Mike Youngs topic on GCA titled The Good Side of Golf Decline relates to an article found on the following link decodedscience/why-the-decline-of-golf-is-good-news-for-the-environment/50036#comments While I will not say its rubbish, I wonder if any will realise that a golf course is in fact a fundamental part of a good and healthy environment - the problem is that the modern designers, club owners and players have just lost their way. I posted the following comment on the above web page, perhaps I may find one or two who agree with me proving that the rest a either lost or just impervious to the damage modern attitudes on GCA and the game has actually done to the Environment. My comment Golf is in decline for the most part due to the modern players and the supporting staff to pamper them to actual death. Gone is the challenge, gone are the real golf courses that once made the Royal & Ancient Game of Golf that made it an international Game. We need to look no further than the greed and money that today is Golf. It’s destroyed the real Green Keepers skills of nurturing the courses, using natural remedies rather than fast acting pollutants that kill the very fish in both sea and/or rivers. However we cannot place blame on the club owner or the designer for all they are doing is servicing the requirements of the modern players. I hate using the term Golfers as from what I observe there are still many about , nevertheless they are totally outnumbered by players who care little if nothing for the game of golf which they consider is all about riding about on a cart using aids for whatever and utilising as much information from outside sources as possible. The total opposite to what golf is all about – that is the challenge, of Man facing the Natural mixed with a little cunning from Man to test and require the player to rise to the challenge of becoming a golfer through the simple action of being committed being up to face the hazards placed before him by the Gods of Men and Nature herself. Then mention GCA to most players and the reaction is one of utter nothingness, of blank expression as if you are talking a foreign language, the refinement of what a course brings to the game seems to be beyond most in either the development of skill or more simply put their understanding of the game they are meant to be playing. Golf is in decline because we have first forgotten how to play it and second ignored the GCA of the game that was developed in the 19th Century. Ask 100 designers/architects the history of their chosen profession pre 1900 and what as many struggle to give any actual information, try this question i.e. the reason for the staking/pegging the course and the striking of a few shots during the process, yes you will see a golfing blind curtain descending over their eyes. How can we ignore history – well we have and the result is a game requiring little commitment, hardly a challenge and hazards that are more akin to helping aids i.e. hard shallow compacted bunkers. Today we have turned many a wonderful golf course into an over watered over engineered over manicured glorified Park instead of a natural links based course that is in itself part sustainable. The damage is not yet complete- we through technology and the refusal of the Governing Body to act upon the distance a modern ball can travel mainly in the air. This requirement of the Macho Player is killing great designs, great holes all for the sake of a handful of long hitters who probably would have difficulty making a gutty ball fly using a Hickory club - Golf is not and never was about distance, it’s about navigating around an obstacle course created by Man/Nature using one’s mind and body not aided by any outside source. It’s the Dog leg Holes, it’s the blind Holes, it’s the deep pot bunkers its about penal if the shot is not worthy of the hole or the players understanding of the GCA – Yes its not rocket science – its just Golf so why has the game declined in the last 50 -70 years – look around where is the challenge – you have bloody killed it because of your own lack of commitment. However you will be doing nothing about it because you do not care, don’t give a fig leaf about the game or in all honesty just can’t be bothered to play golf if it appears to push you, makes you think, or get you off your arse, yes its just too much hassle. In closing there is another reason golf is in decline – the failure to build golf course on “Land Fit For Purpose” again simple little requirement but ignored by many a designer and his boss the money man – the again we still fall back on the R&A who have failed golf at nearly every turn and still not accountable to anyone for their multitude of cockups. Address the real issues facing golf instead of always ignoring them because players just do not want to be golfers – you will also improve slow play in the process. Why cant we just face the issues facing us head on and accept that we not only are killing the game by reducing its challenge but also side lining skill that a player needs to become a golfer - why cant many open up and voice an opinion - out of all those who say they want to be friends with me prove it by replying to the above whether you agree with me or not (if not pray state your own opinion). After all is it not our silence that allows the current regime to continue to destroy the game we all say we love.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 09:47:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015