Bigger Hole Maybe Delc Was Right.................................

[HankMarvin]

Lee Westwood says golf is "too hard"
The former world number one golfer Lee Westwood says the sport needs to change to survive. With fewer people taking it up, he says there are a few issues that need looking at, such as how long it takes to play, how much it costs and how to attract women. However Westwood, who failed to make the cut at last week's US PGA, says the biggest problem is that the game itself is "too hard", and suggests that the holes could be made bigger.

 

[inc0gnito]

lol. Driving my tee shot 80 yards right into the car park has nothing to do with the hole size.

 

[Orikoru]

How much bigger are we talking? If it takes you 7 shots to reach the green in the first place, it hardly matters how big the hole is. I think you'd be more likely to attract people with more short courses, more nine holers and par 3 courses, and more fun-for-all stuff like Top Golf and indoor 'urban golf' things.

 

[IanM]

Takes too long? I was on the outside part of the driving range last Sunday at St Pierre, comp was being played on the Mathern Course. Lots of young'uns playing. I was right by the 2nd tee so stopped hitting as they played...

Overall.. crikey, the preshot routines took ages. a couple took 4 practice swings, most of them 3. Lots of faffing around. Are they getting taught that? Are they copying Tour players? No idea.

Fewer starting,? Maybe their dads are off cycling! Or more kids are sat on games consoles rather than getting outside!

As above, pitch and putt, par 3s and Top Golf get them into it,

 

[Trojan615]

Whatever happened to Delc ?

 

[Crow]

How pathetic, it's the difficulty of golf that makes it attractive.

Who wants to play a pat-pat-tiddly-pat version of golf where there's no challenge?

 

[jim8flog]

Hogan said if the hole had been bigger he would have carried on playing for quite a few more years.

 

[User20204]

Would cure all those that think having a putter fitting will make them great golfers 🤣🤣

 

[patricks148]

before my time playing but, did they increase the size of the hole when they changed ball size?

played Hickory a few times with an old ball and it does seem easier to hole short putts with the old ball.

 

[2blue]

Whatever happened to Delc ?

He's battling Brexit on FB.
Anyway HM.... whenever was he wrong??

 

[BubbaP]

I listened to the interview, my recollection was he was specifically talking about "beginner courses" when introducing newbies into the game.

 

[CliveW]

It doesn't come as a surprise that someone who isn't the best putter wants the hole to be bigger!

 

[HankMarvin]

Is there such a thing as beginner courses?

 

[Grant85]

This kind of discussion has been cropping up for decades.

Ultimately people become lifelong golfers because golf is hard, it always represents a challenge and there is a great deal of satisfaction when you get to a certain level and play to a good standard.

And of course there are still loads of golfers who go out every week and never break 100 - but stay for that one shot every round or so that they bomb a drive, or clip an iron straight at the pin.

However it's fair to say golf has been getting easier for decades. I hit a drive today that started down the left and cut back into the centre of the fairway, 75 yards from the green. Pretty much a perfect outcome in terms of what I was trying to do. The ball was hit with the heel of the club and on looking at the imprint on the club face, it was even slightly outside the heel. No doubt 30 years ago I'd have been struggling to find my ball among trees / bushes / thick rough down the left side of the hole. But in 2019, I had the opportunity to walk straight down the fairway, plop the ball onto the green and 3 putt.

Personally feel time and image are far more important factors in getting people into golf. Find realistic ways to speed up the game and improve the image.

 

[HankMarvin]

This kind of discussion has been cropping up for decades.

Ultimately people become lifelong golfers because golf is hard, it always represents a challenge and there is a great deal of satisfaction when you get to a certain level and play to a good standard.

And of course there are still loads of golfers who go out every week and never break 100 - but stay for that one shot every round or so that they bomb a drive, or clip an iron straight at the pin.

However it's fair to say golf has been getting easier for decades. I hit a drive today that started down the left and cut back into the centre of the fairway, 75 yards from the green. Pretty much a perfect outcome in terms of what I was trying to do. The ball was hit with the heel of the club and on looking at the imprint on the club face, it was even slightly outside the heel. No doubt 30 years ago I'd have been struggling to find my ball among trees / bushes / thick rough down the left side of the hole. But in 2019, I had the opportunity to walk straight down the fairway, plop the ball onto the green and 3 putt.

Personally feel time and image are far more important factors in getting people into golf. Find realistic ways to speed up the game and improve the image.

Don't you find it strange that handicaps don't seem to have come to back up your claim that Golf has got easier

 

[Grant85]

Don't you find it strange that handicaps don't seem to have come to back up your claim that Golf has got easier

I don't know if that's the definite case, but I think it probably is.

The most recent thing I remember on that was that people got comfortable playing at a certain handicap and stopped trying to improve. Subconsciously managing things to stay at say, 14, as they were comfortable with that and just wanted to play with their mates (who were a similar level) - and maybe win the odd competition on a day they played particularly well.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Seems a bit late for April fool ?

Game too hard ? It’s a sport - it’s not supposed to be easy , if it’s too hard then work harder at the game or take up another sport

For me there always seems to be a little group that want to dumb down sport and make it “easier”

Westwood etc has found it ok to become a multi millionaire at the sport and within the amateur game we have something called Handicaps to help level it all out

 

[Smasher]

Speed things up and make it attractive to juniors, easy! Ask any kid who doesn't play golf if they want to carry a golf bag full of clubs round 18 holes. Then ask them if they want a ride in a golf buggy.

I do think the idea of easier beginners courses (mostly par 3s with a few short par 4s thrown in, no water) or virtual golf on a simulator would get more involved. It can be quite daunting going from the range to an 18 hole course.
Add in that most people think its expensive and you can see why they'd take something else up instead.

 

[duncan mackie]

Don't you find it strange that handicaps don't seem to have come to back up your claim that Golf has got easier

That's an extremely easy statistic to manipulate - or to put it more accurately an extremely difficult premise to prove statistically.
When you consider that over 80% of golfers will never break 100 in their playing career and that over 30% of club members don't have a current/valid/competition handicap (similarily quoted statistics) you start to see the issues!

 

[dewsweeper]

before my time playing but, did they increase the size of the hole when they changed ball size?

played Hickory a few times with an old ball and it does seem easier to hole short putts with the old ball.

Not as I recall.

 

[CliveW]

before my time playing but, did they increase the size of the hole when they changed ball size?

played Hickory a few times with an old ball and it does seem easier to hole short putts with the old ball.

Looks like it's been 4.25" since 1891. Some interesting reading here...
https://www.liveabout.com/why-is-the-golf-hole-size-4-25-inches-in-diameter-1564488