"The USGA, their heads will explode"

When we last heard from Rob O'Loughlin he was trying to speed up the game with Laser Link, now Gary D'Amato reports on his new gimmick to improve the game: increase the size of the hole.

"It will be worth three shots a nine," O'Loughlin said. "It takes me from 82 to 76 all the time. And let me tell you, that's fun. I've shot a million 82s in my life. It's fun to be in the 70s.

"You won't make many 25- or 30-footers, but you never did. But you virtually eliminate the three-putt. What happens is you're not missing the 3- and 4-footers because this makes them play like 1-footers."

Surely, The Big Cup will never be approved for play by the United States Golf Association. And that's OK with O'Loughlin, who battled the USGA for years over Laser Link before the governing body finally relented and allowed distance-measuring devices for everyday play.

"The USGA, their heads will explode," he said with a laugh. "They've got to understand it's a game, not a gauntlet. Their focus is on the top 300 players in the world. I think they are obsessed with those 300 players and they don't give a damn about the other 20 million.

"The truth is, a little easier is what we need."

"We'd be foolish not to consider it, although it is extremely controversial."

E. Michael Johnson raises all sorts of interesting questions in considering whether manufacturers should offer non-conforming lines of equipment. 

"We've looked extensively at possibilities in the nonconforming category," said Nate Radcliffe, metalwoods development manager for Cleveland Golf. "We'd be foolish not to consider it, although it is extremely controversial."

It's a category?

Now, 10 years later, might Callaway revisit nonconforming clubs? "Some think we may be likely to go down that path," said Dr. Alan Hocknell, Callaway's senior VP of research & development, "but one thing we hold highly at this company is authenticity. Playing by the rules is perhaps the most authentic part of golf. I'd say we're more likely to stay inside the rules than go outside them."

Which isn't to say Callaway hasn't looked at the landscape. Hocknell said the company has done consumer research and found golfers split on the topic. Then there's the business aspect. Any company entering the nonconforming arena is likely to be branded by its competition as making clubs for cheaters. "To have our brand positioned that way would be a huge risk," said Hocknell.

Two questions. Do you think this is a good idea for the game and would it be wise for manufacturers to go down this path?

It doesn't bother me much since the game is bifurcated with the groove rule change and if nothing else, just think, we wouldn't have to listen to the manufacturers whine about the big, bad USGA impacting quarterly profit margins!

"They understand this hurt us. And I believe that."

Ron Green Jr., talking to Cliffs developer Jim Anthony about his project and attending Tiger's statement reading last week:

Anthony was among the invited guests to Woods' public statement last Friday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in which Woods apologized for cheating on his wife. He hadn't spoken with Woods since last fall.

They met by chance in a hallway inside the clubhouse before Woods made his statement. Anthony said he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Woods.

"He gave me a big hug," Anthony said. "There's been a lot of water under the bridge since I'd seen him. He thanked me for being there and for my support and he said, 'We're really going to work hard.'

"I saw commitment in his eyes. I saw remorse and gratitude. I thought he was sincere, and they pledged to us they're going to work harder than ever. They understand this hurt us. And I believe that."