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Golf Is Awesome so stop trying to hack it and instead embrace what makes the game so damn great!

BY Tony Covey
Apr 22nd 2014
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Written By: Tony Covey

The Monday after The Masters TaylorMade Golf hosted a HackGolf event at Reynolds Plantation where PGA Tour Professionals Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose wore shorts, and, playing alongside media members more important (or more likely to say nice things about HackGolf) than myself, hit golf balls into 15” cups.

…and golf was saved.

If only it was that simple.

The experiment will be repeated at courses all over the country (sans the PGA Tour guys and the media), and if everything goes well, courses will be given the option to purchase the 15” kits.

Here’s a quick tip…if you want to give the appearance that Hacking Golf is all about growing the game, and not simply growing a revenue stream, maybe don’t try and cash in on the Hack hole kits. In fairness, TaylorMade is footing the bill for the first 100 kits, and anybody else who wants them needs to pay Par Aide, so it’s not like TaylorMade is cashing in on this first attempt at hacking the golf.

Tell us why you love golf and you’ll be automatically entered to win a special MyGolfSpy Prize Package.

Since the Hack Golf initiative launched a steady stream of mostly predictable ideas (some more absurd than others) have rolled in.

:: We need bigger cups (apparently 15” is the right number)
:: Courses should open up for Foot Golf (15” cups might work there too)
:: The golf balls should be bigger
:: Courses should replace their golf carts with Segways
:: EVERYONE should play faster

I’ll give the Segway idea points for ingenuity…and fun.

The problem with HackGolf is that to date it’s a community of mostly avid golfers complaining about everything that’s wrong with golf. The new blood (guys who don’t play golf at all – and can provide a reasoned explanation for what that is) is largely absent. The guys talking about what’s wrong with golf, are the ones playing most of the golf.

Here’s everything I hate, but I play anyway…but YOU still need to fix it.

Could you imagine if golf companies sold equipment this way? Don’t buy our driver because…well…here’s all the stuff that’s wrong with it. Buy hey, bear with us, we’ll brainstorm the problem, and get back to you later.

To grow golf you have to sell what’s great about golf, not reinvent the whole damn game.

The HackGolf approach is all wrong. To grow golf we don’t need to tear it down. It doesn’t need to be hacked. We need to tap in to why it is that we play this amazing game despite the hundreds of things that are apparently terribly wrong with it.

Each and every one of us loves golf. Reasons may be singular or many, but WE LOVE GOLF.

Share the love, grow the game. That’s what I believe.

So right now, today, right here, let’s have a discussion. I don’t want to hear about slow play, or how expensive golf is. I’m not interested in complaints about equipment release cycles, or the lack of Segways on the golf course.

I want you to tell me this and only this:

Why do you love golf?

Discuss below. Everyone who participates will be automatically entered to win a MyGolfSpy Prize Package.

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Tony Covey

Tony is the Editor of MyGolfSpy where his job is to bring fresh and innovative content to the site. In addition to his editorial responsibilities, he was instrumental in developing MyGolfSpy's data-driven testing methodologies and continues to sift through our data to find the insights that can help improve your game. Tony believes that golfers deserve to know what's real and what's not, and that means MyGolfSpy's equipment coverage must extend beyond the so-called facts as dictated by the same companies that created them. Most of all Tony believes in performance over hype and #PowerToThePlayer.

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Tony Covey

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Join The Discussion

Big HOLE Golf

10 years ago

Hi Guys, Big HOLE Golf (8inch holes) is not designed to be for everyone. It’s an alternative mode of play for a segment of the market, which is for people that don’t play golf yet!
If you encourage people with an easier course, then it is a progression for them to the full course. Some use shorts courses or scramble events to encourage new players, we use bigger holes. If you are concerned about Big HOLE Golf as a threat to the game then you don’t understand the place for this mode of play. Whether you have players from forward tees with easy pin placement on a quiet time of the week it about encouraging new faces through the front gate.
Our members love our championship days which are played from the plates with tight pin positions and double cut greens. They also enjoy the fact that they can introduce golf to their partner, child or grandchild and play Big HOLE Golf on some occasions.

Mar

10 years ago

Sorry PGA/USGA but there’s no way you’re going to “grow golf” in the current economy and times. But so what? Golf doesn’t need to be “fixed”. Golf is a game of extreme skill that is not for everyone; it is HARD and that’s the way it was meant to be. It is a game of rules, etiquette and passion. I totally disagree with any attempt to dumb it down for the masses (like everything else in America) so that corporations can make more money. as Paul McCartney said “… let it be.”

If people want something they can do at the spur of the moment, without much time and effort, let them go bowling. If you suck at it, you can always ask them to put up the rails.

Scott

10 years ago

It is a simple game. Go walk 18 alone and just enjoy what you’ve come to do. Play it how you like but remember that it is a beautiful day isolated from the rest of the world.

Jeffrey Mitchell

10 years ago

What is not to love. The courses that I prefer to play are beautiful. I spend time with friends and every game presents a ton of challenges. Very few other games give you the ability to deal with yourself and the way your mental dialogue works (or doesn’t work). Then there is the feeling of hitting the perfect shot that seems to put you in touch with the divine.

Steve Belville

10 years ago

I just caught a commercial introducing this whole hackafication nonsense this past weekend watching the tournament down in New Orleans. I was absolutely dumbfounded that this was something folks are actually considering. A 15″ cup? I saw a picture of it and my first reaction was, where the hell is the fun, let alone the challenge, in that? This is a perfect example of how lazy and unimaginative our society has become. The PGA should step in and at least act like they are exploring new, refreshing and creative alternatives to promote, educate, and teach the greatest game ever created. Why people want to dumb it down and make it easier is beyond me. Truly disturbing and TaylorMade should be embarrassed and ashamed. Guess I won’t be buying a SLDR anytime soon.
There are several areas I can think of off the top of my head that may help bring the game forward without sacrificing the valued traditions and heritage associated with it. One of those isn’t listening to stuffy old British bastards every weekend. Jim Nantz is right, kids today can’t relate to them. Hell I’m 47 and I can’t relate to them. The best golfers, biggest tournaments, and the largest television viewing audiences are all from the United States. Lots of love and no disrespect but bloody bugger off mates.
Next thing I would do is introduce a par 6 hole that is a 1000 yards long with 45 degree doglegs, trees right out of Dr. Seuss and a pin placement on the side of glacier. I’ll give ya something to hack through candy-asses. Ok just a par 6 1,000 yard hole. Did you know that Ernie Els is the 100th rated golfer in driving average? He averages 288yds! That’s almost half way to a 600yd par 5, which are not all that common. Let’s kick it up notch. Makes a 7 look allot better on a hackers score card anyway.
Here is an idea that has been around for years… night golf. They have one up the road in Clearwater, Florida and it’s a blast. Shoot they have a par 3 lighted course outside of Duran Golf Club, an 18 hole championship course. Bring some of the pro’s over on a Wednesday night for a charity event or let local folks win a chance to play with the fellas. If you play at night they will watch. Most people don’t see the first two rounds of PGA events because they are at work.
One area that is seriously lacking is the development of children’s golfing programs. Most kids can’t get on to courses to play other than hitting balls down the driving range. I have read discussing regarding some courses putting in tee boxes for kids so they can compete on a level playing field, essentially shortening a par 4 from say 450 to 250. From what I have read, the kids really have not created log jams for slow play. It can and is being done, just not at the scale the PGA should be striving for. There are enough private country clubs out there for the more discerning golfers. It would take only small changes to better accommodate all age groups at our public courses. It can only help bolster enthusiasm for the game with the kids.
Another idea is to create different kinds of competitions other than the standard stroke and match play. Maybe have a couple tournaments a year that follow innovative formats. Perhaps a randomly drawn 4 man scramble with individual advancements through the weekend via the accumulation of points. How about setting up booths at tournaments letting fans pick who they think will hit the closest to the pin, longest drive or low score for the day giving them a chance to meet the winner or win prizes. Make the atmosphere at golf tournaments more fun and interactive.
I am a huge proponent of maintaining the integrity of the game. It should never be compromised as it’s traditions are rooted deeply. That does not mean golf couldn’t stand a face lift, but changing the game because you find it difficult is incredibly moot. Anything worth while in this world doesn’t come easy. I personally find the arguments pushing for these so called innovations to be self defeating in their very essence. I suck so lets change the game. I believe allot of the brain think out there is based on a lack of understanding of the game itself. It unfortunately is becoming more and more common place. I actually heard a guy at the putting green a couple of weeks ago ripping on the Carne Golf Club in Belmullet, County of Mayo in Ireland. Saying the fairways sucked, to hilly, to windy, waves crashing against cliffs to loud, unbelievable. This guy actually played one of the most beautiful courses in the world and didn’t have the least bit of sense about the history of links courses, let alone where the hell he was standing. Very sad.

