How can we grow the game of golf? by Bsmith333

GO GO GO

OLF OLF OLF

Table of Contents 19

How can we grow the game of golf?

What is wrong with golf?

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the matter with golf today?

Sub Questions

Why we are wired to connect

Re-Designing golf

Statistics

Re-thinking

What is golf?

Rules of golf

History of golf

Assumptions

Fixing the missing connection

Sports: The language of connection

Project one

Can grown up putting courses fix the crisis facing golf?

How top golf engages millennials and how it can save golf

What is next?

Definitions

What is golf? 3

Golf: a game in which clubs with wooden or metal heads are used to hit a small, white ball into a number of holes, usually 9 or 18, in succession, situated at various distances over a course having natural or artificial obstacles, the object being to get the ball into each hole in as few strokes as possible.

Introduction Golf is a game in which a ball is struck with a club from a prepared area, known as the teeing ground, across fairway and rough to a second prepared area, which has a hole in it, known as the putting green. The object of the game is to complete what is known as a hole by playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole on the putting green in the fewest possible number of strokes. A round of golf' consists of playing 18 such holes. There are basically two forms of play, one which is decided by holes won and lost (match play) and the other which is decided by the total number of strokes taken to complete the round (stroke play). There are three important principles to remember when playing golf: Play the course as you find it. Play the Ball as it lies. And if you can't do either, do what's fair. To do what's fair you need to know the Rules. The following is a summary of the Rules of Golf, simplified where possible.

Etiquette Etiquette covers both Courtesy and Priority on the Course as well as Care of the Course. Whilst the following points are not Rules as such they are an important part of the game. 1 Don't move, talk or stand close to a player making a stroke. 2 Don't play until the group in front is out of the way. 3 Always play without delay. Leave the putting green as soon as all players in your group have holed out. 4 Invite faster groups to play through. 5 Replace divots. Smooth footprints in bunkers. 6 Don't step on the line of another player's putt. 7 Don't drop clubs on the putting green. 8 Replace the flag-stick carefully.

Rules of golf General points Before commencing your round: (1) Read the Local Rules on the score card. (2) Put an identification mark on your ball. Many golfers play the same brand of ball and if you cannot identify your ball, it is lost. (3) Count your clubs. You are allowed a maximum of 14 clubs. During the round, don't ask for advice from anyone except your partner or caddie. Don't give advice to anyone except your partner.

During a hole you may not play a practice stroke.

Teeing off Tee off between and not in front of the tee-markers. You may tee off up to two club-lengths behind the front line of the tee-markers. Teeing off outside this area — in match play there is no penalty but your opponent may ask you to replay your stroke; in stroke play you incur a two-stroke penalty and must then play from within the proper area.

Playing the ball Play the ball as it lies. Don't improve your lie, the area of your intended swing or your line of play by moving, bending or breaking anything fixed or growing except in fairly taking your stance or making your swing. Don't press anything down or build a stance.

On the putting green You may repair ball marks and old hole plugs on the line of your putt but not any other damage, including spike marks. You may mark, lift and clean your ball on the putting green. Always replace it on the exact spot. Don't test the putting surface by scraping it or rolling a ball over it. Ball played from putting green strikes flagstick — in match play you lose the hole; in stroke play you incur a two-stroke penalty.

If your ball lies in a bunker or a water hazard don't touch the ground in the bunker, or the ground or water in the water hazard, before your downswing. The ball must be fairly struck, not pushed or spooned. Playing a wrong ball (except in a hazard) — in match play you lose the hole; in stroke play you incur a two-stroke penalty and you must then play the correct ball.

Ball at rest moved If your ball is at rest and it is moved by you, your partner or your caddie, except as permitted by the Rules, or if it moves after you have addressed it, add a penalty stroke and replace your ball. If your ball is at rest and is moved by someone else or another ball, replace it without penalty to you.

Lifting, dropping and placing the ball If a lifted ball is to be replaced, its position must be marked. If a ball is to be dropped or placed in any other position (e.g. taking relief from GUR, etc.) it is recommended that the ball's original position be marked. When dropping, stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and arm's length and drop it. If a dropped ball strikes you or your partner, caddie or equipment it must be re-dropped without penalty. There are eight instances where a dropped ball rolls to such a position that it must be re-dropped — see Rules of Golf Rule 20 — 2c

Ball interfering with or assisting play You may lift your ball if it might assist any other player. You may have any ball lifted if it might interfere with your play or assist any other player.

Obstructions Check the Local Rules on the score card for guidance on immovable obstructions (e.g. surfaced roads and paths etc.) .

Loose Impediments You may move a loose impediment unless it and your ball are in a hazard. However, if you have touched a loose impediment within one club-length of your ball and your ball moves, the ball must be replaced and (unless your ball was on the putting green) you incur a penalty stroke.

Movable obstructions (e.g. rakes, tin cans etc.) anywhere on the course may be moved. If the ball moves it must be replaced without penalty. If an immovable obstruction (e.g. a water fountain) interferes with your stance or swing, you may drop the ball within one club-length of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole. There is no relief for intervention on your line of play unless your ball and the obstruction are on the putting green.

Casual water, ground under repair etc. If your ball is in casual water, ground under repair or a hole or cast made by a burrowing animal e.g. a rabbit, you may drop without penalty within one club-length of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole.

Water hazards Check the Local Rules on the score card to establish whether the sea,lake, river etc. is a water hazard' or a lateral water hazard'. Ball in watery hazard â&#x20AC;&#x201D; play the ball as it lies or, under penalty of one stroke, (a) drop any distance behind the water hazard keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball crossed the margin of the water hazard and spot on which the ball is dropped, or (b) play again from where you hit the ball into the hazard. Ball in lateral water hazard â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in addition to the options for a ball in a water hazard (see above), under penalty of one stroke, you may drop within two club-lengths of (a) the point where the ball crossed the margin of the hazard or (b) a point on the opposite side of the hazard equidistant from the hole.

Ball un-playable

Ball lost or out of bounds Check the Local Rules on the score card to identify the boundaries of the course. If your ball is lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds you must play another ball from the spot where the last shot was played under penalty of one stroke i.e. stroke and distance. You are allowed 5 minutes to search for a ball, after which if it is not found or identified it is lost. If, after playing a shot, you think your ball may be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds you may play a provisional ball'. You must state that it is a provisional ball and play it before you go forward to search for the original ball. If the original ball is lost or out of bounds you must continue with the provisional ball under penalty of one stroke. If the original ball is not lost or out of bounds, you must continue play of the hole with it and the provisional ball must be abandoned.

If you believe your ball is un-playable outside a water hazard (and you are the sole judge), you may under penalty of one stroke, (a) drop within two club-lengths of where the ball lies not nearer the hole, (b) drop any distance behind the point where the ball lay keeping a straight line between the hole, the point where the ball lay and the spot on which the ball is dropped, or (c) replay the shot. If your ball is in a bunker you may proceed under (a), (b) and (c). However, if you elect to proceed under (a) or (b) you must drop in the bunker.

History of Golf 9

Early forms of Golf traced back to the Roman game of paganica, in which participants used a bent stick to hit a stuffed leather ball

The Scottish Parliament passed several acts banning the practice of the game, along with football (soccer), because the two sports were interfering with archery practice, which was necessary for national defence. The first act was passed in 1457 by James II, King of Scotland, and it was reaffirmed in 1471 and 1491

100 BC

The ban on golf in Scotland is lifted and within two years King James IV of Scotland takes up the game himself

1500

1457

9601279 Games similar to golf â&#x20AC;&#x201C; called chuiw in â&#x20AC;&#x201D; played with several clubs and a ball are being played in China during the Song Dynasty

15th C.

The origin of the modern game is usually traced to Scotland. In the 15th century

The first known reference to golf balls being stuffed with feathers. They were previously made from hard leather

Mary Queen of Scots reportedly plays golf just days after the murder of her husband Lord Darnley

1724

1567

1552

Archbishop Hamiltons Charter recognizes the right of the people of St Andrews to play golf on the Old Course

1603 King James VI ascends to the English throne and his court begins playing golf at Blackheath in London

1729 The first known reference is made to golf in the USA with clubs being recorded in the estate of William Burnet, the Governor of Massachusetts

The Old Course at St Andrews is reduced from 22 holes to 18 holes. This became the recognised format for the game around the world

The first Rules of Golf are set out by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers

1744

The first Open Championship is played at Prestwick and is won by Willie Park Senior of Scotland

1764

1754 The Society of St Andrews Golfers is formed. It became the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1834

1860

1848 The gutta percha ball is introduced. It was a solid ball, made by softening strips of gutta percha, (dried sap of a Sapodilla tree) in boiling water and then moulding the ball by hand before placing it in cold water to harden

The United States Golf Association (USGA) is formed in New York. One of its most important functions was to serve as arbiter for questions of amateur status. The five charter members of the newly formed the USGA were the St. Andrews Golf Club of Yonkers, N.Y., Newport (R.I.) Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., and Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill

Persimmon becomes a popular wood for making club heads

1890s

1885

The secretary of Royal Liverpool Golf Club came up with the idea of an amateur event in which leading clubs were invited to send entrants. The Amateur Championship is played for the first time in 1885 at Hoylake. It is won by Allan MacFie of England

1894

1893 The Ladies Golf Union is formed in the UK and the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship is played for the first time at Royal Lytham & St Annes. It is won by Lady Margaret Scott of England

