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Should Tournament Golf and Recreational Golf Diverge?

January 15, 2011 By 10 Comments
Cheater

I had an interesting phone conversation last night with someone from the golf industry that I’m going to tell you more about some time in the next several days. One of the things we discussed, at length, is the idea that there is a serious disconnect between tournament golf and the enjoyment that recreational players derive from the game. The Rules of Golf are probably the biggest divergence between the best players in the world and the rest of us. They have to play the Rules to the letter or suffer dire consequences. Weekend players, however, take extreme liberties with them. In many cases, it’s not even out of a desire to cheat. Sometimes, it’s a matter of ignorance. It’s also an issue of the Rules not always being practical on busy public courses. Be honest, how many of you go back to the tee to hit another shot after you’ve discovered that your ball is lost or has ended up out of bounds? All of the golf leagues I’ve been involved with had local rules

Filed Under: Equipment, Golf Philosophy, Rules Tagged With: ,
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A Slow Play Manifesto

December 31, 2010 By 4 Comments
snow

If you poll enough people, I’d bet money that they would identify slow play as the number one problem that plagues golf. In fact, maybe that will be my next sidebar poll. Those of us living in the United States seem to be especially affected by slow play. Some of the problem, no doubt, has to do with the design of courses. In Europe, many courses were built before the existence of motorized transportation so they were made for walking. Tees and greens are closer together, minimizing the time it takes to get from one hole to the next. I’ve heard that 3 1/2 hour rounds are common, or are even expected. Perhaps an even bigger part of the problem is the culture of players on courses today. Many players either don’t care or just don’t know about the issue of slow play and what they can do to help the situation. That leads me to the purpose of this post. What follows is not something I created. It was sent to me by a

Filed Under: Etiquette, Golf Philosophy Tagged With: ,
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Your Golf Improvement Strategy

December 15, 2009 By 14 Comments
Golf signs

I love the poll questions because they really give me a chance to learn from all of you.  Sure, it’s not exactly scientific, but I’ve learned something interesting from every one I’ve ever posted. The latest poll asked about the ways you improve your golf game.  If you haven’t voted yet, please feel free.  The question is, “Which of the following have you done in the past 12 months to improve your golf game?“  I presented you with a bunch of answers and asked you to pick all that apply (my apologies – for a brief period early on, you were only able to select one answer, but that has since been fixed). This is how the responses broke down as of this writing (out of 167): Practice at a driving range or practice green (81%, 136 Votes) Read or watch instructional materials (63%, 105 Votes) Take a range lesson from a golf pro (34%, 57 Votes) Get a club fitting (22%, 36 Votes) Conduct a video analysis of your swing, (by yourself or with

Filed Under: Game Improvement, Golf Philosophy Tagged With: , ,
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A Game of Integrity

November 19, 2008 By 8 Comments

One of the things that draws me to golf so strongly is the tradition of integrity that is so integral to the game.  What other sport would feature a player calling a penalty on himself? That’s what J.P. Hayes did during the second stage of the 2008 PGA Tour Q-School last week in Texas. Here’s a guy who is a former PGA Tour winner who finds himself at Q-School, fighting for his card after finishing 176th on the money list.  On the 12th hole of his first round, his caddy tossed him a ball that he realized later was a special Titleist prototype which was not of the same model with which he started the round. Knowing it would result in disqualification, Hayes turned himself in. I’m not here to praise Hayes for doing the right thing.  As pointed out on Jason Sobel’s blog at ESPN, this is something that Bobby Jones addressed after penalizing himself in the 1925 U.S. Open.  Upon being commended for his honesty, his reply was, “You may as well praise

Filed Under: Golf Philosophy
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Environmentally Sensitive Areas

September 18, 2008 By 2 Comments
barbedwire

These days, it’s pretty likely that your golf course has one or more “environmentally sensitive areas” that are intended to preserve the natural landscape.  Most often, they’re wetlands, but they can just as easily be fragile desert ecosystems.  Normally, these areas are designated by government regulatory agencies and they seem to be prevalent on newer courses, where environmental concerns are considered during construction. At my course, these areas are usually marked with hazard stakes with green tips.  Most of them are lateral hazards, so the sensitive areas are lined with red stakes with green tips.  There are some signs as well.  You might have seen similar setups at courses you have played. I have a major beef with these environmentally sensitive areas. Before you think I don’t care about the environment, think again.  Golf courses absolutely have an impact on the local ecosystem. In the middle of summer, when it’s hot and dry, a golf course needs a lot of water to stay healthy.  Have you ever noticed ponds and lakes virtually empty from all

Filed Under: Golf Philosophy
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