Do We Need Larger Cups Or Slower Greens?
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The first reports are in on Golf Digest's W-I-D-E Open at Pine Needles. Scores were low, play was fast and a good time was had by all. It certainly sounds like something fun to try now and then.
Reading the account of Pete Finch and the tough feedback from the peanut gallery on the comments page has me wondering if we need to use this is an example of what fast green speeds have done to slow down and frustrate golfers.
After all, faster greens effectively reduce the size of the already tiny hole. And also slow down play, make the game more difficult and more expensive.
The 15-inch cup was popular with most players. Many of the participants said they would enjoy doing it again, although they wouldn't want to play that way every time out. I felt the same way. It would be a great alternative to the usual scramble format at charity events. Or I could see dropping one round of "big-cup" golf midway into a buddies trip.
Pete you had me until you just had to drop the dreaded b-word!
The way it sped play was something many competitors liked. Most groups left the flag in while putting (it could not interfere with a ball rolling into the hole) and putted consecutively. The typical foursome got around the course in 3¼ hours or less. None took more than four hours.
But playing fast was only part of the equation. Birdies are fun, even when they come with air quote marks around them. Hahn, the gross winner, said he couldn't remember ever laughing so much during a round of golf. "This experience gave us amateurs a chance to play the way tour pros do," he wrote on his scorecard.
Jaime Diaz will be writing about the Open in the June Golf Digest.
