Golf as Sports Entertainment

I am not going to argue that golf is the most entertaining sport on television to watch, but at times, it can have some intriguing story lines (Mickelson and Duval comebacks), interesting people (John Daly and Boo Weekley), and some human drama.

At its best, it can be completely compelling and engaging (see last year's Ryder Cup or Kenny Perry's collapse at the Master's), but this past weekend, we witnessed the US Open where it was more of a survival test than a test of skills.

My problem is not with the level of play demonstrated by the professionals, but rather with the layout of the course. Bethpage Black is an extremely difficult course on its own accord, but the USGA made it nearly impossible because of the length of the rough and the pin placements.

To this, you may respond, "So what? These are professionals."

But, that is the basic problem. It is tantamount to saying that since baseball players are professionals, we should move the fence back to 500 feet. There will still be some homeruns in this setup, but not very many. Is that what you want to watch?

This is what the US Open does. Rather than allow the players to attempt to make and shape shots, it forces them to simply minimize mistakes and hope for the best.

And maybe that is the way golf is supposed to be played, but I like to watch them grip it and rip it. I want to see Phil Mickelson be able to hit the ball under a tree limb over a sandtrap through the rough and next to the pin. It gives me hope the next time I find myself in the woods, and it is certainly better sports entertainment.