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

[Lihu]

8 minutes ago, iacas said:

@Lihu talking crazy again.

Nah, I just know a lot of people who quit golf citing they can't hit far enough any more.

[Jeremie Boop]

6 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Nah, I just know a lot of people who quit golf citing they can't hit far enough any more.

How much extra distance do you really expect a nonconforming club and/or ball to give someone? 20-30 yards? I think that may be asking a lot. It's much easier to move up to make up for lost distance than to lean on nonconforming equipment.

[Golfingdad]

20 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

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?

 

20 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

(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.)

Ugh, I'm a moron.  After reading the latest posts I realize that I made no sense in my previous posts ... in these two occasions where I wrote #4, I meant to write #3. Oh well.

---

I still don't understand all of the talk about bifurcation and the non-confirming equipment, etc, etc.

I'll ask again:  Why can't the "problems" that many feel exist with the driving distances on the PGA Tour be fixed by PGA Tour local rules or COC's or whatever?  Don't change the USGA rules at all.  No bifurcation.  Just the PGA Tour (and maybe Euro and web.com) puts their own limits on clubs and/or balls.  They could make it really, really, easy and just make a PGA Tour ball and be done with it.  No rules of any kind need to change, no clubs need to change ... just, if you want to play on this tour, you use this ball.  You could even stamp your own companies logo on it if you wanted to.

[cutchemist42]

The one about beating the buzzer is kind of interesting in that curling shares a similar time period where you think/analyze your current situation. There is a limit to how much time you get to think about your next play, while also having a timeout.

[xcott]

I like having the match play choose your opponent.

[Elmer]

21 minutes ago, cutchemist42 said:

The one about beating the buzzer is kind of interesting in that curling shares a similar time period where you think/analyze your current situation. There is a limit to how much time you get to think about your next play, while also having a timeout.

I would like to see a "shot clock". I think 1 minute from the time they reach the ball and have an opening to shoot, should be plenty of time.
Of course there are variables, like open green/fairway which would come into play.
I have no idea who it would work, but if a golfer has to spend more than a minute figuring out a shot, after spending 2 minutes walking to the shot, that is wasteful.

While I am thinking about it, what it there is fog horn, that could be heard course wide.
If a golfer exceeds the 1 minute shot clock the horn goes off, the golfer gets the appropriate penalty and all the other golfers get a loud horn in their back swing!!!!
 

[xcott]

The only time you experience slow play on tv is in the end of the final round. Otherwise there are enough guys on the course that the time between shots is showing other golfers. 

 

The only benefit would be if you were in person or if it worked on players playing casual rounds to increase pace of play.

[Lihu]

42 minutes ago, Jeremie Boop said:

How much extra distance do you really expect a nonconforming club and/or ball to give someone? 20-30 yards? I think that may be asking a lot. It's much easier to move up to make up for lost distance than to lean on nonconforming equipment.

I believe they said they were already playing the shortest tees without teeing off of the fairway from the 150 markers.

It's not fun watching people get old. They want to play the same course because they know everyone. I think it's partly social and partly to still be playing the same old familiar courses and still maintaining their "handicaps".

At least two can afford $6000 bench rifles.

 

[mchepp]

6 minutes ago, Elmer said:

I would like to see a "shot clock". I think 1 minute from the time they reach the ball and have an opening to shoot, should be plenty of time.
Of course there are variables, like open green/fairway which would come into play.
I have no idea who it would work, but if a golfer has to spend more than a minute figuring out a shot, after spending 2 minutes walking to the shot, that is wasteful.

While I am thinking about it, what it there is fog horn, that could be heard course wide.
If a golfer exceeds the 1 minute shot clock the horn goes off, the golfer gets the appropriate penalty and all the other golfers get a loud horn in their back swing!!!!
 

So I don't know what it is now. But when I was volunteering at the Q-School qualifier a few years ago they gave the player 50 seconds from the time it was their turn. This "shot clock" was only invoked after the group was warned that they were behind. If they went over the 50 seconds, they were warned again, and then the next time they were penalized. 

Never saw anyone get penalized while I was riding around with the official who was in charge of the timing. 

[PhraseUniverse]

The only one I have an opinion on is #5. I'm all for it, but not sure how it would be enforced. The PGA could do it because of the resources and manpower at their disposal. Not sure how this would effect the average amateur or weekend golfer. 

[Fourputt]

1 hour ago, Lihu said:

I believe they said they were already playing the shortest tees without teeing off of the fairway from the 150 markers.