1895 The US Amateur Championship and the US Open are played for the first time at Newport Country Club, Rhode Island and are won respectively by Charles B Macdonald (USA) and Horace Rawlins (England). The US Women's Amateur Golf Championship is also played for the first time at Meadow Brook Club in Long Island and is won by Lucy Barnes Brown of the USA

Golf is played at the Paris Olympic Games. Twenty two participants took part (12 men and 10 women) from four countries who competed in 36-hole individual stroke play events for men and women. The women's Olympic champion was Margaret Abbot (USA) and Charles Sands (USA) was the men's champion

The first Professional Golfers Association (PGA) is formed in the UK

1900

The PGA of America is formed and the US PGA Championship is played for the first time at Siwanoy Country Club in New York

1901

1901 The rubber cored Haskell ball is introduced. It changed the way the game was played. The Haskell ball travelled farther than the old gutta-percha ball and cost considerably less because it could be mass produced. The game's popularity surged in response

1916

1904

Golf is played for the second time in the Olympic Games in St Louis. Only men's competitions were staged. (A team event of 36 holes stroke play won by the United States of America's team and an individual event was won by George Lyon from Canada)

The Walker Cup is played for the first time between the men's amateurs of Great Britain and Ireland and the USA at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York. It is won by the USA

Bobby Jones completed the Grand Slam of The Open, the Amateur Championship, The US Open and the US Amateur Championship in one season

1930

1922

1921

The Ryder Cup is played for the first time between the men's professionals of Great Britain and the USA at Gleneagles. It is won by Great Britain

1929 Steel shafted clubs are accepted by The R&A

1932 The Curtis Cup is played for the first time between the women's amateurs of Great Britain and Ireland and the USA at Wentworth. It is won by the USA

The inaugural Masters is staged at Augusta National. It is won by Horton Smith of the USA

The Ladies Professional Golfers Association (LPGA) is formed in the USA

1934

The LPGA Championship is played for the first time at Orchard Ridge Country Club. It is won by American Beverly Hanson

1950

1946 The US Women's Open is played for the first time at Spokane Country Club in Washington and is won by Patty Berg of the USA

1955

1953

The Tam O' Shanter World Championship of Golf becomes the first nationally televised golf tournament in the USA

A friendly match between the American Curtis team and France is expanded to invite other international teams to establish a Women's World Amateur Team Championship. The trophy was provided by Mrs Espirito Santo Silva through the Portuguese Golf Federation. A total of 25 teams took part in the inaugural competition at St Germain Golf Club in France which was won by the home team

Metal woods made of stainless steel are introduced

1964

1980s

1958

Representatives of 35 national amateur golf organisations form the World Amateur Golf Council. They agree to stage the World Amateur Team Championship with teams of men competing for the Eisenhower Trophy, named after President Dwight D Eisenhower. The event was staged at the Old Course in St Andrews and Australia defeated the USA in a play-off

1976 The Women's British Open is played for the first time at Fulford Golf Club. It is won by England's Jenny Lee Smith

1994 The Evian Masters is played for the first time at Evian-les-Bains in France. It is won by Helen Alfredsson of Sweden

Materials such as graphite, titanium, carbon fibre and tungsten are used to manufacture golf clubs

The 150th anniversary Open Championship takes place on the Old Course at St Andrews

2000s

Golf was played at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the first time in 112 years

2009

2016

2009

2012

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) votes in favor of golf returning to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

Work begins on the Rio 2016 Olympic golf course at Barra da Tijuca

How can

What

golf?

with

wrong is

Expense When most people think about golf, this is one of the main problems that comes up with it. That it is too expensive to play. But is that really the problem here? You could argue it both ways. Yes it can get expensive and I think it is more a on the surface problem, rather then an actual problem. On average I spend probably $40-$50 per round to play golf. Now that usually takes me 4 hours on average to play. So in all reality $10 an hour is not really that bad at all. Yes I know golf clubs can get quite expensive, I have spent my fair share on clubs over the year but for now I want to set that aside and just focus on the courses. I think the real problem is that we assume that golf is expensive, when in all reality, for the most part at least it is not that expensive. A really easy thing to do is compare how much you pay to go to a baseball, basketball, football game, etc. You are going to pay a lot more then a round of golf. For an NFL game you could easily pay $200$300 for a ticket. Now I understand that you might not go to as many professional sport games as you would play rounds of golf, but the thing of it is that you are going to paying probably more to go to those sports events. (I know I do, at least) Another reason I think that golf comes off as being expensive is that on the surface, we tend to see and hear about all the really high end courses, that really only a small number of people actually get to play on. And

there is only a small fraction of those types of courses out there. This helps to add to that assumption that golf is too expensive. At the end of all this, if golf for the most part is really not that expensive; can we rule this out of something that does not need to be addressed or fixed? Well no I do not think we can completely throw this out as if it were nothing, but I do not think this is one of the main issues facing golf today.

Time Another thing that comes up a lot is the amount of time that it takes to play golf. On average it takes 4 hours with a golf cart and 5 hours when walking (On a 18 hole course). I understand why people think that it takes too much time. Especially in this day and age, when we want everything at a drop of a hat. We tend to have so much going on in our lives, that we just want everything quick and do not want to spend a lot of time doing one thing. On the flip side, it is good way to get away from it all and just take some time out in nature and give yourself a challenge. There is nothing quite like golf out there; you get to spend time playing a game where you are in nature, and more specifically nature that someone designed

to create interesting visuals and challenges. But if we say ok, it takes too much to play, what do we do then? Do we say lets make less holes? Shorter length courses? A way to get around faster? All of those could be interesting ideas, and I will come back to those later on.

Land Lets talk about the amount of land that golf takes up. This is something that comes up from time to time, and may not be as big as deal as some other things but it is something that does come up and I think it is important to at least talk about a little bit. A golf course does talk up quite a bit of land, especially when you get into 27 hole championship courses. But most courses are just going to 18 holes, but that still takes up a lot of land. A couple of things have already been done and continue to be done to try and combat that problem. The big one is that courses are being integrated with a housing development, so the land is used as a dual purpose and reduces the amount of land used to create the course. Another thing that has come up, is could a golf course be used a dual purpose for something else? The only problem I see with that is, that the up keep on the course would be much greater, so that may not be the best idea out there (depending on

what it would also be used for). The land issue is something that could be a problem, but it is something that is not really going to effect people wanting to play golf. I think that this is a minimal problem and if it is something that could be addressed later on, it would not hurt to but this is still not really why golf is having problems.

Difficulty This is where it gets interesting to me and really starts to answer some of these big questions on why golf is struggling. (At least that is what I think) Golf is hard, I will fully admit that. It is not an easy game to learn and play. Even just trying to learn all the rules and all the proper etiquette that goes along with golf itself is a big enough challenge, let alone trying to learn how to play. Lets start by talking about the rules to begin with; there is a lot of rules that go into playing golf and some very odd an obscure rules too. This is because each golf course is going to different in its own way, and so you have to have rules in place to cover any situation that may arise. Even a lot of the pros do not know every single rule; that is why they always have a official with them to make sure there is no rules broken at any time. Really trying to learn all the different rules is not really necessary though. Just learning the most important things and learning the core of

the game is what you really need to do when trying to learn how to play golf. The next thing is that it is extremely hard to actually hit a golf ball straight every time and then going on to learn how to shape your shot specifically is just daunting. The hardest thing is there is no real good way to learn outside of having a club pro help you. But even then it is still hard to understand everything, because there is so many moving parts and one little thing can throw everything off. The difficulty of the game I think is one of the biggest problems of the game, and scares off a lot of people when they think about playing. Thinking about some way to make it an easier transition in the game, could be a huge help to trying to get more people to play the game of golf.

is some other things that go into the idea of golf being boring but I think a huge part of it is the pace of play. The flip side of that is that; I think that once you get out on the course and actually play golf, that idea of golf being boring starts to diminish. The other reason I think that there is this idea that golf is boring, is that most people cannot relate to it. Golf is present as a high end sport and made to be played by the upper class. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense that people would think that and tend to dismiss it, because they just cannot relate to the game of golf.

Boring The last thing I want to talk about is the idea that people think golf is boring. This is something that I hear more than anything else. But why do people think golf is boring? Well here is the thing about that, I get why people think the game is boring. It is because it is what we see one TV and watching golf on TV, the pace of play is pretty slow. Now I get that is where a lot of that comes from, because there is even a lot of talk about how baseball is boring; because the pace of play is a little slow. I think there

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s W By: Ron Way

wiith w with i

the tee matter m golf g o olf y? today? y

The game’s governing body and traditionalists have stuck with rules and procedures that make it difficult, expensive, time-consuming — unapproachable. There are ways to change that. The baby-boomer rocket that propelled golf to new heights in the 20th century — and made Minnesota one of the world’s hottest golf markets despite its short season — has lost altitude as frugal millennials balk at a game they see as too expensive, too difficult and too time-consuming to play, and, save for the company scramble with a well-stocked beer cart, not all that much fun. And even though the sport was “democratized” as cities and towns built affordable public “munies” that brought postwar masses to golf, surveys show the game is still seen as “elitist.” That’s partly because exclusive country clubs remain in full view. But a larger issue is men who saw (and often still see) golf as their domain and have discouraged others, especially women and sometimes kids, by shunting them to less desirable playing times, or worse. The result is that golf courses are closing, retailers are clearing golf merchandise, and sales of ugly slacks are way down as the game and the industry struggles with sagging interest that has persisted for a decade.

of the U.S. Golf Association who stubbornly resisted changing anything as long as tee sheets were full. “The USGA is out of touch with what’s happening,” said Tom Abts, one of the metro area’s most respected course managers, at Deer Run in Victoria. Neglected blemishes are, to be sure, only part of it. Golf’s decline may be a metaphor for today’s economic reality of a stressed middle class and incomepressed millennials. There’s also a shifting of focus among many young couples who prioritize parenting over time-consuming recreation away from family. Golf’s ill health is the stuff of cracker-barrel chatter. And after more than a decade of coming to realize the obvious, a worried USGA is only now trying to somehow rekindle interest. Last fall, it awarded a five-year grant to the University of Minnesota to examine how to revive the golf market by making courses more player-friendly, by making golf more welcoming and by figuring out ways to energize the game’s social appeal. It’s a tough assignment, and we’ll see how they do. Doubters point to USGA’s clumsy dealing with the scourge of slow play through costly TV and magazine ads. The campaign had little effect on golf’s pace while giving potential players still more reason to stay away.

