"This is about the game’s survival."

All of the interesting chatter about shorter courses, 12-hole rounds, etc... got Lorne Rubenstein to thinking about how the perfect round of golf is the one that fits into the amount of time you have to play, something golfers either resist or golf courses haven't found a way to accommodate in pricing.

But he also is pretty sure that all but a few people have the time or desire for an 18-hole affair.

I’m big on golf as recreation, on playing without worrying about score, about playing with half a set—the better to invent shots and be creative; what fun. I’d play a 12-hole course. A round would take two and a half hours, say. Two six-hole nines, if you know what I mean.

Golf is stuck in the past. There’s nothing wrong with tradition, but the 18-hole round in a time when few people have the time to play that makes little sense. The 18-hole round will always be the standard for the pro tours and for high-level amateur competition, but this isn’t about those areas.

This is about the game’s survival.