"Anybody who knows Faz knows you cancel all your appointments for the rest of the afternoon when he calls."

I've just started the Golf Digest "Fun" issue by reading Jerry Tarde's editor's letter. He's telling a fun Henry Cotton story when he interrupts his own column.

I had just finished typing this lead when the phone rang, and it was Tom Fazio. Anybody who knows Faz knows you cancel all your appointments for the rest of the afternoon when he calls.

Does this mean Fazio has all afternoon for a gabfest? Well, the business is slow!

"Barney Adams told me he wrote something for you arguing that we should move up a set of tees to have more fun," Tom said. "We all know that, but how do you get people to do it? I think Golf Digest should say that the ideal length for middle tees is 6,174 yards, or a shocking number like that. Get people to rethink distance. Have tournaments from the forward tees. I'm hoping when the U.S. Open goes to Merion in 2013, we'll see a new appreciation for courses that don't have to be long to be testing or fun."

Now, this is an architect who has lengthened and brutalized some classic courses and who supports the distance explosion, yet he's longing for a day with shorter courses that can't handle the effects of the distance push. Consistency never has been his strong suit.

As for Barney Adams, I love what he's advocating. Unfortunately we have a disagreement on the distance issue since he does not advocate any kind of rules modifications that might rollback distance for elite players and perhaps expedite the desire or practicality of playing courses from shorter sets of tees. In fact, he blames the architects for forcing the manufacturers to create clubs and balls that help propel the ball longer distances. A point which, I've pointed out, is so absurd that it undermines his case.

Still, it's nice to see golf establishment types like Fazio and Adams who profited and ushered us into the little mess we're in and offering suggestions or solutions designed to make the game more fun.