"I get the sense that, for many people, the current golf model is broken."

I'm going to look past Charlie Rymer's suggestion that every golf course cut two cups, one regulation and one 10-incher, so golfers can choose the size they'd like to play to, because these were good suggestions for bettering the game.

5) Widen fairways and lower rough cuts. Nobody wants to have an Easter egg hunt on every hole.  And more importantly, nobody wants to stand on a tee watching the group in front of them have an Easter egg hunt.

6) Educate golfers on the economic reality of high green speeds. Golfers need to appreciate healthy turf more than greens that roll 14 on the Stimpmeter. Not only does this take pressure off the golf course owner but it also helps with pace of play.

Comments

[chico]

Couldnt agree more.
Most people cant handle super-fast greens so why have them?
A well designed course shouldnt need acres of penal rough.There was virtually no rough last week at Carnoustie for the Dunhill and it was a great test-as ever.I'm a great fan of bunkering(ok not like W Straits!)as you dont lose your ball and a well placed/designed bunker should be at least a 1/2 shot penalty.Carnoustie is as well a bunkered course as I know and it seemed to me that you didnt need so much more than that to make the players really have to think.
Still would vote for a ball roll back though!

[SM86]

Golf is tough. The way it should be. When you score well on a tough track you know you have earned it. Making things easier is not going to make more people play. Just like giving every child in the class an "A" is going to make each of them smarter.

[Hawkeye]

SM86, I understand what you're saying, I still brag about the time when I shot par on a European Tour/Solheim Cup course from the tips at age 17 (see, I did it again!) but that was a once-in-a-lifetime achievment. The problem is that so many people think that they can score well on tough tracks, when they simply aren't up to the task. And the result of this is 6-hour rounds and less people playing.

[MRP]

It all depends on the course in question. If we are are talking your local country club style course or local muni, I like the idea of slower greens and less rough. Make these courses fun and quick to play. If you are talking a course designed to be a test, perhaps a once in a lifetime type of experience for the average golfer, keep it a test.

[digsouth]

When you miss a fairway by 4 foot and cannot find the ball, that is not good for anyone involved, nor does it serve any proof of skill.

the 2 hole idea is weird, but a couple of other thoughts of CR ,modified, were worthy of more consideration.

[Used to be Former S&T Convert]

Love the one about basing Handicap on tournament play or designated medal day. I have saying that for years, it could really make it tougher on the sandbaggers. Sanbaggers are cheaters who think they don't cheat.

[Glyn]

Anything that speeds up play i.e. less looking for balls, will help the game overall.

[Bif]

I think of the courses that got me hooked on playing this game, he courses where I made my first par, first birdie, first round under 90 and then 80. Those were courses with plenty of fairway and not much rough. They encouraged, they didn't punish. They gave you a chance--a shot or a hole at a time-to pretend you were Arnie. There are plenty of opportunities for tough these days; not enough chances for celebration.

[RM]

Yes, I agree that "the current golf model is broken"...if Charley Rymer is getting paid to write this kind of bullshit, and even worse, he actually has a career in television. So he makes two good points out of a list of ten, and they're not exactly unique. My wife could do better.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Regarding fast greens, I think they are much better than slow. Within reason. I played in an 18-hole qualifier last month on a very nice, old layout, 6250 yards with a good variety of holes. When I talked to the GM about arranging a practice round he bragged about their Tiff Eagle greens, which had been prepped to run 12-13-14 on the Stimpmeter. He told me be to be sure to "keep it below the hole" as if one 18-hole round in which the competition hole locations had not been marked would be sufficient for that. The greens were indeed in excellent condition, and they were the fastest I have ever seen. The results were predictable. At least four golfers out of 30-something withdrew at the turn, probably with scores approaching 45, with 20 or more putts. After finishing I watched someone 4-putt from about 15 feet on the 18th. 5-over was the qualifying score. But for the four 3-putt doubles and 37 putts I would have been close! LOL. It was not fun, nor was it a good test of golf. And neither of the qualifiers came close in the main event. So much for fast greens.

[Stihl]

7) Learn from bowling. Bowling was withering on the vine in the 1970s and early 1980s. People couldn't figure out how to keep score and gutter balls just weren't that much fun. Automatic scoring and retractable bumpers helped revitalize the sport.

Wha? Can't quite make that connection on many levels, sorry. Make golf more like mini golf and install retractable bunkers and trees?

[george]

The golf industry needs to cut the cost down across the board 20 to 30 % ( green fees, equipment, apparel,ect.). It's funny how the player and the game has to be honest but, the industry can bullshit you.
If the Golf channel, the brand name manufactures and celebrity teachers had any balls they take the average person from the streets thats not working or struggling and do a series from beginner to a good player.
you will get more people liking at the game in a more realistic way.

[kafka01]

"When you miss a fairway by 4 foot and cannot find the ball, that is not good for anyone involved, nor does it serve any proof of skill."