As more are coming to realize, golf’s warts have been long ignored by tradition-bound “keepers of the game,” including course operators and members

Golf’s player core remains at 23 million nationally, down 24 percent from its peak in 2002. And even though some 25 courses in Minnesota have closed, experts say the region still is overstocked with golf venues. Still, some are betting on beating the odds. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is advancing an ambitious makeover of its famous venues. Out in Lake Elmo, golf impresario Hollis Cavner is sinking $20 million into a major face lift of Tartan Park Golf Course, which he recently bought from 3M. That worries east-side course operators who fear that Cavner’s promotional genius will carve a big share out of golf’s shrinking market. While golf is far from dead, participation has flatlined as graying boomers leave the links without being replaced by the young adults who are golf’s future. Of the few millennials who try golf, few return, seeming to prefer handheld i-things and more affordable recreation over whiling away a sunny day on a frustrating game.

One difficulty is the game’s, well, difficulty. And here was a self-inflicted wound in an industry that built courses to mimic the monster layouts seen on TV and played by the world’s elite masters — ignoring that most golfers can’t break 100. Ridiculously long holes, thick rough and cruelly placed hazards conspired to make golf unnecessarily frustrating and not fun. Golf’s high cost, meanwhile, is only partly due to rising course fees. A larger problem is club makers who falsely tell golfers they’ll play better by spending gobs to buy their stuff, especially tricked up and preposterously long drivers that cost more than your first car. True story: Ads have long claimed that branded clubs hit the ball farther, as “proved” by ball-hitting robots. In reality, the industry incrementally tweaked club length and loft so that, yes, perfectly tuned machines could hit balls farther. But all that tweaking made today’s 7-iron, for example, close to what once was called a 5-iron, and today’s pitching wedge close to an 8-iron.

So, what went wrong here? The tweaked sticks were harder to use (people, not robots, play golf), and the industry’s “fix” to its own market-driven gimmickry was new lines of still more expensive “hybrids.” Former USGA technical director Frank Thomas said his myriad tests flatly disproved claims of improved distance with “new tech” clubs.

Those new to the game are also intimidated, and endless debates are started among players, by the USGA’s absurdly complex rules that stump even golf pros (26 pages of small type just for the rule book’s index). Along with the USGA, traditionalists have pretty much quashed an ambitious effort by TV’s Golf Channel to encourage “relaxed” golf with just seven very short, common-sense rules. Golfers themselves can pare costs. Rather than carrying the allowed limit of 14 clubs in a massive bag, most would play just as well with five or six clubs in a rig one can sling over a shoulder — which also means you can skip renting a power cart and enjoy the bonus of splendid exercise by walking the course. You don’t need designer golf shoes; comfortable sneakers may be the best golf footwear made. You can pay 50 cents for a used ball and play just as well as with a brand ball costing up to five bucks. Some courses prop income with things like “foot golf” (kicking a soccer ball over grassy knolls to a distant 23-inch hole), and others promote enjoyment by enlarging the size of the golf cup. There’s also the soaring popularity of “Topgolf,” featuring multitiered ranges where players mingle and munch with friends and take turns hitting balls at range targets with results read, and scores kept, by computers. Like bowling, it’s good social fun.

But it’s not real golf, grumble the purists. That’s true, but recall how snowboarders were derided when they first showed up on ski slopes. Meanwhile, golf gobbles time. Playing an 18-hole round takes more than four hours — more if you get behind the ever-present slow group. Add travel, warmup, and maybe a celebratory pop or two in the pub, and there goes the better part of a day. “Why not shorter golf courses?” asks longtime pro Joe Greupner at Edina’s Braemar. He’s among a growing number who advocate six-hole loops that could be played affordably in 90 minutes. Some pioneering architects like Richard Mandell of Pinehurst, N.C., are designing courses that emphasize enjoyment: few trees, short or no rough, no penal hazards, aesthetically pleasing and easy to walk. Mandell won praise for his restoration of Ramsey County’s legendary Keller Golf Course, and he’s now engaged to give Edina’s aging Braemar a friendlier makeover. Deer Run’s Abts thinks the industry should focus on serving a niche golf market. “Sort of like restaurants,” Abts said. “When I see a menu with seafood, Mexican, Italian, ribs and gourmet French, I know it’ll be bad because you can’t be everything to everyone.” Plenty to chew on.

Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub Sub 37

Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions Questions

How can we bring in a younger audience? Why are the rules presented the way they are? How is golf taught? What does golf sponsors tell us about the sport? What does the average age of someone who plays golf tell us? What does golf clothes tell us about the game? What is the scorecard really used for? What is the average rounds per year, per person? How much space does a golf course take up? What is the average cost of a round of golf? How can we connect through golf? Why do people love golf? What else is out there that is like golf? What can golf do to us emotionally? What can golf do for our physical health? Why do large golf companies keep closing? How can golf courses be shrunk? How can we make golf clubs temporarily available? Why are golf clubs designed the way they are? What is the most important part of the golf game? Why don't more people like golf? Why do people think golf is boring? What does mini golf bring to the game? How can we make a mini golf experience? How can we make golf more of a game? How can we add more technology to golf? How can use parts of golf in other areas? How can golf be made to be indoors? What are the most important aspects of golf? What aspects of golf do people love the most? How can we teach golf more efficient? How can mini golf be made more for adults?

Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions Assumptions 39

Golf is too expensive Golf courses are a waste of land Golf is too hard to learn Golf takes too long to play Only rich people play golf Golf is boring Golf is too frustrating to play The rules for golf are too confusing It is too hard to swing a golf club The golf ball is too small There are too many holes in golf The hole is too small to make it in I cannot hit a ball that far I cannot see a little white ball going that fast There are too many different clubs Only old people play golf I cannot drink at a golf course I have to be a member to play golf I have to dress a specific way to play golf I have to have my own golf clubs to play

conÂˇnecÂˇtion: a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else. synonyms: link, relationship, relation, interconnection, interdependence, association; bond, tie, tie-in, correspondence, parallel, analogy, contact, network, acquaintance, agent, ally, associate, friend, go-between, intermediary, kin, kindred, kinship, mentor, messenger, reciprocity, relative, sponsor

Ways we connect: Internet, talking, mail, email, social media, advertising, packaging, symbols, body language, art, sound, music, touch, smell, events, newspaper, magazine, books, sports

4 human connections: 1) Body connections include anything physical, such as touch, cuddling, hugging, kissing, and sex. 2) Mind connections include communicating and sharing ideas; this is the mental, or philosophical aspect of a connection. 3) Heart connections include the sharing of emotions, including developing feelings for the other person, a sense of intimacy and falling in love. 4) Spirit connections include helping each other grow, and a sense that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re together for a greater purpose, or to share a spiritual journey.

Sports: The language of

CONNECTION

By: Stew Friedman

The sporting world abounds this time of year, and I’m deep into it. The baseball season is underway and it’s the intoxicating time of NHL and NBA playoffs (in which my home teams, from Philadephia, are represented). Two days ago I was in New York, presenting to a group of 300 executives at ESPN’s Women’s Leadership Conference, yesterday in Philadelphia I spoke at a meeting of National Basketball Association executives, and last month I worked with NFL players in a joint NFL/Wharton executive program. Sports and the business of sports are on my mind. And sports are in my heart, not just for the desperate yearning to see my teams prevail against the odds, but for the language of connection with important people in my life that sports provides. For many people, the world of sports and its infinitely fascinating swirl of action–heroes and villains, glory and ignominy — is the occasion for conversation, the very stuff of relationships. Some years back it became clear to me that I needed to spend more time with one of my children, whose explosion into adolescence compelled more of my regular attention. Thus we began a ritual of watching sporting events almost every night, some in person, but most on TV. Being fans together has for us, as for millions of parents and children around the world, been a primary means of connecting. In

the intersticial spaces between our ongoing commentary about the players and their feats, we find moments to talk about other things we share in our lives: our hopes, our fears. I’m truly grateful for the opportunities these moments create for me to do my fatherly part. Of course the same thing happens at work. Sports talk is so much the material of connection among people striving to get things done in companies, in communities. For the sports business, grasping the power of this valuable social function— athletic teams are the glue that binds so many of us— means organizing the structure of sporting events and media surrounding them to support this function. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen enough. I remember going to baseball games as a kid in NYC when the only thing you heard between batters and innings was the conversation surrounding you and a gentle, lilting organ in the background. People talked. We connected with strangers, feeling like we belonged to something bigger than ourselves. How has your experience of sports helped you to feel closer to the people and communities you love? What do you think organizations can do to tap into this powerful source of connection — to enrich lives and improve performance?

