J. B. Holmes makes me mental

[ohiolefty]

Today's loss to Bubba was exemplary of every reason I hate J.B. Holmes...

1. Dude plays too slow. Too many fidgets. And, for such a sh*tty putter, he takes forever to get on with it. Playing slow is a sin, and doesn't help your game - I don't care if you're playing your Grandpa for who buys lunch or if you're playing for six figures on tour.

2. Makes a lot of stupid decisions. He has a lot of game, but makes dumb decisions at dumb times. That's the reason he only wins occasionally when he hits it a mile and has all the shots.

3. Plays too slow.

4. Plays too slow.

5. Fidgets and stops and starts.

6. Plays too slow.

I applaud his playing partners for not losing it on him on a regular basis. I couldn't play 3 holes with him without saying something. It's unbearable.

[Chas]

I try to look at the positive side of a player's game but I have to agree with you.  There's just no excuse for his ridiculously sluggish and hesitant manner on the course, esp. on the green.  It is a bit of an insult to his opponent at times, and raises the question of gamesmanship.  I'm not saying that's the reason - to gain advantage - but playing any game much too slowly does raise the question.

Can he possibly have so much more difficulty than other players in making up his mind about how to play a stroke?  If so, what does that say about him?

Just get on with it J.B.  Constantly stepping away from your putt makes you look very very silly.  Maybe your best friend hasn't told you yet ....

[plum]

fun to watch him hit the ball but its painful to get to that point. being that slow and annoying is just rude IMO

[Lofty Lefty]

I must say I've not seen that much of JB Holmes to have noticed his slow play, but one guy who gets me for backing away from a putt is Jim Furyk. I watched that clown back away from a 5 foot putt THREE TIMES!!!!!

[MSDOGS1976]

Maybe someone beats him, but he's the most painful golfer I have watched play.

[LBlack14]

The Tour needs to step up as they did with Ben Crane. This guy is agonizing to watch. When he's the focus they loose me as a viewer.

[DocWu1948]

Did Golf Channel, in its evening rebroadcast,  show the interminable delay on the last two holes in the match with Bubba Watson?  On 18, Holmes got relief from being under a bush because a sprinkler head impeded his swing, although it would have been a left handed swing with one of his irons held upside down. Then he took several drops before finally being allowed to place it in the desert sand  Next hole he drives it back into the desert, takes an unplayable lie, and then spends two or three commercial breaks walking back and forth on the fairway looking for the best spot on the drop line. Watson was smiling cheerfully on 18, but on the playoff hole, it looked like he said WTF and went back into the desert to tell Holmes that he wasn't even on the right line. Only reason I watched it was because I was was waiting on my buddy who had to see the end of that match before we could leave. It was at least  an hour for the last two holes.

Golf Channel fell down both times. It would have been educational, and filled in the dead space, if someone had explained the rules while waiting. A lot of amateurs are going to be moving balls from under bushes, placing them on the ground w/o a penalty. Well they do that anyway, but now they will say they saw it was OK in TV.

[Chas]

Is there a rule against bringing a folding chair along? (caddy to carry of course).  I suppose there is, but if there wasn't, I would ostentatiously unfold it and sit down on the edge of the green, looking at my fingernails, while J.B. was repeatedly walking away from his putts.

Maybe I'd a little bit as well while seated, softly of course.

Yes, Furyk can be a bit slow at time, but right now J.B. is the clear winner.

Maybe a "prize" should be awarded by 1) golf journalists, 2) USGA members (internet poll) for the most tedious golfer of the year.  This might have a beneficial effect.

[2bGood]

53 minutes for those TWO holes. Ouch!

[ohiolefty]

Well...the moments that stick in my mind are:

-This year at the WGC: not the balls in the desert, which were obvious delays with countless rulings and drops (even though, one can argue, he dawdled a bit); I was more crazy at how long he took on the GREENS. Jesus.

-Last year at the LA Open - constantly backing off shots, taking forever.

I don't know how these pros, with all the pressure they're under, can put up with J.B.'s act. I'd struggle to make it 2 or 3 holes without saying something.

[TourSpoon]

When I was watching him yesterday I kept wondering what he was waiting for as a couple of times he just looked like he couldn't decide what to do. After listening to TGC make a comment and then reading this thread I realize that is just wasn't me. There is deliberate and there is slow and he is slow.

[Ben]

Slow play, sure. The dude is definitely slow. But, what makes me crazy about the guy is his two-colored face. I don't understand how anyone can walk around in public like that. Check him out next time you get to see him take his hat off at the end of a round. Dude needs a sunblock sponsor of something. The hat alone for sun protection theory doesn't quite work. It'd be even more special if he wore sunglasses during a round.

Breaking News. I just found JB's long lost two color head brother:

[roggar]

I agree JB has to be the slowest player on the tour. It was particularly bad having to watch him in the match competition. Maybe it is part of his plan to defeat his opponent. Anyways I felt sorry for Bubba having to wait on him all the time. The best man did win the match.

[ohiolefty]

At least JB's Billy Bald Brother Boo doesn't take 10 mintues to clean it up on the green.

Plus, man...Boo hits it so good with his irons. I'd kill to hit my irons like that for one round.

[jldavis73]

I pull for J.B. because he's from Kentucky, but I'm with everyone else on the issue of slow play.  It would have to help him to speed it up.  I love it when he's near the top of the leaderboards, but I hate to actually watch him play.  Those last 2 holes at the Accenture were ridiculous.  The little plumb-bob dance on the green that we get to see TWICE is very, very special.

[Aquaguru]

He takes forever on the greens then ends up missing it every time GC focuses on him on the green.  I remember one time can't remember the tourny but they spotlighted him on the green and it took him 5 minutes (3 backoffs, 12 different looks) just for a 10 footer that he ended up missing horribly.  That would make me feel like an idiot if I took that long just to miss it. If your going to take 5 min on 1 putt, you better make it.

[saevel25]

I hate when people complain about playing slow, its golf, its not a nascar race. Now i play with one of the fastest players i know. I mean you you blink you missed him hitting his next shot. He doesn't take a practice swing, its line up and hit. But he doesn't complain about slow play infront of him. He knows that golf is played at any pace. Now i am not slow, i play the way my dad taught me, ready golf. That is while others are hitting your getting your distance, your read, your shot type, your club selection. So when its your turn you can take a few seconds to get compossed and into your preshot routine.

Now if the preshot routine is long, i will never complain about that because that is a personal preference. But walking to the green to pace of yardage, taking forever to decide on a club, that is not preshot routine.

Two areas were you can be slow, only one should have a complaint. Honestly, if i ever get paired up with someone who thinks i play slow, and voices there opinion, you bet i will slow it down more. I can play slow or faster, depends on how respectful someone is to me, judge me and your going to wait. Its the same reason i put my cruist control on when i am driving on the freeway when someone flies up on my ass and tails me, your going to be waiting a while buddy. Learn some repsect.

[cory]

There is such a thing as over-thinking a shot. It drives me crazy when I see a guy (or woman) take forever to figure out a shot and get up and take the shot and not like it. I realize some people have certain routines that they feel help them but when play as much as these guys (and woman) play should'nt most shots just be second nature? If you watch playing lessons from the pros, it's amazing how when these players are relaxed how they just get up there and hit great shots. Just my opinion.