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View From The Fairway - Rory Supports Ban of Green Reading Books

By: | Mon 21 Jun 2021


Golfshake's Derek Clements comments on headlines from the past week in golf...


RORY McILROY is a man who talks a great deal of sense, and he did so again on the eve of the US Open with his call for the PGA Tour to ban green reading books. As Rory points out, reading greens is a basic skill of the game that has been removed by constant reference to these dreadful books, which also contribute to the funereal pace of play we see week in, week out. McIlroy also says it is time to address anchoring once and for all - he wants to see the method used by the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Webb Simpson and Matt Kuchar outlawed. And he is quite right to do so. No matter which way you look at it, pressing a longer putter against your left forearm is a form of anchoring and should be banned.

Rory McIlroy


BROOKS KOEPKA says his feud with fellow American Bryson DeChambeau is good for the game. I have a lot of respect for Koepka, but in what universe can what is happening between these two be good for the game?

It all began when Koepka called out DeChambeau for his pace of play - something for which he deserves fulsome praise. But the bickering is childish and presents US Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker with a massive headache as they will surely be teammates at Whistling Straits. Stricker has called for an end to the feud - and he is quite right to do so.

Koepka DeChambeau


WHAT on earth has the world come to? An American professional was arrested after a fight broke out during qualifying for last week's Wichita Open on the Korn Ferry Tour event. The incident took place at Sand Creek Station Golf Club in Kansas. Luke Smith was arrested after an altercation with playing partner Austin Dailey. Smith apparently took exception to Dailey's pace of play, while Dailey was angered by Smith's refusal to help him search for lost balls or tend the pin. Tempers boiled over at the par-three seventh, where Dailey was again left to search for his ball on his own before confronting Smith  on the green. Dailey is alleged to have said that helping him to look for balls in the rough would speed up the pace of play, while Smith is believed to have countered with some forthright opinions on Dailey's performance. According to reports, Smith then physically attacked Dailey while his father tried to fend off attempts to break up the fight. The group of players behind are believed to have notified the club of the altercation, and Smith was taken back to the clubhouse before being arrested. 


Scottish Golf

THE new chair of Scottish Golf has issued a timely warning to clubs not to be complacent about the recent surge in participation and said they need to be as welcoming as possible. Martin Gilbert told The Scotsman newspaper that there remains a “fear” of joining golf clubs, which should be eradicated, and that clubs need to ease things when it comes to issuing rules, particularly over dress codes. He said that while membership numbers have increased during the pandemic, growth should not be “taken for granted”, with the sport having experienced decline at an alarming rate before the turnaround in numbers. Golf clubs in Scotland have seen an increase in playing membership during the past year. “But what we don’t want to do is take that growth for granted and think it is going to continue. I think we’ve just got to be careful not to think the problem has gone away in the long term. We really need to try and build on last year’s success this year. We’ve got to grow the game and that would be my strong ambition. We’ve got to encourage participation at a younger age and, to do that, we’ve got to encourage clubs to take away the fear that you need to be a good golfer to join a club. A lot of people fear how they are going to enter golf and get started and that’s what we are trying to overcome.” Gilbert speaks a lot of sense and his message applies equally to clubs the length and breadth of the UK.


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Tags: PGA Tour european tour



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