David W

10 years ago

It’s the perfect getaway from your everyday life. When I step on the course, everything else is forgotten. I put my phone on mute, I don’t check ball game scores, email, or anything else. It’s heaven on earth. You could argue that hiking, running, etc do the same thing. However, I believe that having to concentrate on what you are doing really pushes the rest of the world away. I do like to listen to music when I play if I’m on a course where the holes are separated by trees, hills, etc so that I don’t bother anyone else (my buddies like the music also). Other than that, it’s me against myself and nothing else really matters for 3 or 4 hours!!

jason

10 years ago

I love golf for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s the challenge. It’s a hard game, but that only makes those breakthroughs, as rare as they are, that much better. Also, I love stats, and EVEYRTHING is measurable in golf. You can pick apart individual parts of your game that need improvement, to hopefully bring you closer to that next goal on the course.

Also, nothing beats being outside at dawn, on a beautifully groomed course, with dew still on the grass. There aren’t many things I wake up early for, but for tee times like this, I can’t wait for the alarm to go off.

Bill

10 years ago

Golf is all about enjoyment…the challenge, weather, being outdoors, companionship. I play three times a week and truly look forward to playing. There are days when I wish I had played better but most days I just have a great time!

Salmon

10 years ago

Well I love golf simply because I was brought up with it with my father and my grandfather, and I love that I have that connection with them. I also love the challenge of the game and it really brings out the competitive side in me. I love the chance at being outdoors for a big portion of the weekend and being able to walk through some beautiful scenory round the course. I love the feeling of accomplishment when you have a great round and the effort that goes into it. I love a lot of things about golf really, specially now that I’m getting my girlfriend into it.

P.J. Evans

10 years ago

I love golf because it is a challenge! I hate this concept of ‘hack golf’!!
This game is one you can play alone, with your buddies or complete strangers and it’s amazing. I am competing against myself and my skills. Is it hard – hell yes! which is what makes the successes that much sweeter! There was a time when I couldn’t break 100 and I practiced. When I finally cracked 90, it was time for lessons. Last year I hit my all time low handicap, with a 7.2 and I was never happier.
Golf is my passion – I love to talk about it, watch it, read about and of course – PLAY!!!
Will 15″ holes and non-conforming clubs make it easier? Probably, but then it’s not golf – it’s some hybrid sport that will alter the courses that I’ve come to love. If they put the 15″ and the standard 4-1/4″ on the same hole, what happens when one is in my line of play?!? or the ball holes out incorrectly. Between “Hack Golf” and “Foot Golf”, they are two of the dumbest and most damaging things I’ve heard mentioned about this sport I love in my lifetime!

RG

10 years ago

I love golf, first off I LOVE the feeling of a perfectly struck golf shot, whether it is a drive off the tee that splits the fairway, a perfect 3 wood off the fairway, a long iron out of the second cut, a great pitch or chip with a wedge and last but certainly not least a 25 foot serpentine putt that drops right in the middle of the cup. It doesn’t happen often, in fact achieving it is one of the things that keeps me excited and motivated about playing the game. No matter how good I get I will never be able to hit every golf shot perfectly yet I will keep trying to achieve it.

I love golf for the exercise that it provides, I love walking 18 holes on a warm slightly breezy day enjoying the weather, the beauty of the course, the sky and the GOLF! Exercise does not get any better than this!

I love golf for the time it allows me to spend with my son and my close friends. There is nothing better than enjoying a round of golf with close friends and family, the fun and competitiveness from all in the group is fantastic.

Lastly, I love golf for the opportunity it allows for me to meet new people and make new friends. Some of my best golf memories and my closest friends all started with meeting new people on the first tee of a round of golf, when i was a single playing with three strangers. By the end of the round I had three new friends and memories of a great time.

Golf is GREAT.

Chris Backhouse

10 years ago

I love golf because of the multitude of challenges it gives me – the course and weather conditions, my playing partners and the rest of the competitors. Add in the fact that players of differing ability can play against each other on a relatively level playing field due to handicaps and stableford scoring, along with social and friendly games and you have a pretty perfect game.

As for hack golf, I don’t see how it can help. Most of my non-golfing friends are put off by equipment costs, membership fees, petty rules and outdated attitudes. Fix these issues and the game will grow.

BD Ledbetter

10 years ago

Two main reasons:
1) While mastering the swing may be impossible, that dangling carrot that is a perfect swing is always taunting me to return and I love the challenge of trying to get there.
2) no matter how old you are, you can always get better and that is always a good feeling as the years collect.

Andy

10 years ago

>>What we need to know, is why the non-golfers don’t play golf, or even want to start. In other words – what must we do to bring new golfers into the ranks –<<

When I get on the first tee, being concerned about non-golfers is the last thing on my mine. Heck, for that matter, it is never on my mind. Ditto growing the game, Why? It is what it is, and apparently it is pretty darn good.

Hey, here's our tee times, join us if you would like, bring $12 bet money and we will put you on a team…two best balls plus skins… Let's roll….

izmerul

10 years ago

If you ask an Englishman what he thinks of France, he’ll tell you “it’s a wonderful country, there are just too many bloody french living there”

Golf is the same … there’s no problem with the game, it’s the players. And then there’s the small matter that except in america where it’s relatively affordable, the #1 reason for playing golf is to “look rich”