It's not fun watching people get old. They want to play the same course because they know everyone. I think it's partly social and partly to still be playing the same old familiar courses and still maintaining their "handicaps".

At least two can afford $6000 bench rifles.

 

I play with octogenarians at a 9 hole course where the red tees only make a difference on 2 holes, and even then it's not enough to put them in range for a GIR, and these guys keep playing for the love of the game and for the fun with their buddies.  One 90 year old guy plays til he's close to the green, then tells his partners to putt because he really has trouble walking fast enough to get on and off the green in a timely manner.  He's still out there every Tuesday evening for men's league.  

We have players in the league from their 20's all the way to their 90's.  I usually have more fun when we're playing against the old guys, maybe because at 69, I almost am one of them.  My team is a 20 something, a 50 something, and me.

[Lihu]

3 minutes ago, Fourputt said:

I play with octogenarians at a 9 hole course where the red tees only make a difference on 2 holes, and even then it's not enough to put them in range for a GIR, and these guys keep playing for the love of the game and for the fun with their buddies.  One 90 year old guy plays til he's close to the green, then tells his partners to putt because he really has trouble walking fast enough to get on and off the green in a timely manner.  He's still out there every Tuesday evening for men's league.  

We have players in the league from their 20's all the way to their 90's.  I usually have more fun when we're playing against the old guys, maybe because at 69, I almost am one of them.  My team is a 20 something, a 50 something, and me.

Cool!

[iacas]

3 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

I still don't understand all of the talk about bifurcation and the non-confirming equipment, etc.

To be clear, there's probably not really a lot of talk about it. Why would the PGA Tour want their guys to look weaker? Why would they want to saddle their guys with shorter clubs and/or balls?

3 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

I'll ask again:  Why can't the "problems" that many feel exist with the driving distances on the PGA Tour be fixed by PGA Tour local rules or COC's or whatever?

They could, but again, why would they?

The push for bifurcation doesn't often come from the PGA Tour. It comes from people who think the PGA Tour (and USGA) have let technology ruin the game or something.

3 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Don't change the USGA rules at all.  No bifurcation.  Just the PGA Tour (and maybe Euro and web.com) puts their own limits on clubs and/or balls.  They could make it really, really, easy and just make a PGA Tour ball and be done with it.  No rules of any kind need to change, no clubs need to change ... just, if you want to play on this tour, you use this ball.  You could even stamp your own companies logo on it if you wanted to.

Yeah, again, why would the PGA Tour want to do that?

[Golfingdad]

4 minutes ago, iacas said:

To be clear, there's probably not really a lot of talk about it. Why would the PGA Tour want their guys to look weaker? Why would they want to saddle their guys with shorter clubs and/or balls?

They could, but again, why would they?

The push for bifurcation doesn't often come from the PGA Tour. It comes from people who think the PGA Tour (and USGA) have let technology ruin the game or something.

Yeah, again, why would the PGA Tour want to do that?

I agree, I don't think that would.  In fact, from my first two posts in here:

On 6/29/2016 at 0:39 PM, Golfingdad said:

... 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.

and

On 6/29/2016 at 1:04 PM, Golfingdad said:

(Again, I'm not advocating #2 because all of that can be done with #4 should be #3 ... and that's only if the tour wants to.  I don't know that they care to.)

 

[iacas]

Just now, Golfingdad said:

I agree, I don't think that would.  In fact, from my first two posts in here:

I'm not just responding to you, you know, Drew.  People generally don't go back and re-read things very carefully. So I'm putting out there that the PGA Tour is not the one clamoring to have their players hit it shorter and/or more crooked.

But what do you expect when the writer of the article thinks that wearing shorts or pants are a Rule of Golf?

[Aguirre]

The Open qualifying suggestion is ridiculous. So much can go wrong in a 36 hole qualifier. If this rule was in effect you could, in an odd year, have half the Top 10 in the world missing. 

Half of the spots being qualifiers is plenty. He talks about 10,000 qualifiers, when the vast majority of them are are scratch hardware store owners who are attempting to qualify for the experience of qualifying. Which is fine, BTW. But it's not as if the USGA is shutting out a bunch of contenders.

[natureboy]

@Jeremie Boop why not put up a poll with a 'pick your top 3' option so the suggestions by number can always be seen at the top of the thread?

Edited July 1, 2016 by natureboy

[Jeremie Boop]

2 minutes ago, natureboy said:

@Jeremie Boop why not put up a poll with a 'pick your top 3' option so the suggestions by number can always be seen at the top of the thread?

Didn't occur to me, and just figured it would be a good article to discuss.