Tv's need flat screens, telephones need cables, and golf needs round holes

We take many things for granted in life, and sport is no exception. Indeed, and quite remarkably, some things which could easily be beneficially changed are not even questioned. Such are life's blinkers.

Take golf for example - not a bad idea as this is a golf forum, and discussing used tractor parts is not everyone's cup of tea:

Over the centuries there has been a constant striving, particularly in recent years, to assist golfers in making golf easier. Let's make no bones about it - to make golf easier to play and overall less demanding. To make it a less skilled sport. It's true. Think about it.

Modifications have been made to absolutely everything which a golfer might use, with some added goodies thrown in such as G.P.S. Everything hopefully improved so that even a beer swilling non-practicing golfer might potentially shoot a 72. Seventy two effortless easily holed shots, without even breaking a sweat thanks to golf carts and battery operated trollies.

But in life there are always two sides to every equasion, yet in golf only half the equasion has been examined and the mental game only delved into by a fanatical minority. But let's leave that subject for another day.

So, what's the missing other half of the equasion?

The hole.

Yes, I know that even some of golf's legends (including Ben Hogan) have suggested making such massively larger but the size of the hole is partially a red herring.

For those readers who wish to familiarise themselves as to why all golf holes are 4.25 inches please read the online 'Golf Today' article entitled 'What size is the golf hole and why' as such is of little interest here.

Let's think about something just as fundamental as the size of the hole - it's shape.

I imagine many readers with quizzical glazed eyes, and some readers (having instantly grasped the question) lying on their backs with all limbs twitching and possibly a little foam exuding from their mouths.

Yes indeed, I question why all golf holes are round?

With holes only being 4.25" across a lipped ball travelling at any speed greater than a trickle will almost inevitably lip out due I guess to centrifugal force.

Before moving on please think about this: If your golf ball arrives at a side edge of the hole in such a way that half of the ball hangs over the hole, and the other half if it is on terra firma don't you think it fair than a reasonable percentage actually drop?

I venture to suggest that even the most scrupulously fair might even expect as little as a 10% drop rate. Do we get it? No, nothing like it. Instead we choose to favour a perverse-directional (to line of ball travel) catapult and centrifugal force over arguably more fair braking and gravity. Imagine a similar scenario - in snooker - instead of a back pocket brake the ball simply flies off the table.

The answer? Yes, either make the hole larger (but it would need to be quite significantly larger) or change its shape? To what?

There are numerous possibilities - three sides, four sides.......eight sides. Many (if not all) of such permutations would provide the golfer with a fairer shake of the dice, and certainly make golf easier.

And that appears to be the name of the game, a concept which nearly all golfers run with.

I'd like to write more but my hickory shafts need a polish.