Some golf writers are crazy. "9 suggestions to make golf better"??

[Jeremie Boop]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/here-are-9-suggestions-to-make-the-game-of-golf-better/ar-AAhLVvY

Almost every one of those suggestions are just bad... Although 9 has some merit.

[Groucho Valentine]

A few of those are decent ideas like with the ball movement on the green. You're replacing a ball after it was taken out of play, you're not technically recreating your shot anyway. The current rule is pointlessly penal. Like a lot of golfs rules are. 

Some of them are utterly awful. Like bifurcation. That would just complicate things more than they are now. 

[rehmwa]

I like all of the except #6 and have no info or opinion on #7

[Golfingdad]

9 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

Almost every one of those suggestions are just bad... Although 9 has some merit.

I disagree - I like a lot of them.  I agree with @Groucho Valentine that bifurcation is dumb, but I don't think it's necessary anyway because number 4 could cover the same bases.  Why couldn't everybody play by the same USGA rules but the PGA Tour can just add stricter rules on the their COC's?  They already prohibit rangefinders, they could also require different limits on clubs and balls that the rest of us don't need.  (If they wanted to, that is)  My point is that I think that the balls and clubs could easily be reigned in if necessary without bifurcation.  (Just like the MLB does with wooden bats)

Other than 2, I basically like all of the rest.  5 seems pretty difficult to implement though.  4 and 6 might be my favorites.

[Rainmaker]

I like #5 - I would love to see some kind of shot clock implemented.  I think it would be fantastic for the whole game - since everybody would see that there is actually a time factor involved . .instead of copying pros who seemingly take absolutely as much time as needed (ie - forever) to hit every shot. 

I strongly dislike #2.  I have no opinion on most of the rest.  Do what you want on #7, I'm not watching it, lol. 

[DaveP043]

I like improving enforcement of pace of play.  Golf is really not rocket science, the players can make their decisions faster and eliminate a lot of the pre-shot routine nonsense that filters down to way too many of us everyday hackers. It wouldn't take a lot of stroke penalties to bring everyone in line.  And if a stroke penalty effects the actual winner of a tournament, even better, that'll really get their attention.  

On the rest, I don't see anything I'd advocate, other than #9.  The way the game will grow is if golfers like all of us bring new people in.

[mcanadiens]

It's hard to believe that any of the nine is going to really "make golf better". Some ideas are better than others. Like some of you said, No. 2 seems like the dumbest idea. 

The general concept of divorcing professional play from the USGA is short-sighted. The only reason I watch the PGA on TV is because I play golf. The less the game on TV relates to the game I play, the less I'm interested.

[Golfingdad]

13 minutes ago, Rainmaker said:

I like #5 - I would love to see some kind of shot clock implemented. 

 

8 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I like improving enforcement of pace of play.  Golf is really not rocket science, the players can make their decisions faster and eliminate a lot of the pre-shot routine nonsense that filters down to way too many of us everyday hackers. It wouldn't take a lot of stroke penalties to bring everyone in line.  And if a stroke penalty effects the actual winner of a tournament, even better, that'll really get their attention.

I agree, I just can't imagine how they'd make it work.  It's not always obvious whose turn it is, so how would you know when to start the clock a lot of times?  They'd also have to figure out how to work in a bunch of free "time outs" for the guys.  Cutting down the nonsense and preshot routines is a good thing, but forcing a guy to hit with the wrong club if the wind kicked up or died down is not, IMO.

One thing I'd hope for is that on the tee, they give each successive player less time than the previous player.  If it's 50 seconds for the first guy, then it's 40 for the second and 30 for the third in threesomes, since they've both also had the other guys time to choose their club and such.

6 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

The only reason I watch the PGA on TV is because I play golf. The less the game on TV relates to the game I play, the less I'm interested.

But if the goal is to provide them with equipment that just brings their distances down, wouldn't that do the opposite?  Wouldn't that make the game on TV relate MORE to the game you play?  Similarly, if the MLB decided to start allowing aluminum bats and the guys started hitting 500 foot home runs all the time, would that make it easier for us regular folk to relate to their game?

(Again, I'm not advocating #2 because all of that can be done with #4 ... and that's only if the tour wants to.  I don't know that they care to.)

[Rainmaker]

Just now, Golfingdad said:

 

I agree, I just can't imagine how they'd make it work.  It's not always obvious whose turn it is, so how would you know when to start the clock a lot of times?  They'd also have to figure out how to work in a bunch of free "time outs" for the guys.  Cutting down the nonsense and preshot routines is a good thing, but forcing a guy to hit with the wrong club if the wind kicked up or died down is not, IMO.

One thing I'd hope for is that on the tee, they give each successive player less time than the previous player.  If it's 50 seconds for the first guy, then it's 40 for the second and 30 for the third in threesomes, since they've both also had the other guys time to choose their club and such.

