Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2011 - 50

(backspin
)
Forward Thinking
There are plenty of ideas to fix the game,
but only if the game remains golf.
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here were press releases, news
conferences and big-name endorsements.
The trumpeting of
a new method for playing golf was even
introduced on the eve of the U.S. Open
last June.
Funny thing is, nobody seems to have
heard the call for a way to revitalize the lagging
game. Oh, it makes a lot of sense, this
Tee It Forward campaign sponsored by the
PGA of America and the U.S. Golf Association.
Indeed, it makes so much sense that
the concept apparently came off as mundane
to all of us who have been playing the
game for more than a round of two.
So instead of heeding the urgings of
Barney Adams, the founder of Adams Golf,
and 18-time major championship winner
Jack Nicklaus to enjoy the game more by
moving up a set of tees for the next round,
nobody did much.
" We had a few people try it, " says
Pete Kurvers, the general manager and
head pro at Crow River Golf Club in
Hutchinson. " But there's a lot of testosterone
and old habits to overcome. People are
used to playing from the tees where they've
always played, and that's where they're
going to play. "
Jon Tollette, executive director of the
Minnesota Section of the PGA, said he had
heard that a handful of courses in the state
had encouraged players to try the idea of
chopping off 50 to 100 yards a hole in order
to enjoy the game more, shoot a better
score and improve the pace of play. " We
didn't get a large number of participants, "
Tollette says.
There seems to be something about the
game that encourages everybody to think a
course of less than 6,600 yards just isn't the
way the game is supposed to be played.
Three years as a starter at Hazeltine
National revealed a trend to the Old
Golfer. Whenever guests came to play the
48
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2011
site of the 1970 and 1991 U.S. Opens and
the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships,
the first place they headed was the farthest
back tee box.
" This is where they played in 2002, "
a guest will often say. " That's where we
want to play. "
the lost ball or out-of-bounds shot occurred
(a version of " desert golf " ) and just
add a stroke to your score.
Purists would die of the Yipes if all that
happened. And, technically, nobody would
have a certified handicap if the rules were
bent like a pretzel.
Technically, nobody would have
a certified handicap if the rules
were bent like a pretzel.
No amount of counsel can change
that request/demand. What finally does
the trick is this reminder: " You have four
hours and five minutes to finish your
round. We will send a cart or two to pick
you up at that time, and if you're standing
in the middle of the 15th fairway, so be it.
You're done playing, and you won't get to
see the last three holes, including our signature
No. 16. "
With the number of golfers shrinking
and the number of rounds sagging, a lot
of suggestions are popping up to breathe
new life into the game. Maybe instead of
playing nine- or 18-hole rounds, just play
three or six or 12 holes. Instead of a set
number of holes, have a set amount of
time to play-at the end of two hours, for
instance, a siren sounds and the course is
cleared for the next batch of players.
Flogton ( " not golf, " spelled backwards)
is another concept. Move up the tee 50
yards on a par 3, 100 yards on a par 4 and
150 yards on par 5. Allow one mulligan per
hole (certainly not a good way to speed up
play), and after two putts, the next one
is good. Make the holes bigger, too. And
don't interpret the rules too strictly-play
winter rules, drop a ball where you think
But maybe the Tee It Forward plan can
reap some benefits.
" All we have to do, " says Leigh Klasse,
who has won more than 20 state championships,
" is get to where we don't say
'Women's tees.'
Instead, we will have
learned to say, 'Forward tees.' "
Driver
Distance
Recommended
18 Hole Yardages
275 6,700-6,900
250 6,200-6,400
225 5,800-6,000
200 5,200-5,400
175 4,400-4,600
150 3,500-3,700
125 2,800-3,000
100 2,100-2,300
www.mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2011

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