Project One

Project One One Project Project One One Project

Project Project One One Project Project One One

Project Project One One

Project One Project One Project One

Project One

Project Project One One Project ProjectOne One

Project ProjectOne One

Project Project One One

Project One

Project one was an exploration into what is a connection. Exploring different ways to look at what a connection is or how we connect as humans. I wanted to see how people would react to something and later on interact with something. Some worked better then others, and I was able to find at what point people will interact with something pretty easily and at what point people do not really care to interact with it. All of these parts tied back into my main research surrounding golf. As time went on, I also started to create more specific parts to test peoples level of interaction. We interact and connect with people, places and things on a daily basis. We may not notice all the connections that we have on a daily basis, but they are always there.

When we experience social pain — a snub, a cruel word — the feeling is as real as physical pain. That finding is among those in a new book, Social, and it is part of scientist Matthew Lieberman’s case that our need to connect is as fundamental as our need for food and water. He answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. You argue that our need to connect socially is “powerful.” But just how powerful is it? Different cultures have different beliefs about how important social connection and interdependence are to our lives. In the West, we like to think of ourselves as relatively immune to sway of those around us while we each pursue our personal destiny. But I think this is a story we like to tell ourselves rather than what really happens. Across many studies of mammals, from the smallest rodents all the way to us humans, the data suggests that we are profoundly shaped by our social environment and that we suffer greatly when our social bonds are threatened or severed. When this happens in childhood it can lead to long-term health and educational problems. We may not like the fact that we are wired such that our well-being depends on our connections with others, but the facts are the facts. What is the connection between physical pain and social pain? Why is this insight important? Languages around the world use pain language to express social pain (“she broke my heart”, “he hurt my feelings”), but this could have all just have been a metaphor. As it turns out it is more than a metaphor — social pain is real pain. With respect to understanding human nature, I think this finding is pretty significant. The things that cause us to feel pain are things that are evolutionary recognized as threats to our survival and the existence of social pain is a sign that evolution has

By: Gareth Cook

treated social connection like a necessity, not a luxury. It also alters our motivational landscape. We tend to assume that people’s behavior is narrowly self-interested, focused on getting more material benefits for themselves and avoiding physical threats and the exertion of effort. But because of how social pain and pleasure are wired into our operating system, these are motivational ends in and of themselves. We don’t focus on being connected solely in order to extract money and other resources from people — being connected needs no ulterior motive. This has major consequences for how we think about structuring our organizations and institutions. At businesses worldwide, pay for performance is just about the only incentive used to motivate employees. However, praise and an environment free from social threats are also powerful motivators. Because social pain and pleasure haven’t been a part of our theory of “who we are” we tend not to use these social motivators as much as we could. You devote a section of your book to what you call “mindreading.” What do you mean by this, and why do you see it as so essential? First off, I’m not referring to the ESP kind of mind reading. I mean the everyday variety that each of us use in most social interactions. We have a profound proclivity towards trying to understand the thoughts and feelings bouncing around inside the skulls of people we interact with, characters on television, and even animated shapes moving around a computer screen. Although we are far from perfect at gleaning the actual mental states of others, the fact that we can do this at all gives us an unparalleled ability to cooperate and collaborate with others — using their goals to help drive our own behavior. The funny thing is that thinking about others’ thoughts doesn’t feel particularly different from most kinds of analytical thinking we do. Yet, fMRI research shows that there are two distinct networks that support social and non-social thinking and that as one network increases its activity the other tends to quiet down — kind of like a neural seesaw. Here’s the really fascinating thing. Whenever we finish do-

ing some kind of non-social thinking, the network for social thinking comes back on like a reflex — almost instantly. Why would the brain be set up to do this? We have recently found that this reflex prepares us to walk into the next moment of our lives focused on the minds behind the actions that we see from others. Evolution has placed a bet that the best thing for our brain to do in any spare moment is to get ready to see the world socially. I think that makes a major statement about the extent to which we are built to be social creatures. One of the long-standing mysteries of psychology is the question of where the “self” comes from, and what the “self” even means. Does your research shed any light on this question?

Social psychologists have long speculated that the self is a much more social phenomenon then it intuitively feels like from the inside. There have certainly been studies over the years that are consistent with this idea, however neuroscience is bringing new data to bear that speaks directly to this idea. There’s a region of the brain called “medial prefrontal cortex” that essentially sits between your eyes. This region has been shown again and again to be activated the more a person is reflecting on themselves. It is the region that most clearly and unambiguously is associated with “self-processing.” If you think about your favorite flavor of ice-cream, precious personal memories, or consider aspects of your personality (e.g. Are you generous? Are you messy?) you are likely to recruit this brain region. Given that we tend to think of the self as the thing that separates us from others — that allows us to know how we are different and how to walk our own path — it would be surprising if this same medial prefrontal region was involved in allowing the beliefs of others to influence our own. But this is exactly what we have seen in several studies. The more active the medial prefrontal region is when someone is trying to persuade you of something (e.g. to wear

sunscreen everyday) the more likely you’ll be to change your tune and start using sunscreen regularly. Rather than being a hermetically sealed vault that separates us from others, our research suggests that the self is more of a Trojan horse, letting in the beliefs of others, under the cover of darkness and without us realizing it. This socially-influenced self helps to ensure that we’ll have the same kind of beliefs and values as those of the people around us and this is a great catalyst for social harmony. What does this research tell us about how we should be raising our children, and what does it mean for education? I think the most important thing is to educate our children about what we are learning about the true role of our social nature in our happiness and success in life. Intellectually, I know all about these things, but if we don’t learn them as children, I’m not sure they ever really get into our guts and guide our intuitive decision-making. I think kids would love learning about how the social world works and how their brain makes that possible. The research on the social brain also leads to direct policy implications for education. The data are clear that children learn better when they learn in order to teach someone else than when they learn in order to take a test. Learning to teach someone else is prosocial and relies on the social networks of the brain. We had no idea these networks could promote memory but now we do. We ought to be doing much more peer learning, particularly age-staggered learning. My ideal situation would be a 14 year who has trouble in the classroom being assigned to teach a 12 year old. The teacher then becomes a coach helping to teach the 12 year old and the 14 year old will reap the benefits of prosocial learning.

3 0 11 2 8 5 19 4 67 49 7 93 4 52 436 0 6 8 2 8 8 07 4 3 24

4 2 7 2

65 1

5 2

6 2 2

1 84

0 5

9 2 3

A golfer is defined as anyone having played an 18-hole round in the last 12-months Golfing population in the U.S. = 29,000,000 Golfers comprise approximately 9.6% of the general population 77.5% are male - 22.5% are female The average age is 46 68% of golfers are married 67% attended and/or graduated college 50% are employed in a white collar occupation 90%+ Use the internet on a regular basis Average household income = $95,000 Age Breakdown

Under 30

30-39

12%

40-49

22%

50-59

24 %

60-69

18 %

70+

19 %

Re Thi n ki ng 71

Course Design: Course design can be one of the most interesting things about golf. There is nothing like golf out there, no other sport really shows off the beauty of nature quite like golf does. Combing the beauty of nature, with the challenge of trying to hit a little white ball into a hole 18 times; makes for quite the interesting combination. But is the courses being designed to be too challenging. There will be always a portion of people that want more and more of a challenge but the percentage of players that want and can handle that, is pretty low. A course can be beautiful and yet still be easy enough for most players to handle. Think about this for a second the majority of golfers are not high end pros; most are people who play just to have fun and not so much of a competitive side. So would it not make more sense to make a little bit easier course, that still has the beauty of nature, but not be so overwhelming though that you are more worried about how high you score is rather then taking in everything around you and relaxing? There has to be a better balance for most courses, or if we keep pushing them to be harder and harder, golf will continue to loose players due to frustration.

Scorecard Design: When you get to the golf course one of the first things that you get is a scorecard. This is where you can keep your score for the round, check the distances from each tee box to the green, show the handicap for each hole and it will usually have a overview of the golf course and the basic rules of the course. It will also sometimes have a little something about the course and its history or even sometimes have a bunch of advertisements from local businesses. When you get this most of the time, you just write your score down and rarely pay attention to anything else on the card. My point of this is, there must be something more that can be down to make it much more inviting to look at and want to use and possibly even hang onto. A big part of golf is the it is known as being â&#x20AC;&#x153;too hardâ&#x20AC;?, maybe the scorecard could help with tips and ideas for the course, ways to make the round be more enjoyable, and not so cold and heartless like they are today.

Clothing/Equipment Design:

At the course: Once you are actually out on the course, there is not a whole of information of way finding around the course. It can get a little confusing on certain courses where you are going, where you are suppose to hit the ball, and even where the tee box is. With one the main factors why a lot of people do not like to play golf or just do not play golf in general, is that it is too hard. Well that can be understandable since there is so much going on all at once, let alone it being hard enough to hit a ball straight for 500 yards and sink it into a tiny little hole. What if there was better way finding, better ways of showing the breakdown of each hole when you tee off. By creating a easier way to navigate the course alone could help grow the population of players. Also something as a better way of showing which tee box you should be hitting from, could help tremendously.

