If ... fantasy time .... World Golf League etc

[Thomas Dai]

There's quite a bit of golf media etc chatter at the moment regarding a possible new version of a world tour, more elite fields, 'team' tournaments, money, World Golf League etc.

Now the fantasy part.

If you had the money .... masses and masses of money naturally .... so much so that no player etc could realistically turn it down ..... what kind of event would you like to hold? Where would you hold it? What would the format be? Etc?

My event - well 2 events really, as there'd be concurrent Mens and Ladies events would be -

- Held on both the Old Course and the New Course at St Andrews. Half the overall field on each course for the initial rounds.
- 32 men and 32 ladies (chosen from the World rankings and recent Major winners)
- Pairs 4bbb match-play - player pairings and which course they'll play drawn the day before - winning pair proceeds to the next round
- No caddies (carry your own bag or use a trolley), no yardage/green books, no range-finders etc
- 10 clubs max
- play to be from traditional (pre-1990) Open tees for the Men and proportionally further forward for the Ladies
- All players would have to use a rolled-back ball


 
atb

[Sean_A]

With or without tons of money I would look to create an event covering two weekends based on the Wimbledon model. All levels of top players playing various formats on several courses.

Ciao

[V. Kmetz]

I just want to see top players on interesting/classic courses...


I'll let myself be swept with the current to the Hunger Games lighthouse by which all sports sail (megalopolis entertainment spectacles, wrestling style brand, this putt brought to you by GE) if I get to see top players on interesting courses...


Inverness again, Aronimink again, Canterbury again, I want to see disparate style matches on antique courses like Myopia, and Prestwick, and Apawamis or Garden City. I want to see pro action on some newer courses too, locally Friar's Head and Hudson National.


As to format, especially on the older arcane courses, I'd love to see a match of styles, like Bubba and Zack Johnson or Rahm and Reed... but I also wouldn't mind seeing small field medal play events on the undercovered courses as well.


Though ambivalent about the prospect of a new  "tour within a tour" kinda of thing, I think THAT is the approximate model that would draw a weak-fleshed viewer like me to the table...  a series of small field stroke and match play events on classic courses...a 64 player tour, where each events field of 32 is arranged, matched and chosen by this Tour's governors in advance... like 12 events, whereby each of the 64 players signed to this "tour" will play in 8 events of the 12 total.


Not that it matters because it's just me typing on a machine, but I dread this idea of an agent's/corporate/stars tour.... we don't need it and if it launches successfully (which it might, because when you can put a billion dollars behind something, it goes for at least a bit), it will damn will kill the Tour developed to this point...a Tour where we viewers get a circadian rhythm of golf every week, every year; a Tour by which local charities and their communities get a positive economic jolt and a Tour wherein players who finish 30th, walk away with $30,000 and a life's worth of comps, perks and allowances.


I'm not sure any of the core of those constituencies are eager to see this new Tour idea, which --come on -- is just a scheme of inflating the perceived value of a property while at the same time, actually digging a diversion channel upstream on the Whateverhowmuchmoney River to that property, before it reaches the ranchers down in the Valley.