Seems to me, play has generally become slower. When I first took up the game many years ago, I would play regularly with my dad. We would easily get round in three hours. Everybody was about the same at that time; it wasn't as if we were always pressuring the players in front, everybody went at about that speed.

What I see now are a lot of players who are, in all honesty, pretty average, playing as if they're in the Open. Now, I've no problem with people taking legitimate time over shots but when I see the guys ahead examining putts from all different angles, often several times over (every putt, no matter how long or short), I do get a bit peeved. Even more so when they've spent a good three minutes 'looking at' a 20 footer and they still miss by an absolute mile. Then after them standing and shaking their heads in diebelief, looking at the green and the putter, you get a repeat performance for their remaining 8 footer!