try fixing that …

Dusty Miller

10 years ago

As an English PGA Professional (and USA fan) working in Germany, I must say that my ability to comment on the above is partially limited by the, also limited, access to TV-Golf available here. Firstly I must say that Jim Nantz’s (assuming it’s really himself) comment on the removal commentators with British accents rather irrelevant, if not pathetic. Mr Nantz, who otherwise, in person, has my respect, should not for be forgetting that there is a relatively large foreign interest on the PGA Tour and not only under the sponsors for example, HSBC, Zurich, BMW, Deutsche Bank, Hyundai, Sony, Honda, Bridgestone, etc. As a 3-time Masters winner, is a Nick Faldo a very experienced and successful player and qualified commentator. His comments show mostly more professional insight and are mostly vastly less uninspired and banal than the interview questions behind the 18th.
The problem affecting golf is a global and not a local problem. The world is getting smaller and daily life is getting faster, interests are far broader and shorter-lived than it was 20 years ago – Internet. Job security has lessoned – computers etc., etc. There are sports and hobbies available now which did not even exist 20 or 30 years ago. The problem is a global and golf problem and not an American one.
Although I understand and sympathise with many of the comments above, they mostly don’t address the problem – the 20-footer, double-break putt, the 160yd approach which stops 10″ from the hole, is of course fantastic – but means nothing to the future golfer – whom we need to “Grow the game”.
Whetherwe agree with the postings on Hackgolf or similar things or not is basically irrelevant. We don’t need to know what golfers think is bad, same old, same, slow play, beginners, green fee prices, courses too tough, courses too easy, etc., etc.. What we need to know, is why the non-golfers don’t play golf, or even want to start. In other words – what must we do to bring new golfers into the ranks – and not: what must we do to make the present golfers happy. All they want are perfectly presented courses, low prices, great weather, fast play ie. no beginners, etc..
I agree that many of the contributions to Hackgolf and similar theatres, tend to be stages for people who want to sell 15″ holes and the such – live with it – what we need, is not the platform for complaints/loves from the present golfers, but the reasons why the next generation of golfers are not playing.
Shorter round-times are certainly important in the fast society of today. More public courses (especially here in Germany). Prices must also be considered – while remembering that a course is far more expensive in construction and maintenace than most other sport venues.
We don’t need American solutions, we need golf solutions. We must listen to everyone – but especially to thise who would maybe play – but don’t. WHY NOT??? Making the present golfers happier may help in some instances – but won’t secure the future.
Don’t complain about the negatives – look for the small grains of insight which will secure and better the future.
Hope I have not stepped on too many toes.

peaks

10 years ago

Why is no one talking about cost? I love the game the way it is played now. I like the challenge and the competition. The only thing keeping me from playing more is time and most of all money.

Tom D.

10 years ago

I love the game of Golf. I love that it is hard. I love that it is an individual challenge that can be played with others. I love that I can play golf with my wife and not have to compete with her.

What I dislike about golf mostly has to do with how golf is managed by course operators. For example, course operators (COs, hereafter) set a “time par” of 15 minutes per hole then sent out groups of 4, sometimes 5, every 8 minutes. Then they criticize ME for “slow play”.

COs also (in most cases) complain that attendance is down, yet they refuse to provide a reasonable 9-hole option. I don’t always have time for a full 18, but a couple hours for 9 holes I can do more often. And, no, the “back 9″, available only early mornIngs until the early starters make the turn, doesn’t cut it!

COs also don’t seem to be aware of the laws of supply and demand. You can demand $100 and up for a round of golf when no one it there to pay it. Since you have an excess supply of course hours, how about dropping the price during low-demand hours?

Maybe if course operators implemented some of these ideas, rather than 15” holes, they would see an increased interest in this great game.

-Tom

Nick Swanson

10 years ago

I love that the harder you practice the better you play. I also love that you can play different courses every week and have a completely different experience at each. I also love walking 18 holes at a beautiful course something about playing golf looking around and seeing amazing views is very gratifying for me.

Chris

10 years ago

I LOVE GOLF BECAUSE IT IS HARD.
It is always a challenge and offers a look at what is inside you.

chris m

10 years ago

I love to play golf because:

it is difficult,
it is an ever-changing challenge,
it is a great break from the reality of life,
it is athletic,
it is fun,
and I get to hang out with my friends.

SlicerB

10 years ago

Having been a multi-sport athlete in HS & college, I found that golf was the most challenging sport I have ever attempted. It is this challenge that has made it my favorite sport over the past 45 years.

Andy

10 years ago

Why Golf
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER 9/3/08
by RON GREEN JR.

• It’s the way the first tee feels, alive with possibility.
• It’s that feeling, out of nowhere, that comes as you’re lining up a putt, letting you know that all you have to do is get the ball rolling and the hole will get in the way.
• It’s the thump of a well-played bunker shot.
• It’s nine holes late in the day, when the sun is sinking and the shadows are stretching, showing every bump and roll in a golden light that makes you stop and look around.
• It’s the Golf Channel on in the corner of the bar.
• It’s calling your shot and pulling it off.
• It’s the eighth hole at Grandfather, the third at Linville and the 14th at Balsam Mountain, paintings with a flagstick in the middle.
• It’s your Saturday morning game, with a little money on the line and no haggling about the teams.
• It’s the guys who look like they can’t play a lick then spend their days around par, not needing swing coaches, just having a knack for getting the ball in the hole.
• It’s calling your own penalties.
• It’s a kid with his bag slung over his shoulder, cap pulled low, hoofing it down a fairway.
• It’s nipping a wedge just right, having it bounce once and cozy up to the hole the way Sergio does it.
• It’s a bowl of peanuts and a cold beer at the end of the day, when stories can be embellished, if only a little.
• It’s the warm feel of a turtleneck in December, the first greening of the grass in March, the thrill of hitting it a club longer in July and greens as fast as the kitchen floor in October.
• It’s the suntan marks left by your golf socks and shoes.
• It’s Harbour Town in April, Quail Hollow in May and Pinehurst any time.
• It’s having the sun behind you and catching a tee shot square, having a moment to admire it as it’s framed against the sky.
• It’s the small but sudden thrill of finding a new Titleist, even if you already have a bagful.
• It’s the clutch in your throat the first time you see St. Andrews and the never-ending thrill of Amen Corner.
• It’s the belief that the magic you’ve found in a new driver will last forever.
• It’s the scent of salt air, the faint taste of pine pollen on your lips and the glimpse of a gator in a low country lagoon.
• It’s standing over a 5-footer that doesn’t matter to anyone but you and being thankful for the feeling.
• It’s Tiger on the tee, Mickelson with a wedge in his hand, Nicklaus on the property.
• It’s the little places with pickups in the parking lot, ragged grass, bumpy greens, worn-out golf carts, yellow range balls and a spirit all their own.
• It’s the way you practice your swing in the elevator riding down, the way you put an overlapping grip on the rake and the way you see golf holes where others just see fields along the highway.
• It’s the way tournament golf feels, even if it’s just a little club event.
• It’s the feel of new grips and the shine of new irons.
• It’s playing with your father, your brother or your daughter.
• It’s listening to David Feherty, Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo explain the game as only they can.
• It’s the gentle creak of aging muscles in the evening, a good tired.
• It’s a birdie at the 18th to win the press.
• It’s having people who understand what’s important, whether it’s renovating a course or reinventing a local tournament.
• It’s going for a par-5 in two, trying to cut a corner and that instant when you wonder if the shot is as good as it looks.

It’s golf. And it’s why we play.

Neil

10 years ago

I love golf for the challenge. It is hard to learn the game. It is not an easy game to play. But I live for the moments when I hit that perfect shot, birdie or eagle a hole, etc. making the game easier takes all of that away from me.

Dave

10 years ago

Golf is the place that I get away from everything. Don’t think about work, my life or anything else, just golf. Quite cathartic for me. Golf is also a great challenge for me (I play ok, but the challenge is a big part of the reason I play) to get better, to lower my scores, to hit my targets, to hit the ball where I am aimed.

We don’t need “Hack Golf” or whatever they want to call it. Golf is one of the few sports where the least talented of the amateur players can play the same equipment, courses (for the most part) and by the same rules as the pros do. It’s that great putt, long drive, great approach shot, sandie, or hitting a par five in two that keeps us mortals coming back. Plus, it gives me time with my buddies, to be crude, make jokes, and otherwise be a guy, without forgetting that the game craves respect, divots replaced, and ball marks repaired.

I can think of no other way to spend 4-5 hours of a day (4 for the round, I come early to get loose), even if my golf game sucks that day, it is still better than 99% of the things I can think of doing or having to do.

