Latest news with #GaryYoung
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
PGA Tour gives pace-of-play updates, data to be posted publicly for first time
The PGA Tour has crunched the numbers from its testing of distance measuring devices earlier this year and other policy changes and the results are in: Play sped up! The findings also match up with the returns of a survey of 153 players and another 144 caddies. According to the study, 82 percent of all players and caddies reported using DMDs. 'The majority of players believe that the overall speed of play improved, and we see that the majority of players feel that their individual speed of play improved,' the Tour reported during a Zoom call with members of the media on Wednesday. 'Three-quarters of the players on both tours support the use of DMDs being permitted on a permanent basis on our tours.' While it is hard to nail down how much of a savings of time the use of DMD's will result in – every player is different, courses are different, and weather and other factors all contribute to pace of play – it is safe to say that the use of DMD's won't make play any slower than it already is. 'The noteworthy trends from the analysis of the ShotLink data has shown that approach shots and all par-5s have been trending faster and the period of time in which DMDs were permitted when we also know or have seen in the data that the shot times for those shots within 40 to 60 yards of the green were faster as well,' the Tour said. 'That's actually 4.9 seconds faster for those shots from the fairway and 5.1 seconds faster for those shots from the rough.' The Tour's Video Review Center also is proving to be a timesaver. The study found they've shaved about a minute off the response time of every ruling and helping to slice about five minutes off the average round time. 'You take that 20 times during a tournament, that's five minutes per round, so that's been a big advantage for us,' said Mark Dusbabek, the Tour's lead TV rules and video analyst. None of this should come as a big surprise. But the Tour felt a need to conduct empirical evidence it will bring to the Player Advisory Council for their review. 'Those of us who sit out there each day and watch these players in the field of play, we saw a mixture of the DMD usage, whether it be the player using the DMD himself or a caddie working the numbers as well as working the numbers in the book. But the bottom line is it seemed like the process was going quicker,' said PGA Tour senior vice president of rules and competitions Gary Young, who noted that the number of players using the devices also was largely expected. 'I think it's a recognition of a generational change in the sport where we have younger players now coming up who have just been using these devices day in and day out as they play the game, and it doesn't surprise me that 70 percent plus are saying that they'd really like to see DMDs.' Young also revealed the change to the rules for docking penalty strokes for pace of play, which was implemented on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Americas but not on the PGA Tour, had its desired effect, too. Under the revised Pace of Play Policy, which is in place for the remainder of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season, the first offense of a 'bad time' will now result in a one-stroke penalty. Under the previous policy, a one-stroke penalty was not applied until a player received a second 'bad time.' 'They went from having 10 bad times during that time period on the Korn Ferry Tour to simply one bad time with this change in policy,' he reported. 'There's a sense of urgency that's developed on the player behavior side. They do not want to get on the clock, and if they are on the clock, they want to get off the clock as quick as possible.' The PAC for both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour will make recommendations to the Board, who ultimately will determine whether any such rule changes go into effect. Young said he would expect approved changes to be implemented for next season, but it's possible they could go into effect sooner. One immediate change that will be a boon to fans is the Tour will begin posting pace of play course and group data in real time on PGA for the first time. 'For the course data itself, this will include average time for the field to play each hole and will include front nine and back nine times and overall times, and this will be located in the course and hole stats page at the round you look at group data itself, this will have turn and finish times,' said Billy Schroder, the Tour's senior vice president of competitions and special projects. 'This will be included on PGA from this point forward, and really what we're looking at here is we know within the ShotLink system there is a lot of data and the trick and the skill is to find a strategic plan to bring this to light for the fans so it enhances their enjoyment of the competition, how do we tell a better story of what's happening on the golf course for the fans' enjoyment.' This is the first visible evidence of the Tour's commitment to be more transparent about pace of play and share with the public what players are guilty of being slow pokes. Andy Weitz, the Tour's chief marketing and communications officer, said the Tour's pace-of-play problem is one of the first areas it is tackling as part its fan-forward initiative. 'It's an area we're committed to addressing on behalf of those fans as well as our players and our partners, and we know there are a lot of things that go into the speed of play equation, but we're committed to finding the right solutions and tackling it from every angle,' he said.
