As the PGA TOUR heads into the home stretch of the 2025 season, a clear trend has emerged: The speed of play has picked up, and TOUR officials are working to ensure that the trend continues in a promising direction.

Based on course-level data for the 2025 season through the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, speed of play on TOUR is trending in the right direction. The median round time on TOUR this season sits at 4 hours and 46 minutes, an improvement of nearly five minutes compared to the median speed at this point in the 2024 season. While that difference is in minutes compared to rounds lasting hours, the 2025 median totals represent the fastest such times on TOUR since 2022.

In digging into the numbers, which are based on data from tournaments conducted by the TOUR, several causative factors can be seen. Ranging from starting time strategy to on-course innovation, these aspects lend some context to the overall trends and can help fans and TV viewers better understand their impacts on the speed of play.

Field size

It likely won’t come as a shock, but speed of play gets quicker when there are fewer golfers on the course. The three tournaments with the fastest speed thus far in 2025 were all Signature Events with 72-man fields: the RBC Heritage, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. The RBC Heritage leads the way, with a median round time of less than 3 hours and 52 minutes.

The switch to a limited-field event led to an immediate shift in speed of play figures at Harbour Town Golf Links. While the median round time has been consistent the last two years, that figure was nearly 50 minutes faster than the comparable median round time in 2023, when the tournament had a 143-man field and utilized threesomes for three of the four rounds.

The smaller field has also led to more consistent speed findings: with every round played in twosomes in both 2024 and 2025, the range of median speed times has been less than four minutes. This year, that range of median times from one round to the next was less than two minutes.

Group size

Another factor that plays a significant role in speed of play is starting time strategy – specifically, if players are grouped in twosomes or threesomes. That impact came under a unique microscope this year, when The Genesis Invitational was relocated to Torrey Pines because of the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area.

The Farmers Insurance Open, played at Torrey Pines across two courses in January but only on the South Course for Round 3 and the final round, utilized threesomes on the weekend for the 70 players who made the cut. The median round time over the weekend was 5 hours and 11 minutes.

When the Genesis was played entirely on Torrey Pines South a few weeks later, the median time over the weekend dipped below four hours to 3 hours and 57 minutes for the 54 players who made the cut, all of whom played in twosomes.

There was a similar impact this year at the Truist Championship, a no-cut event where players were grouped in threesomes for the first two rounds because of weather concerns but in twosomes over the weekend. The median time across Thursday and Friday tipped just past 4 hours and 41 minutes, while that same figure dropped to 3 hours and 51 minutes over the weekend in twosomes.

Enhanced technology

The TOUR has more assets at its disposal to enhance speed of play – and over the last few weeks, so have the players.

The TOUR recently concluded a five-week testing period that spanned seven tournaments, in which players were allowed to use distance-measuring devices (DMDs) during competition rounds. The impact of DMDs on speed of play is currently under review, and a player survey period is underway. More specifics on the correlation between DMD use and speed of play trends are expected in the coming weeks. But TOUR officials believe that there are areas where a positive impact has been felt inside the ropes.

“It will be interesting to see if there are any measurable effects that DMDs have had on average stroke times,” said Gary Young, senior vice president of Rules and Competition. “There’s no doubt that on off-line shots they have helped players and caddies find a quick reference point and save valuable time.”

Likewise, the TOUR has noticed an improved efficiency in handling on-course rulings with the introduction of the Video Review Center at PGA TOUR Studios. With an average of 10 rulings per hour across a full day of competition that can span up to 12 hours in the summer, the ability to improve communication between on-course officials and video review personnel in Ponte Vedra Beach can have a tangible impact on speed of play and reduce the instances where players are waiting on an official for information or a definitive ruling.

“In my 18 years with the PGA TOUR, the Video Review Center is the greatest innovation our Rules Committee has seen,” Young said. “We operate far more efficiently in the field, and that saves time.”

Weather impacts

Weather can also play a significant role in speed of play on TOUR, more often than not slowing things down. The more variables in play – increased winds, steady rains, unfamiliar conditions – the more likely that speed can be negatively impacted.

That trend shined through this year at the Truist, where the field size fluctuated only between 69 and 72 players for each round at Philadelphia Cricket Club, eliminating one potential speed of play variable.

But for Friday’s second round, steady rain fell throughout the day while winds gusted to 20 mph. With players grouped in threesomes for the first two rounds, the median speed increased to 4 hours and 47 minutes on Friday, a 12-minute jump over the median time for the opening round.

Likewise, blustery winds slowed things down for the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open. With gusts topping 25 mph creating additional considerations for players both tee-to-green and on the putting surfaces, the median speed drifted to 5 hours and 18 minutes. That was the highest median time of the week by 24 minutes, and it was seven minutes slower than the median speed for the final round in 2024 – when, like this year, players were grouped in threesomes over the weekend.

Player awareness

Speed of play initiatives, and the factors involved that can impact on-course times, are now more top of mind for TOUR players. Whether stemming from the recent DMD testing window or increased discussions with media members, players understand the importance of the topic – and the need for them to play their part.

With factors ranging from player behavior to increased technology and several in between, the overall trends in 2025 are pointing toward a faster speed inside the ropes on TOUR. The differences at this point may be measured in minutes, but officials continue to look for further improvements as the TOUR aims to deliver a consistent product for television partners and a better viewing experience for fans, both on the course and at home.