Good thread, Ian. I was thinking along the same lines the other day. What would be wrong with many more forward tees for less skilled players? Or for skilled golfers wanting mix up the game by playing a long, difficult par four as a drivable one. I saw some website the other day for “All Tee Golf” that was promoting a game of golf involving just 2 rules (less than 200 words) and “the fairest, fastest, funest golf you will ever play.”
http://allteegolf.com/I baulked at paying the $7 to learn more. Does anyone know about this game? The tagline seems to be going in the right direction for getting more folks involved in the game.
What got me thinking was the two day state senior tournament we had here last week (put on by the state association). Two days of grind- it-out stroke play that we tried to keep under 4.5 hours a round by handing out time penalties (no fun and ultimately abandoned). Personally, I can’t think of any form of golf that is less fun. When all 124 golfers (way too many for a reasonable pace) were out on the course, I asked our head pro “why do we even do these things?” There are so many more enjoyable formats for tournaments, many of which are probably mentioned above (if I weren’t so lazy to read the entire thread). The point I was trying to make is why don’t courses promote more fun variations of the game? I think that concept fits this thread.
I play very few tournaments, but the only ones that I do play are all match play using various formats—2-man best ball with 9 hole matches, foursomes (alternate shot), best ball, etc. Even during regular play with the sharks and weasels that are my golf buddies, we play all sorts of wacky games to keep our interest up and the betting lively. Always at match play or some Stableford modification like “Chicago.” Sometimes we play “horse” where hole winners pick the next teeing area, marked or unmarked. One day a year we even play the course backwards (not recommended for timid weaker players). We do it because it’s fun. When somebody starts whining about getting pops, the usual response is “play better,” but in match play, 2/3 of handicap spinning off the low player works out quite fairly.
I saw lots of good ideas as I was skimming through this thread, which I’ll go back and read when I have more time. Some that I’ve seen are: driving ranges with greens that can be converted into short courses for kids, big Himalayas-styled putting courses for families; junior tees on every hole; and so on. I’m as much as a traditionalist as anybody, but I also believe that it is better for business to encourage golfers to have more fun playing the game. We are always looking for ways of doing this without offense to more traditional golfers. We also fill our course with juniors, kids, and beginners on our off-peak hours. Last week we ran a special (the offer good for two days) for golfers to buy a round on Mondays or after twilight starts on weekends: $10 a round. We sold 2,000 rounds in two days. Those golfers will rent carts, eat burgers, rent clubs, buy beer, and do all the usual things to offset the discount. But, to me, what it clearly proved is that there are folks out there with a desire to golf if we break down some of the barriers.
Thanks in advance for your good ideas when I have the chance to read them.