"What is it that the rule makers of the U.S. Golf Association have against golfers, like me, of a certain age?"

Alfred L. Malabre Jr. is a retired WSJ editor playing golf in Charleston and not really caring much for the USGA's anchoring ban or its rules against posting solo rounds for handicap purposes.

Given that the Journal is the paper of record for Executive Committee members, this one no doubt caused internal calls for a rebuttal. The handicapping complaint was compelling.

For those of us who play most of our rounds alone, that means fewer rounds will count toward calculating a handicap, which very likely will mean a less accurate handicap. That’s no small thing on those rare days when I do compete against friends for a few dollars.

Writing of the joys of solo golf in The Wall Street Journal in 2013, I noted enthusiastically that a solitary golfer, using however many handicap strokes may be allowed, may compete quite happily “against the course” and “record an accurate score.” This score, in turn, may be submitted, I wrote, so as to maintain an accurate handicap.

But no more. Now I am instructed that I must bring along at least one “companion” to verify my score before submission. Would my 10-year-old granddaughter do if she knows the rules? If the purpose of this new ban is to keep me honest, why not let me simply post my score and then agree to a polygraph test at the 19th hole? Or better yet, why not just keep counting on the honesty of golfers?

What's Up With The State Of America's Women Golfers?

As the LPGA wraps up its season, Bill Fields tackles the sensitive topic of American women's golf. Sensitive because it's usually just chalked up to South Korean golfers working harder. But as Fields notes, the issue may be something both straightforward and difficult to address given the already robust college golf system.

Writing for ESPNW, Fields says...

Talented female golfers in other parts of the world frequently are immersed in golf at younger ages through organized channels of a national scope -- federations or associations charged with developing and supporting young talent. No existing American entity has that responsibility.

"It really is a missing link here," says Hall of Famer and 31-time LPGA winner Juli Inkster. "Places are trying to grow the game but not really grow individuals. We don't have a federation to push our young athletic girls into golf, and we've come to a point where we need a federation to really grow top-level golfers. I'm not saying our girls aren't good, because they are. But they've grown up in a different type of golf atmosphere."

Atlanta Mess: Bobby Jones Golf Course Purchased By State, City Passes On Non-Profit Takeover

The news out of Atlanta isn't good for the beleaguered public course system, as John Ruch reports on a non-profit's effort to operate the city muni's was rejected by the city council.

The story could just be an aberation related to politics, but also will not bode well when future non-profit fans of the game attempt to rescue the many terribly-run city or state courses which, with some repairs, could be made better.

Buckhead's Bobby Jones Golf Course was partially saved thanks to a long-discussed purchase by the state, with a plan to reduce it to 9-holes but add multiple amenities. Everett Catts reports.

With the sale finalized, the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation announced it has entered into a 50-year lease with the authority for the course, which was built in 1932 as a tribute to golf legend Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones Jr.

As part of the state’s ownership plan, the course will be transformed from an 18-hole one to a nine-hole one with a driving range and a wee links for children 12 and under. The wee links will be named the Cupp Links in honor of golf course architect Bob Cupp, who designed the new course before he died in August.

The foundation is partnering with the Georgia State Golf Association and the Georgia section of the PGA of America to create the Georgia Golf House, a new facility that will become a hub for golf in the state. Those organizations, plus Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Junior Golf Association and others will call the Georgia Golf House home.

The new course and facilities will remain open to the public. The course will also be the new home of the Georgia State University golf teams.

Nominate Golf Courses Thinking Outside The Box...

Coming to you today from The Links at Petco Park got me thinking about something in Ira Boudway's Bloomberg story on Topgolf, which included this info-graphic on other golf courses attempting to shake things up.

Besides the fun of playing stadium golf, Blue Sky in Jacksonville sounds like the most creative...anyone been?

Are there good examples out there not mentioned above trying to do something fun and different to the golf experience?

Bloomberg: "To Make Golf Fun, Just Add a Nightclub"

Topgolf gets the Bloomberg treatment and while there have been many profiles of the indoor-golf-driving-range-hipster-21st-Century-bowling-alley, Ira Boudway's story features plenty of fresh anecdotes.

A couple of highlights, starting with this on how CEO Erik Anderson, founder of private equity fund WestRiver Group brought the idea stateside and made a key move: TV's in the hitting bays.

In 2009, Anderson and a group of U.S. investors bought Topgolf’s technology for an undisclosed fee and decided to overhaul the floor plan for future locations. They added a third level, tripling the size of each venue to 65,000 square feet; replaced the buckets with motion-sensing ball dispensers; and, in a key change, put TVs and lounges—effectively, the entire sports bar experience—at each bay. “We realized that this was really an integrated entertainment and sports experience,” Anderson says.

There was also this on the financing side...

