I think we are all in agreement by now that the game of golf needs help. We all know that fewer and fewer people play the game every year, and even less take up the game. Private courses are going public and public courses are closing their clubhouse doors. TV ratings aren’t all that great and even worse if Tiger isn’t playing.

So what can be done? How do we get more people out on the golf course? How can we get more people interested in the game? In my search to find the answers to the above questions, I’ve stumbled across an organization who is looking to get more people out on the course by using one simple idea…make the game of golf easier.

The Alternative Golf Association, or Project Flogton (Flogton being “not golf” backward) has come up with several ideas aimed at making the game easier, and therefore attracting more players. Now I’m all for getting more people out on the course and more people learning the game, but I have a few issues with some of the ideas here. Let’s take a look at a few:

1. In flogton, a player can put some type of lubricant or shield on the face of their driver, therefore allowing the ball to spin less and fly straighter. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like the golf equivalent to either corking your bat or a pitcher rubbing something on the ball. That’s not making the game easier…that’s cheating.

2. Mulligans are legal. OK, I really don’t care all that much about this one. Every once in a while, everyone takes a mulligan. But in flogton, it’s one per hole. One per hole?! Again, in comparison to other sports, that’s like a do-over on strike three! Or a do-over after throwing an interception! That doesn’t make the game easier, it just helps lower your score!

3. How about the “bump” rule? That’s where you can move your ball to anywhere else on the course as long as it’s not closer to the hole. Talk about not playing the ball as it lies! Let’s do the comparison thing again. So a ball is hit to left field for a single. But you think it would be better if the ball landed in the gap so you have a better chance at scoring on the next hit. OK, just move the ball to the gap and take second. What??!!

4. Bump rule not enough? How about the hazard bump rule? Yup. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Ball in a trap? No problem! Just move it out!

5. “Tee up the ball on any shot except on the green.” That’s literally what it says in the “guidelines.” Not rules…guidelines. Does that mean you can tee it up in a trap? Can you tee it up if you’re in the woods? How about if you’re out of bounds? Oh wait…

6. There is no out of bounds! Look, I can appreciate what they’re trying to do here. Is this going to get more people to play golf? Maybe. But if they’re not actually playing golf, but altering the rules instead, then what are they really learning?

For me, I’m not sure this is helping popularize the game of golf. While some of the ideas they have in their guidlelines are things that are somewhat done anyway in a casual game (mulligans, gimmes, etc…) or temporarliy while someone is learning the game, I wouldn’t base an alternate game’s existence on them.

Look, either you’re going to play the game or you’re not. You don’t change the rules of the game because it’s too tough for you. Is that the right thing to do? Do you want your kid to cheat on his tests at school because it’s too hard or do you want your kid to work harder? Do you want your kid to play little league baseball where they allow four strikes? Or a do-over if you drop the ball? What’s next, bigger holes? Moving up the tee-boxes?

Now, all that being said, I think something like this sounds like a lot of fun! I think it would be fun for outings and tournaments! Hell, if I had the chance to play in one of these, count me in! As much as I don’t like the idea of, what one could consider to be, pansying the game down…it sure does sound like it would be fun to try out. I read on the website that they had one tournament where the players were “not allowed, required” to throw the ball rather than swing at it at least once per hole. Now that’s funny stuff! Myself, I feel like the game of golf could benefit by relaxing the rules.

However, I don’t necessarily believe that has to be done on the professional level. I think more along the lines of just you and your golf buddies bending, not breaking, the rules a bit. I play by the rules for the most part, but I bend them once in a while also. We all do. I believe part of the issue with the declining participation in the sport has to do with the rules and the people who are sticklers for them.

Too many golfers are so fixated on the rules of the game that they forget it’s just a game. All they are doing is justifying the stereotype. Put fun first. Play the game for the fun of it. If you don’t take the game so seriously, you’ll have a hell of a lot more fun playing it! It seems that the people at Project Flogton and Golfstinks do in fact have the same idea in mind.

Swing ’til you’re happy!