While many may well be content and happy discussing the top 25 of this or that, ranking and ratings leaving ‘Fine Golf’ (
http://www.finegolf.co.uk/) to address the important issued in the game of Golf.
Have we (the members) here on GCA.com lost interest in posting our thoughts on GCA and on the major issues of the day affecting our game? Are we really content to avoid the issues because we are arrogant enough to consider the opinions of others less worthy than our own? Or perhaps we have fallen into our comfortable chair displaying the confidence that our opinions really matter to the golfing world. Many add to GCA threads without first reading what has been written previously, so how on earth can they know or even offer a comment. Seems to say the debate is not interesting enough for them but they still want to make a point – yet how valid is that point to the debate?
Yet quietly Fine Golf has posted many of the issues that face golf today, while we are looking at course rating. They address the problems bring them into the open for thought and comments of those who feel they want to take the point further. GCA.com Members reaction is completely different in that we the Members place the issues on the board (hopefully for serious debate, point of interest , humour or perhaps an OT subject) in the hope of generating some thought and perhaps in some cases a debate on the issues.
We have the people here who are more than competent to produce a good debate, but for some reason the subject does not matter, it seem less important than attacking the individual who posted the thread. Worst still many Members seem to run for cover not wanting to get involved, ignoring the attack, and thus forming an act of censorship in doing so, which in turn reduces the effectiveness of the site.
The message I detect from our site is a very strong underlying opinion that nothing will change so why bother. I am glad Britain did not feel like that in 1939. But why is GCA.com projecting this subliminal message. Why are we not grasping the issues and having a good debate on the subject after all we do that every time a list or ranking comes out, tell me what is more repetitive than that?
This site is here to open the debate and hopefully take it forward, perhaps one day to the Governing Body of the game. There are many, many sites that chat about golf, but just look at the talent we have at GCA.com, the list of Designers, Keepers of the Green (sorry hate the word Super), and a sliding scale of quality golfers down to the average and less than average golfers (like myself).
So why are we not given Ran and Ben the quality debates they deserve, that will put and keep GCA.com into the forefront of GCA sites? We need to question openly the rights and wrongs of the modern game. But of course it’s more fun scoring points against another individual just because you do not agree with his/her point of view or worst still with a tone you believe you have detected. To kill a debate for this reason is pure madness but we are all to blame because very few of us ever jump in and support the right of that individual to have his say – wars are fought for less reasons.
If you do not wish to debate may I suggest you leave the site otherwise enter into the spirit of things or are we going to leave it to more sites fully addressing the issued we face in golf.
Fine Golf has done a resounding job in producing a Newsletter that looks at the real issues while seeking to support The Royal and Ancient Game of Golf to the highest standards.
All our opinions are important, so perhaps we should show a little more respect for each other and we might find that we are addressing more than a top 25 listing.
Melvyn
PS As for your opinion of me or my posts, I would only ask that you delay in making up your minds until we meet, allowing you the opportunity to read my body language in conjunction with my comments. Perhaps we may have to still resolve issues by accepting that we do not agree but without the need for hostilities.