February 15, 2021
At a time when the country is at a national crossroads, suffering from the twin ills of a pandemic and an aborted, seditious takeover of our government, the PGA of America took the courageous stance of allowing professional golfers to use range finders on a limited basis. Wow! The next thing you know they will allow players to wear shorts when the temperature goes over 100 degrees. For the uninitiated, amateurs have been able to use range finders for many years now. And it’s not like range finders are the only publicly available information regarding distances. Most courses already have marked their sprinkler heads, and put out yardage markers at 100, 150 and 200 yards. Some courses even put yardages on cart paths. Many pro shops have yardage books ready available.
On the pro tour, caddies walk off yardages and check their yardage books endlessly while the rest of us are forced to watch the drama of picking the correct club. Four hour rounds become five and six hour rounds. The ratio of action to airtime is worse than football. Caddies are self-servingly objecting, saying that range finders will actually slow down play. Clearly, this is a job preservation strategy, which pains me to say as a former caddie. Other than because of history and tradition, I am not sure why caddies should be allowed to do anything other than carry the bag and keep the clubs clean, but that is another discussion. Players should be responsible for determining their own yardages, making a club selection, and reading putts. Regardless, the PGA is late to the party. However, they may run into the USGA coming in as they are leaving.
The Spin Doctor 