In September the company lined up $275 million in financing to build 7 to 10 locations a year. (Each costs $20 million to $25 million to open.) “We think there’s room for 100 or so in the U.S. and an equal amount globally,” Anderson says, though other than the original locations, the company hasn’t yet opened any outside the U.S. Revenue last year was about $300 million; this year it will be about a half-billion dollars.

State Of The Game Podcast 69: Catching Up

Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and myself decided we'd been away so long that we needed to just catch up on a few topics, vent on a few others and resolve absolutely nothing.

Happy listening!

Or happy MP3 downloading.

Or iTunes.

Or below:

Lions Muny Gets Endangered Places Landmark, Still Needs Help

Jenni Lee of KVUE reports on the dedication ceremony bequeathing official national endangered status on Lions Municipal. The course land is owned by the University of Texas, the former football power mired in another rough season, which wants to turn the historic course into a mixed-use development.

Among those turning out where golfers who enjoyed the links thanks to integration and affordability.

Such rich history is the reason Muny was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July.

But it was also added to the list of Most Endangered Historic Places earlier this month. The University of Texas Board of Regents wants to shut down Muny when its lease expires in 2019 and replace it with a mixed-use development.

"Here we go again," said Mary Arnold, a member of the group Save Muny.

This is the third time 81-year-old Mary Arnold is fighting UT. The university’s Board of Regents has already sold off acres of the donated Brackenridge tract of land for development twice before.

A stone lion has been greeting visitors at Muny since 1924. Supporters hope it sticks around.

I would argue that the fight for Lions is important in establishing the vitality of city-center golf courses as green spaces, but when they are in deteriorated shape, they become more expendable. One more reason we need a serious program restoring important public courses and WPA project links.

A video from KVUE's reporting on the ceremony:

"Possibilities abound for South Shore-Jackson Park golf course"

The Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein considers the possible South Shore-Jackson Park-Obama-Woods-Keiser-Rolfing project on the South Side and gives it an endorsement, seeing plenty of potential "greatness," assuming green fees for the locals do not go up substantially.

The project has been a dream of Rolfing's that has taken an intriguing turn with the possible inclusion of Tiger Woods and now, the Obama library. I hate seeing the dreadful TPC Harding Park redesign--a massive cost overrun boondoggle with dreadful architectural results--as a precedent setter, but Greenstein notes the green fees have at least held steady:

That's what officials did at TPC Harding Park, the San Francisco course that was transformed into a facility worthy of the 2009 Presidents Cup. Senior residents of the city can play the 18 holes from Monday-Thursday for $39, about one-fourth of the standard rate.

Rolfing also wants to design a "short course" in the vein of what Harding Park has — nine holes ranging from 140-405 yards

National Trust Lists Lions Muny For Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation says Muny is a civil rights landmark, aiding the "Save Muny" fight to preserve Austin's Lions Municipal. The course faces redevelopment by the University of Texas, which owns the land and leases it back to the city of Austin.

Ralph Haurwitz of the Austin American Statesman reports the positive news.

The National Trust, a private, nonprofit organization based in Washington, also included El Paso’s Chihuahuita and El Segundo Barrio Neighborhoods on its annual list of 11 sites. The core of that city’s cultural identity is threatened with demolition of homes and small businesses, the group said.

Lions Municipal, also known as Muny, is considered one of the earliest municipal golf courses in the former Confederate states to be desegregated, if not the first. At the recommendation of the Texas Historical Commission, the National Park Service added Muny to the National Register of Historic Places in July.

"Ultimate gesture players can make is living like Arnie"

The timing is bold but the topic has been on the minds of many who follow pro golf: too many of today's lavishly paid stars act in sharp contrast to Arnold Palmer in character, actions and passion for the game.

Ryan Lavner at GolfChannel.com says the passing of Mr. Palmer puts the onus "on the players to decide for themselves how to honor his legacy."

That’s why these days, weeks and months ahead are an important period of reflection for the current pros.

There is an ever-widening divide between fans and the stars of our game, the mega-millionaires who are safe in their cocoon, protected by managers and publicists and image specialists. The money has never been greater – Rory McIlroy deposited $11.44 million Sunday; Palmer made $1.86 million in his career – and the lifestyles never more different. Each year, it seems, they only drift further away, the connection becoming more tenuous.

And so, moving forward, will our stars use their fame, their fortune and their status to shield themselves from the public, from the fans that enriched their fabulous lives? Or will they stay grounded and humble and relatable – will they stay connected – the way Palmer did?

The Olympic Zika virus fiasco this summer opened the door to this discussion and while the debate is not something that should overshadow the remembrances of The King, but throwing the point out seems fair as we hear from the players over the next few days about how they view Palmer's legacy and their places in the game.