Starting in 2019 the USGA is making a lot of changes to the rule book. Here is their logic.
The caddy will no longer be able to stand behind the player after he addresses the ball in order to line them up. BECAUSE they are professional and should not need someone else to line them to the target.
But then they turn around and legalize electronic range finders. If professional players should not need the help of a caddy to line up their shots. Should they also not be able to estimate the distance to the flag without an electronic range finder?????
The sport is really hurting because younger people, 25 to 35, don't have the time or interest to play the game. More courses will close as a result. My playing partner and I played Quail Ridge a few times last year. There were some sand bunkers where you could see the black liner on the sides. Many golf carts had screaching brakes, needing maintenance. They don't advertise on sports talk radio anymore, not on Wolo's show anyway.
The newer 27 hole course at the state park near Wynne is a great layout but some holes are not maintained well. Sad to see that with the recent work and investment there.
Some wanted to make the holes 6 inches wide to make the game easier. That's pretty radical.
(03-05-2017 07:26 PM)TallTiger Wrote: [ -> ]The sport is really hurting because younger people, 25 to 35, don't have the time or interest to play the game. More courses will close as a result. My playing partner and I played Quail Ridge a few times last year. There were some sand bunkers where you could see the black liner on the sides. Many golf carts had screaching brakes, needing maintenance. They don't advertise on sports talk radio anymore, not on Wolo's show anyway.
The newer 27 hole course at the state park near Wynne is a great layout but some holes are not maintained well. Sad to see that with the recent work and investment there.
Some wanted to make the holes 6 inches wide to make the game easier. That's pretty radical.
Yes and no. I think the numbers are down because it got too popular for a while. During Eldricks reign you had people who didn't know what a golf ball was suddenly flock to the courses. Many did not know proper etiquette and you had loud music, people talking on cell phone and other behaviors which you normally did not see from people who played for years. The regulars left these courses for places where they can find a proper golf etiquette.
After the regulars left the other crowd moved on to the next big fad. Leaving many courses hurting for customers. The older players had gotten use to their new courses an did not come back.
Cost doers hurt many younger people from taking up the sport. I can remember when i first start we had place like Overton which was just a couple of dollars green fees and it was not that many years before that when it was free. We need a pitch and putt course like we use to have off Brooks where you could go play at night and get into the game at lower cost. A group of us always went there at night to play.
BTW what ever happened to the old Grand Valley Lakes course. Remember the number 2 hole was something like a 615 yard par 5.