Rise Up and Save Your Sport
The more I think about the distance thing, the more I think it’s bad for the game of golf – the distance thing being the more yards we can get from buying technology rather than improving our swing.
I use to race sailboats – a little. It was open racing, not one designs. Invariably the guy who spent the most money won, not the guy who was the best sailor. One design does away with a lot of that. Everyone races virtually the same boat and may the best racer win. Is golf becoming a game of distance only and distance you buy with a credit card?
In golf, it seems that these days the biggest gain to shot distance isn’t from faster club head speed due to better swing fundamentals, it’s coming from expensive clubs and golfballs. Want to add 20 yards or more to your drive, get a new $500 driver and use the balls that cost $45 per dozen. If you can afford it that is.
And the worst part about it is that every course has to be lengthened and/or ‘tricked up’ to avoid becoming mincemeat. If you want to host a world golf major, then you’ve got to get out the chain saws and bulldozers or you won’t even be considered. Does this make for a better golf experience. It does make all us amateurs poorer if we want to stay competitive with our wealthy playing partners. And it requires golf courses to spend a lot on upgrades to length, which means their rates will have to go up. I’d rather see the local course maintain what they have and keep the playing fees within reason.
The problem is how to stop the trend. Right now money talks and the equipment folks are having the last word. Can we golfers do anything about this. Can we just say ‘no’ to another 20 yards or are we all too vain? More tomorrow.
Related posts:
- Save Big Time on Nike Unitized Putters
- Save Golf, Let The Free Market Work
- One Way To Kill A Sport
- Jack Nicklaus Please Help Save The Game
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Comments
I would agree with John and with Brian. The real need, as both Nicklaus and Norman say, is for a pro-tour ball that limits their distance. With that, we would not see the silly things they’re doing to Augusta, nor would we see fine old courses declared obsolete.
Good topic!
I agree with “still learning”… a “tour” ball would address the issue for pros – who benefit most from long-ball technology, thus threatening to obsolete many great courses. Interestingly, long-ball technology is enabled further by new “rescue” hybrids and “loftier” wedges – essentially helping to rescue you from your more frequent errant long drives.
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OK I can go with a tour ball but I think there are other things that they might want to be worrying about over another 20 yards. As far as the tricked up courses I still like the rough “rough” and the pin placements difficult. I don’t like pool table greens though. If you can hit high and stick it then it shouldn’t roll off. So if there is a problem with distance then I think that should be fixed with a tour ball.
GolfSlo, thanks for the comments. Appreciate you adding us to your Blogroll. Have added GolfSlo to our Blog list here at GolfDash as well as to our California listings.
I’d love to see the Pros at least try a new ball in a tournament or two.
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This may be true for professional golfers, but it’s meaningless to the vast majority of golfers. $500 drivers with 20 extra yards just means deeper rough, o.b. or the wrong fairway. $45 balls mean expensive balls to replace when they are wet or lost. Your experience with sailing may be that the best equipment wins, but I would argue that most sports are decided by skill (basketball, baseball, football, bowling, hockey, soccer, etc.) and not equipment. I don’t think golf is any different.
Professional golf is the same as any other professional sport. It’s only related to the game most people play. NBA basketball is not the same as your over-30 men’s league. MLB baseball isn’t your work softball league. Maybe the PGA should adopt it’s own set of rules for equipment, but muni golf isn’t going to be destroyed by $500 drivers and $45 balls.