[WebDocMan]

The new USGA groove rule seems to have failed miserably:

Rex Hoggard, September 10, 2010 Golf Channel: the percentage of greens hit from 125 yards and in, the kind of wedge shots that were supposed to be impacted the most by the change, has actually gone up slightly (2010, 81.77; 2009, 81.38; 2008, 81.59; 2007, 80.31). “Oh, no doubt, it's helped. I think (the new grooves) made it almost easier,” Ryan Palmer said.

I forget the issue of Golf Magazine, but their stats also showed that the pros are hitting it closer to the pin with the new grooves. Yes, USGA the integrity of par has been preserved.

The USGA is also "secretly" testing a ball that does not travel as far. Apparently this is being done at a few Canadian Tour events. Just what the average golfer needs: less distance.

Frank Thomas, former technical director of the USGA, in a study involving 18,400 golfers worldwide discovered, in part, that a male golfer who scores between 90 and 95 averages 192 yards off the tee, that three of the top six reasons people quit playing golf has to do with lack of ability and probably stems from playing courses/tees not appropriate to his skill level.

The focus of the USGA seems to be on 0.00001% of the world's golfers. They should be working with golf courses and course architects to see what can be done to make the game more fun and rewarding for the average golfer.
Instead courses are being made longer and more difficult. The average golfer should probably be playing from tees that are about 5400 yards on courses that aren't littered with hazards. It would make the game more enjoyable for the average golfer (who still struggles to break 100), and would speed up the pace of play.

The golfing public needs to be reeducated, tees need to be relocated, and the pros need to get involved by encouraging people to play from the "new tee boxes that golf courses in your area have recently put in place". An all out blitz by the USGA, PGA, and the Tour could go a long way in promoting this.

Course architects also need to be more realistic in their designs. Who is going to be playing your course? Who is going to be bringing in the revenue? Design accordingly. Pete Dye said that golf is not fair and golf courses should not be fair. What an arrogant idiot.

I see too many people stop playing out of frustration It's a shame, and preventable, if reason and common sense would prevail.