What is wrong with golf clothing and equipment? Well the obvious things is that it WAY too expensive. But that is something for another time and probably someone else, because it does not really concern me; at least right now. What I want to look more at, is the actual design, look and feel of everything. When you walk into a golf store the first thing you will probably notice is that there is not a whole lot of things that really pop and stand out. Most of the clothing and equipment have the same type of look and feel to it. Yes there is somethings that do stand out here and there, but that has only really come about in probably the last 5 years. But why should this matter? Well here is the thing, what is really in right now? Bright colors and bold designs. Especially when it comes to sports, that is all the rage. Granted it could and probably will change pretty rapidly, but that is not my point. I want to point out the idea that golf manufactures are stuck in their ways, just like the whole sport of golf. They are not really pushing to reach to a younger audience, because they probably think they cannot afford it, unlike the older crowd they are trying to sell to. But who is going to grow the sport and continue to help build and expand it over the years? The younger audience! Golf cannot just sit around and continue to do the same things year in and out, or they will continue to decline and have problems reaching a younger audience. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not saying that everything needs to be changed to what is in, but if they start to have a stronger showing in that sense, I think they would surprised to see what happens

and how the game might expand from that. On the flip side is that there seems to be a lot of push back from that, because Nike just dropped their golf equipment line and where really the only ones pushing that style onto their equipment, which raises some questions, that I will talk about later. Long story short, I think there is a huge opportunity to help grow the game by expanding the look and feel of the clothing and equipment.

Nike/Taylor-Made: This is a very interesting topic that has come up in the last few months. I want to start with Nike and Nike has done with their golf line. They have decided that they will no longer make any golf equipment, but they will still continue to make clothing and shoes for golf. Now I had touched on this a little bit earlier, but I want to look into this a little more now. What is interesting about this is that Nike is one of the largest sports clothing and equipment manufactures and all of a sudden they decide to shut down their golf line? Well that should immediately tell you something is wrong with golf then. Now I know that Nike did not have a huge place in golf but their name alone draws a lot of attention and with some of the biggest names in golf signed with Nike, it is a big blow to loose them. Now Taylor-Made who is a larger golf company, is currently looking to sell their company. Now I was completely shocked when I heard about Nike, but I am probably more surprised about Taylor-Made. It raises a lot of red flags to see companies doing this all of a sudden, with little to no expiation why. Why would I be more surprised about Taylor-Made, a lesser known name then Nike? Well Nike was kind of the bad boys of golf and went to the beat of their own drum and trying to push a newer style. So it kind of shows you they probably got some backlash from it, and it just did not work out.

GolfSmith: Now here is another story about a golf company that is having problems and very well could be shut down soon. I want to start with talking about Edwin Watts golf; Edwin Watts was a national retail golf store and one of the largest golf store chains in the world. They went under a few years back, due to they just bottom line were not making enough money. And now GolfSmith is more or less in the same situation. Now here is why that is such a big problem for golf. You are loosing pretty much the last true national golf chain store. Yes you will still have places like Scheels, Dicks Sporting Goods, etc. But places like do not have the knowledge or the tools and equipment to really get you set up and going with the right equipment. A huge key to playing good, is to make sure you get set up with the right equipment for the way you swing. Everyone has a different type/style of swing, and you need to get the right equipment for what fits you. And believe me, it makes a HUGE difference. Big chain sports stores do not usually have the equipment or the people with the knowledge to properly fit someone for clubs. And that could a have a much larger effect on the golf community then I think people realize.

Overall stats:

PGA: This is where I have mixed emotions. I feel like the PGA is stronger then ever, and the numbers pretty much back that idea up. I will break down that a little more latter on but for now I want to really just look at the culture of the PGA. What do you see in the players and sponsors and what do you not see? Well this year the very first ever beer sponsor was picked up by a player, and for the first time a fast food restaurant was sponsored. This shows how narrow minded a lot of the players or the PGA has been. Why not take on those sponsors before? Not good for you image? And have you ever noticed not a single player on the PGA has a visible tattoo or piercing? Things like this make me question the state of the PGA and how progressive they really are. There numbers show they are growing in viewers, but the players and the way they represent themselves show they are still stuck back in the day.

What do the numbers tell us? They tell us the sport is dominated by wealthy older men. And why does this matter that we know this? Well it tells us exactly what I have been more or less getting at all along. That the sport is stuck in a place it should not be and the numbers support that. With around 10% population that actually plays golf, how is a sport suppose to grow? Well simply put it cannot. Now I am looking at the big numbers and picture right now, and I have more evidence that backs up what I am getting at here; companies shutting down or selling. Now just really quick I want to throw out a couple of numbers. There is roughly 29 million people in the world that play golf; now lets take that and compare it to bowling, with around 100 million people that play. What is the big difference? Accessibility. I will leave with that thought for now and come back to it here a little bit.

Where could it improve?: PGA numbers: Golf is known as a more of high society sport and usually played by the rich and educated. And the numbers do support that, but what is more interesting is that the PGA kind of throws that in your face. Now why would they do that, would you not think that they would try and push a wider audience? It does not seem that way, at least according to what they have posted as far is it goes for their viewer stats. I think this is really where the PGA falls short, they need to be pushing more and more then ever getting a wider audience into the game. Yes they do things like the FirstTee and the Drive, Chip and Putt to try and get kids involved in golf. But at the end of the day they are still pandering to the rich and educated. And they know how to do it and they have shown what can happen when do. Let me throw this number at you: 201,003 people. That was the single day, yes single day attendance for the Waste Management Open for this year. That set the single day attendance for any sporting event. What is so different about that event versus other events on the PGA? The environment. They really promote a young and fun environment, to really try and bring in the people they need to be. Think if they could draw that type of crowd even at a handful events through out the year? It would be HUGE! They know how to do it, they just seem to choose to ignore it and not deal with it.

Well obviously it could be improved everywhere. But one thing I keep reading about and have been harping on is the idea about bringing a broader audience to the game. Well how could we do that based off what we see from the numbers? Well if we shutting out the people who are trying to bring a fresh take and look to the game, that is a huge problem. People like Nike with their design of things will draw the attention from a younger crowd and they will be the ones to play and support the game for years to come. Also making sure that there is places that really are dedicated to helping you learn and getting you the right equipment makes a big difference. There is plenty of ways to get people into the game and get them involved in watching it also. The answers are all right in front of our faces. But the fact of the matter, a lot of the people in charge of some of the largest golf corporations do not want that. They want to keep it they way it always has been, but there is a way to keep those core values and also expand the game into newer and wider audiences. The least we do is try.

By: Daniel Riley “WHAT DO YOU THINK OF our playground?” Michael Chupka asks me, as we skirt a 100,000-squarefoot carpet of ice-slick “fine fescue” turfgrass, a swatch of land with more humps and bumps than a hasty battlefield burial site. Chupka is the lead evangelist (and director of communications) here at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the craggy coast of Oregon, and with him is Brandon Carter, one of the head pros. It’s midafternoon on the back slope of summer and the three of us are here to lay out the 18 holes that will transform this tabula rasa putting green into the Punchbowl — a sleek, challenging, “grown-up” putting-only course. The holes, reconfigured each day, bring to mind miniature golf, but a natural putting course like this one preserves some of the dignity you lose with artificial turf and windmills. The point of the Punchbowl, according to Chupka, is to provide another opportunity to compete, but at a lower register. After looping around one or two of the championship courses—Bandon Dunes claims four of the 15 top-ranked public courses in the country — golfers will often move over to the Punchbowl for happy hour. While a championship course can run $300 a round, the Punchbowl is free to resort guests — or anyone who makes the four-hour drive from Portland. Bandon Dunes isn’t the first resort to roll out a “serious” putting-only course (see sidebar). But based on the attention surrounding its unveiling in 2014 and the number of developers who visit to take stock, it’s the Punchbowl that seems poised to lead a surge of courses like it in America. By the time we stamp our 18th tee marker (complete with handcrafted cup holder) and flagstick into the green, players have already started on our front nine, Oregon IPAs and Columbia Valley chardonnays in hand. I hang near the 18th hole and wait for the first group to reach the final tee. Brad Klein, from Indianapolis, and Mike Wines, from Brownsville, Ind., were in Portland for a trade show, but drove four hours out of their way to spend the afternoon at Bandon — not to play one of the championship courses (“too damned expensive,” Wines says), but to see Bandon Dunes with their own eyes and get in a gratis 18 on the buzzy putting course. “We’re playing for a beer, and it’s a tight match,” Wines says. “Otherwise we would’ve asked you to play along.” Still, they have me take a run at 18 with them. It’s straight up the hill from one preposterous flat to another, the dumbest hole we devised, as unlike something you’d see on a real course as the mini-golf hole that asks you to putt into the vent of a volcano. Absurdly, I make the putt. Klein and Wines rib me about sandbagging them and I confess

that I co-designed today’s course. They seemed to have enjoyed themselves enough to justify the trip — the whole round took just 40 minutes — and I watch them hike up to the restaurant for another beer. I didn’t expect a putting course to alter my thinking about the future of the game. By the time the sun fell over the edge (lights come up for night putting for special events), I was beginning to think of the Punchbowl approach as a novel — and eminently actionable—way out of the welldocumented crisis in golf. That is, this one: Coinciding with the Tiger “spike” of the late-’90s, an explosion of new young (and older) players triggered a proliferation of courses that charged a notterribly-affordable amount and sought serious golfers whose commitment was taken for granted. In the past two decades, though, as the Tiger bubble burst and the number of young players dropped, a glut of underused courses have closed. Everyone from Golf Digest to the USGA to the PGA of America has encouraged nine-hole rounds in a semi-desperate effort to get people (like this golfer, who used to spend multiple days a week playing) back to the golf course in their ’90s numbers. A real solution, though, is going to require not just a tourniquet, but creative regeneration. ‘I didn’t expect a putting course to alter my thinking about the future of the game.’ What’s missing is attention to the expansive middle ground between no golf and regulation-length golf. There are par-3 courses and executive courses—but there could be more. Options like Topgolf — driving ranges with bright lights, booze and arcade-style scoring — appeal more to nongolfers than golfers who just want a smaller-scale version of what they already love. A serious putting course is golf distilled to its fundamental joy spots, like a trailer for a movie. The Punchbowl offers everything that committed players love about the game — the beauty of the course, the challenge, the competition — but simultaneously appeals to novice golfers. It’s the sort of thing every golf course and club should take a hard look at — not just for members but for the beginners and along-for-the-riders, who might transform a spark into a love affair. At an hour a pop, a putting course reminds you how good golf can be — the Punchbowl as regenerator of faith in the good stuff of the game.

