Tom, would you see a really strong 12/13 hole course as a ‘gimmick’? It would be unusual, certainly, but it seems to me that, probably more so than at any time since the late 19th century, golfers might be ready to accept an ‘odd’ number of holes if they were really good. Some of the new short courses are moving away from the 9/18 hole standard. Isn’t there room for that to be done on a full-length course?
I agree that nine holes can be enough for golf but if 18 isn’t too many, then why not 13? I can understand that it might be a tough sell to whoever is paying for the course to be built but presumably they could charge more for a 13-hole round than for 9, so couldn’t the economics make sense? And, without using the ‘gimmick’ word (with its connotations of something being done solely to attract attention), wouldn’t the opportunity to be recognised as the best 13 hole course in the World be a social media marketer’s dream?