2011 In Review, Vol. 1

I really enjoy year-in-review items and Steve Elling posts the best overview of the year in pro golf, with this reminder for what continues to be an amazing story that hopefully gets plenty of attention during the first half of 2012:

Storybook tale continues: The Nationwide Tour doesn't get much coverage for obvious reasons. After all, Triple-A baseball doesn't, either. But one of the most heart-warming, fulfilling stories of the year continued to develop on the Nationwide this year when Erik Compton finished 13th in earnings to secure his PGA Tour card for 2012. Compton is, quite simply, a medical marvel and an inspiration in spikes. He's the only known sports figure in the world making a living in a professional game after having received a heart transplant, much less two of them. The obstacles that Compton has overcome defy description.

And what do Dan Quayle, Jack Nicklaus, Kevin Na, Roger Ebert and Luke Donald have in common? They're all part of Mike Walker's compilation of the best quotes of the year.

Comments

[Ivan Morris]

Go on, Erik Compton!
I'd like to start a new discussion.
Does anybody agree with me that the value of professional tournaments to the growth of golf is greatly exaggerated? The main problem confronting golf today is the game itself. It's too slow, too expensive and too difficult for the average player. At the highest level, the game is too easy and the difference has created unbalanced expectations and excessive costs. It's the game that needs to change - how can we do that when the R & A and USGA won't listen?

[Ted Mitchell]

If a newcomer to the game (which has been played roughly the same way for hundreds of years) finds the game to be too difficult for him (in ways that he/you might want the USGA/R&A to address or otherwise) then perhaps he should:
a) elect not to play by the rules (rather than asking that they be changed)
b) choose a game that better fits his desired complexity level.

Analogy:
If a newcomer to the game of bridge finds it too complex then he should consider an easier game like cribbage rather than trying to simplify bridge.

[Kelly Blake Moran]

Nice job Ted.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

@Ivan: Agreed. The game is too slow and too expensive (and too inaccessible in many places). The game is not too difficult, however. It's supposed to be that way. As for professional golf, it is superfluous to the overall health of the Game as a game and as a sustainable, healthy business. The PTB in golf (PGAT, PGA, USGA, EPGAT, R&A, Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway) forget that a tall, sharp pyramid won't stand unless the base is very wide and strong. But unless the economy turns around soon enough, they will be reminded.

[Ian Andrew]

as always ... thank you Geoff

[Kelly Blake Moran]

It is easy to buy an inexpensive set of clubs and I would guess that the majority of people who want to play golf can find a course that suits your income. If golf clubs and a local golf course are too expensive for your budget then you probably shouldn't be playing golf and are probably struggling just to meet your basic needs.

[Ted Mitchell]

"If golf clubs and a local golf course are too expensive for your budget then you probably shouldn't be playing golf and are probably struggling just to meet your basic needs. "

I think that is a bit simplistic. We all have a finite amount of time and most of us have a finite amount of money.

For most people the choice isn't between playing golf and meeting basic needs (shelter, food, warmth) but between playing golf and doing something else (spending time with a non-golfing family member or participating in another leisure activity that is more attraction on the cost-to-enjoyment scale).

[Ivan Morris]

I'd be slow to argue with a ghost but I genuinely think he is right in every instance.

[Shank]

Ivan: His literary criticism is suspect; otherwise, the ghost is usually spot on.

[Average Golfer]

I meet my basic needs and am fortunate to have a few dollars extra. The 50% rise in membership was the reason I no longer join the muni I was a member of for 10 years. I could pay, but choose not to based on the number of rounds needed for it to make sense. All I lose is entry into the member sandbagger tourneys with payoffs in Greenjoys and light beer stand bags. Yes, there are three other courses nearby with pretty much the same formula. Some of the wealthier sandbaggers belong to two or more. Oh, don't let me leave out the 5+ hour rounds with US Open-like concentration and 28s playing from the blues.

[Colin MacGillivray]

Didn't Flogton (Not Golf backwards), launched a year ago, try to make golf simpler and easier? What happened to that idea?