Kris Penner

10 years ago

I love golf because it one of the few sports an 8 year old and an 80 year old can play together. I love golf because its one of the only sports that requires you to ref yourself and thusly is revealing of the type of person you are. I love golf because for 4 to 5 hours a week (lately a month, I have 3 kids under 3rd….) I can escape reality and unwind with my friends. But mostly I love golf because this summer for the first time ever I will take my soon to be 3 year old twin boys to the course with me and that is the start to my dream foursome (I can’t decide if the fourth is my 6 month old baby girl, or Bill Murray lol).

Cheers to the game I love and please leave it alone…

Scott

10 years ago

Excellent article. I walked out of the TM meeting (at the Rosen Centre in Orlando) with my jaw wide open…I could not believe the presentation and was embarrassed for those who gave it. I love the idea of getting info from people who do not currently play. No offense to Footgolf but really? My guess is that soccer will not be handing drivers to the adult soccer players to hit a soccer ball with a 12.5 loft XXL Flex due to their lack of support of older players.

I believe golf has changed because there was a day when dad took the family to the club and that club was the only game in the are with a pool and a tennis court…now every neighborhood has a pool and tennis courts and the family is going to their kids sporting events on the weekends. Have you ever seen a Lacrosse event? Girls Volleyball? There is a TON more competition and the answer is not HACK or FOOT Golf. The answer lies in creating a desire or demand for the product. The 3 key issues with golf 1) Takes too long 2) Its very expensive 3) It is very difficult to become an accomplished player and not many people have the time to invest.

Maybe a few suggestions:

1) Turn a course into 6, 12, or 18 holes Thjs will help save time and money. The traditionalist can play 18 and the beginners can choose a quick 1:30 6 hole round.
2) The issue is the upkeep of a course is crazy to maintain. I love what Pinehurst is doing for The US Open…Fairway and pretty nasty unkept rough. Make more courses with risk reward and lower maintenance.
3) Have some rating system that only allows the best of the best to play the Championship Tees…I am a 2 and I don’t belong back there! Just play it forward…it is still a very hard game even from 200 yards in!!! You dont need to play it 8,200 just because it says this from the tips…No tournament is set up all the way back…yet my guys insist it’s not golf if you’re not tipping it out. I have been in the business for a very long time…after hitting from the tips recently I would honestly rather not play. MAKE THE GAME FUN! We came up with a Ladies only demo days because some women were too embarrassed to hit a ball in front of such skilled athletes (yeah right) But they loved hitting with other women.
I love the game and I certainly don’t have the answers but we need to do something because the current rounds in my area are WAY down year to date.

Gordon

10 years ago

To answer your question, I LOVE golf.
I Love it because it is time spent outside, amongst the trees (far too often, under them) and hills and ponds, birds, frogs, fish, and turtles in nature. Yes, a manicured version of nature, but it is still nature.
It is a sport that even the best in the world are constantly struggling with, perfection is not attainable. Yet something drives me to see just how close to it I can get.
Every day, even on the same course, it is different. You end up in a different spot in the fairway, or the wind is different and the hole’s dynamics change accordingly, and so does your strategy.
It is you against yourself, you against the elements, you against the course, then you against your friends or playing partners.
And I would be remiss to not mention that time spent on the course with friends, away from work, stresses, girlfriends / wives ( as much as we love them… guy time in important). To be able to compete against all those things, smoke a cigar, or have a drink and make fun of your buddy’s crappy shot, and then promptly follow up with one of your own… it is just an awesome little mini-party wrapped around a century’s old game.
So that just about sums it up…. I’ll also add that I love the technology involved with the game, but that is more on the peripheral than the actual game and the elements I love.

Golfer Burnz

10 years ago

I love getting up at the crack of dawn in the summertime, beating everyone to the course. Playing while the maintenance guys are out mowing and doing course maintenance. Realizing I’ll have to pay my green fees when I get back to the clubhouse because no one was there when I arrived. Putting on dewey green and watching dew spray off the ball and leave a track and a perfect breaking line to the ball, even if it slows the ball speed tremendously. After I’m done, having a cup of hot Joe on the veranda of the clubhouse, watching others hit on to the 18th green.

Person

10 years ago

Golf would be awesome if you guys and everyone else were not dick riding TaylorMade so much and promoting them flooding the market with complete and utter crap.

Tony Covey

10 years ago

Far be it from me to correct someone’s grammar, but I believe that “dick riding” should actually be hyphenated (dick-riding).

mnfats95

10 years ago

I think you were trying to infer that there is a big problem with people promoting TaylorMade when that promotion is perhaps unearned or not warranted. I am confused however, because to me, “dick riding” isn’t something I would consider to be a good thing as a heterosexual male.

Perhaps you are trying to say that TaylorMade is “sticking it to us” and we talk them up anyway?

Whichever it is, your opinion that the game would be awesome if they weren’t doing what they are doing is really absurd since there is really no bearing on how awesome golf is or isn’t because of an equipment manufacturer.

How exactly is them flooding the market with utter crap affecting golf?

Just looking for clarification.

AWOL

10 years ago

Wow…”Person” just because Taylormade is encouraging people to play alternative methods of golf does not mean they are destroying golf. I have no issues with Hack golf i could careless if there was a 15in hole next to my 4in cup. As long as i dont break my leg by stepping in the damn thing accidentally. Its more true to golf than say Frisbee golf. Hack golf isn’t meant for the really experienced players. I’m very good at putting i usually never do more than a 2 putt and i have excellent short game mainly because after missing greens for 17yrs you tend to compensate elsewhere. If i was aiming at a 15 inch cup i would probably always one putt. But you people need to stop blaming TMag for everything. I swear i could write an article on MGS or any other golf forum for that fact, about something that doesn’t even involve golf and someone will find a way to hate TMag. If you are going to blame TMag for encouraging newcomers to play golf, then you might as well hate Callaway too for being a major sponsor of the new TopGolf locations that encourage people to drink and play golf, that half don’t even own their own clubs. Hate Cobra for encouraging mainly young unexperienced players. Hate Mizuno for sponsoring hack golfers and giving them all the newest equipment. Seriously with your attitude there wont be many OEMs left to choose from.

GreenDoor

10 years ago

There is just something spiritual about whacking a ball with a stick that only some of us seem to get and I am OK with that. Golf is a beautiful and maddening game that simply can’t be forced onto someone, no matter how easy you try and make it. And I for one, enjoy being surrounded by those who play the game because they enjoy it, for whatever reason that may be. Golf may be ‘dying’, but it will never die for me because no matter how many golf club companies go out of business or courses shut their gates, I will find a way to whack a ball into a hole with a stick.

MG

10 years ago

Plenty of reasons: Exercise (I really don’t understand taking a cart unless you have some kind of injury/disability) out in the fresh air, competition, something that can be enjoyed alone or with others (I really appreciate this fact since it can be hard to motivate people to do just about anything active), and it is something that is challenging which you can always work to get better at. I love golf and try to play at least 4 days a week!

BK in Texas

10 years ago

Why do I love golf?
The long breaking putt that somehow finds the bottom of the cup.
The 40 yard pitch that rattles the flag.
The forged iron struck so well you hardly felt the ball.
The high arching tee shot that went 20 yards longer than normal.
Razzing buddies for awful shots and cheering their great ones.
The 5 mile walk that otherwise would not have been taken.
and so on and so on……

kygolfer1980

10 years ago

I love golf for many reasons. I am a very competitive person, playing golf my success depends upon myself and my willingness to improve. I can’t blame my failures on anything or anyone else. I love how the game can change so much depending on the weather. I can play the same course everyday but it may play different everyday depending on the conditions presented. I love the comradery developed, I have traveled to places all over the USA and even Scotland with my best buddies and gained memories that I can fondly recall for the rest of my life. I love the anticipation of that even though I may be having a crappy day, I’m getting ready to go play golf so who cares. I love being outside, I love that it is something I can enjoy with my children at any age, and most of all…. I love hitting that one pure shot that makes you want to play 18 more and erases a day of struggles.

