Page 14 - PPA Tour Magazine Spring 2022

Golf, keeping the pace of play flowing with tournament golf was important as

well. Clayton felt the time it should take to complete 18 holes of tournament
Putt-Putt should be approximately 45 minutes. Interestingly, during the 1970s,
when there were hundreds of tournament players on the course, the average

time per round remained at approximately 45 minutes. Today, the field is
comprised of fewer players, but the skill level of the field is not as diversified and
much more competitive. It is so competitive that the score of the person coming

in first, compared to the person finishing last can be by just a few strokes per
round. In previous years it would easily be 5 or 6 strokes per round. Due to the
exactness that is required on courses today, players are becoming more engaged,
which results in a longer time to complete a tournament.

The National Tournament Program of the PPA, known as the National Tour, hosts
several major events each putting season, so most competitional
tournaments played will be a regional, state or local event. The

National Tour is managed and monitored by the Commissioner of
the PPA, Joe Aboid (pictured left). The regional, state and local
tournaments are monitored by players, course managers and/or

owners. The rules established by the PPA apply to all levels of
competitional tournaments. If the rules are loosely followed at any level, the
integrity of the game is compromised. The same is true of the USGA, PGA and
LPGA tours. Interestingly, the integrity of golf never really collected much

attention until a famous incident in the mid-1920s. In the 1925 United States Golf
Association’s (USGA) Open Championship, Bobby Jones, the great amateur golfer,
called a penalty on himself for breaking an established rule. His ball moved as he

addressed the ball. No one saw it, but Bobby Jones did. So, he called a penalty on
himself. The tournament officials and his playing partner, Walter Hagen, tried to
talk him out of it, but he demanded the rules be respected. The incident

happened during the first round. Jones ended up in a tie with Scottish pro Willie
Macfarlane. Jones lost the 36-hole playoff by one stroke. Folks started praising
Jones for his honesty. Jones was bewildered by the reaction to his actions. When

he heard the commotion being made, he made the comment, “That’s like
congratulating me for not breaking into a bank.” That’s respecting the integrity of
the rules. The latest PPA Hall of Fame member had something similar happen to
him. During a tournament in Martinez, GA, Gary English putted a deuce putt and