What would you change most about golf today?

[Golf-Junkie]

Look at today's game. What do you see? Is it "good for the game"? Has the game "modernized"?

 

Of all the good advances the game has undergone, what got left behind? What would you bring back to the game?

 

...manners?

 

...improved clothing style (per the article on the front page of golfwrx)?

 

...a gentlemanlike quietness to the game?

 

...higher greens fees and fewer hacks?

 

 

For me, I would bring back the caddy and kill the golf cart.

 

 

Good idea or bad?

[oregongolf]

For me, this is easy... it could solve a whole host of problems related to golf (cost, time, enjoyment, etc).

Courses playing too long.

I don't think the answer is dialing back the golf ball to effectively use a short course either.

[MadGolfer76]

I am guessing you didn't originally post this in "Courses, Membership, and Travel?" Either that, or you knew there was some mod out there who does this kind of thing and posted it here first.

[Golf-Junkie]

I screwed up on the location, sorry guys - know how I can reclassify?

[farmer]

I would like to see golf cheaper, faster and with more consideration. Clothes mean nothing, I've seen many, many nicely dressed jackasses both on and off the golf course. Carts will never go away, courses make too much money from them, and most places don't have a pool of potential caddies.

[teejaywhy]

More focus on the game itself and the recreational aspect. Less focus on professionals, equipment and distance.

[Chief Illiniwek]

I kinda wish the "Tiger boom" hadn't happened and golf would've just continued to grow slowly rather than explode in popularity and then decline again. My original home course closed last year after being open for 90-100 years.

[JDW3]

I would like to see better etiquette from most players and course staff.

Too often now I see/hear course staff doing inappropriate things on the course. I was volunteering at a tournament earlier this year and I saw the beer girl drive over multiple tee blocks and checking to see if people want anything to drink while they are in the middle of their swing. Or the grass cutter cutting the grass directly in front of the tee blocks while there is a group waiting to tee off. Courses need to teach their staff proper etiquette.

And slow player need to let faster groups play thru.

[RichieHunt]

A higher standard for golf instruction. Then use that instruction to teach golf etiquette (on top of teaching the game) and strict enforcement of pace of play.

I have found that nothing turns people really onto to the game more than legitimate improvement in their play. You can take a golfer that has played for 40 years and is a 20 handicap and never practices and give him a lesson and turn him into a 13 handicap rather quickly and now they can't wait to play *more* golf and even practice more. More golf and more practice means more money for everybody (courses, range, equipment companies, etc). And it should improve the pace of play.

The issue is that, IMO, there is a lot of popular golf instructors that teach stuff that is either scientifically impossible or incredibly misguided from a science perspective. But, they've gained their reputation through working with some talented Tour player and their agency's marketing team aggressively branding their name and teaching. The rest of the teachers follow and many golfers end up getting 1 lesson, see no improvement and do not develop any better understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. They then blame it on 'not having enough talent' or 'I don't keep my head down at impact' and eventually they start to play less and less or just quit the game all together.

Still, with more players and more rounds being played, we need to take into consideration course etiquette (repairing ball marks, divots, picking up your feet on the greens, etc) and the biggie...pace of play. It has to be a concerted effort between instruction and the course. They have to work together to teach players etiquette and how to pick up the pace of play. And then the course has to enforce it. It's mind boggling that courses don't enforce pace of play given that by not doing so they are flying right in the face of the simple principles of supply and demand. And they are losing $$$$ when they don't adhere to supply and demand principles.

I think if we could do those things, it would be better for everybody. More money would come in and the pace of play would be better. And that would be great for golf.








RH

[Bingo1976]

Pace of Play
Etiquette and general consideration for others / the spirit of the game

[zer0]

[quote name='Golf-Junkie' timestamp='1388627640' post='8381895']
Look at today's game. What do you see? Is it "good for the game"? Has the game "modernized"?

Of all the good advances the game has undergone, what got left behind? What would you bring back to the game?

...manners?

...improved clothing style (per the article on the front page of golfwrx)?

...a gentlemanlike quietness to the game?

...higher greens fees and fewer hacks?


For me, I would bring back the caddy and kill the golf cart.


Good idea or bad?
[/quote]

Of all the things you could change this is the one you go with???? How does me riding in a cart affect your ability to enjoy yourself on the golf course?

[nuthin but a hacker]

[quote name='Golf-Junkie' timestamp='1388627640' post='8381895']
Look at today's game. What do you see? Is it "good for the game"? Has the game "modernized"?