Marc Kilgore

10 years ago

I like golf because I can play on my own and not bother keeping score, yet still get the thrill of accomplishment when things go right. I like that when I hit a 160 yard shot to 5 feet, I know a pro would be happy with the shot. I like that golf can be a very social thing, or a very solitary thing – yet the game doesn’t change. I like that I can dress the part and look like a golf clothing advertisement on a nice course, or go to the local muni in shorts and a t shirt to hit balls on the range in sandals. I like that golf can be whatever you want it to be, and it gives back what you put into it.

TwoSolitudes

10 years ago

Love this one.

Ultraman

10 years ago

I love golf because it’s a mystery that you have to solve every day, every round, every shot. Nothing in the world feels better than a long drive, a perfectly struck iron, a hole-out from off the green, a ten foot putt to save par, the forty footer that finds its way to the center of the cup, and last but certainly not least, your first hole in one and every one after if you’re lucky enough. All that said, nothing feels worse than playing like crap…..and nothing is more relished than getting to the range and finding your swing again. Golf is like Fifty First Dates but more fun.

RAT

10 years ago

LEAVE GOLF AS IT IS ! Go play puttputt!!! Heck I play golf because it is tough and fun..

SactoMke

10 years ago

I love golf because it’s fun. I love it because on one shot I can look like a tour pro and on the very next I look like I can’t hit my butt with both hands. I love that I can go out, dig deep, focus and grind out a career round or I can go out in the afternoon and decide I’m not taking the driver out of the bag, I’m going to hit three different approach shots with three different clubs just to see what I can do and as long as I let the folks behind me play through it’s no big deal. I love that golf can be as relaxing or focused as I want it to be. I love knowing that no matter how bad of a round I’m playing that the next one can be my best ever. I love knowing that the golf gods will be there to rein me in when I start thinking I’m better than I am and to let me chip in for birdie on 18 at the end of a horrible round just to make sure I’m back tomorrow.

SMRT

10 years ago

I love golf because it is the ultimate challenge! It is you against the course. Do you have the skill it takes to hit the next shot? Do you have the physical and mental ability to stay strong even during a bad round? I love being able to walk onto a course and spend the day with old friends while also making new ones. Besides all of that, what other sport do you get to enjoy a few cocktails and drive a motor vehicle at the same time!

overninety

10 years ago

They say the first twenty years of golf are the hardest.
I have six years playing and I love it . I don’t want to start all over again because some companies want to sell new hardware.
If they think they should change this great sport because is difficult . Two comments:

Think for a moment how hard this sport was 100 years ago with the equipment they have, very few people could play, and golf today is more popular than ever.
Get a PlayStation, its easier that way

Christian Furu

10 years ago

It’s obvious that most people have no idea of what is actually going on here.

Everyone will still love golf. Golf will be the same game we all know. Hack Golf is not about ruining the game for those who love it. You will not be forced to play anything other than traditional golf.

There’s room for a different type of golf.

DavidO

10 years ago

Gee Christian, finally someone who makes some sense.

Someone above was extolling the virtues of baseball without recognizing the multitude of different ways people play “baseball”. Yeah, there is room for other types of golf.

I agree that the difficulty of the game is a major reason why many of us play, but that does not to be a requirement for all that might want to play.

Marko

10 years ago

A lot of people complain about not having enough time to play golf, that 4 hours is too long. I work a 9-5 job and I play because it takes 4-5 hours to play; it’s a privilege to have that much time outdoors with friends playing a sport that involves challenges and patience. It’s so hard to force yourself to unplug and relax in our current 24/7 easy access climate, golf gives me an outlet to lose myself in sport, outdoors and witty banter with my pals. That’s why I look forward to my Sunday afternoon game and that’s why I love golf.

Matt

10 years ago

I love golf because you don’t need other people to participate in order to play. Also, you could be great, your buddie can be terrible, and you can still have a challenge because you play against the course and not your friend.

I like the idea of the big hole. But just as a fun thing every once in a while.

Shawn Schaffer

10 years ago

I love golf because of the challenge.

It challenges you to hold yourself accountable. To strive to better yourself at something. It challenges you to take the time to really try at something. You truly get out what you put in with the sport.

I am a HUGE supporter of keeping the game as it is. What’s wrong with golf? What’s wrong with golf is the people who THINK something needs to change. The game is perfect as it is.

Is it a little archaic in some of the rules? Yes. Is the attitude some people who carry a misrepresentation of the true spirit of the game? Yes.

But keep the game as it is. This game has been around so long. It offers so much for the common person. Yes it takes a long time. Yes it’s difficult. But what great component of life doesn’t have that?

A career doesn’t pop up overnight, a lifelong relationship isn’t developed in a matter of seconds, and the mastery of something you love doesn’t usually come natural.

People don’t clamor for football or baseball to be easier. They don’t try and change the size of the bat, the compression of the ball, the length of the field or the rules of the game. They simply let them be.

Are incremental changes necessary? Absolutely. Wouldn’t you call the change of the grooves and the outlaw of the belly putter an incremental change? Just like the rule changes that happen every offseason in football.

But no one is running around trying to revolutionize the sport to make everyone good at it. There is a reason that professional athletes exist. The draw to changing the sport is because we can do it so much further into life. People want the easy way out as life goes on in a lot of cases.

Let it be, work at it, get better. That’s it.

I love golf because it taught me that exact mentality.

Nam

10 years ago

I love golf because it gets me out of the house and out of the office. I also love the fact that you’re really just playing against yourself. I don’t get it when guys get pissed and throw their clubs or point their hand at the green when their putts don’t break the way they thought it should. It’s an obsessive game in that you’re striving for perfection but you can never reach it because you could always hit it a bit farther or land it closer to the hole.

tider992010

10 years ago

I love it. I’ve actually used this a few times in an annual golf tourney and most golfers love it. We called it the Big A#$%Hole. It was done more of a gimmich than anything else. Also tried the smaller holes a couple times. It’s all in fun.

SeanC

10 years ago

I love golf because every time out is both a success and a failure. I’ve never played a perfect round – there’s always shots left out on the course. And boy, is it fun to mentally replay EVERY. SINGLE. SHOT. to my wife when I get home (not that she cares). Heck, my Dad and I can discuss shots and holes from years and years ago, but we both struggle to remember what clothes we wore 2 days ago.

W

10 years ago

I have always enjoyed golf simply for the repeat of that perfectly pured shot that flies and lands just as envisioned. That is what first got me hooked out on a driving range. The feeling of the effortless swing with perfect contact creating a better flight and outcome then the past 20 swings that involved a struggle, pain in the miss hits, and a less desirable outcomes. I love being outside, on the long walk of the golf course, and every time I stand over the ball it’s another chance to find that feeling. Even in a bad round, I hit that one shot, it sticks with me. Sometimes it’s a hero shot, but usually it’s as simple as a mid iron from the fairway or a par 3. Or the drive where you let your body go and effortless picked up 10 yards down the middle without even thinking and the ball perfectly fades around the dog leg. Those seconds in the game that takes hours is what initially got me hooked, and trying to find those seconds during a round is why I put hours into to the game week after week. It’s what I dream of staring out my office window, or tracking scores through the computer screen. I just want the memories of those seconds of pured shots to build up to be days in my lifetime of golfing.

pete

10 years ago

if “hack” golf doesn’t appeal to you……. then it just may be working

it’s not supposed to enourage golfers to play more… it’s supposed to lower the intimidation factor that prevents newcomers from trying/staying with the game

“hack” golf isn’t for you… it’s for people who aren’t golfers already…..

