I am 56 years old, a four handicap who has been playing since I was a small child. I have played military courses, public courses, private courses and 75 of the top 100 courses on the GOLF DIGEST list. I have played golf in twelve different countries. I have played in rain, heat, cold, snow, wind, and benign conditions. I have played golf along the ground, in the air, on natural courses, contrived courses, hilly courses, flat courses, seaside courses and mountain courses. I love 'em all. I prefer links courses in Great Britain but I just love to hit a golf ball. I love to envision how it will fly and how it will react when it lands.
When I was young and hit low driving hooks off the tee and high flop shots with balata balls that would cut if you hit them high on the face, I loved it. When I was twentyfive and used balls that would not cut on greens that would not accept even the most perfectly struck balls I thought I needed to leaarn a new shot.
Golf is not about protecting some favorite kind of architecture but about being able to adjust to the game necessary for the type of course played. In this day and age we have more varying types of courses than ever before. We can go from TOC at St. Andrews where the ground game is helpful to PGA west where you have to hit it in the air.
Do I have preferences? Absolutely! If I could play fast running links courses for the rest of my life I would be thrilled. It just won't happen. So I must adjust. This ability to adjust to the differing conditions helps make the game great. And is why I love it.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, "Do we love golf or only a particular kind of golf?"