Will Jack's Concern About The Scale Of Golf Be Heard?

Lost in Jack Nicklaus highlighting the likelihood of pending USGA/R&A changes in their distance stance and his views on Titleist's chilling effect on discussion, were the Golden Bear's views on golf's scale.

We've heard many bring up sustainability, including Tiger Woods most recently. But based on the social media reaction I saw to Nicklaus' comments earlier this, week, it remains remarkable how many golfers do not believe that a 7,500 yard course takes longer to play than a 6,500 yard course. And there are golfers surprised to hear that the length of a round is a deterrent and that a reduced scale would be more attractive long term.

The transcript of his comments is worth reading if you're unclear on his stance, which is going beyond just where and how great players hit the ball. 

The game is a great game today the way it is. The game when I played was a great game. The game they played 20 years before me is a great game. However, as time changes, I think you need to change with the times. The times today, people don't have the time to spend playing five hours to play golf. They don't have -- a lot of people don't have the money to be able to do that, and they find the game very frustrating and very difficult.

So if the golf ball came back, it would solve I think a lot of those issues, and it would make -- it would -- I think we only have one golf course in this country, my opinion, that's not obsolete to the golf ball and that's Augusta National. They are the only people that have enough money that have been able to keep the golf course and do the things you had to. They are even buying up parts of country clubs and roads and everything else to get that done.

Not that other people couldn't do that, but it just unpractical. Why every time we have an event, do we have to keep buying more land and then making things longer? It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Comments

[LA John]

This affects a small percentage of the golfer population. For the majority of the golf courses, this is not a problem.

[Gibby]

Right on, John. It’s an issue for a tiny percentage. Everything is framed in terms of the pro game.

[The Ghost of Perry Maxwell]

Hopefully something positive happens.

[Playitforward]

Jack's 20% roll back is ridiculous . A 6,500 yard course becomes effectively a 7,800 yard course. Do the math! 7,000 then plays like an 8,400 yard course.

Your 300 yard drive would go 240.

Your 200 yard 3 iron would go 160!

First we had Palmer at dinner with the USGA that gave birth to the groove change debacle, and now we have Nicklaus at dinner with
the USGA trying to create the ball debacle.

What's really funny is both were part of the horrible architecture/developer relationship that gave us these ridiculously difficult courses
that take forever to play and are not fun.

[Guy Fieri's Stomach]

Jack's world is far different from mine. There is not a single golf course I know of that I've played regularly on in the last 20 years that has undertaken a lengthening to compensate for equipment issues.

Jack is talking about the elite game, exclusively. Lengthening for "an event." At my club and every course I've played at, the septuagenarians who can still hit their driver 200 yards have no issues whatsoever with Titleist.

[munihack]

Folks you realize you can have it both ways. You can make a ball that still plays as long as current balls for swing speeds up to say 100 mph but goes shorter for than current ones for 110 mph and higher. The current equipment makes it harder for the better players to separate themselves from the rest of the field. The USGA and Rand A need to decouple golf from the business of golf. They already bifurcated things with the grooves and agronomy for the pros; they should do it with the balls too.

[Swoosh]

Spot on playitforward!, jack helped create monster long, difficult courses and golf tech fought back. Now here we r. And I don't know a single golfer that actually believes their equipment has made the game too easy or courses too short.

[Ivan Morris]

I can walk 6500-yards in a shorter time than 7000-yards. I reckon Playitforward can do the same.

[Melvyn's Cart Washer]

I play 90% of my golf at publics and I played 7 courses last year that have been redesigned and lengthened in the last 15 years. I am old enough to remember when a 300 yard drive was remarkable for tour pros. A shorter ball means the crazy things done to Merion do not have to be done.

[chico]

@ MC.W- spot on.

[Melvyn's Range Finder]

Even if you tee it forward, you often have to walk past all the extra tees. And you still get mixed with or have to paly behind the top players / perceived top players that need/want to play the tips at 7100 or whatever. Teeing it forward help but only in a vacuum.

[Get rid of trees]

The time issue is not really going to alleviate itself. 4 hours vs. 5 hours outside of the earliest start times effectively kills a weekend day no matter what. The time issue is one of modernity and the fact that men take on more involvement now in the raising of their children (which IMHO is a good change in society). Add to the fact, many careers are more demanding of weekend time than in the past.

Secondly - I find the biggest impediment to golf rounds and speed is not so much distance. It is lost balls. I believe this is a direct result of too many courses designed or re-designed to take on a more parkland feel than a links feel, and too many trees and under brush which cause most hackers (myself included) to lose multiple balls a round, and spend far too much time to look for them.

One way to alleviate this is for golf courses (and the USGA) to change the rules of golf, such that if the ball is not immediately observable, the player is to drop within the proximity of where the ball left the fairway when not playing in a competitive club or sanctioned tournament.

Another rule is to post rules at the 1st Tee such as:

A) Recreational rounds: once you have doubled par, pick-up the ball and move on to the next hole. Anytime I hear someone talk about a 10 on a par 4 I have to wonder how much extra time they took, delaying playing partners and foursomes behind them.

B) Recreational rounds: 6 Inch rule. If you put or chip a ball within 6 inches of the hole, pick-up and count it outside of Par 3's (to avoid false Aces).

C) Unless you have an official handicap of less than 15, play from the senior tees.

D) I also believe the speed issue is why so many bunkers are not re-groomed by players. Yes, there are jerks and ignorant newbies. But I get the feeling a large majority are people feeling guilty about pace of play.

E) 9-Hole Days - courses would be wise to pick certain days of the month (including weekends) and hole only days. I think too many players only think of playing 18 because that is what they see on TV, not realizing that playing 9 can be fun.
B) Recreational