Jpcgolf

10 years ago

I love golf because it is so challenging. You always have to push yourself. In many other sports, you could have an okay game and still win, but not golf, I love that it is all you, and you can’t or don’t have to rely on anybody else. I also like that anybody can play golf. In the summer, I play with my grandparents, my dad, and me, it is amazing. It does not matter who you are, or what athletic ability you have, anybody can play golf.

John Billing

10 years ago

Finally the hype of golf is over. Golf has survived centuries by just being the “same” (well, almost) old game. It’s nice to finally be able to play on a not so crowded course, and it’s nice to feel that you don’t have to change every club in the bag every year due to some paradigm shift in manufacturing. It’s nice not everyone has to play golf, with or without talent and it’s wonderful that many recreational golfers moved on to running, growing beards and home improvement. For me, as an avid golfer (and not a shareholder in the OEMs or otherwise affiliated in the golf business) now is perfect. Just perfect (well, almost. I have some suggestions…)

Come OnSense

10 years ago

I want to add, that 15″ cup its wrong, bad for the game. I think a 6″ or 8″ cup will make a huge deference, it’s more reasonable for the ones that don’t want the change and those that do. A 15″ will F -up the greens . As a 4hc I don’t want to chip in every green because it will kill the fun
with a 15″ cup, but I will love to try the 6″ or 8″.

Come OnSense

10 years ago

I love golf because is fun !! challenging fun . It keeps you in check the entire round. Hit a bad or great shot and its all me. No excuses, none to blame and the great shots was all me too. No more blaming the coach for not putting you on the field to catch that pass ,etc etc. if your friends don’t want to play, its their lost because I’m going to have a blast with the beauty of the golf course and my lovely golf ball. Not to mention, the love for my clubs. When I played AA baseball I loved my glove, but it doesn’t come close to my golf clubs.I can go on for ever why I love golf. One thing I do indeed, it’s to encourage others to play golf ,at least to try it. When I’m at the course and I see people struggling, I always try to tell them that hitting the ball well is not the goal, that FUN is the #1 priority, because with fun, those bad & great shots will make you want to play even more.

AWOL

10 years ago

I love golf. I think about it every night and day. Spread my arms and swing away. I believe i can golf…………j/k i was doing and R. Kelly spin off. Seriously what is not to love about golf. I feel closest with some of my friends when we are just out there, smoking cigars and drinking super cold Coors light. It is a wonderful escape from life, its almost or you could say is therapeutic. Sometimes we play by the rules and sometimes we just play. How many other sports are out there where you can have great fun 2 different ways. I play some tournaments but they are always for charity. You don’t see backyard football, or baseball doing a lot of charity on a non-professional level. What is more rewarding then having great fun and helping people. Being a father of 2 girls one 2 1/2 and a 1yr old, the older already wants to putt with me and loves going to Dicks and golf courses. The most exciting part that i look forward to is when my girls want to golf and the first time they play with me and beat me.

Kenneth J

10 years ago

I love golf because the game does not judge. It is fair and impartial. You hit a bad shot. It’s on you. Hit a great one? Good job. Pat yourself on the back. There are no teammates (for the most part) to let you down, or take the glory.

I love golf because it seems simple on the surface, but is too difficult to master. It is hard and I like it. Easy is boring but playing great is endlessly enjoyable. There is only one thing in my life that my daughter, my dad, my wife and my closest friends all enjoy. Golf. It, for me, is spending time with my dad, who introduced me to the game, when I don’t get to very often, and taking the experience and now passing it on to my daughter. My grandfather taught my dad, my dad me, and now I get to pass that legacy on.

Also, I am too old and it costs too much to pick up another hobby. Don’t have the time or money to learn to flyfish, but I can find time for golf. I am “pot committed,” as they say, to the game.

Chal

10 years ago

Why do I love the game of golf? I love being outside, I love being with some of my closest friends competing against each other. I love the challenge. Some of my fondest memories are playing with both my mom and dad growing up. I love that if you are truly into the integrity of the game it can make you a better person. The life lessons that are taught on a golf course are truly inspiring. It can be a sport of just you battling yourself or a team competition in which you are battling fellow competitors. You can play by yourself or with any number of people.

Dru_

10 years ago

Short version, golf isn’t broken, but the industry may be.

I love golf. I love to play, I love the things that golf brings to it’s players. The etiquette, the courses and the people.

What is broken is the industry that surrounds golf, and that is the bigger picture problem. In the pursuit of short term revenue and profits, from the top to the bottom, the business is golf is putting a stranglehold on itself in the long term, and it is starting to feel that pinch right now, and it is going to get worse in the next few years.

The rapid release cycles reaching for the latest and greatest ‘more distance’ claims is driving the equipment arms race at one end, while poor course management and short term money grabs have created an economy with golf facilities that is unsustainable in the long term. Just look at the number of courses that are currently owned by banks and being operated by management groups with no ownership stakes across the country right now. It pains me to say this, but closing some courses is part of the answer. Financially viable courses don’t have to charge obscene markups in the pro-shops. They don’t have to nickel and dime members and guests to death when they are getting sufficient rounds played throughout the day (not trying to accommodate 15 extra 4somes during peak hours just to get the revenue they struggle to get during non-peak).

That said, players absorb culpability here too. Slow pace of play is not just a course management issue. It is a player issue. The I paid my fee I’ll take all the time I want attitude is selfish and at a direct opposition with the respectful/gentile nature of the game. At the same time, 99% of the players on the course will never be tour players, and they do not need to be taking the same amount of time with every stroke that Kevin Na does. I am not a good player by any means. I am a solid 15 index right now. I regularly play 18 holes in 3:30 or less with 4 players (none better than 10). We have been actively working with other players at our home course to think about playing quicker. We are told by the cart staff that the average round at the club has dropped to under 4:45 at the club as the awareness has been raised.

At the end of the day, it boils down to the industry fostering many of the very things that are killing it. Slow Play, the escalating cost of playing (rounds, equipment, balls, clothing, extras). Learning to control those are where to start. Getting bearded hipsters out to play is not. There are a bunch of people under 30 that love to play, but due to costs and time (keep in mind that 9 holes is usually 75% the cost of playing 18) simply prevent them from keeping at the game. Getting them to return is hard when they’ve been inactive for 15 years raising kids.

Mike E.

10 years ago

Your last paragraph nails it. Public courses need to be willing to lose some customers that play too slowly. Empower your rangers to force slow groups to skip ahead when they fall a hole behind. Private clubs should have even more leeway to act. At the club I used to belong to, if you played on Saturday or Sunday morning in a group that took more than 4:10, you’d get a letter in your locker.

Nine hole rounds are a great way to keep players with limited time engaged. To charge 75% of the 18 hole greens fee for 50% of the holes is a sure way to keep players away. And 50% of the greens fee is better than 0%.

TXGolfJunkie

10 years ago

What makes golf so great?

I challenge each and everyone of you, regardless of skill level, to go play at your favorite course and be the last tee time of the day. Don’t play with your buddies, just you and the course. Go play as much as you can in the final hours/minutes of sunlight. Walk, don’t ride in a cart. Carry a few clubs. Try new shots you normally wouldn’t try in a regular round. Hit 2 or 3 balls each shot. Play at your own pace and know you won’t get a full round in but you’ll get the most out of what holes you can play. If the conditions call for it, take your shoes off and play barefoot. Don’t listen to music, don’t think about what’s for dinner or the stress from work/life. Just play. When the day light has faded and the golf course staff has left for the day, the feeling you have walking off the course will make you realize what’s so great about golf.