nk i

Ho m w i it lle to n ca n p i g n al o sa s a lf ve n en d g go ho a g lf w e

According to the National Golf Foundation, golf has lost five million players in the last decade with 20 percent of the existing 25 million golfers likely to quit in the next few years. The number of Millennials ages 18 to 34 participating in sports such as running rose 29 percent from 2009 to 2013, but the proportion playing golf fell roughly 13 percent. Some estimates suggest Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers account for 75 percent of all golf play by volume. In 2013, only 22 percent of Millennial travelers under 33 played golf when they stayed at a resort, compared with 42 percent of Baby Boomers. However, there is an outlier in the golf industry where 18 to 34 years old make up 64 percent of their customers. That outlier is the Millennial magnet, Topgolf. Topgolf is a premier entertainment and event venue with point-scoring golf games for all skill levels. Across their 24 locations (21 in the U.S. with 11 more coming soon and 3 in the U.K.), people reserve a golfing bay where up to six people can eat, drink, watch TV, and drive golf balls. By 2017, Topgolf anticipates its total attendance to be more than 18 million as it grows it’s U.S. locations to around 50. According to the 2014 National Golf Foundation report, that would outpace the number of golfers who began or returned to the game by 14 million. Here are five areas where golf can learn from Topgolf’s success when it comes to engaging Millennials. 1. Enhance the experience Topgolf is an entertainment center loaded with friendly staff, food and drink, video games, and golf at the core of it all. Topgolf invites DJs and bands to perform in the evenings where the golf targets change colors and pulse in rhythm to the music. Some locations throw New Year’s Eve, St Patrick’s Day, and other holiday parties. On the golf course, Millennials are much more likely to enhance the experience with music, alcohol, gambling, and social media engagement. In fact, two of every five Millennial golfers today play music out loud on the course. Courses should consider creating experiences with golf boards, golf bikes, attaching speakers to tree trunks on every hole, or extreme alternatives such as All Sports Golf Battle or Altered Course.

3. Social savvy Topgolf methodically maximizes their facilities for social and video sharing, going as far as optimizing the locations for landscapes and views. Food and beverage drive 60 percent of Topgolf’s business. Golfing is individualistic by default and falls short on the Millennial values of inclusion and diversity. The courses scoring with Millennials are those designed where people can meet new people, such as beer tastings from craft breweries throughout the course or night contests where participants wear necklaces that glow in the dark. 4. Gamify the game Topgolf has received serious street cred with Millennials because of it’s ultra-connectivity and gamification. Players can choose from seven different games where their scores are tracked by the Topgolf app, and they can compete against the daily, monthly, or all-time leaders in each game. Golf courses that gamified the game would win over Millennials. Imagine courses that offered greens with a 15-inch hole and a regular 4.25-inch hole with each target being worth different point values and where every hole had a new incentive--a beer for par or a sleeve of balls for a birdie--and was all tracked on a mobile device via RFID chipped balls. 5. Achieve approachability Susan Walmesley, Topgolf’s VP Sales and Marketing, said, “I never played golf before [joining Topgolf], and always thought of it as a bit of a stuffy sport that took a lot of time. We wanted to tear down that image.” Golf courses that are shaking the stuffy label are engaging Millennials. Some courses are experimenting with relaxed or no dress codes. Others have tried quadrupling the size of the hole from 4.25 inches to a 15 inch diameter to make the game easier and faster. Will Topgolf’s popularity translate into Millennials swinging clubs on the links? Not sure. Topgolf CEO Ken May says, “Millennials are there to have fun, not necessarily to get good at golf.” Topgolf has, however, given golf a necessary window to carefully “tee-up” it’s next shot to entice the Millennial generation.

2. Offer options Topgolf charges by the hour, $25-$45 per hour for a bay, and offers seven different games to players which is enticing when contrasted with the limited game options available on today’s golf courses and considering the traditional 18-hole round can take about six hours door-todoor and cost on average $52 per person. On the golf course, Millennials are interested in options beyond the two choices of nine or 18 holes. Golf courses are engaging Millennials with a variety of options such as putting mini courses, six-hole evening rounds, and six, eight, and 12-hole designs--which have been supported by PGA superstars, Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman.

After all this research into golf and connections, I have come to this conclusion. Golf is dying. And trying to save it is quite the tall challenge. Now I do not think golf will ever die, it will always be around no matter what. The thing with golf is that, the younger generation just cannot get behind it. Now there is a lot of different things that create that. A lot of them I have talked about through out this book. Now I could go into and explore ways to try and save golf through more traditional methods. Example: Redesigning the look and feel of what golf is. But here is the problem with going through more tractional methods. No matter how much you do, the same assumptions and problems will always be there. The biggest is that people think that golf is boring. But what does get people excited is things like mini golf and top golf. Which that tells me is there is hope to bring life back to traditional life. But it is through finding new ways to think of what golf can be. The biggest thing is finding a way to bring in the younger audience. Finding a â&#x20AC;&#x153;gatewayâ&#x20AC;? game into golf I think is the ultimate answer. Something that is fun and fresh and could be easily accessible by anyone, but have enough of the core golf in it. If it has the core golf element to it, it could easily lead people into playing traditional golf. Now some people may say that mini golf or top golf are already out there and that is exactly what they do. Well no they do not. They only show a small fraction of what golf is. I think they are on the right track but they do not bridge a gap back to traditional golf. There is a way to find a happy medium where it is something between mini golf and traditional golf, that can grow the game of golf. And that is the next step in this process.

A Aiming: The act of aligning the club face to the target. Alignment: The position of the body in relation to the initial target.

Block: A swing in which the rotation of the forearms is delayed or prevented throughout the hitting area, generally producing a shot that flies to the right of the target. Bobbing: The act of raising and lowering (or lowering and raising) the swing center in the course of the swing.

Angle of Approach (or Attack): A term that describes Bogey: A score of one over par on a hole. the relative angle which the club head approaches the ball at impact which, in turn, helps determine the distance Borrow: The amount of break a player allows for when and trajectory which the ball travels. hitting a breaking putt. Approach: A shot hit towards the green or towards the hole. Axis: Generally refers to a straight line (the spine) that the upper body rotates around in the course of the golf swing.

B Backswing: The motion that involves the club and every element of the body in taking the club away from the ball and setting it in position at the top of the backswing from which the club can be delivered to the ball at impact. Backspin: The rotational movement or spin of the ball produced by contact with the club face. The greater the backspin, the higher the ball will fly and the more it will spin, and therefore stop or even spin backwards on impact with the turf. Balance: The proper distribution of weight both at address and throughout the swing. Balata: A rubber-like substance used as a cover material for golf balls. Pure balata is rarely, if ever, used today. Instead, manufacturers use blends or synthetic material. Many players prefer balata or balata-like covers because it provides a softer feel. And can provide increased spin. Baseball Grip: A grip in which all ten fingers are placed on the grip of the club. Birdie: A score of one under par on a hole.

Bowed: The position of the wrists at the top of the backswing in which the top wrist is bent slightly inward. Break: The amount a putt will curve to the side because of the slope, grain and wind that affect the movement of the ball. Bump and Run: A pitch shot around the green in which the player hits the ball into a slope to deaden its speed before settling on the green and rolling towards the hole. Bunker: A hollow comprised of sand or grass or both that exists as an obstacle and, in some cases, a hazard.

C Caddie: A person hired to carry clubs and provide other assistance. Calcutta: An auction in which people bid on players or teams in a tournament. Cambered: Sole A rounding of the sole of the club to reduce drag. A four-way cambered sole is one that is rounded at every edge of a wood. Carry: The distance a ball will fly in the air, usually to carry a hazard or safely reach a target. Carryover: When a hole is tied in a match and the bet is carried over to the next hole. Casting: An un-cocking of the wrists prematurely on the downswing, resulting in a loss of power and control. Also known as “hitting from the top.”

Bladed Shot: Often referred to as a “skulled” shot, it occurs when the top half of the ball is struck with the bottom portion of an iron, resulting a low-running shot.

Cavity-back: A type of iron in which a portion of the Closed-to-Open: A swing in which the club head is back of the club head is hollowed out and the weight dis- closed on the backswing but then manipulated into an tributed around the outside edges of the club head. open position on the downswing. Center of Gravity: That point in the human body, in the pelvic area, where the body’s weight and mass are equally balanced. Centrifugal Force: The action in a rotating body that tends to move mass away from the center. It is the force you feel in the downswing that pulls the club head outward and downward, extending the arms and encouraging to take a circular path. Center of Rotation: The axis or swing center that the body winds and unwinds around during the swing. Chicken Wing: A swing flaw in which the lead elbow bends at an angle pointed away from the body, usually resulting in a blocked or pushed shot. Chip and Run: A low-running shot played around the greens where the ball spends more time on the ground than in the air. Choke: A derogatory term describing poor play that results from nervousness.

