John Paul Newport’s article in the Wall Street Journal provided an excellent report on how Flogton..the suggested alternative to the stiff collared rules of golf…will help grow the game of golf. If there is one thing I like about his report is its balance on the realities of Flogton really being accepted by most golfers..or even new golfers.
I tend to agree, most amateur golfers today already play some sort of non-golf by the way they bend the rules. So why would we need Flogton? Some of the reasons Scott McNealy, the co-founder and former chief executive of Sun Microsystems, gave for why people do not play the game are valid.
“…Golf needs better ways to appeal to videogame-enamored kids and to casual adult golfers who lack the time, inclination or athletic talent to master the game.”
One of the other reasons many people I talk to are not interested in picking up playing Golf is the difficulty in learning to play the game. Outside the initial start-up costs for a beginner golfer, the difficulty in learning the game really is what causes most people to throw in the towel within the first year after starting to play golf. With this being the case how would playing Flogton change learning to hit the golf ball? It wouldn’t, which I see will be why Flogton really would not make much difference in helping golf.
Whether you wear cut off jeans or pair of pin-striped slacks to play golf in doesn’t really solve golf’s fundamental problems. Changing the rules to lure more people into playing the game is not going to grow the interest in playing golf. Golf is golf no matter if you play Par 5’s as Par 10’s. or have 8 different tee boxes to play from.
The fun of playing golf is being able to send the golf ball sailing in the direction you are wanting it go and as far away as you want to go. To do this you first have to learn to hit the golf ball. To do this golfers have to take golf lessons. If that doesn’t happen it doesn’t matter if you wear an Old Navy T-Shirt or a Bobby Jones Golf Shirt to play golf. Untaught Golfer are going to get frustrated and eventually quit playing due to not being able to hit the ball. Where would Flogton be then?
I am all for change, and all for whatever will work to help golf grow, but changing the rules or structure of the game is not going to bring more people into the game..which is the key to golf’s survival. Let me know how I can help.
