Golf on TV not as Exciting? Should we Blame the Groove Rule?

[GolfSpy Dave]

I had a random thought the other day.

 

Can we blame the decline in golf TV viewership, and maybe golf in general, on the groove rule?

 

I was trying to think back to when I really enjoyed watching golf on TV and for some reason I thought about the old grooves. Personally, I liked seeing the pros hit shots into the greens that spun back toward the hole. It was almost a superhuman feat.

 

Then we had the grooves-bad, old courses getting over-birdied, the rough-not-rough, and other such arguments that put us in the modern groove situation.

 

With the grooves gone, so too went the string-pulling wizardry. You still see it, but not like before.

 

Watching the past weekend or so, I realized that it's just not that entertaining to watch pros hit a green and then have the ball release through. Sure, it's expected at the Open(s), but I was surprised at how many hit greens ended up being missed this way at non-Open events. That's when I thought about the old grooves.

 

Could that groove rule be the point when things started to change? Did the rule make the game harder for the tour guys and for the rest of us as well? Could this ruling be partially responsible for taking the now-quested-for fun out of golf?

 

There were lots of arguments at the time about protecting old courses (i.e. no 35-under winner). I get that. But I also want to see the best in the world do stuff I can't.

 

 

What do you guys think? If nothing else, do you miss watching old-groove golf on TV like I do?

[markb]

I think you're really saying, the cool shots are fun to watch, but in modern golf on TV there's way too much non-cool stuff clogging up the hours.   

 

In part there's just more golf on TV.   It's like CNN now, round the clock and like with CNN much of that is dull and useless.   We can watch all four rounds and follow the leaders from hole 1 to 18 on Sat-Sun.   That's way too much watching of Furyk re-align his ball stripe before every putt and way too few chip ins.

 

By accident I discovered that the late night condensations of tourneys for rebroadcast were much more fun to watch because the boring had been edited out and the highlights were packed closer together.   If they really wanted to make golf seem less boring and more zippy, here's what you do:  (none of this will ever happen, of course)

 

Make the broadcasts shorter.   Two hours of just the finale.   Make MORE shots taped, less live.   Edit out all the dull and cut from cool highlight to cool highlight as we follow the leaders over the final nine.    Prune the footage of the known slow players or fidgeters to a bare minimum of ball striking.   Never show them live.  (Sorry Keegan and Kevin.)   More on course interviews like the Champions and Web.com, more silliness like in Phoenix, but sound edit out all the pointless bababooeys.   More Flightscope graphics showing Tiger hooking into the woods.   Save and edit all the chip ins, funky shots, weird bounces etc.   I love seeing 'em, I don't care if it's Joe Durant at +8 hitting them while Furyk remarks for the third time.  

 

Here's a weird one -- more shots of the gallery!   What, you say?   I'm serious.   Going to a golf tournament is actually pretty fun for the whole family, but we think of it as a stodgy drear for fat white businessmen.   And you will see some absolutely stunning women at a golf tournament.   Show 'em!   More Amanda Dufner, less Jason posing and pouting.   (Actually I really like Jason, but you get the idea.)   Show the families eating dogs and having fun.   If we could get away with Kiss Cam's and cheerleaders, I'd say do it.

[Mr_Theoo]

That is an interesting thought. You don't see other major sports being so opposed to the evolution of the players and technology like golf. The NBA isn't raising the goals or moving the 3 point line back because players can jump higher or shoot better than 50 years ago.

[markb]

That is an interesting thought. You don't see other major sports being so opposed to the evolution of the players and technology like golf. The NBA isn't raising the goals or moving the 3 point line back because players can jump higher or shoot better than 50 years ago.

 

Actually the NBA did make changes to its rules in both of the cases you mention (and many others) to promote a more enjoyable spectator game.   Dunking used to be illegal, until the ABA and Dr. J showed it was exciting.   Although players shoot worse now than 50 years ago, there used to be no three point shot at all.   They put it in to promote exciting long shots.   Later they moved the line back just a tad because it was thought to be a little too close and easy.

 

But the underlying point is that these changes were made to make the sport a better product to watch, not rein in runaway athletes and technology.  Same with the 24 second clock, the forward pass, and the designated hitter rules.   What does golf need?   More Waste Management Opens!   Fans first baby!

[Blade]

Yea and they pull stuffy old man decisions like no more caddy races. Ridiculous.  "Let's take as much fun as possible out of the game. That'll draw more people to it." 

