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Make Golf Easier with One Adjustment or Rule Change

Canadan

Canadan

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I've seen plenty of comments about the reduction in interest around golf being caused by how difficult it is. While I'm not sure that is the case, it really got me thinking about positive changes at the AMATEUR level that would make the game more enjoyable. Of those thoughts, I came up with a couple which I'll grade from impossible/unlikely to most likely:

- Widen fairways and greens, shrink traps and hazards, etc.
- Expand cup sizes
- Free drop when in divots, dry spots, and in bunkers in poor rake jobs
- OB off the tee = lateral, not a re-tee

I personally think it should go course by course, but there are three distinct changes i would make on my own.

First, I would refuse to allow the greenskeepers to place the pin on a noticeable slope. They suckered us weekend after weekend last year and it was brutal!!! Lagging for par from 10 feet is silly.

Second, I really like the idea of allowing players to drop out of dry patches or divot marks in the fairway. I believe it to be ground under repair and while the course makes a point of marking the dry spots during tournaments, they don't do it all the time. Tack on neglect from other golfers in bunkers, I see no real reason why a drop in a bunker when the ball is resting in a foot mark is so crazy.

Finally, rather than forcing an additional tee ball on OB, allow players to drop laterally. I think it's a great way to also pick up the pace of play.


But enough of my thoughts. What would you guys do if you could make one change to the game of golf to make it more appealing or playable?
 
I honestly believe making fairways larger, holes shorter and cups bigger would help me out a lot,even taking out trees from a certain parts of the fairways would help lol

biggolfhole.jpg
 
Mr. Satchmo said:
I honestly believe making fairways larger, holes shorter and cups bigger would help me out a lot,even taking out trees from a certain parts of the fairways would help lol

biggolfhole.jpg
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not good enough.
 
Oregon Jack said:
not good enough.
Click to expand...

In all seriousness, a larger hole could help me chip in easily, putt from the fringe, and maybe even make some hole in ones haha. The way I'm playing at the moment is driving me nuts
 
The waist thing to do is not always hinder your self with every nitpicky rule of golf. Its ok to take a lateral drop of the teebox or clean the ball mid hole. If you always lose the ball in the water on 8 take a drop on the other side instead of hitting 2, 3, and 4 in the water. Do things that allow you to enjoy the game just remember you can't turn under games in for your handicap. When I play pickup gamesof basketball we don't get refs and play full court. Some times we play 1s and 2's. Didn't mean were not playing bball. Golf as you need to just make sure it means something to you.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2
 
Great thread Canuck

Revise the OB rule for non tournament play.

That is the biggest. Also, stop worrying about anchored putters. They aren't that big of a deal.
 
I've been a big supporter of lateral drop for OB for quite some time now. I get the original idea behind it, but with so many residential type courses that have OB just a few feet from the fairway, it can get a bit silly. There is nothing more frustrating for a beginner than having a ball land in the fairway, roll out of bounds, then retee it up and slide one way out of bounds. Those are the moments that make you consider giving it up. It also can slow pace of play way down.
 
Definitely lateral drops for OB. It would save strokes and time for a lot of people.
 
I think the size of the fairways is not a 'rules' thing and unlikely most courses could not adapt to that easily. My experience with "most amateurs" in non tournament play they do not go back and re-hit an OB shot. Of course the folks here are more 'true golfers' and would re-hit but that (in my opinion) does not represent the general population.
 
Jack is a big supporter of the larger hole. I thought it was pretty cool that Pro-Am event where they had 2 holes on the green, a larger for Ams, and standard for pros.
 
I do think USGA standards for pin placement are important

The fairway thing makes me smile. My home course has the most maintained fairway I any USGA rated course in the state of Wisconsin. Almost double the average. But it still manages to be rated above par from the two back tees.
 
blugold said:
I do think USGA standards for pin placement are important

The fairway thing makes me smile. My home course has the most maintained fairway I any USGA rated course in the state of Wisconsin. Almost double the average. But it still manages to be rated above par from the two back tees.
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What's your home course?
 
Honestly Dan, I agree with all 3 of your ideas. Certainly would make the game more enjoyable for us hacks while speeding up the pace of play
 
I don't really like the "make it easier" idea. Make it more enjoyable, sure. But part of the enjoyment of golf to me is knowing that it IS hard.

I like making OB off the tee a lateral, but tweak that. Make it OB / retee / OB again, THEN lateral. I've been doing that for a long time, just because 2 OB means I'm maxed out on the hole for handicap purposes anyway.

The inaccessable pin thing...that's a greenskeeper / club issue and not really a "golf" problem. A quick word to management should prevent a reoccurence, and if they WANT to put the pins there, I vote with my wallet.
 
I really really like these idea Dan. I would be in favor of all of them


TapaTalk from the iPhone
 
Played a friendly round last week. As we were standing on the first chatting about the format we would play, one of the lads suggested we play "rake and place" in the bunkers as the greens keepers were only just coming on the course same time as us. I only went into a bunker once and typically ended up in a foot print of someone who had played the hole before me and made no attempt to rake the bunker afterwards.