Geek Vibes Nation
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History Of Gary Young And Pavement' Blu-Ray Review - A Glimpse Of Erratic Genius
An up-close cinematic walkabout through the life of Gary Young, the original (and highly unlikely) drummer of indie rock royalty Pavement. His booze and drugs-fueled antics (on-stage handstands, gifting vegetables to fans) and haphazard production methods (accidentally helping launch the lo-fi aesthetic) were both a driving force of the band's early rise and the cause of his eventual crash landing. Leaving a wake of joy and/or destruction at every turn, Gary teeters the thin line between free-form self-expression and chaotic self-destruction. Thirty years on with scoliosis, blood clots, and a shriveled liver, Gary continued drumming with no regrets. For thoughts on Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: Video Quality Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement comes to Blu-Ray from Factory 25 with a rock solid HD master which exhibits this documentary exactly as intended. This movie is comprised of a mixture of verité footage of Gary around his house, interviews conducted for this movie from the recent past, older clips, music videos, concert footage, and pictures to help contextualize the full scope of this life. The new talking head interview segments look crisp and clear when filmed in person and less impressive when conducted over Zoom. The subjects present consistent skin tones and detailed facial features such as facial hair and age lines. The archival footage seems to stem from the most stable source possible, some of which is understandably a bit inconsistent due to the era in which Pavement was emerging onto the scene. The more recent footage at Gary's house is lovely with only a small amount of variance to account for the shuffling between different rooms. The colors featured in the footage have a significant amount of depth to them. The encoding does not falter when it comes to compression artifacts or digital anomalies. This documentary achieves what you want in HD. Audio Quality This Blu-Ray disc comes with a mostly strong lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 track that presents this material in a straightforward manner. Dialogue is the prominent aspect of this experience in the center channel as you get the anecdotes relayed in a stable environment. The interviews feature an assembly of talking heads which is expanded upon with additional archival concert footage. The non-diegetic music and clips of performances both resonate with decent fidelity, although the recording methods used for the early performances have the expected limitations. There is not much in the way of unwanted digital anomalies or other issues spotted. This track comes up just short of being perfect thanks to not being a lossless track, but the average viewer will likely not notice any loss in quality. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. Special Features Audio Commentary: Director Jed I. Rosenberg provides a terrific commentary track that reveals so many secrets about the production of the film including the logistics of filming, tricks in the editing process, and more. Gary-Onettes: A 15-minute featurette that gives you additional insights into the creation of the puppets used in the film. Deleted Scenes: There are nearly three minutes of additional unused footage provided. Story Time: A nearly three-minute piece in which Gary shares a story through song. Trailer (2:03) Booklet: A 30-page booklet is included featuring 'Plantman Knows: In Conversation with Scott Kannberg and Mark Ibold' by Camilla Aisa, 'The One With A Head' by Jed I. Rosenberg, and 'Chance Encounters of the Lo-Fi Kind (and what I learned while producing LTYT)' by Jeffrey L. Clark. Final Thoughts Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement is a well-rounded look at a key contributor in one of the pillars in the pantheon of indie rock history. The documentary stands out more than many of its ilk due to the lack of polish it tries to give to its subject. Gary Young undeniably had a musical gift that made him an exciting presence when he was functioning at full capacity, yet his unpredictable behavior made him a liability to play with. The insights you get from those who knew him best, along with Young himself, make for a rewarding viewing experience for fans of the band and open-minded newcomers alike. Factory 25 has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and some terrific special features. Recommended Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young and Pavement is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray. Disclaimer: Factory 25 & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
NBC Sports
15-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Tour testing pace of play rules. Are they enough?
Todd Lewis reports on the PGA Tour's new pace of play rules testing, beginning this weekend. Then, players weigh in on the testing and PGA Tour chief referee Gary Young talks about the changes.