[Balding Eagles Golf NZ]

couldn't agree more, I'm sick and tired of the old fashioned approach to golf, in todays day and age golf needs to cater for a new crowd that are seeking a more immediate gratification in their recreational activities, I'm sure there are a ton of 50+ people getting ready to weigh in with their "tradition" comments, but hey - in 20 years where are they going to be ?

 

Golf is in a tough spot already and the attitudes being shown by "seniors" with their negative comments towards bright clothes, flat brimmed caps and generally people having fun on their esteemed courses is doing nothing to promote the game - get over times have changed and golf needs to change

 

Tee times block booked for course members that have a sub 60% take up and clubs not being prepared to let on green fee players - I mean what ?, these are the very same clubs that are crying about the downturn in golfing numbers but they hold fast in their traditions.

 

Dress codes ?, what is wrong with people playing without collars ? - does it affect others playing around them ?

 

Whoops, sorry went a little off point ........ Technology is going to happen, embrace it

[DanD]

I agree, the elitist attitude and high cost of entry is what keeps all the 1-2x a year player from becoming 1-2x a month players.  Theyll drink some beers and play in a work scramble or in a bachelor party, but not much beyond that.

[revkev]

For our last two posters we have an entire thread that addresses or is attempting to address your points over in the Everything else section.  It's called, "Is Augusta bad for golf."  We'd love to have your thoughts over there. 

 

From my prespective I'm an over 50 guy who's been playing the game for 40 plus years and for the most part I agree with both of you.  I hate to say it but one of my earliest clubs had a hickory shaft, I still have a wooden five wood and I bet if I looked a balata ball around somewhere.  I'm not rushing to play either because they don't perform as well as modern equipment. I'm way more interested in giving the young people of this world the chance to play the game I love by letting it evolve than tradition, although I believe tradition has its place as a connecting thread but that is a topic to discuss somewhere else - for here it's enough to say that I think being a slave to tradition is as dangerous a slope to tread as ignoring it altogether.

 

To topic here as much as I respect Dave and all the MGS staff I think you've missed on this one.  The new grooves impact shots hit from the rough not the fairway.  It's the ball change that took the zip away, remember.  As well as it might spin you can't zip a Pro VI back like a Titleist 90 compression or even 100 compression Balata.  You can't curve it like those because you can't spin it like those.  Watch some old footage, the grooves in the 60's didn't perform nearly as well as the grooves today but those balls came screaming back when hit properly with a short iron.  It wasn't until the 80's that the square grooves came about.  It's the ball.

 

I fully agree with let them make birdies if the course allows for it and for crying out loud figure out a way to make them play faster.  It's not us who needs the while we're young commercials, its the professional tours.

[fozcycle]

No, I don't think the "groove rule" makes any difference.......because the course superintendent's can change the condition of the greens to accommodate the change in grooves.......if they want to.

[silver & black]

As I've Said before... the youths are the future. Golf has to accommodate them at some point or it is going to cut it's own throat.

[Jondagcl]

 But the underlying point is that these changes were made to make the sport a better product to watch, not rein in runaway athletes and technology.  Same with the 24 second clock, the forward pass, and the designated hitter rules.   What does golf need?   More Waste Management Opens!   Fans first baby!

What golf needs is an actual shot clock! Right there on each green a huge visible 24 starting to count down the minute you and your caddy step on the green. It hits "00" a buzzer goes off and you take a stroke penalty. That would excite me, to see these dudes rush around the green with a little sense of urgency.

[westy]

Glad rev mentioned the balls, those old balls really zipped - I mean crazy spin. They were good to watch and I guess shorter, I'm guessing ball technology has changed the game as much as anything throughout golfs history.

 

So has the reduced amount of spin made golf less exciting? Yes a bit but now we've got loads of guys crashing drives miles - which is kind of fun as well.

 

So it's a balance, we benefit though as pro model balls last a long time now (18 plus holes frequently for me) but those old balatas were dead after 9.

[Balding Eagles Golf NZ]

but dang weren't those old balatas fun

[westy]

Favourite game was setting old ones on fire and hitting them till they exploded....

[revkev]

Favourite game was setting old ones on fire and hitting them till they exploded....

Where were you when I needed to know about this?

[westy]

Oh rev I'm sorry you didn't know about the explosive qualities of old balls.....

 

Can't remember if the covers burnt, think they did but both the wound part and the rubber core were entertaining.

 

Of course I no longer condone such activities.....

[Balding Eagles Golf NZ]

so much fun cutting them open and letting the wound rubber fly everywhere and popping the core ..... messing old golf balls and setting fire to ping pong balls were a great part of my youth