Now my point is why can't "Rake and Place" be a rule anyway. The chances are the guy who left the footprint probably would have moved his ball had it landed in a footprint and then he thought "well why should i rake when the last guy didn't" This then becomes a knock on of none stop stupidity
 
I don't know that I'd change much when it comes to the rules of play. I do think that divots and destroyed areas of the fairway should ge classified ground under repair I guess.

Biggest problem I have with OB is that there are quite a few courses that have OB within the course's confines. I don't understand that one at all.
 
I dont think it necessary to get too carried away with making the game too easy. Extra wide fairways, short courses, cutting out trees on doglegs, and reducing hazrds? I mean it can get to a point of saying - why not lets just go to a range and strike balls all day or just play in some wide open field all day and no matter what/how we hit, we'll never be in trouble. There are alot of golf courses already out there that are very wide open where one can tee off all over the place and still be able to take a second shot on many holes. You may be over in the next fairway but you still have the shot.

I mean the game is not supose to be easy. Thats what makes it so rewarding when you do well. Take out too much of the difficulty IMO it then loses integrity.

With that said I do have no problem with some rule changes. Such as ball in divot thing which should even be done away with at the pro level if ya ask me. The other is the OB or lost ball even if not an OB but just hit onto the woods or tall gras/weeds or whatever. I see no reson at all for stroke and distance. It could easily be just a stroke and drop to the closest point (not closer to the hole) from where the ball entered the OB or the woods, weeds, or whatever the situation.

Especially if its not an OB and just goes into the woods or something. Its been said in THP number of times. Things like we dont have tv cameras and a hundred other people who saw the ball exactly where it is. So many times we'd be able to chip back out of if we just had that luxury of the help locating the ball. Think how many times you easily seen other balls while looking for yours or your partners. But anyways I see no reason for the stroke and distance. As said, one stroke and just drop in the reverse line is all that it should be IMO.
 
dhjkelly said:
Played a friendly round last week. As we were standing on the first chatting about the format we would play, one of the lads suggested we play "rake and place" in the bunkers as the greens keepers were only just coming on the course same time as us. I only went into a bunker once and typically ended up in a foot print of someone who had played the hole before me and made no attempt to rake the bunker afterwards.

Now my point is why can't "Rake and Place" be a rule anyway. The chances are the guy who left the footprint probably would have moved his ball had it landed in a footprint and then he thought "well why should i rake when the last guy didn't" This then becomes a knock on of none stop stupidity
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That is a rule for me if it lands in an unraked spot. The same goes for unrepaired divots. You wouldn't find that sort of thing in a competition on a nice course, so why should I be frustrated because some idiot can't be bothered to care for the course.
 
To add to my post - I like the ideas we are hearing about making the game a little more enjoyable/accessible for the beginner or casual player. I think it was mentioned that Jack thought 6 hole rounds with bigger cups could do a lot for that segment of the population. I think it was him at least.
 
I agree with all three of your ideas Dan and I would expand the 2nd suggestion to include balls resting on or near roots and rocks that may cause injury. I am the person paying for my clubs so I always take an unplayable lie when I am unlucky enough to be in those type lies. It always sticks in my craw for me to be in the woods once or twice all day and have that type of lie and someone else in my group be in the woods 7 or 8 times and always have a great lie to come back into play from, seems wrong on some level even in the game of golf.
 
Nice as this idea might sound, i don't ever recall anyone ever saying golf was meant to be easy. As with most sports, golf is usually difficult to begin with, but once one grasps the concept of it all and takes a few lessons to improve their ability the game does become easier and more enjoyable.

We do seem to be in a world now where things of all nature get 'dumbed' down so that they are more accessable to the masses.

Why should the game of golf be brought down to the level of the guys who can't be arsed to get some lessons and improve. If they can't be bothered to make any effort to improve, and then b*tch about golf, go and play something that is easier.

It is the very fact that golf is difficult that brings each of us back week after week because we know that we can always improve. It is a game that can NEVER be mastered, no matter who you are.
 
Richard Rodgers said:
Nice as this idea might sound, i don't ever recall anyone ever saying golf was meant to be easy. As with most sports, golf is usually difficult to begin with, but once one grasps the concept of it all and takes a few lessons to improve their ability the game does become easier and more enjoyable.

We do seem to be in a world now where things of all nature get 'dumbed' down so that they are more accessable to the masses.

Why should the game of golf be brought down to the level of the guys who can't be arsed to get some lessons and improve. If they can't be bothered to make any effort to improve, and then b*tch about golf, go and play something that is easier.

It is the very fact that golf is difficult that brings each of us back week after week because we know that we can always improve. It is a game that can NEVER be mastered, no matter who you are.
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You know, I do agree with that to a point, mainly for the enthusiast. Part of the allure of the game is the difficulty.

At the same time, I think of somebody like my mom. She is interested in the game because of me and likes to go out occasionally, but won't ever become the golf nut that I am. If there were ways to make the game a little easier or enjoyable for that segment of golfers, I can't see a negative there.
 
Hawk said:
You know, I do agree with that to a point, mainly for the enthusiast. Part of the allure of the game is the difficulty.

At the same time, I think of somebody like my mom. She is interested in the game because of me and likes to go out occasionally, but won't ever become the golf nut that I am. If there were ways to make the game a little easier or enjoyable for that segment of golfers, I can't see a negative there.
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That's why 2 holes per green is such a wonderful idea.
 
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