Cocked Wrists: A description of the hinging motion of the wrists during the backswing in which the hands are turned clockwise. Ideally, the wrists are fully cocked at the beginning of the downswing. Coefficient of Restitution: The relationship of the club head speed at impact to the velocity of the ball after it has been struck. This measure is affected by the club head and ball material. Coil: The turning of the body during the backswing. Come Over the Top: A motion beginning the downswing that sends the club outside the ideal plane (swing path) and delivers the club head from outside the target line at impact. This is sometimes known as an outside-to-inside swing. Compression: A measure of the relative hardness of a golf ball ranging from 100 (hardest) to 80 (softest). Connection: A description of a swing in which all the various body parts work harmoniously to produce a solid, fluid motion.

Choke Down: The act of gripping down on the shaft, which is generally believed to provide greater control. Conservation of Angular Momentum (COAM): A law of Chunk: A poor shot caused by hitting the turf well behind physics that allows the player to produce large amounts the ball, resulting in a fat shot. of kinetic energy. As the body shifts its weight and turns towards the target in the forward swing, the mass Cleek: A fairway wood with the approximate loft of a (arms and club) is pulled away from the center into an 4-wood that produces high shots that land softly. extended position by centrifugal force. By temporary resisting that pull as well as the temptation to assist the Closed Club face: The position formed when the toe of hit by releasing too early, one maintains the angle formed the club is closer to the ball that the heel, either at adbetween the club’s shaft and the left arm and conserves dress or impact, which causes the club face to point to the energy until a more advantageous moment. This has the left of the target line. been referred to as a “delayed hit,” a “late hit,” “connection,” “lag loading,” “the keystone” or COAM, but when Closed Club face: (swing) A position during the swing in performed correctly may simply be called “good timing.” which the club face is angled to the left of the target line or swing plane, generally resulting in shots hit to the left Croquet Style: A putting stance popularized by Sam of the target. Snead in which the player stands aside the ball, facing the hole, holds the club with a widely-split grip, and Closed Grip: Generally referred to as a strong grip bestrikes the ball with a croquet-type stroke. A similar cause both hands are turned away from the target. style, in which the player faced the hole with the ball positioned between the feet, was banned by the United Closed Stance: A description of a stance when the rear States Golf Association. foot is pulled back away from the target line.

Cross-Handed: A grip in which the left (or lead) hand is placed below the right hand. Cupped Wrist: A position in which the left or top hand is hinged outward at the top of the backswing. Cuppy Lie: A lie when the ball is sitting down slightly, usually in a small depression.

Duck Hook: A shot that flies sharply from right to left for right-handed players. It is usually hit unintentionally, since it is difficult to control. Dynamic Balance: Transferring the focus of weight appropriately during the golf swing while maintaining body control.

E Cut Shot: A shot played with a slightly open club face and a swing path that travels out to in. The result is a soft Eagle: A score of two-under-par on a hole. fade that produces additional backspin and causes the ball to stop quickly on the green. Early Hit: When a player prematurely releases the cocking of the wrists on the downswing, resulting in a loss of D power at impact. This is also known as “casting from the top.” Dead Hands: A shot in which the hands remain relatively passive in the hitting area, resulting in a shot that flies a Effective Loft: The actual loft on a club at impact as opshorter distance than it normally would. posed to the loft built into the club. Effective loft is determined by, among other things, the lie and the position of Deep-Faced Driver: A driver with greater-than-standard the hands relative to the ball at impact. height on its face. Explosion: A shot played from a sand bunker, usually Decelerate: A decreasing of the club head speed in the when the ball has buried or settled down into the sand. hitting area. Extension: The width of the swing as measured by the Delayed Hit: A golf term used to describe the Conserva- target arm on the backswing and the trail arm on the follow-through. tion of Angular Momentum. Divot: The turf displaced when the club strikes the ball on a descending path.

Double Bogey: A score of two over par on a hole.

Fade: A shot that flies slightly from left to right.

Double Eagle: A score of three under par on a hole.

Fanning: An exaggerated opening of the club face as the backswing begins.

Dormie: The point in match play when a player is up in a match by the same number of holes that remain. Doubles: When a caddie carries two sets of clubs.

Fat Shot: A description of a shot when the club head strikes the turf behind the ball, resulting in poor contact and a shot that comes up well short of the target.

Downswing: The swing forward from the top of the backswing.

Flange: A portion of the sole of a club such as a sand wedge or putter.

Draw: A shot that flies slightly from right to left for righthanded players.

Flat Swing: A swing that is more horizontal and less vertical in plane than is typical.

Driving Range: Another term for a practice area. Also known as a golf range, practice range or learning center.

Flier: A shot from the rough or in wet conditions that reduces the amount of backspin on the ball, causing it to fly lower and farther than it might under normal conditions. Flip Shot: A shot, usually played with a wedge, that involves a wristy swing designed to hit the ball a short distance but with a lot of height. Floater: A ball struck from the deep grass that comes out slowly and travels a shorter distance because of the heavy cushioning effect of the grass between the ball and the club face. Flop Shot: Similar to a flip shot except that it involves a long, slower swing.

Golf Range: A facility where people can practice their full swings and, in some cases, their short games. Grain: The direction which the blades of grass grow, which is of primary importance on the greens as this can affect how much and in which direction a putt breaks. Green-keeper: An older, outdated term for the course superintendent. Grip (Equipment): That part of the golf club where the hands are placed. Grip: The placing and positioning of the hands on the club. The various types include the Vardon or overlapping, the interlocking and the 10-finger or baseball grip.

Fluffy Lie: A lie in which the ball rests atop the longish Groove (equipment): The horizontal scoring lines on the grass. This can be a tricky lie because the tendency is to face of the club that help impart spin on the ball. swing the club head under the ball, reducing the distance it carries. Groove: A description of a swing that consistently follows the same path, time after time. Fly: The distance the ball carries or a shot that carries over the intended target. Ground: When referred to in the Rules of Golf, it means the point when the club touches the ground (or water) Follow-through: That part of the swing that occurs after prior to playing the shot. the ball has been struck. Group Lesson: A teaching session in which several pupils Footwork: The coordinated action of the lower body work with one or more PGA Professionals. This type of during the golf swing. lesson is particularly effective for beginners, especially Forward Press: A slight movement of the hands and arms (and occasionally the legs) that initiate the golf swing.

juniors.

Forward Swing: The downward motion of the hands, arms and club from the top of the backswing to impact. Another terms for downswing.

Half Shot: A shot played with an abbreviated swing and reduced swing speed. This shot is often played when trying to keep the ball out of a strong wind.

Fried Egg: The slang term for a buried lie in the sand.

Heel: The part of the club head nearest the hosel. A shot hit off the heel is said to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;heeled.â&#x20AC;?

G Grand Slam: The Modern (or Professional) Grand Slam describes winning the four professional Major Championships -- the PGA Championship, the Masters and the United States and British Opens -- in a calendar year. The Career Grand Slam describes winning each of these events once in a career.

Heel and Toe: Weighted: A club design where weight is distributed towards the heel and toe of a club, usually an iron, to reduce the effect of mis-hits. High Side: The side of the hole that a putt breaks from. Hitter: A player who favors a forceful, aggressive style of swing.

Hooding: The act of placing the hands ahead of the ball, both at address and impact, which tends to reduce the effective loft of the club. Hook: A shot that curves sharply from right to left for right-handed players. Hosel: The part of the club connecting the shaft to the club head.

I Impact: The moment in the swing when the club strikes the ball. Inside-to-In: A description of the swing path that, all things being equal, will produce the greatest percentage of solid, straight and on-target shots. It refers to a path in which the club head travels from inside the target line, to impact, and then back inside the target line. Inside-to-Out: A swing path in which the club head approaches the ball from inside the target line and, after contact, continues to the outside of the target line before turning back to the inside of the target line. Intended Line of Flight: The direction a player plans for his ball to begin after impact. Iron Byron: A testing device modeled after Byron Nelsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swing. It is used to test clubs and balls.

K Kinesiology: The scientific study of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement and the movements of implements or equipment that he might use in exercise, sport or other forms of physical activity. Kinetic Energy: The form of energy associated with the speed of an object. Its equation is: KE=1/2mv2(squared); or kinetic energy= ? mass x velocity squared.

Lateral Slide or Shift: A movement early in the forward swing in which the hips begin to slide to the target and rotate while, at the same time, weight begins to shift from the trail side to the target side. The timing of this motion is crucial to a proper swing. Lay Off: When the swing plane flattens out at the top of the back swing, it causes the club to point to the side of the target and the face to close. Learning Center: A complete practice and instruction facility, which may or may not be on the site of a golf course. Level-Par: A term describing a score of even par. Lever System: The skeletal system is composed of numerous bones which, in mechanical terms, act as levers. The two primary levers in the golf swing are: 1) the target arm, comprised of the radius and ulna of the lower arm and the humerus in the upper arm, and 2) the club when the target wrist becomes cocked. Lie: As it relates to the ball, the position of the ball when it has come to rest. (He hit his drive into the rough, but luckily had a good lie). As it relates to the club, it is the angle of the sole of the club relative to the shaft. Lights-Out: A slang term describing an outstanding round or stretch of holes. Line: The intended path of the ball, usually referred to in the context of putting. Line of Flight: The actually path of the ball. Links: The term for a course built on links land, which is land reclaimed from the ocean. It is not just another term for a golf course. Lob Shot: A short, high shot, usually played with a wedge, designed to land softly. Loft: The degree of angle on the club face, with the least loft on a putter and the most on a sand wedge.

Lag: A shot (usually a pitch, chip or putt) designed to finLong Irons: The 1-4 irons. ish short of the target. Looking Up: The act of prematurely lifting your head to follow the flight of the ball, which also raises the swing center and can result in erratic ball striking.

