Slow Play: My least favorite part about golf is having to spend minutes looking for the golf ball. If I hit the ball offline I should struggle just as much to find the offline ball as I do if it is in the middle of the fairway. If you walk into a PGA Seminar and ask what is one of the biggest problems with recreational golf today? Many PGA Professionals would say something along the lines of golf courses are too long and too difficult for the average player, thus creating 4.5-5 hour rounds of golf. An article written in Golf Digest showed the average round of golf in America takes 4 hours, 17 minutes, according to Lucius Riccio, Ph.D., who analyzed 40,460 rounds. The average time of dewsweepers, or the first group out, is 3:46. One of the reasons golf takes so long is because some courses are so penalizing off the tee and around the greens, is that players believe they must slow down and take their time in order to maneuver around the golf course. Another reason is the way golf courses are designed and set up. Having a par 3 after a reachable par 5 can often lead to waiting, just as much if not more than an especially difficult hole. Having to wait between shots disrupts the flow of the round.
TGR: Tiger's life off the golf course and in his personal life is one place I have never looked up to him. Probably the area I look up to Tiger the most is his philosophy on how golf should be played and his vision for the game going forward into the future. As I said in my Christmas Eve post, Tiger Woods' legacy will be making the game more accessible and fun for the future generation. As some of you may know Tiger Woods started his newest business venture called TGR. Tiger Woods created TGR Design because he believes modern golf has begun too difficult and he wants to design fun and playable golf courses to bring people back to the game.
Recently TGR unveiled Bluejack National Golf Club a private club located in Texas. If you look up Bluejack National, you will notice that it has an Augusta National look to it. Although the trees at Bluejack are massive, it is not thick grass that lies at the base, but pine straw. The idea places a premium on playability, shotmaking, and enjoyment of the game. The golf course is designed to play firm and fast, therefore, landing areas are generous. Grass around the greens are mowed tight to promote creativity and further enhance playability. Bluejack National also has a 10 hole lighted short course for beginners or for some quality short game practice.
If you want to read about the vision behind TGR Design check it out here. http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2016/12/07/210587916/a-look-at-the-vision-behind-tgr-design/
Future of Golf Course Design: I expect future golf course designers to take pages out of TGR's book. If future golf course designers can design golf courses with the average player in mind then they can add some aesthetics and challenges. Golf is already difficult enough that thick rough around greens and front bunkers around the green are simply not needed. If designers can utilize run-off areas around the green where players can have plenty of options of playing shots around the green, the game will become more fun while still having an abundance of challenge. The key is the right kind of challenge.
All the best,
Kevin Trobaugh, PGA Apprentice
"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated." -Arnold Palmer
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