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January 9, 2008
Retro golf
Golfweek's Brad Klein enjoyed that outdoor "Winter Classic" National Hockey League game in Buffalo that drew over 70,000 spectators on New Year's Day so much that he is proposing the professional golf equivalent -- a tournament where all the Tour players would be required to play old-style persimmon woods, forged irons and balata balls:
So if hockey can pull this off, why not golf? What better game for evoking youthful memories and feelings – of school-house swings, piecemealed equipment, and of a dreamy, pastoral playing field.How about the PGA Tour putting together a “Summer Classic” tournament?
Players use older, wooden-headed drivers and “woods,” plus forged, not cast, irons and wound, balata golf balls – the kind that anyone who is 30-plus years old today grew up learning the game with. Forget caddies. Players carry their own golf bags. No yardage books or pin sheets. Golfers eyeball everything and improvise their shots. Leave the bunkers rakes in the maintenance shed. Mow the greens so they actually putt at different speeds.
How much fun would that be to watch? And to play?
The NHL’s “Winter Classic” was a success in every possible regard. And no surprise, despite (or was it because of?) the rough conditions, the game’s premier player, the Penguins’ Sid Crosby, not only displayed his amazing puck handling skills but also scored the winning goal. To their credit, the NHL’s administration even bent the rules slightly in the name of equity by stopping play midway through the third period and overtime to allow the teams to switch sides, lest either one gain an undue advantage from the elements.
That, to me, showed a lot of imagination. Don’t let rules nerds ruin the game in the name of some abstract lawyerly adherence when what counts is the spirit of the sport. With a little imagination and guts, golf, too, can go back to its traditions. It might be the best way of showcasing itself.
Not a bad idea for one of the many PGA Tour events that have fallen into the Tiger Chasm.
On the other hand, Geoff Shackelford already knows who the probable winner would be.
Posted by Tom at January 9, 2008 12:10 AM
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