There has been a movement in golf since the PGA Merchandise
Show. On a Tuesday night in late January, Mark King, the CEO of TaylorMade Golf,
introduced a concept called “HackGolf.” King’s idea was not based around
hacking- like in bad shots. His vision was hacking computerese into the game of
golf and changing the way people view the sport.
Since then the floodgates have opened on ways to make golf
friendlier, more relaxed and a fun game. King’s HackGolf gemstone was based around
the concept of a 15-inch cup versus the traditional 4 ¼ inch cup that golf
uses. There have been several 15-inch cup events in the past few months and I
had the opportunity to join King in one such event at Reynolds Plantation on
the day after The Masters.
Making the Reynolds Plantation 15-inch cup outing even more
intriguing was the fact that Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose, the reigning U.S.
Open Champion, also played. Garcia, Rose and I marveled at how much fun we had
playing to the 15-inch cups. Not to mention, how much it speeded the round up.
Fresh from The Masters, Garcia shot 30 for 9-holes and
wanted to go lower. “I had three chances to chip in and didn’t,” he said. “So
obviously I was quite disappointed.”
Rose shot 33 for 9-holes. “My mind set changed completely,”
Rose said. “If I hit a poor drive, I’m trying to figure out how I can best save
par. Here I’m thinking if I can just get the ball up near the green somewhere,
I can still make birdie.”
I was so impressed with the 15-inch cup idea that we will
use it on occasion at The Legends Golf Club this season. We have designated May
3-4 as “HackGolf Weekend” and the 15-inch holes will be in play as well as the
Indiana premier of FootGolf, a sport that combines soccer and golf.
These are just two examples of ideas that have spawned from
HackGolf and the PGA of America exploring ways to make the sport more fun and
inviting. The goal is not to change golf as we know it, but to introduce
innovative ways for people to play and stay in the game. Golf has reveled in
its standards and rich traditions.
But increasingly a victim of its own image and hidebound
ways, golf has lost five million players in the last decade according to the
National Golf Foundation. Predictions are that 20 percent of the existing 25
million golfers are apt to quit in the next five years. Panic time? Maybe it is
and certainly a time to re-examine the sport and its future.
I take my hat off to the leadership of the Franklin Chamber
of Commerce, most notably Lisa Buening and her golf committee. They are running
the 36th Annual Franklin Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing. Organizers
had felt the outing was stale and tired. They were looking for some new energy
and life to energize its annual fundraiser. The Chamber’s golf committee has
decided to use the 15-inch cups on June 5. They didn’t stop there. A 9-hole
FootGolf outing is scheduled simultaneously for non-golfers.
My prediction is that players will leave the outing saying
it was the most fun day of golf they ever had. The 15-inch cups will speed up
the pace of play by 30-45 minutes. It will reduce time spent on the greens and
lower scores. Who won’t enjoy a faster round of golf with lower scores? The
FootGolf part of the day gives “non-golfers” a chance to join in on the fun of
the day, dinner and the camaraderie of the outing. This will be the first
outing of its type in the United States.
The PGA of America recently named a Growth of the Game Task
Force which I am proud to serve as Chairman. We hold our first meeting today in
New York City. I will be joined by Pete Bevacqua, CEO of the PGA along with
Dottie Pepper, Independent PGA Director and LPGA legend. Also in the group will
be Arlen Kantarian, former CEO of the United States Tennis Association.
Kantarian resurrected tennis during his time with the USTA when he did
innovative things like lowering the nets, creating larger racquets and painting
the U.S. Open courts blue.
Bode Miller is the most decorated skier in American history.
He is an avid golfer and Miller brings the perspective of extreme sports. Tom
Dundon is the founder of Top Golf, a driving range on steroids which features
video games, golf balls with sensors, loud music, food and drink. It’s one of
the most successful business models in golf. King from TaylorMade brings his
public web portal hackgolf.org to the PGA Task Force. Anyone can submit an idea
to the PGA Task Force through this crowd sourcing concept of HackGolf.
Ashley Mayo, a 25-year old digital strategist from Golf
Digest, will add a youthful and energetic perspective. Damon Hack, co-host of
the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, joins former Indianapolis Colt, Melvin
Bullitt in providing insights on minority golf participation. Last but not
least, Commissioner Tim Finchem of the PGA TOUR will have a seat on the PGA Task
Force. The TOUR brings the most powerful voice in all of golf.
This PGA Task Force is charged with three basic concepts.
The first is to redefine the golf experience and offer the consumer a 30-90
minute activity that is something besides a 9 or 18-hole round of golf.
Secondly, introduce people to alternative forms of the sport such as FootGolf
(more on this next week). Thirdly, offer a relaxed set of guidelines that help
recreational golfers enjoy the sport. Most who play the game are golfers who do
not have handicaps or compete even at the local level.
We want to convert as many golfers as we can into players-
they are the people who do have handicaps, play by the Rules and like to compete.
In the meantime, let’s keep the game fun and interesting. It’s now time to
recognize that more than one type of golf exits. I have used the analogy that
if I go to a basketball court and play a game of H-O-R-S-E that is basketball.
Golf needs to get up to speed and now is the time!