Loop: The shape of the swing when the backswing and forward swing are in different planes. Loosened Grip: Any time a player opens his fingers and loses control of the club. When this happens at the top of the backswing, it is often referred to as “playing the flute.”

M Mechanics: The mechanics of a golf swing or putting stroke. Middle or Mid-irons: The 5-7 irons. Mulligan: The custom of hitting a second ball -- without penalty -- on a hole, usually the 1st tee.

N Nassau: A competition in which points are awarded for winning the front nine, back nine and overall 18.

O Off-Green Putting: When a player elects to putt from off the green rather than chip. Offset: A measure of the distance between the leading edge of the hosel and the leading edge of the club face. One-Piece Takeaway: Sometimes called the “modern” takeaway, it describes the beginning of the backswing when the hands, arms and wrists move away from the ball, maintaining the same relationship they had at address. Open Club face: When, either at address or during the swing, the heel of the club head is leading the toe, causing the club face to point to the side of the target. Open Grip: Also referred to as a weak grip, it is when the hands are turned counter-clockwise on the club. Open Stance: When the left or lead foot is pulled back farther from the target line than the rear or right foot. This stance generally helps promote a left-to-right ball flight.

Open-to-Closed: A description of the movement of the club face when a player fans it open on the backswing and then closes it at impact. Outside-to-In: A description of a swing path when the club head approaches the ball from outside the target line and then continues to the inside of that line following impact. Over club: To pick the wrong club, usually for an approach shot, causing the ball to go over the green. Pace: The speed of the golf swing or the speed of the greens.

P Paddle Grip: A putting grip with a flat surface where the thumbs rest. Par: The score an accomplished player is expected to make on a hole, either a three, four or five. Path: The direction the club travels during the swing or the putting stroke. This is best observed from an overhead view. Pendulum Stroke: In putting, a stroke that moves the club head back and forth on a constant line, without deviation. Pinch Shot: A shot played around the green in which a player strikes the ball with a crisp, clean descending blow. Pistol Grip: A grip, usually on a putter, that is built up under the left or top hand. Pitch-and-Run: A shot from around the green, usually with a middle or short iron, where the ball carries in the air for a short distance before running towards the hole. Pivot: The rotation of the body around a relatively fixed point, usually the spine. Plumb-bob: A method many players use to help them determine the amount a putt will break. It involves positioning yourself behind the ball and holding the putter vertically so it covers the ball. In theory, the shaft of the putter will indicate the amount the ball will break. It does not, however, measure the speed of the green, which is an important element is reading a putt.

Plugged Lie: The condition when the ball comes to rest in its own pitch mark, usually in a bunker or soft turf. Press: To try and hit the ball harder than usual. This also describes an extra effort to play well. In betting terms, it’s an additional bet made after a player falls behind in a match.

Raised Swing Center: Elevating the central area in the body (somewhere between the top of the spine and the center of the neck) around which rotation takes place. What the novice frequently refers to as “looking up” and results in a swing that is too high. Rap: To hit a putt with a short, firm stroke.

Pre-Shot Routine: The actions a player takes from the time he selects a club until he begins the swing.

Reading the Green (or Putt): The entire process involved in judging the break and path of a putt.

Private Lesson: Generally speaking, when a PGA Professional gives a lesson to a single pupil.

Recover: To successfully hit a shot from a poor location.

Pronation: An inward rotation of the hands towards the body’s centerline when standing in a palms-facing-forward position. Pulled Hook: A shot that begins to the side of the target line and continues to curve even further away. Pulled Shot: A relatively straight shot that begins to the side of the target and doesn’t curve back.

Release: The act of freely returning the club head squarely to the ball at impact, producing a powerful shot. Reverse: Weight Shift: A swing flaw in which the weight moves forward on the backswing instead of to the back leg. Rhythm: The coordination of movement during the golf swing or putting stroke.

Pulled Slice: A shot that starts well to the side of the target but curves back to the target.

Road Hole: The par-4 17th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews, one of the most famous and difficult holes in the world.

Punch Shot: A low-flying shot played with an abbreviated backswing and finish. The key to the shot is having the hands slightly ahead of the club head at impact, which reduces the effective loft of the club.

Round Robin: A tournament format in which players or team play a variety of other teams, the winner being the player or team that accumulates the highest number of points.

Pushed Hook: A shot that begins to the side of the target but curves back to the target. Pushed Shot: A shot that starts to the side of the target and never curves back. Pushed Slice: A shot that starts to the side of the target and curves further away.

R Radius: The distance between the center of the swing arc (the target or forward shoulder) and the hands on the grip.

S Scoring Clubs: The driver, putter and sand wedge. Scramble: To recover from trouble or a popular form of team play in which the team members pick the ball in the best position and everyone plays from that spot. Semiprivate Lesson: An instruction format where a limited number of pupils work with a Professional. Separation: When any of the various body parts and/or the club move either faster or slower that the other elements of the swing. Setup: The process of addressing the ball, so that the club and body are properly aimed and aligned.

Shank: When the ball is struck on the hosel of the club, usually sending it shooting off to the right. Shape: To curve a shot to fit the situation. The word is also used to describe the flight of the ball. Short Game: Those shots played on and around the green, including putting, chipping and pitching, and bunker shots.

Stance: The position of the feet at address. Steer: An attempt to guide the flight of the ball that usually results in a loss of distance. Straight-Faced: The description of a club with very little loft, such as a driving iron, or a driver that lacks the standard bulge and roll.

Stroke Play: Also known as medal play, it is a form of Short Irons: The 8 and 9 irons and the pitching wedge. competition based on the cumulative number of strokes The sand wedge is considered a scoring or specialty club. taken, either over one round or several. Shut: A position in the swing when the club face is closed Strong Grip: A terms used to describe a grip in which the relative to the target line. hands are turned counter-clockwise on the grip. It does not connote a stronger-than-normal grip pressure. Sky: A high, short shot caused by the club head striking the underside of the ball. Also known as a “pop-up.” Supination: An outward rotation of the hands (thumbs turning out) away from the body’s centerline when Slice: A ball that curves from left to right to a greater standing in a palms-facing-the-body position. In the golf degree than a fade. swing it is the right-hand rotation motion on the backswing and the left’s on the forward swing. Smothered Hook: A low, right to left shot that dives quickly to the ground. The cause is an extremely closed Swaying: An exaggerated lateral movement of the body club face. on either the backswing, forward swing, or both, which results in inconsistent shotmaking. Sole: When referring to equipment, it is the bottom of a club. When referring to the swing, it is the point when the Sweet Spot: The point on the club face where, if it is sole of the club touches the ground at address. struck with an object, the club face will not torque or twist to either side. Sole-Weighted: A design, usually for fairway woods, that incorporates additional weight along the sole of the club. Swing Arc: The entire path the club head makes in the This makes it easier to get the ball into the air and is also course of a swing. It is a combination of the swing’s effective from the rough. width and length. Splash Shot: A shot played from a good lie in the bunker. Swing Center: A point, usually near the base of the neck The club “splashes” through the sand, throwing the ball and the top of the spine, around which the arms and upinto the air. per body rotate during the swing. Spoon: A term for a 3-wood that is seldom used today. Spot: Another term for marking the ball on the green so it might be lifted. Spot Putting: Using an intermediate target such as a discolored blade of grass or an old ball mark as a means of aiming a putt. Square: A term frequently used in golf. It can be used to describe a stance or the club face or to describe contact with the ball It can also refer to the status of a match.

Swinger: A player whose swing is based on timing and rhythm, as opposed to a “hitter,” whose swing is based on sheer power. Swing Plane: An imaginary surface that describes the path and angle of the club during the swing. (As a rule, tall players tend to have a more upright swing plane than shorter players). Swing weight: A measure of the effective weight of a club.

Swing weight Scale: A device for measuring swing weight.

T Takeaway: The movement of the club at the start of the backswing.

Upright: A steeper-than-normal swing plane.

V Vector: A quantity or measure related to force that has both magnitude and direction. An important factor in determining the distance and direction a ball travels.

Target Line: An imaginary (often visualized) line drawn behind and through the ball to the point a player is aiming. If the player is planning to curve the ball, this point is the initial -- not the ultimate -- target.

Visualization: A mental image of a swing or shot or even an entire round.

Tee Box: The area where players tee to start a hole.

Waggle: A motion or several motions designed to keep a player relaxed at address and help establish a smooth pace in the takeaway and swing.

Tempo: The speed of the swing (not necessarily the club head speed).

Weak Grip: A term describing a grip where the hands are Texas Wedge: A term describing a shot played with a turned to the left for a right-handed player. putter from well off the green. It is a good shot for players who lack confidence in their chipping and pitching, or Whiff: A complete miss. Also known as an “air ball.” in extremely windy conditions. Three-Quarter Shot: A shot played with a shortened backswing and lessened arm speed. Tier: A rise or level in a green or tee. Timing: The sequence of motions within the golf swing. Toed Shot: Any shot hit off the toe of the club

Y Yips: A condition, generally believed to be psychological, which causes a player to lose control of his hands and club. In Great Britain, the condition is referred to as the “Twitchies.” This generally occurs when putting or in the short game, but it can also afflict people when hitting a tee shot.

Topped Shot: A low, bouncing shot caused by the bottom of the club striking the top half of the ball. Touch: A player’s sense of feel, generally around the greens. Trajectory: The height and angle the ball travels when struck. Transition: The change of direction in the swing, from the backswing to the forward swing.

U Un-cock: The release of straightening of the wrists during the downswing.