Of all the good advances the game has undergone, what got left behind? What would you bring back to the game?

...manners?

...improved clothing style (per the article on the front page of golfwrx)?

...a gentlemanlike quietness to the game?

...higher greens fees and fewer hacks?


For me, I would bring back the caddy and kill the golf cart.


Good idea or bad?
[/quote]

Higher greens fees and less hacks huh? Yeah that what golf needs. Run off even more folks with a golf snob attitude. The so called golf elite would be the first ones crying because their costs went up.

[duffer987]

I'd get rid of internet golf forums

Apart from providing a release for golfers stuck in snow during the winter, they're nothing but trouble.

[Marrrk]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1388778173' post='8392141']
[quote name='Golf-Junkie' timestamp='1388627640' post='8381895']
Look at today's game. What do you see? Is it "good for the game"? Has the game "modernized"?

Of all the good advances the game has undergone, what got left behind? What would you bring back to the game?

...manners?

...improved clothing style (per the article on the front page of golfwrx)?

...a gentlemanlike quietness to the game?

...higher greens fees and fewer hacks?


For me, I would bring back the caddy and kill the golf cart.


Good idea or bad?
[/quote]

Of all the things you could change this is the one you go with???? How does me riding in a cart affect your ability to enjoy yourself on the golf course?
[/quote]

one could quite easily argue that, along with the distance boom, the mere existence of golf carts has been one of the worst things to ever happen to golf course architecture. it allowed for courses to be designed that were not walkable, which stinks. and you could take it further and say that designers, knowing they did not have to allow for walking, began creating courses that were too extreme in other ways, like with massive elevation changes. and taking it even further, you could say that the wide acceptance of carts by the general golfing public has led to a sport that is less subtle, spiritual and connected to the ground than it once was... and also led to walkable courses that don't allow walking.

that all said, i am perfectly capable of just choosing to not play those courses or use carts myself, so i've got no qualm with you.

[Swingem]

Kill the Cart!... Bring back the opportunity for kids to caddy!

[scottishpedro]

I have almost never used a cart but when I have, it felt like the course just passed me by, I don't get a feel of the round at all. Carts are great for people unable to walk far, but, for those able, surely part of the enjoyment and benefit of golf is the exercise?

[duffer987]

[quote name='scottishpedro' timestamp='1388791691' post='8393293']
I have almost never used a cart but when I have, it felt like the course just passed me by, I don't get a feel of the round at all. Carts are great for people unable to walk far, but, for those able, surely part of the enjoyment and benefit of golf is the exercise?
[/quote]

I'm used to them now, but when I started playing golf again in 2012 - after a long layoff - in California for the first time, it took me quite a while to get comfortable with them, as previously I had almost always walked. As mentioned above, unfortunately there are a lot of courses that you have to use a cart to play, such is the terrain and distance between holes.

I am fortunate my local tracks are all very walkable. Heck a bunch of times I book on golfnow where the cart is included in the price I will still walk. I definitely agree with the poster above that building courses are land that should never have golf holes on it, has been greatly aided by having a golf cart to get people from one silly hole to the next.

[prsgtrman]

pace of play. dudes in acting like they are making thousands of dollars on this game lining up putts and taking 50 practice swings.

[BuckyBadger]

I would be OK with not having Drivable carts on the course. Some courses have been absolutely ruined for me visually by miles of black top paths right next to the fairways. I don't think you need caddies all the time though. Push carts would be fine.

I use riding carts all the time due to my back and lack of caddies where I play, but I agree with using less riding carts. I would walk if I had a caddie.

Also: Have a maximum number of shots you can take on a hole. If you are four strokes over par on a hole you pick up. So an 8 is the highest score you can get on a par four. No more 10's or higher unless you are in a USGA tournament.

[Marrrk]

[quote name='BuckyBadger' timestamp='1388799803' post='8394129']
Also: Have a maximum number of shots you can take on a hole. If you are four strokes over par on a hole you pick up. So an 8 is the highest score you can get on a par four. No more 10's or higher unless you are in a USGA tournament.
[/quote]

good call. which reminds me, the USGA needs to publicize ESC more. in addition to "while we're young," implore people to stop counting and pick up the freaking pace after they've hit their ESC score.

[cdnrockies]

[quote name='prsgtrman' timestamp='1388798268' post='8393957']
pace of play. dudes in acting like they are making thousands of dollars on this game lining up putts and taking 50 practice swings.
[/quote]

This!

