Page 6 - GBC Summer 2019 Eng

The First Tee
Message From The CEO, NGCOA Canada • Jeff Calderwood
Why the new Rules of Golf are good for you
Golf is such a unique sport. Every course, every hole, and every day presents a different ‘playing eld’ to challenge the golfer. This is just one of the many reasons our game is so great. However, such variability requires a relatively complex set of rules to ensure that all possible circumstances are covered fairly.
Easier said than done, and so the Rules of Golf have been evolving since the earliest days of the game. In Old Tom Morris’ Scrapbook, he includes a copy of the very rst Rules from 1744. It consists of 13 handwritten “Articles and Laws in Playing the Golf”, easily tting onto one page. For example, Rule #1 at the time, stated, “You must Tee your Ball within a club length of the Hole” (the hole you just played).
In 1812, the St. Andrews Society of Golfers adopted updated Rules, to be called “Regulations for the Game of Golf” which expanded to 18 Rules, including #4 stating, “Stones, bones or any break-club within a club length of the
ball may be removed when the ball lies on grass, but nothing can be removed if it lie on sand or in a bunker, if however it stick fast in the ground, it may be loosened.” Times change.
So, we fast-forward to today. The R&A and USGA went through an extensive effort to update the Rules of Golf, culminating in the new Rules coming into play for 2019, to further improve their relevance to today’s game. That certainly impacts the golfer directly, particularly those in competition. But then there is the impact that the Rules of Golf may have on golf course owners, managers, pros, and supers. That is the focus of the feature story in this issue of Golf Business Canada.
Written by Dr. Jack Fry, from Kansas State University, the article identi es some of the key Rule changes and their impact on golf course operations. At the very least, that may enable some new course set-up decisions, such as more strategic positioning of red and yellow stakes to improve pace of play.
I suggest that these new Rules will also contribute to improved customer satisfaction and ultimately our ability to grow the game. Beyond pace of play,
Rules that are friendlier to the golfer, and simpli ed, ought to enhance golfers’ overall experience. With some studies claiming that new player intimidation of the complexities of golf is a deterrent, anything we can do to make golf more comfortable to all should be a win for golf course operators.
Of course, not everyone will like the new Rules changes and so the article includes a few of the negative opinions expressed by PGA Tour Players. They don’t manage golf courses though. And, Tiger didn’t seem too bothered at the Masters by Molinari dropping from the knee instead of shoulder!
Enjoy this issue of Golf Business Canada and all the best for a successful 2019 golf season.
Jeff Calderwood, CEO NGCOA Canada jcalderwood@ngcoa.ca
6 Golf Business Canada