Would Golf be Better or Worse if 12 Holes Had Become the Standard?

[iacas]

8 hours ago, Michael said:

I expect 1 or 2 two extreme advances in technology will make current courses obsolete very quickly, even for average players.  Nevermind that these advances will violate USGA/R&A rules; people will be happy to ignore those rules.  Any hole under 300 yards will be a par 3, partly because the hole size will vary between 6 to 12 inches in diameter.

The earlier stuff, maybe. This stuff? I don’t think so.

[tehuti]

I could see many courses keeping their 18 holes, but configuring them as 3 sixes. The way 27 hole courses do it now. 

No less real estate used for existing courses, but players can pick which two “sixes” they want to play, or still have the option to play 18 if they like.

 

[trombettista_vecchio]

18 holes made sense, possibly, when golf was a sport like yachting, fox hunting, and polo--for the very privileged.

9 holes may have made more sense when the working class adopted the game.

Now, with the distribution of wealth seemingly becoming regressive again, it's really hard to say,

Golf is definitely not growing, but the rate of its recession is hard to predict.. 

[CaseyD]

Maybe it will some day be played at a kiosk and you can just sit in a chair and not hang out with buddies talk shit and have a beer. Kinda seems where this world is heading everywhere else.