Justin Thomas recently made waves with a heartfelt letter to his fellow PGA Tour players, urging them to give fans more access to the players through media interactions. Thomas put it pretty clearly, saying, “We’re incredibly lucky to have many passionate people tuning in to watch us every week, but let’s be honest – this game can feel a little distant at times.” His plea for change, though, hasn’t exactly been met with the response he expected. Now, the question is, will his call for more openness lead to change, or will it fall on deaf ears? Even Dylan Dethier said, “I love that players are getting more involved (a la JT’s letter). but player-caddie conversations still have a higher ceiling than walk-and-talk interviews and it’s interesting to think about why that is”.
There is one thing that he is right about. The fans love a little intimate conversations during the matches. Take the conversation between Bryson DeChambeau and his caddie during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic for example. The two delved into highly technical aspects of the game, discussing air density, percentages, carry distances, wind, roll-out, and other scientific variables. DeChambeau, known for his data-driven approach to golf, often uses this level of detail to inform his shot-making. In the exchange, the pair went over various calculations to determine the best course of action.
This fascinated the audience like no other moment. There are more moments like this with Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, and other players, which attract a lot of viewers. Well, hoping that the PGA Tour listens to Justin Thomas and that helps it’s dropping viewership, Dylan Dethier wrote, “One thing the PGA Tour says it learned from polling fans is how much they like hearing player-caddie conversations on challenging shots. That might seem obvious but they implied the broadcasts are going to lock in on them more. I hope they do!”
However, as it turns out Brandel Chamblee does not agree with this particular change on the Tour. He retweeted Dethier’s post, and wrote, “Dylan, while I agree these conversations can be compelling, they are also a contributing factor to the game being too slow.” Well, we all know how frustrating the slow play has been on Tour. So, that might only lead to another loss in the viewership rate. “If one complains about the pace of play, they are also in essence complaining about these conversations. Excessive caddy-player convos and aim-point may or may not help players, but they slow the game down,” he wrote.
Dylan, while I agree these conversations can be compelling, they are also a contributing factor to the game being too slow. If one complains about the pace of play, they are also in essence complaining about these conversations. Excessive caddy-player convos and aim-point may or… https://t.co/WHIN2NKRGl
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) February 1, 2025
But the question is, if both slow play and the dropping viewership are some of the major backlashes of the PGA Tour, is there yet a solution to either of them? Well
PGA Tour might take inspiration from TGL in the former at least.
Wyndham Clark believes the Shot Clock will be a great idea for reducing slow play
Wyndham Clark touched on the ongoing issue of slow play, emphasizing the need for a shot clock to help speed things up during the post-round presser at the practice round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He pointed out that having a set time limit would address much of the problem. Referring to his experience with TGL, he noted that 40 seconds can feel like plenty of time. He mentioned how Wyndham Clark often takes his time—grabbing his club, checking the monitor, and setting up the screen the way he wants. By the time he’s ready to hit, Clark still has 20 seconds left on the clock, showing just how much time is available.
“That’s a lot of time to hit a golf shot. It’s amazing how 40 seconds is a long time. I wouldn’t be opposed to a shot clock, I’m a fast player. I would love it if the Tour did forward-thinking instead of some reactive thinking and said, you know what, let’s try to be the best we can in the next 10, 20 years, and let’s do something unique and new and try to bring that fan engagement back to professional golf,” added the defending champion. What do you think will help sort these issues? Let us know in the comments section below!
