The game in the 19th Century was trying to generate consistency. First with the ball. To those who know the Featherie, it was first a very expensive ball 6-8 time the latter Guttie. When damp or wet the Featherie would tend to misshape as well as to tear or split. The life expectancy was short.
Along came the Guttie resin based ball, so much cheaper and durable it gave the game of golf a consistency for some 50 years. This 50 years allowed clubs to catch up with the steady and reliable Guttie ball.
Having obtained consistency with cost reduction the game became popular as courses were being designed, not just played upon land but actual designed, thought went into all aspects of the course, most important being selecting the right land.
With the introduction of the Haskell the game had become stable. Courses had lasted between 30-50 years as 9 and 18 Holes before modification. Instead of pegging the courses to a specific range of sizes as we have in many other sports, Football, Rugby, American Football, Tennis, Basketball, Athletics etc., with stadiums being built to accommodate these sports. Also as seen in these sports, they embracing technology but for the good of their game, controlling equipment and development to enhance the playing arena. But no, not Golf, as the R&A had not been involved, being an ordinary club in that period, taking their lead form the Pros and Green Keeps of their day, they I honestly believe never understood that concept that they suddenly found themselves in, so development went on regardless resulting in ever expanding courses, watered down playing experience as all aids became welcoming and a massive move away from the Golfer vs. the Course, Nature and Designer.
What has come out of all this, expensive courses, overheads that are crippling clubs and the constant continued drive to more uncontrolled technology, longer more expensive courses and worst still massive budgets for course maintenance. Why have we not seen the same in other sports, perhaps because their Governing Body grasped the situation early and corrected the rot and watering down of the game before any serious danger. Why does our Governing Body deny that there is a problem with long drives, and longer courses?
I have played many sports over the last 50 years and none have gone through the changes I have noticed in our once great Royal & Ancient Game of Golf.
If other sports see a need to consistence and sustainability why has our sport not fully embraced these ideal, bearing in mind we once did before the R&A took up their Ostrich posturing of burying their respective heads in the sand (pity it was not full of water as the early bunker in the 19th Century at St Andrews).
There is a strong case for consistency, even if we ignore other sports, we just cannot continue to extend our course, apart from the cost, their sustainability, the mere possibility of a 36 Hole day of golf will soon fade and all we will achieve will be 18 Holes on a marathon course, taking all the pleasure out of the game even if you resort to riding between Holes.
But then again you have to ask yourselves, am I playing Golf or some watered down derivative of that once great game and in fact do I really care?