That is the response that psychological researcher and author Dr. Joe Lichtenberg gave to Why Golf? author Bob Cullen after explaining all the psychological factors that make people want to play golf and being asked, why he didn't play.
He added, "I never felt I wanted to take the time to learn."
Therefore, I think playing golf with 8 inch holes makes no sense. Putting passably well is probably the easiest skill to learn. How else do miniature golf courses make a go of it.
Therefore, I also think it does harm to the game to constantly televise professional tour players traversing mazes of watery death. The viewers can easily see that "the learning curve is too steep" for them to become accomplished enough to make such traversals themselves.