Bifurcation: The B Word Just Won't Go Away

Jaime Diaz takes the pulse of folks at recent industry shows and the bifurcation word just keeps coming up for golf, no matter the context whether it be rangefinders, equipment or putters.

Diaz makes the case for rules tweaks that impact the professional.

The professional tours, and especially major championship golf, would be better with a golf ball that underwent a distance rollback of 10 percent. Don't worry, a Dustin Johnson drive will still look awesome flying 290 yards instead of 325. But more importantly, a rolled-back ball would increase the premium on player skill, bring the driver out of the bag much more often, create more variety in the shape of approach shots, allow the best players to separate from the pack more easily, lead to more classic venues, stop the proliferation of extreme course setups that feature heavy rough and ultra-firm greens, and speed up play. This more interesting version of golf on the biggest stages would make the recreational game more popular and alluring.

Rancho Park: "The American tapestry."

When I think of the great places in the game, Rancho Park always comes to mind because it is the only existing course in America to have hosted all three tours (PGA, Champions, LPGA), millions of rounds of golf and remains the essentially the same place the West Los Angeles muni has been all of my lifetime: a special place to play golf.

Yes, they've raised green fees and conditioning is in flux with the incompetent city of LA in charge, but the people make the place and always have. Michael Bamberger captures it all in a nutshell after just one recent visit.

In the parking lot, I saw a young guy hop out of his truck, zip oranges into his golf bag, slide into his spikes and march off to the clubhouse. (Such an echt display of pre-round enthusiasm.) In the restaurant/pro shop, a man in a nearby booth ate breakfast with his bag beside him, headcovers on all 14 of his companions. A waitress arranged for my rental set, an interesting assortment of lost treasures: Ping Eye 2s, Titleists likely from another century, Stratas, a Zebra putter. On the driving range, there was a middle-aged man loading up his face with sunblock and his mouth with chew. All the while, over loudspeakers, the starter announced the batters off his ever-changing lineup card: Aiello, Shapiro, Chu. The American tapestry.

How The USGA Can Spend Fox Money To Grow The Game

Working off of Tom O'Toole's Annual Meeting speech outlining an emphasis on growing the game, Ron Sirak proposes a few ways they can spend Fox's their newfound millions.

The two I liked most:

• The USGA needs to have public golf represented on its 15-person Executive Committee. Not only are all the current members affiliated with private clubs, they come from the most elite clubs in the country. Since the Executive Committee is composed of volunteers -- one told me he spent $60,000 out of his own pocket to attend championships and meetings -- the USGA would have to subsidize public-course representatives. Still, the USGA at its highest level needs to have a direct connection to what life is like at daily-fee and public courses. It would be money well spent.

• It should encourage every private club to grant four "scholarships" a year, giving juniors playing privileges and free lessons. Base the scholarships not on playing ability but community service or grades. The purpose is not to produce pros but rather players for life. Many likely would end up joining their host club.

State Of The Game 34: Curt Sampson

Author of 14 books and numerous magazine stories, Curt Sampson joins us for the latest State Of The Game.

As always you can download the mp3 here, listen to this episode on iTunes, or subscribe to this and other episodes via iTunes.

Considering USGA's Grow The Game Desires

Tom O’Toole, new USGA President, emphasized growing the game in his address at the annual meeting in Pinehurst.

From the speech:

Securing the game’s health is indeed a critical role that the USGA plays within the golf community. The golf industry is vast and multifaceted, and it comprises countless dedicated individuals… who possess the skills, experience and drive to grow the number of golfers participating in the game. Growing the game is not our primary responsibility; rather, it is to ensure that the game they are marketing and selling to consumers is consistent with the very spirit and principles of equity upon which the game was founded. If we fulfill our mission to provide a strong nucleus for the game, by being concerned with the game’s health, we optimize the chance for the golf industry that surrounds it to grow.

Longtime USGA types have always been leery of the organization wanting to get in the growth business, as it suggests they are overly worried about the profit needs of corporations. There is also the potential of taking their eye off the ball of what they do best: championships, handicapping and initiatives like their current pace of play or water usage research. O'Toole seemed to be aware of this while trying to appease the business side of golf.

There is, however, the problem of mostly older, of-significant means folks with no shortage of middle initials and suffixes and club members, talking about what is real golf or not while also wanting to bring more people into the game.

I was in the room for his press conference earlier in the day and didn't catch O'Toole's last remark about alternative forms of golf.  However, Bob Carney saw those remarks and one line after that I left out and seized on O'Toole's assertion that, "We're not going to call that golf."

I'm very happy that the USGA is broadening its horizons. And O'Toole's new attitude is welcome. But I mean, what other sport does this to itself? What other sport promotes itself and then sets standards about whether you can say you're really playing it?

Which is why the USGA getting in the grow the game business could prove to be tough sledding.

State Of The Game Podcast 33: Avery, DMD's & More

We at State of the Game don't want to overextend ourselves with the new wraparound schedule, so after a not so short holiday hiatus we are back with episode 33.

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and yours truly talk to Golf World contributing writer Brett Avery about the new Golf World 100 Best Modern Players ranking. I think when you hear Brett and also see the package in Golf World, you'll come away realizing how incredible Tiger has been over the last fifteen years. To see someone quantify it puts things in perspective.

We also cover the upcoming decision on distance measuring devices, and feed off of Brandel Chamblee's recent articles on the best and worst developments in the game.

As always, you can listen below, download the MP3 or listen/subscribe via iTunes.