Is GolfSixes here to stay?
New format could breath new life into the sport
FOLLOWING the inaugural ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth tournament in Australia last weekend and the announcement of the European Tour’s GolfSixes event outside London in May, there has been much discussion about whether this new concept will achieve its objectives and draw new blood to the sport.
The European Tour announced on the last day of the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur a fortnight ago that they woud host the inaugural US$1mil GolfSixes tournament at the Centurion Club in St Albans, north west of London on May 6-7.
In short, this event, like the ISPS Handa World Super 6, is about players getting eliminated over six holes, or playoff holes should the match be tied after the regulation six holes, until only one man is left standing - the champion.
In the European Tour’s statement on their website, announcing the new event, they said “they were delighted to unveil GolfSixes, a revolutionary and novel short form of the game which further illustrates the Tour’s desire to embrace innovation and originality in professional golf ”.
It added that the event would “feature two-man teams from 16 different nations, each nation being represented by its leading ranked and available European Tour member and joined by a compatriot of his choosing from within the Tour”.
It could be said that the idea of this started a while back when some suggested that the game be played over six holes to encourage people to take up the sport and further grow it, but leaving intact the soul of golf and its history.
The thinking behind playing just six holes to get new numbers to join the sport and bolster those already in it, is based on it being shorter, which equates to less time spent on the course. It is also cheaper, given that one its not playing all 18 holes.
These are two salient points that could dramatically boost the number of people coming into the game and consequently have a ripple effect on the industry itself.
Nikanti Golf Club in Bangkok, Thailand, which opened its doors for business in the first half of last year, prides itself as being “Asia’s first 18-hole, par-72 course comprising three six-hole layouts”.
Each six-hole layout features two par-3s, two par-4s and two par-5s. With this, not only does the club have the option for three different starting points on the course, but they also have the flexibility in the number of holes their members and guests can choose to play.
Of course, Nikanti is a ‘new’ club and has been purposely built for just that. But other clubs, Malaysian ones included, could follow the example by splitting up their 18 holes to be run on similar lines.
However, there will almost certainly be some resistance from some clubs, who might find it difficult to determine how much and how often they could accommodate such a format.
But for starters though, and assuming they might indeed be interested in introducing SixesGolf, a club might begin with allocating certain days during the week for it.
One thing for sure though is, if it picks up a head of steam at those who give it a try, it will spread like wildfire. That’s how this game, and business in general, works here.
It would also make the Australasian Tour’s ISPS Handa World Super 6 and the European Tour’s GolfSixes a lot more popular – and for the right reasons.