Is it time for some changes?
Trevor Booth
Tradition is one of the great things about the game of Golf, more than just about any other sport Golf has held integrity and tradition in high esteem, its players are well mannered, well dressed and generally well behaved, even the crowd is different at the golf, these are all wonderful assets, but you have to ask the question, is it time for something different?
Golf has a long and storied history
Is stroke Golf all there is?
Ask most weekend golfers and they will tell you all about the different types of competitions they play each weekend, Stableford, Par, Stroke, everyone has their favourites, for me personally is Stableford, its more forgiving that Par or Stroke, and lets not forget about one of the most entertaining forms of Golf, skins play.
There's a reason why sponsors throw so much money at professional athletes, part of it is their skill, but a massive part of it is their personality, and what better way to introduce players to the world than one on one matchplay.
I'm not suggesting for one moment that we change up the majors, they should be untouchable, four day stroke play tournaments, but in a world where there are literally hundreds of tournaments every year, there's certainly room for experimentation.
Then there's the Golfers themselves, sure they always look smart and refined, but why not let them wear shorts, why not let them and the caddies ride in a cart and put a camera and microphone in the cart, it was fantastic watching Tiger vs Phil drive around and hearing them talk, it would also speed the game up, a topic that so many people are passionate about.
One of the things that's always been a strength of Tennis is the rivalries, Federer vs Nadal, Sampras vs Agassi, they were moments you looked forward to, two champions going at it, in Golf those match ups are few and far between, but we could have wonderful rivalries.
Image this, its day four of a matchplay series, there's only one match left, its the final, the flood lights are lighting up the fairways, led lights run down the edge of the fairway creating a multi-colored runway for the players to aim at.
Night golf can make for some spectacular scenes
And who's vying for the ten million dollar prize, Bryson DeChambeau is taking on Brooks Koepka, its a publicists dream, the microphones are hot, there's no where to hide, the TV audience is huge, and the interest in the players and our sport has never been so high.
It sounds amazing to me, and the strange thing is that it isn't that far fetched, the desire for golf is strong, there's a multiple tournaments every week, just like the 16th at the Phoenix open, it just takes one tournament to try something different and everything can change.
About the author:
One of the co-founders of Tredam Golf, Trevor has been playing golf for over 30 years:
New articles are added every week. Become a member of Tredam Golf so you don't miss a thing
