2. Separate the Twins.
- Bifurcate! Golf has been in decline since about the time the USGA instituted speed limits on clubs (moment of inertia; coefficient of restitution). Coincidence? One set of rules for amateurs would allow equipment makers to develop hotter, easier-to-hit clubs and maybe win back customers and generate renewed interest. Meanwhile, another set for the pros would rein in the ball and cut back on the number of Happy Gilmore drives, making 7,200-yard courses relevant again without changing any of the drama in professional golf. (Last year there were more than 1,000 drives of at least 350 yards on the PGA Tour.) It's a win-win.
- The PGA Tour is a business. Why let the amateurs at the USGA, who had to apologize for letting a potential penalty hang over Johnson throughout the U.S. Open's final seven holes, make the rules for professional golf? The Tour can play by its own rules, which means it could bring back anchored putting and square grooves if it wanted. Shorts for players? Sure. Laser rangefinders? Yes. Better parking for caddies than the media? Hey, no, wait—whose dumb idea is that?
- You're never going to speed up tournament play until the shot clock quits being subjective. Using a shot clock that begins when an official proclaims it's a player's turn to hit eliminates any gray area. You either get the shot off in time or you don't. Three strikes and you're out—after three shots played outside the 50-second time limit, a player draws a one-shot penalty for each infraction. You won't believe how quickly the pace of play will pick up.
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