It was only a fortnight ago the European Tour sanctioned the wearing of shorts during practice and Pro-Am rounds.

Now four-time Major winning Rory McIlroy has suggested Tour organisers consider staging tournaments at night on floodlit courses.

McIlroy’s spoke of the notion of floodlit golf earlier this week at a function here in Dubai at the local BOSE retail outlet and with local radio station Dubai Eye getting some good answers form the defending Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion.

(See earlier story where McIlroy admits he’s a Tiger Woods ‘geek’ –

“Day/night golf I think would be very good, especially in this part of the world,” said McIlroy.

Bernie playing golf under the floodlights of The Track GC here in Dubai.

“There are so many golf courses that are floodlit meaning you can go out and play anytime you want really. You see it in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix or the Singapore Grand Prix where it’s starts in the day time and ends at night. It’s quite a good spectacle.

“We need to make golf faster and quicker. Keith Pelley, the CEO of the European Tour, came up with the good idea of trying to maybe create 12 hole golf courses.

“Everyone loves T20 cricket. I’m a traditionalist. I still like watching Test match cricket and I love the Ashes but at the same time who doesn’t get a kick out of watching hit sixes the whole time and swinging at it.

Rory McIlroy warms to be allowed to wear shorts now he’s suggest the Tour introduce a ‘shot clock’.

“I definitely feel like we need to come up with some sort of format of golf that just makes it a little quicker, and even for the recreational golfer. Five hours is so much time to go out and play golf. We need to try and cut it in half in some way. I don’t think anyone has come up with the great idea yet but hopefully we’re not too far away.”

And McIlroy reckons he’s got an idea to eradicate Tour tortoises from the game.

“I’d love to see a shot clock in golf. If you go over that time once or twice a round then you get a penalty shot,” he said.

“I think that would definitely put a little pressure on the guys and get them to make decisions a bit quicker.”