NBC Sports
15-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
PGA Tour begins allowing distance-measuring devices at RBC Heritage
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Keen observers will notice something is different at this week's RBC Heritage. The post-Masters celebration will have a solid field as the season's sixth signature event, Harbour Town Golf Links will again play to its diabolical best, and the winner will again rank among the week's best ball-strikers. What will be different is subtle yet significant. The Heritage is the first event in a four-week, six-tournament stretch on the PGA Tour that will allow the use of distance-measuring devices (DMDs) in the circuit's ongoing attempts to speed up play. The use of DMDs is part of a larger plan to address pace of play — which was signaled out as an issue in the recent Fan Forward project — along with an adjustment to the Tour's policy on timings starting this week on the Korn Ferry Tour. 'They're going to have an extra tool in their toolbox for four weeks, and we're interested in hearing, following that period, how was it? Do you feel it was beneficial? Do you feel it helped you with pace of play?' said Gary Young, a senior vice president of rules and competitions for the Tour. 'I think that's an important point to make about this. There is a beginning and an end to it, and then we're going to take that time to really cram the data and take a look at it.' Players and caddies will be allowed to use DMDs but only to identify 'raw' distances, not slope or any other information provided by modern DMDs. Violation of that rule will result in a two-stroke penalty. The PGA Championship, which is run by the PGA of America, already allows players to use DMDs during the tournament and the Korn Ferry Tour held a similar four-event trial in 2017, but officials hope to learn more about how using DMDs may speed up play. 'I don't think there was anything concrete that came out of [the 2017 trial] data wise,' Young said. 'There wasn't a big improvement in round-time data, but this particular work group felt that field size had a lot to do with it and especially groupings.' Earlier this year, the Tour established the 'Speed of Play Working Group,' which includes Sam Burns, Adam Schenk and Jhonattan Vegas, to work with the Player Advisory Council on pace-of-play improvements. 'They felt during [two-ball] pairs it would be a struggle to stay up a little bit with the group ahead of you,' Young said. 'Should they start to fall behind, they can quickly get a reference point and calculate yardage. It also may help the groups that are being timed keep up and make up time.' Rex Hoggard, The DMDs trial is part of a wider pace-of-play focus Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced last month at The Players Championship. The Tour will also begin testing a new policy at the Lecom Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour this week, and it's already started on the PGA Tour Americas. The adjustment will remove what has essentially been a warning for a 'bad time' and will now apply a one-stroke penalty for a 'first offense.' Most players don't anticipate the use of DMDs to have much of an impact on pace of play and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler suggested a more obvious approach to slow play. 'We've been using [DMDs] at the PGA the last couple years. Is it going to help pace of play? Maybe a few minutes. Will it be anything significant? No,' Scheffler said Tuesday at Harbour Town. 'This tournament, what affects the pace of play is walking the golf course. I think we're playing twosomes all week, so it will go from a five-hour round to maybe four hours or less. 'When you see the biggest changes in pace of play, it all comes from going from three guys to two guys in a pairing. It's just easier to get around the golf course.' Players and caddies anticipate using DMDs when dealing with shots that are well wide of playing corridors and it's difficult to find a reference point to use a yardage book, as well as a way to confirm yardages on approach shots and tee shots on par 3s. 'I envision Tom [Hoge] standing in the fairway shooting [with a DMD] and I'll be getting the numbers [traditionally] and we'll do like we always do,' said James Edmondson, Hoge's longtime caddie. 'I'll use it when we're off-line, but we're still going to use the fronts and the backs and the carries [yardages] in the book. If you don't do that I think you'd get your sequence off. I think if you don't it's going to be too different for guys. Stick with old habits.' The Tour also plans to make pace-of-play data available to the public but officials are still developing a list that addresses 'average stroke time' with some context. For example, if a player averages 38 seconds to hit an approach shot but that number increases on Friday when the cut is looming or Sunday when a title is on the line. Officials expect to have that list developed within the next month or two and it could be available to the public as early as this season.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PGA Tour to test distance technology at multiple tournaments during 2025 season
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Those distance-measuring devices that most recreation golfers use all the time to determine what club to hit? They may be coming to PGA Tour events before too long. During a roundtable conversation with members of the media on Wednesday morning at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, top officials with the PGA Tour shared that it intends to test distance-measuring devices during multiple events this season. Gary Young, the Tour's senior vice president of rules and competition, said that both players and fans have suggested that DMD's could help pace-of-play issues on the Tour. 'The use of distance-measuring devices has been brought up and this particular Rules committee is very accepting of that. It's been tested on the Korn Ferry Tour level (for a month during 2017) and for a full year on PGA Tour Champions. Why not?' Young said. 'We're hearing it from our fans. They use it day in and day out, why would we hold a resource back from the players that potentially could help them, especially for off-line shots, getting a quick reference point?' Added Andy Weitz, chief marketing and communications officer and executive vice president of investor relations. 'We want to better understand how being out of position, how the ability to better understand the distance can not only increase the pace of play potentially but also send a signal to our fans that we are evolving and use of these modern devices could be a fit for the PGA Tour on a permanent basis in the future.' It is still to be determined what tournaments will be used to test DMDs. 'I think where we will see the biggest benefit to them are in some of our smaller fields when we are in pairs. So we'd like to have a sample possibly of some of our signature events at the same time during a period when we'll have some opposite events and a different format, maybe, like a team event, a Zurich. Just so we get a good sample of it,' Young said. 'Where we really see this paying the biggest benefits will be on approach shots, so, we'll be able to do a look back and do a comparison just to see if we are actually gaining time.' The Tour also disclosed that a new sub-committee made up of Player Advisory Council members Sam Burns, Adam Schenk and Jhonnatan Vegas has been created to study pace-of-play issues. Tyler Dennis, chief competitions officer, added that while a previous study of DMD's was conducted on the Korn Ferry Tour before the difference now is that ShotLink brings a lot more information to the table. 'We haven't defined how we're going to do it yet but we want it to be this year,' he said. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour will test distance-measuring devices during events in 2025
