Jack Nicklaus not happy with the costlier and lengthier format of the sport
No one knows golf better than the 18-major-winner Jack Nicklaus and if he comes out openly to state that he is not satisfied with the present condition of the sport, it does not remain an ordinary affair anymore.
The “Golden Bear” was speaking to a crowd of some 100 people at the Coachella Valley, PGA West.
Nicklaus is perturbed with the slow pace of the sport and wants to see bigger scale changes incorporated in the sport to make it more popular and exciting.
He said, “The game takes too long, the game is too difficult, and it's too expensive”.
Until now, the cost of a golf a round anywhere in the US or around the world has been a hot debate, but this is the first time Nicklaus has spoken about the length of the round, which easily consumes the whole day of the golfer.
According to the recent stats gathered by the non-profit National Golf Foundation, there are lesser number of people who show up for a round of golf.
In the year 2009, there were around 486 million rounds of golf played all over and were reduced to 475 million in the subsequent year. In year 2011, there were only 463 million rounds of golf played in country.
Nicklaus insists that the length of an 18-hole stretch is probably just too much for a regular person.
“There is no question I play less golf today than I did five years ago,” said Tom Branch, 63, of Palm Desert.
He added, “For me, it's just tougher to justify the money I was spending on golf two or three times a week. I mean, just look at the price of gas and you know you have to cut back somewhere”.
Some of the top-ranking European Tour players introduced the short format of the sport last year, the Powerplay Golf where players are only pitched against nine holes on the course.
Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Pauls Creamer, Caroline Hedwall and several renowned players participated in the hybrid event to support the format.
Powerplay Golf has been designed on the likes of Twenty20 format in Cricket.
PGA Tour has also initiated shorter formats of the sport, like the First Tee Program for juniors, the PGA of America's Golf 2.0 and the Tee It Forward program of the PGA of America and USGA.
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