 

Me, neither.  Short of having an official with each group.  Actually - maybe they *should* just have a timing official with each group. 

I don't think it would matter that there wouldn't be actual "shot clocks" at our local muni's.  It would make a huge difference if there were some kind of rule about how long to play a shot.  As it stands now - there *is* no actual time limit and it's hard for people that don't play golf much to understand about "staying in position", etc . .which is not a rule, anyway. 

Rule 6-7 was written for a more considerate time.  We need actual numbers these days.

 

[mchepp]

I like many of them.

1. I think I am more accepting of not counting moving the ball than I was a year ago. I kinda like the idea that a stroke is a stroke. I am either being penalized for stupidity or bad luck. Neither should be a good reason to penalize me. When addressing my ball I am not trying to move it closer to the hole, so I am not getting any advantage. Just put it back. 

2. I have been arguing for bifurcation since 2012. 

https://thesandtrap.com/b/thrash_talk/bifurcation_what_the_heck_does_that_mean

3. No, don't agree.

4. Don't care.

5. The idea of slow play is one that need to be fixed. Golf needs change in how people are taught the game, and fixing slow play. To me these are the immediate things that must be changed. This is one idea, but I have heard better, but whatever is chosen, lets do it NOW!

6 and 7 - Don't care.

8. I liked the bracket. It could be made into a great competition (like we did here at TST once, which by the way I won). The new one is probably more "fair" but who cares, I like the old one better.

9. Hard to get behind this. I think we need to change the two things I mentioned above. The USGA's plan to say play 9 doesn't matter if 9 takes 3 hours to play. Make it faster, and help people get better faster. Both will bring people to the game. 

[MrDC]

They may not make golf better, but I'm OK with all of those ideas.

[cutchemist42]

Dumb question maybe, but laser rangefinders aren't allowed by the actual rules of golf?

[mcanadiens]

1 hour ago, Golfingdad said:

But if the goal is to provide them with equipment that just brings their distances down, wouldn't that do the opposite?  Wouldn't that make the game on TV relate MORE to the game you play?  Similarly, if the MLB decided to start allowing aluminum bats and the guys started hitting 500 foot home runs all the time, would that make it easier for us regular folk to relate to their game?

(Again, I'm not advocating #2 because all of that can be done with #4 ... and that's only if the tour wants to.  I don't know that they care to.)

I haven't played baseball since I was a kid, so the comparison is a bit lost on me.

As far as golf goes, part of what makes watching the pros worthwhile is that we are playing the same game, with the same rules and the same equipment. Watching those guys swing Nerf clubs just to bring them down to my sort of yardage doesn't help that in my opinion. If anything would do the opposite. If Joe Pro hits his Nerf driver 250 yards, I suppose I might see 150 out of it. It would basically be a different game. 

[Golfingdad]

58 minutes ago, cutchemist42 said:

Dumb question maybe, but laser rangefinders aren't allowed by the actual rules of golf?

The default is that they're against the rules unless the committee has a local rule instituted that allows it.  The pro tours don't have the local rule and the USGA doesn't have it for the Opens, but pretty much everywhere else, they're allowed.

http://www.ghintpp.com/scga/tpponlinegolfer/EventLanding.aspx?ID=1604

Quote

2. DISTANCE MEASURING DEVICES: During the play of all USGA amateur competitions, a player may obtain distance information by use of a distance-measuring device. If, during a stipulated round, a player uses a distance-measuring device to gauge or measure other conditions that might affect his play (e.g. elevation changes, wind speed, etc.), the player is in breach of Rule 14-3. A multi-functional device, such as a smartphone or PDA, may be used as a distance-measuring device, but it must not be used to gauge or measure other conditions where doing so would be a breach of Rule 14-3. Any questions about such devices should be resolved before the start of the stipulated round. Otherwise, cell phone use is discouraged during the stipulated round.

 

[iacas]

32 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

The default is that they're against the rules unless the committee has a local rule instituted that allows it.  The pro tours don't have the local rule and the USGA doesn't have it for the Opens, but pretty much everywhere else, they're allowed.

FWIW, there's a difference between Local Rules and Conditions of the Competition. Which that PDF seems to ignore.

Also, I'm 100% against bifurcation.

[Piz]

1. Yes. 2.No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. Yes. 6. No. 7. Yes. 8. No.  No wins 2 and 1.

[Valleygolfer]

Number one I am cool with and a shot clock would be fine just for groups on the clock. There is no reason it should bother you unless you are playing slow. We know when it's our turn or anyone else's turn so a shot clock could be easily implemented.

The rest are off the cuff and not really thought out banter.

[Fourputt]

The author had the right idea about one thing - quit reading his drivel.