Golf in a hole

As we stand on the threshold of seeing the world’s golfers humble the once mighty Carnoustie, it is time to act. Advances in sporting technology mean that the challenges of even the longest and tough-

courses have been decimated. The present remedy, namely of making yardages longer and longer, is driving millions or ordinary players away from the game.

The ball’s distance needs to be reduced such that a 450 yard hole, presently reduced to needing a mere long iron and then a wedge for top players, becomes a fearsome test once more.

That implies reducing the ball’s powers such that a good amateur can just reach such a hole in two shots, while a tournament pro will require a good drive and a 4 or 5 iron. Do we ordinary golfers have to mob the R&A to get anything done? To borrow from a typical transatlantic phrase, let’s make our golf courses great again.

JOHN NEWLANDS Windsor Avenue, Newcastle

upon Tyne