gets what they are trying to do” at the Shot Clock Masters and believes it will be a “fun spectacle”, but agrees with Lowry that to truly solve golf’s slow play problem is to have a referee with every group.
Click here to watch the full interview with Shane Lowry, where the Irishman discusses his career so far, including being one of just three amateurs to win on the European Tour, and which player he calls “God”.
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Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
