All this talk of shot values, intentions and actual shots, particularly with Royal Melbourne matches fresh in mind, got me thinking... at the risk of ridicule.
How about a match play game where - like eightball pool, you have to call your shot? If you see a contour on the FW approach to a green, and possibility to play a ground game bound-in, where you plan to try to get close, to a certain pin, you have to tell your opponent, "I want to hit a 6 iron to that slope 20 yards short left of the green and have it roll down near or on the green. If you miss it, that is penalty enough that you missed. If you miss it, like sculling it, or totally flying it, but it lands near the pin and you win the hole on pure luck, you can only halve the hole. If you are a good player, and call your shot to fly to a green, get close enough to two putt, that is reward enough or you don't have to call anything, and take your chances on beating the opponent if he calls it or not. If you miss it, skull it, or otherwise don't flight it as you say, bounce off a tree or wall or whatever, get close to the hole to win, by shear luck, and not as the shot was called, you can only halve the hole. If you didn't call it and lucked out for a birdie, and your opponent did call their shot to make their par or birdie with or without handi, they win. If the opponent also did not call it, then it reverts to if they got a stroke by handi or not and who won the hole straight up.
If you are getting a stroke on the hole, play a strategic shot and call it off the tee or on the approach (lay up to a called place, or work it around a tree - fade or draw it, or carry a hazard and call it) as a high risk/gamble, and do it, make your score as par or birdie with handicap, you win no matter if the opponent gets birdie or not, and the opponent only wins if they make their birdie on a called prior shot to the birdie, or making eagle no matter if they called the prior shot or not.
I'm just trying to figure out how to make these notions of shot values and intentions vs actual shots more relevant and obvious to the interaction of the golfer and the course architecture.
Remember, this is a brain storm in progress, so keep the ridicule down to a mild roar...