There is zero reason...ever...that amateur golf should take more than 4 hours per round.

[poppyhillsguy]

Better rates for early bird 9 hole players who don't have the time for 18.

[Shemp]

Pace of play, knowledge of the rules, and course etiquette.

[holeintwo2]

I think more people with less ability playing shorter tees would be much better for the game.

[GMoney76]

I think public courses can start by enforcing the rules. Rangers shouldn't be afraid to do their jobs and move people along. As much as I have been behind some very painful groups, I can't get too upset because no one is telling them to do anything different.

Since we are talking about human behavior here, a steady enforcement of rules is needed to change pace of play.

[slocagolfer]

1. Cost (less, not more. Sheesh!)
2. Rangers who help slow groups keep up by positioning themselves as forecaddies.
3. More awareness of the Rules, particularly in tournaments.
3a. People who think they know the Rules but are mistaken.

My take on carts: If you were to take the revenue carts bring to a course, the green fees would be higher for all. So, thank you, cart renters. You are helping to subsidize us walkers.

[mringwelski]

I would like to see less focus on stroke play and more on playing for points or match play. It would help speed up play immensely and people playing to a 12 or more have more important things to worry about in their game but everyone wants to do what the pros are doing.

I totally agree with getting more caddy programs but its very tough with where inflation has gone in the last 15 years. I think kids should be the main focus on future caddy programs as they do not need as large of a payment as an adult professional caddy and really bringing them into the game.

Less hacks.....majority of mid level golf courses completely depend on these hacks (we were all there once) so no, the more hacks we have, the more people involved with the industry and sport.

One thing that does bother me is how we have smaller tracks closing down and the upper teir tracks are annually raising their prices. I think that's a dangerous imbalance and we have "the man" to thank for that.

If nothing changes, oh well, I still love golf and will always be as involved with the sport as I can

[Marrrk]

[quote name='mringwelski' timestamp='1389109984' post='8415313']
[b]I would like to see less focus on stroke play and more on playing for points or match play.[/b] It would help speed up play immensely and people playing to a 12 or more have more important things to worry about in their game but everyone wants to do what the pros are doing.

[/quote]

i could not agree more. make it a team game and that's the ultimate for me!

The good Dr. Mackenzie was a well-known hater of medal play ("card and pencil") and preferred to design his courses specifically for match play. Here are some of his best quotes regarding match/medal and course design:

[color=#006400][size=3]"There are some leading players who honestly dislike the dramatic element in golf. They hate anything which is likely to interfere with a constant succession of threes and fours. They look upon everything in the [b]'card and pencil'[/b] spirit. The average club member on the other hand is a keen sportsman who looks upon golf in the 'spirit of adventure,' and that is why St. Andrews and courses modeled on similar ideals appeal to him."

"The real practical test [of a hole] is its popularity, but this brings us up against another difficulty. Does the average player really know what he likes? One often hears the same player expressing totally divergent opinions about the same hole. When he plays it successfully, it is everything that is good, and when he is unsuccessful it is everything that is bad. It frequently happens that the best holes give rise to the most bitter controversy. It is largely a question of the spirit in which the problem is approached, depending upon the player. Whether he looks upon it from the 'card and pencil' point of view and condemns anything that disturbs his steady series of threes and fours, or whether he approaches it in the 'spirit of adventure' of the true sportsman. There are well-known players who invariably condemn any hole for which they have taken over six, and if by chance they ever reach double figures, words fail them to describe in adequate language what they think of that particular hole."[/size][/color]

[Truman]

Eliminate web sites like Golf Now. These sites that advertise extremely low green fees out downward pressure on all courses. Similar to ho Walmart has eliminated the local retail store. A course needs to make money in order to offer quality and a decent pace of play.

[floycota]

[quote name='slocagolfer' timestamp='1389047672' post='8410969']
1. Cost (less, not more. Sheesh!)
2. Rangers who help slow groups keep up by positioning themselves as forecaddies.
3. More awareness of the Rules, particularly in tournaments.
3a. People who think they know the Rules but are mistaken.

My take on carts: If you were to take the revenue carts bring to a course, the green fees would be higher for all. So, thank you, cart renters. You are helping to subsidize us walkers.
[/quote]
How about simplifying the rule book? I'm an avid golfer and know the rules fairly well. But do we really need so many variations of the rules? What was wrong with the original rules of golf? Play it as it lies? A single sheet of paper is now many pages?