rollin
"Just playin golf pally"
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I have touched on this (my) opinion in other threads once or twice but thought it may be worth some discussion on its own. Obviously we all know the affects of long courses on amateur golf. But there are a few reasons I am not liking it at the pro level either.
Firstly I am a bit tired of the whole distance thing. I find it no longer as exciting or attractive as it once was. Kind of in a way I feel it has outplayed its ambiance or infatuation. In fact become almost somewhat boring in a way too. But that's just me I know.
But when I say counter productive, what I talk of is that imo I believe the longer courses and holes are actually working against the very reason they keep making them longer. The powers to be simply feel that players became too long for the good of the game the way it was. But is it becoming over done? Can it possibly be taking away from the game instead of adding to it?
The reason I feel longer courses is actually counter productive is this.
They seem to make everything longer in order combat the fact that they feel too many players are too long. Many of us would argue that is not the case based on things like the tour average is upper 280's which means half are lower than that and the ones who are very long at the very top is really minimal and feel they make too much of it but regardless of that discussion they have still made courses longer.
The problem I see is that when you add yardage imo what your only accomplishing is to further play in favor of those who are too long. The ones who are causing the powers to be to make things longer are the ones who gain simply by default of the whole process. In a way its working against its own idea. It simply becomes more and more difficult for the mid and shorter hitters to catch up therefore favoring the longer ones that the idea is trying to combat in the first place. It actually imo also creates an unfair playing field if it hasn't already done so. The whole process just has to be limiting the potential for a broader playing field. Imo this is counter productive for golf.
I'm not suggesting that one should not have good distance to be a tour pro. A tour pro should posses some distance as part of his talent arsenal. But what has been done with course lengths imo is that its gone or going too far to serve its own purpose. If it continues its going to get to the point where the field will be too limited if it hasn't already. Truth is we just wouldn't know because there may be some great players out there who we would otherwise see competing right now but simply cant keep up so they are not there as only the longest can survive because that's what they have made it become. This is where it imo it may be much more counter productive vs what they think is a problem now. I don't want to only see the longest of hitters on the tour in the future.
There are much better ways to combat the longest hitters without lengthening courses. I can think of a few that will take care of the issue and still allow for a broader field of competitors in the game at the same time. Just look at this years masters. where 9 par4's play over 440 yards and 6 of them are over 450 up to 505. Just ridiculous and not necessary imo. Everything about it works towards my opinion here. Golf is looking or waiting for the next great to come along or even great competitions among a broader playing field will also work to popularize the sport and just may be he and/or they are around somewhere but we'll never know because the course lengthening thing has imo perhaps gone too far and perhaps works against its own cause.
Firstly I am a bit tired of the whole distance thing. I find it no longer as exciting or attractive as it once was. Kind of in a way I feel it has outplayed its ambiance or infatuation. In fact become almost somewhat boring in a way too. But that's just me I know.
But when I say counter productive, what I talk of is that imo I believe the longer courses and holes are actually working against the very reason they keep making them longer. The powers to be simply feel that players became too long for the good of the game the way it was. But is it becoming over done? Can it possibly be taking away from the game instead of adding to it?
The reason I feel longer courses is actually counter productive is this.
They seem to make everything longer in order combat the fact that they feel too many players are too long. Many of us would argue that is not the case based on things like the tour average is upper 280's which means half are lower than that and the ones who are very long at the very top is really minimal and feel they make too much of it but regardless of that discussion they have still made courses longer.
The problem I see is that when you add yardage imo what your only accomplishing is to further play in favor of those who are too long. The ones who are causing the powers to be to make things longer are the ones who gain simply by default of the whole process. In a way its working against its own idea. It simply becomes more and more difficult for the mid and shorter hitters to catch up therefore favoring the longer ones that the idea is trying to combat in the first place. It actually imo also creates an unfair playing field if it hasn't already done so. The whole process just has to be limiting the potential for a broader playing field. Imo this is counter productive for golf.
I'm not suggesting that one should not have good distance to be a tour pro. A tour pro should posses some distance as part of his talent arsenal. But what has been done with course lengths imo is that its gone or going too far to serve its own purpose. If it continues its going to get to the point where the field will be too limited if it hasn't already. Truth is we just wouldn't know because there may be some great players out there who we would otherwise see competing right now but simply cant keep up so they are not there as only the longest can survive because that's what they have made it become. This is where it imo it may be much more counter productive vs what they think is a problem now. I don't want to only see the longest of hitters on the tour in the future.
There are much better ways to combat the longest hitters without lengthening courses. I can think of a few that will take care of the issue and still allow for a broader field of competitors in the game at the same time. Just look at this years masters. where 9 par4's play over 440 yards and 6 of them are over 450 up to 505. Just ridiculous and not necessary imo. Everything about it works towards my opinion here. Golf is looking or waiting for the next great to come along or even great competitions among a broader playing field will also work to popularize the sport and just may be he and/or they are around somewhere but we'll never know because the course lengthening thing has imo perhaps gone too far and perhaps works against its own cause.