Marc Kilgore

10 years ago

Seriously you don’t want to go barefoot on a course. The superintendent will even tell you… Not a good idea unless you want health issues. They use some nasty freaking chemicals on the grass.

Dru_

10 years ago

Spent some time talking to our Super at the end of last season about this and he actually said they have made a huge effort to cut back on anything that could be trouble because we have so much wildlife living on and around the course (deer, rabbits, falcons, eagles, hawks, herons, turtles, etc), in addition to the household pets that live near the course. I wonder if that is becoming more common for that to be a consideration.

Stephen

10 years ago

Great stuff – I do that on a regular basis throughout the season. I consider it some of my best time spent on the course!!

Stephen

10 years ago

Oops….except for the barefoot part….

Aaron M

10 years ago

I love golf because it’s an unpredictable game of precision. On any given day, I don’t know which level of game I will bring to the course. But that makes me want to go. If it’s not my best game, will other parts of my game rise to help it? That unpredictability makes me have to push harder when I’m not at my best.

Even golf technique is unpredictable. Slow down your swing to hit the ball farther. Don’t overuse the hands on the most precise shots. Figuring out the many ways to improve the golf swing seems to defy logic.

And when that goal is finally reached, that next level of lower handicap skill, that flipping of the banana slice into a gentle draw, there is always the next mountain that appears on the horizon.

Mark Sjolund, PGA

10 years ago

I love golf for the pure challenge that it is from both the physical and mental aspects.

Drive, chip, and putt was one of the best efforts yet to draw kids to the game, and did you notice that it didn’t require a 5 hour round for a kid to have fun. Events like Drive, chip, and putt could be held once a week for kids in a 1 hour format that would grow their interest and skills until they are equipped with the skills to actually play the game. Put a driver in a kid’s hands and have a long drive contest every week. Turn it into a league with 3-4 kids on a team and have a season long Drive, chip and putt competition. To a kid that would be golfing… just as playing “horse” is basketball; or “500” or “hotbox” is baseball; or “tackle the guy with the football” is football. The ones that fall in love with it will become golfers for life.

Alfredo Smith

10 years ago

Well said, kids will flock to competitions like that!

Sira

10 years ago

Just how much modification can be made to the game until you no longer should call it “golf”?
For example, football(not american)- futsal; they kinda use the same equipment, same kind of ball and somewhat similar rules, but they are not the same sport.

Anyway, I love golf because of all the challenges it provides. No matter how good of a round you played, you will always have a feeling that you can do better in the future- just one clutch putt or one up and down away.

flaglfr

10 years ago

Great article as usual. To me, the entire idea of hack golf is nothing more than a marketing ploy for Taylor made. As you said, golf is a great game. The precision of the sport is one of the draws to it.
Let’s take a tangent for a minute. Baseball is hard too. So let’s make the pitchers throw a larger ball and move the fences in a hundred feet. Lets make the strike zone so small that a gnat would have trouble receiving a called strike. Lets make the bases closer together so we don’t have to run as fast or as far to get on base. Better yet, lets make it a requirement that every time someone throws a called strike, they have to apologize to the batter. Lets also figure out a way that we can sell bigger, more aerodynamically designed bats with slower baseballs that make the ball easier to hit. Oh yeah, lets outlaw the curve ball too.

Playing baseball this way would be just as ridiculous as the thought of hack golf. Yes golf is hard. It is supposed to be. That IS the draw. That IS the appeal. Think of how many rounds you play where (inevitably) on the 17th or 18th hole you hit that one shot that flies like you want it, where you want it. Or you make that 15 footer for par. Or you (fill in your own highlight here). These are the things that make you want to play the game. Make you want to come back week after week, day after day. To quote (hopefully its close) a line from the movie Bagger Vance, “Golf is a game that can never be won, only played.” So lets play! Hell, lets play two!

Now imagine how pissed you are going to be when you lip out a par putt on a 15 inch hole….

jondagcl

10 years ago

I love golf because it gives me a fun and competitive thing to do with people that I like hanging out with. Plus it gives me something to look forward to during the week and a distraction from all of the stuff that I normally worry about.

NicSherman

10 years ago

I love that Golf allows me to succeed at something athletic every time I play, even though I am getting older and slower and less athletic by the day. I love the solitude and calm that I get from Golf. I love the outdoors and open spaces. I hate “Hack Golf”.

Paul S

10 years ago

My love of golf lies in the impossibility of beating the game. I love that it’s difficult, and I enjoy pushing myself to find ways to get as good as I can because the fact that I can even manipulate that small of a ball to that small of a target from that far away blows my mind a little bit every time I think about it. The latent capabilities of the human brain to make golf possible are a reminder of how complex we really are. I enjoy playing a game that challenges my creativity as well as my accuracy and precision.

I’m really glad to see this article, because I think that hack golf is a horrible approach to the future of the game. It’s only trading one set of problems for another. In the end, I’m not interested in being rewarded in golf with more holes in one because the cup is huge. I enjoy the small rewards that come from the small victories throughout the round.

Dave S

10 years ago

The 15 inch hole is one of the dumbest ideas I’ve seen thus far for ‘growing’ the game… and I’m really shocked that it’s catching steam (probably b/c it’s one of the easiest to implement on a broad scale).

You’re telling me that at the beginning of a round, you’re going to sit there with your buddies and say “Hey guys, I’ve been thinking… none of us are really THAT good at golf and aren’t going to make the Tour any time soon, so why don’t we choose to play the 15 in. holes today?” Seriously? That will never happen. People who are already playing aren’t going to change and people who don’t play aren’t going to suddenly love the idea just bc the holes are commically large. I can hear it now… “Great! I get to lose 15 balls per round off the tee since I have such a bad push-slice that the ball almost goes backwards, and then I get to hit approx 5 fat fairway shots per hole followed by a scenic tour of every bunker/hazard on the course as shank my wedges in a perfect circle around the green, BUT once I do make it onto the green I only have to worry about 3-putting since the hole is big… I’M IN!!!”

I’m with everyone else… either embrace the challenge of golf or play another sport. I love golf b/c no matter how terrible you’re playing on a given day, all it take is that one fanstastic shot or 40 ft putt to wash it all away and make you keep clamoring for more!

Jim Nantz

10 years ago

It always strikes me as funny that people think they need to change the game drastically instead of looking at some of the core issues with the professional game. We saw the impact of not having Tiger at the Masters that resulted in a 25% drop in ratings. Hackgolf, the USGA’s growing the game initiatives, the PGA of america’s lack luster efforts to teach the game…the list of fledgling initiatives continues to grow when the one group that has the most power remains somewhat idle in the conversation.

Look at the last time the game of golf was growing. We had an up and coming superstar, seemingly born to play the sport. He looked different than all the other players, he had a signature outfit on Sundays, he was sponsored by the biggest sporting goods company in the world and he was dominating the game. People were watching…in fact people were not just watching they were becoming more interested in the sport because the entertainment value was high. Golf on TV was made interesting.

