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The NYT reports that golf courses across the country are experimenting with 15 inch golf holes the size of pizzas to stop people from quitting the game amid reports that golf has lost five million players in the last decade with 20 percent of the existing 25 million golfers apt to quit in the next few years. "We've got to stop scaring people away from golf by telling them that there is only one way to play the game and it includes these specific guidelines," says Ted Bishop, president of the PGA of America. "We've got to offer more forms of golf for people to try. We have to do something to get them into the fold, and then maybe they'll have this idea it's supposed to be fun."
A 15-inch-hole event was held at the Reynolds Plantation resort last week featuring top professional golfers Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose, the defending United States Open champion. "A 15-inch hole could help junior golfers, beginning golfers and older golfers score better, play faster and like golf more," says Garcia, who shot a six-under-par 30 for nine holes in the exhibition. Another alternative is foot golf, in which players kick a soccer ball from the tee to an oversize hole, counting their kicks. Still it is no surprise that not everyone agrees with the burgeoning alternative movement to make golf more user-friendly. "I don't want to rig the game and cheapen it," says Curtis Strange, a two-time United States Open champion and an analyst for ESPN. "I don't like any of that stuff. And it's not going to happen either. It's all talk."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Sir Garlon on Tuesday April 22 2014, @06:04PM
Would scantily-clad cheerleaders help?
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 2) by Angry Jesus on Tuesday April 22 2014, @06:35PM
> Would scantily-clad cheerleaders help?
They already tried that, didn't go over very well. [theguardian.com]
(Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday April 22 2014, @07:34PM
Speaking of that, the semi-formal dress codes for "real" golf sound impossible for an outdoor sport in 90+ degree 100% humidity weather, especially when the miniature golf course used to run a promotion for adults only ladies night where ladies working on their suntan (aka in a bikini) got to golf for free between dinner time when they converted to adults only, and sundown, which is like 9pm if you live far enough north. One of the local courses promoted it as ladies free luau party night and the other local course competed with advertising for swimsuit Saturday night or something like that. These events were insanely popular in my college age single years, standing room only, maybe real golf could take a hint and not have a dress code requiring a tuxedo, bow tie, and top hat in midsummer or whatever ridiculous requirements. I'm not going all extreme and suggesting every course should look like homeless people and strippers all the time, but at least occasionally when its 100F and sunny they might get more players if they allowed "normal" clothes for those temperatures instead of stubborn adherence to the dress code that probably came initially from winter in Scotland.
(Score: 1) by J053 on Tuesday April 22 2014, @10:06PM