Would you still play golf if during an 18-hole round you -
- on 4 holes needed a Driver and another full shot to reach the green
- on 4 holes needed a Driver, 3-4 fairway metals and another shot to reach the green
- on 10 holes needed a Driver, 2-3 fairway metals and another shot to reach the green
?
Just curious.
atb
I will throw out the caveat that it would need to be a course that was navigable to play in such a manner-but frankly I'm sure it would be for me as I have little time for courses with unneeded forced carries and unnavigable front of green entrances (Bethpage Black comes to mind as a course I have zero desire to play again)
I played my first two years exactly the way Thomas describes and developed a burning passion at that time.
I know many women who play that way and scoff every time we build or propose a new tees.
I know my son enjoyed the game far more when he rarely hit it out of play driving it 150 yards and that he enjoys it less hitting it long and wrong now.
In a world where we are always getting prices raises and cutbacks in quantity, ain't it great to get more bang for your buck?
An often overlooked plus of golf like that is that you get to navigate the course, rather than battling to keep the ball ON the course
What has more strategy?
Cross country golf(imagine fairways and corridors twice as wide due to how far/short you hit it) or driver wedge golf?
I pity the player who wouldn't play if they wouldn't play the game because they couldn't hit it a preconceived ego related distance.
A also realize certain tee placement concessions need to be made to made the game practical and enjoyable
I'll add one more unpopular thought:
Back when there were 2-3 sets of tees, courses were roughly conditioned, there were no bottled water stations every tee, and equipment made solid contact unlikely yet enviable, grunpy old men yelled at slow kids, golf was NOT cool, and anything else you want to throw out about the bad old days.....
golf and golfers weren't in a panic about all the changes and programs needed to "grow the game"