Without your superstar…how do we make it more interesting, especially to the youth who were a large portion of who Tiger captured. Here’s my plan:
– Get rid of broadcasters 50+ with British accents
– Today’s youth cannot relate to their old stories about golfers from the 40’s and 50’s. Take a page from the NFL and leave those guys in retirement. Talk about the now.
– Play more team events
– The Ryder Cup and President’s Cup are fun to watch and the ratings prove it. Give me a Manufacturer’s Cup (TM vs. Callaway, Titleist vs. Ping, etc.) 4 tourney’s spaced throughout the year so that golfer’s can form an emotional allegiance to a group. Many social studies show that people’s allegiance to a group is far stronger than to that of an individual.
– Make events more exciting
– Anyone else look forward to Waste Mgmt. every year??? I watched it with my Mom (63 years old) this past year and she doesn’t golf, but wondered why the caddy races were gone. It was her favorite part. People having fun is fun to watch.
– More access to the players
– Steve Sabol knew decades ago that getting inside the heads and face masks of NFL players was paramount to creating a bond between the viewer and the players. I can’t stand post round interviews where golfers give PC answers to softball questions about subtleties of the game.
– Create an All-Star game FanFest type of event
– One thing Big Break has done really well is create these mini skills games, but imagine pros doing stuff like that, trying to hit three pointers from 30 yards away on a basketball hoop, bending shots around objects. Let fans try these activities on site in a fan zone instead of being hawked insurance policies and a chance to win a keychain.
– Last but not least, loosen up the clothing restrictions.
– Seriously…which man outside of golf wears white pants, or tucked in polo and slacks. Kids get made of at school for wearing that stuff when they’re lugging their clubs out to the coaches car.

I could go on and on, but notice I didn’t say one time to make the game easier or compromise the integrity of the challenge that golf is. It’s just talking a little more about the fun of the game and not have a leading story going into the biggest tournament of the year that a F#*%ing tree was removed…oh the injustice!!!

Mark Sjolund, PGA

10 years ago

Well said, Mr. Nantz!

Stephen

10 years ago

Is this the CBS Jim Nantz or someone commenting under his name? Hmmmmm?

golfer4life

10 years ago

Can get on board with most but not a fan of changing the clothing restrictions. Don’t need more backward wearing hats and cargo shorts down to your calves. Golf doesn’t need to be like the X games. Every sport has certain clothing they wear either for protection or because of tradition. Don’t need to slum golf up to make it more enjoyable.

AWOL

10 years ago

You are not slumming up golf by relaxing the clothing restrictions. If more than 90% of golfers that play the game are your day in and day out weekend warriors. Then asking them to pay $80+ for a golf polo and $100+ bucks for slacks. That is money for any person not well spent. Especially for an outfit that they may only wear twice a month. Being a father and golfing 1-2 times a week do you think i’m actually going to spend $200 or more on an outfit for a non-professional. Especially when i have kids. Family is always priority and that is how it is with most golfers. Even if i had a spare $200 to spend on an outfit, it would go to new clubs or shafts or even golf balls first. Also i play golf to relax and get away from life and work. Do you think i want to tuck in a polo and wear slacks when im on my days off trying to enjoy the weekend. Golf flat out needs to more affordable for everyone. You want to grow the game:
* Make it affordable for parents and their kids
* Less private courses, more public
* Make it appeal to all people including non-golfers
* And loose the attitudes that are associated with golf

Dave S

10 years ago

I agree with what you’re saying, but some of these new golf polos are awesome and frankly, I want to buy them. Does anyone actually have to wear slacks other than pros or people at the snobbiest clubs? I think most golfers (including pros on their off days) wear shorts already anyway (and again, the new stretchy golf shorts by Nike, UA, Adidas are amazing and I wear them even when I’m not playing). That said, I often play at a local Muni that does not have ANY clothing restrictions – backwards hat, tee, jeans and running shoes (or no shoes) are welcome – and I don’t care at all. But for nicer courses, there’s something to be said about the ambience and looking nice (or at least not like a slob)… it almost makes you feel better to do so.

AWOL

10 years ago

Your absolutely right the new golf polo’s are awesome and i do like to wear them because they breathe so well especially living in Cali. I love the Adidas editions when a major rolls around. Usually you can get some cool looking stuff. But i always have to buy them a year later when they drop from $80 to $30. I think that price point is way too high. I could buy a Nike polo that doesn’t have golf or TW stamped on it and get it for less than half the cost. That’s why i like a lot of the IZOD stuff. Your also right that a lot of the pros wear shorts when they are not playing which makes it even more surprising that there are courses out there that require slacks. All my courses i play seem to require a least a collar shirt, no jeans, and shorts that fall above the knee. So if you are not allowed to wear jeans, not allowed to wear cargos and i guess my only pants option is slacks. I’m 34 but 20 at heart if a short doesn’t a least hit my knee in the middle i wont wear them. I don’t like feeling like i’m wearing a speedo at a golf course. But seriously who cares if the the shorts i’m wearing hit above, at or below the knees. Are courses getting so stuffy that an extra inch on my short length means i don’t deserve to play at their course?

Will Dron

10 years ago

I like the idea of nonconforming clubs for new folk to help grow the game, but don’t mess with the courses beyond maybe adding more tee boxes and changing red tees to gold/silver tees etc.

My home course recently went to a Black/White/Gold/Silver tee setup. Seems to work great.

I do like the Segway idea though.

Shane

10 years ago

Mano-e-ball(o?)… The true challenge with golf is mastery of the mind and body. If the face is off a portion of a degree at address….it’s off a bunch when it lands. The drive, iron, chip and putt is allllll me.
Something to clear the mind and focus on something other than the daily grind.
That’s why I love golf.

Mike

10 years ago

Golf is about hope! You can hit 85 bad shots, get up to the 18th hole and then bomb your driver straight down the fairway 280 yards! That one shot reaffirms you are capable of greatness. One day you will put it all together and shoot the best round of your life. Until then you keep hitting balls on the range, buying new gear, and hack away on the weekends because the hope of greatness is just a round away!

Juan Gutierrez

10 years ago

You are right, I LOVE GOLF, can´t get enough of it… For most of the reasons everyone does: it´s hard (really hard), brings out my competitive self, is my getaway from everyday life…

But golf has also played a great role in my life. It has brought my family together. It has been the great link between my dad, my brother and I… I just can´t wait for my kids to be older to be able to take them to the course, and be there for them when they start their own journey with golf….

golfer4life

10 years ago

Gotta say I’m with you on this. Tired of every jackass in the world trying to ‘change’ the game.
I love the tradition’s of the game (don’t try to change it)
I love the architecture and variations of different courses.
I love that its not easy and not everyone wants to play (I don’t try to hit 90mph fast balls because I can’t)
I love that its not so commercial as other leading sports (see baseball and football)
I love that even if you play at the same place, everyday can be different.
I love that its a sport you can play well into your later years.
I love that you police yourself and the etiquette that has followed the game for years (see basketball players fighting with fans)
I am one of the ones that has no desire to grow the game at a fast rate. Especially if it has to do with dumb crap like Hack golf. Play the game as it is or find another sport more fitting. I’m sure there are chess/checker leagues on line that need players! ;)
Play on
G4L

Matt

10 years ago

I love golf because I love challenges. I have played just about every sport and for me golf is one of the most challenging.

adam

10 years ago

Come on Tony, just when I was gearing up to read a 6,000 word tirade you pass the ball. I agree that Hack Golf is a joke so maybe I will have to take up the challenge.

ofosho

10 years ago

No matter what is going on in my life, when I step on the golf course, the only thing I think about is golf. It’s amazing to me how all my problems, even if it is just for a few hours, seem to go away and this little white ball is all that matters.

Steve Cecil

10 years ago

I enjoy golf because it is hard. It is just me and the ball. If I make a bad shot, I have no one to blame but myself. Golf is one of the few sports where you can see your improvement (or lack thereof) every time you go out. One of the best times of my life on the course was when I was 8 years old and just dropped off at a 9 hole every day in the summer. Jr. Clinic for 45 minutes and then play the rest of the day. Learning by doing.

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