Imo that is outragoues - the rough should be a penalty but not an automatic reload because it just swallows your ball up. I dont mind playing from high rough, but for gods sake, at least let me find my ball! It´s not that our courses we as amateurs play on, have dozens of spotters standing around looking for our ball - then you have blind landing zones that make it even more difficult.

Regarding the second point - i fully understand that its not economical in any way to have greens as fast and smooth as they are shown on tour all time. And everytime one of my fellow players thinks he has to complain about green speeds, i ask him if he would prefer to pay a 30% markup in his membership fees for faster greens....

[tlavin]

Rymer should focus on two things: 1) pushing himself away from the buffet table and 2) getting some comedy training, because despite his obvious posturing, he isn't all that humorous.

As for his suggestions, I think most would agree that the golf model is broken these days, but I'm not so sure that course setup is the problem. The two main culprits, to me, are time and money. Golf costs too much money for most people to play and people spend too much time on other pursuits that aren't nearly as time-intensive as golf. When everybody in the so-called leisure class had a bunch of extra money hanging around, this wasn't that big of a problem. Now, it's bordering on a catastrophe for certain segments of the golf industry.

[Del the Fun]

I recently played Fishers Island and while the greens were smooth and fast the club certainly hasn't fallen into the everything has to be perfect/long rough trap. From what I could tell they just let the grasses grow as they will and don't worry about it otherwise. Refreshing. Bad news is it was a stunningly slow round, I was shocked. We waited on every single tee box for the first 13 holes and then all of a sudden the course cleared out -- must have been a wedding/outing or something but I'm surprised they tolerated it.

[Charles Boyer]

"Anything that speeds up play i.e. less looking for balls, will help the game overall. "

Lost balls are less of a hindrance to fast rounds than folks who take fifteen practice swings and never play ready-golf. See the ball, hit the ball, find the ball, lather rinse repeat. It's not really that hard to do, but some guys I see on our course would make Ben Crane look like Speedy Gonzalez.

Not only that, there is a certain cadre of high handicappers who insist on playing the tips when they can barely make the fairway.

Really, keeping up with a golf ball isn't that hard if you keep an eye on it and hit a provisional if you think you won't be able to find the first shot.

[BK]

CR's suggestions are nuts, but point #3 is interesting. The pro shop check in desk is such an anemic and often buzzkilling experience. I'm there to play golf with the fellas, not upsold into a logo'd pitchfork or trion-z bracket. Guarantee the bartender is a much cooler dude, so let me just go straight to him and pay for my gatorade, snickers, and greens fees there all at once and be on my way.

[dan]

Discussing Rider Cup 2 ball, a buddy mentioned the Euro's play that way with strangers frequently. That is, they show up and jump on a busy course for a 2.5 hour round with 3 new friends.

Then i realized, the Scot's invented golf as a game, we play it as a sport.

As a college basketball player i practiced hours in a gym developing different shots. Sound familiar? Nobody's ever practiced that hard at a 'game'. You show up and PLAY.

To make golf more of a game (fun), here are a couple quick hits:
- fewer lost balls (covered above)
- 'ready' golf all the time. Walk to your ball while the other guys is preping his shot and get ready to hit it.
- walkable golf courses (probably need a ball roll back)
- lower costs (less watering, fertalizer, manicuring) We won't pay $50+ to play half our shots in a 2 ball with a stranger. But with a local membership and 2.5 hour round we'd pay something.
- easier scoring (Charlie's point with bumpers and electronic scoring) do any of us truly play correctly with OB, lateral and bunker hazards scored correctly? Everything should be 'through the green'(?)
- 10 club limit for everybody. Encourages walking, shot making, and all things fun.

i'm sure there are more and better ideas......

[Young Tom's Heart]

@dan Dead on! I carry eight sticks, walk my local Muni ,which costs $12.00 with my Sr. Discount Card, play it down, play through most presumptuous foursomes, finish in 3 1/2 hours usually, and have a helluva good time, especially when I shoot a 76. Young Tom's Heart

[JPB]

I like wide fairways and shortish rough, but high rough isn't necessarily always bad. It doesn't necessarily always slow the game down or make it worse for average players.

The club I play at most often has alot of pine trees with low branches - Christmas trees - and if there wasn't decent length rough, every errant tee shot would end up dead in the trees.

But the general point is, when in doubt, make things easier, not harder, more fun, not less. In the case of my club, I wish they would simply cut all the limbs up to about 12 feet, and then lower the rough, but that's asking alot I suppose.

[F. X. Flinn]

Alistar MacKenzie said the purpose of golf was: 'to provide healthful recreation and pleasurable excitement.' Rymer is speaking to this attitude about golf, and I'm glad to see it.

Suggestion #8 is worth repeating: 8) Push the physical activity and socialization button with seniors. Movement and activity helps fight heart disease and diabetes. Socialization helps depression and overall mental health. Nothing brings these factors together better than golf. Especially on a golf course with less rough and a 10-inch hole. Find creative ways to get seniors on the golf course.