More Positive Reviews For 15-Inch Cup Golf

John Paul Newport considers himself a purist and his weekly WSJ column backs that up, yet he couldn't help but rave about the Hack Golf 15-inch round he played, where time on the greens was slashed in half.

He called it "fast, fun and liberating" and says it would be a fun alternative now and then.

But we dispensed with the lion's share of the short-game choreography that not only slows down the game, but can intimidate newcomers.

Among the things we never or rarely did in the round: remove the flagstick; mark our balls; study the line of a putt for more than 15 seconds; wait a long time for someone else to putt, because whoever happened to be ready played next; and agonize over second putts. No one three-putted all day.

Newport also reports that Taylor Made, backers of Hack Golf, will be shipping big-hole kits to 100 courses free of charge. Par Aide will be selling them at $700 for kits that include cutter and cups.

Bill Pennington also wrote about the day for the New York Times and included this about the PGA of America's star task force member, Bode Quesadilla Miller, who needs to have it explained to him that there is no local, state or federal law forbidding manufacturers from making non-conforming equipment.

Mr. Miller said he wanted to lift the rules governing the use of juiced golf clubs or golf balls.

“A nonconforming club or ball does not corrupt the game,” Mr. Miller said. “Not if it encourages people to try a very intimidating game. That will be beneficial to golf for 50 years.”

Pennington also shares a range of opinions from golf industry folks, including this from Curtis Strange.

“I don’t want to rig the game and cheapen it,” said Curtis Strange, a two-time United States Open champion and an analyst for ESPN. “I don’t like any of that stuff. And it’s not going to happen either. It’s all talk.”

We'll be talking 15-inch cups on Monday's Morning Drive at around 8:20 a.m. ET.