THE HOME OF GOLF

The Royal and Ancient Golf Society and the Old Course, the birthplace of golf. Photo Credit: Jay Lloyd

Jay Lloyd

by Ed Gowan

Arizona Golf Association Executive Director

Scotland has long been referred to as “The Home of Golf.” Most golfers have a sense of that history, but the details are more than fascinating. The “Home” is really St. Andrews, where golf was being played over 600 years ago. Peter N. Lewis, the Director of the British Golf Museum for 21 years, has documented the ‘modern’ history around St. Andrews and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s ascendency to the leadership of the Game in his book, Why Are There Eighteen Holes.

In the next several digital and print magazines, we will share much of his research along with other visions of St. Andrews and Scotland. This is all in preparation for the 150th Open at St. Andrews in July of 2022. You will note here that the AGA will be hosting two very special travel groups to attend that Open, surely to be memorable in many ways with its pagentry, and will also include golf and three very special experiences not ordinarily available to the visiting Golfer. More on that later.

This first article will reflect on the beginnings of golf going back to the first documented references. Whether it began in Holland as “Kolf’ or elsewhere as some may claim, there is no dispute that Scotland created the formal game and its first set of Rules; but, that’s for a later article. Looking back, golf has always been somewhat of a lightning rod that continues into the present day. Early in the 1200’s, kolf was commonplace in Holland, though often was banned for one reason or another. In 1457, King James II of Scotland in an edict banned golf as well for interfering with archery practice, important to the military protection of the Crown.

Wikipedia notes that “Bans were again im- posed in Acts of 1471 and 1491, with golf be- ing described as ‘an unprofitable sport’. Mary, Queen of Scots was accused by her political enemies of playing golf after her second hus- band, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was murdered in 1567. George Buchanan subsequently wrote that she had been playing “sports that

were clearly unsuitable to women”. Golf was banned again by parliament under King James IV of Scotland, but golf clubs and balls were bought for him in 1502 when he was visiting Perth, and on subsequent occasions when he was in St Andrews and Edinburgh.

“An entry in the Town Council Minutes of Edinburgh for 19 April 1592 includes golf in a list of pursuits to be avoided on the Sabbath.” As you can see, not much has changed with the exception of the reasoning used both for and against the Game. The fact that Mary, Queen of Scots, played golf after the murder of her husband gives credence to the importance of the Game’s psychology (again, for and against…).

In the next series of Arizona Golf Insider issues we will conduct a massive exploration of the development of the game, its rules, com- petitions, stories and literature, and happen- ings along the way with a preview of the 150th Open Championship. Enjoy.

Prestwick Golf Course was founded in 1851 and hosted the first twelve Open Championships, between 1860 and 1872.

OUT BOUNDS OF

by Ed Gowan

Arizona Golf Association Executive Director

Since this is our first Digital Edition of Arizona Golf Insider, I thought it best to start with a universe of pet peeves. All are welcome to disagree or add to the list! Our social media posts will include those of you who add-on.

Problem: Distance and Shotmaking. When par 5’s become ‘Driver 8-irons’ and 3-woods are 300-yard plus clubs, the value of architecture has been eliminated except for elements of architorture that the rest of us find offensive. Two examples recently include 360-yard drives by Bryson DeChambeau (and he’s not alone) and Collin Morikawa’s 325-yard, cut driver to fifteen feet for eagle at the PGA Championship. Note that although DeChambeau is a large individual, Morikawa is not. Add

in Justin Thomas at 150 pounds with 330-yard drives and several 230-yard 5-irons and you get the picture.

Solution: Require minimum spin rates in the Rules. Tour drivers today often have spin rates near 2000rpm. If golf balls had to be designed to have minimum spin rates of 2800rpm at a 10° launch angle, clubs would have to be redesigned to keep balls in play, and would necessarily be less forgiving at the high end. This would result in a return to 1990’s distances while the rest of us would benefit from the added carry we would gain with swing speeds under 100mph.

Problem: Disrespect for Rules and Officials. Again, DeChambeau (Pictured Right) is the poster child, but he is not alone. Add in many of the younger players who have not followed the path of courtesy to their current positions. Some of the best examples are the parents of juniors who flaunt both the Rules and officials regularly, providing pitiful examples for the young in their care. We have had myriad incidents in Arizona golf. It’s a pandemic of significant proportions.

Solution: The Conduct Policy. The new Rules of Golf suggest each committee should have a conduct policy. Write the Rule to mandate respect. Disqualify those who violate it.

Problem: Pace of Play. This goes back many years where event officials are averse to penalizing slow play, mostly in my opinion

because of a desire to accommodate players and avoid confrontations. The truth is that the silent majority wish faster play, but he slowest define pace unless penalties are enforced. The Tours’ program of fines have no noticeable effect. I have personal memories of two incidents from forty years ago. One was when running a collegiate event where Wake Forest’s Hall of Fame coach, Jesse Haddock, told a player that he should not hit a shot until he was completely confident of the outcome. In golf??? Please! The other was when USGA’s P.J. Boatwright, one of the Game’s true legends, applied a twostroke penalty in the U.S. Open at Merion in 1981 (Yes, I was on the Rules Committee even then) and subsequently the “Committee” of the USGA removed it. I believe the player was John Schroeder who was timed on multiple occasions by P.J. (with me in the cart beside him) taking more than two minutes to play a stroke. Recently on Tour, we have seen four-plus minutes without any obvious response.

Solution: Penalties! The Rules now suggest no more than 40 seconds for a stroke. When any player takes more than two minutes to play a stroke where there is no obvious interference, I believe a one-stroke penalty is appropriate. When a group is out of position with the group in front of it, then my time limit drops to 60 seconds. Penalties have taken our time of play at Arizona championships from near five hours to less than four and a half. It works, and the players have no issues playing without waiting. The Out of Bounds penalty is still stroke and distance. So keep your distance or I may have a stroke.

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Ed Gowan has been the Executive Director of the Arizona Golf Association since 1985. He is the former Tournament Director of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), has acted as a golf course consultant for over 30 years and has been a USGA Rules Official since 1981.

Bryson DeChambeau walks off the green during the 2013 Patriot All America Invitational.