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Please leave Facebook arguments to Facebook. Those of us who choose to not be part of that society deserve our freedom from it.
Like others, I have always appreciated Melvyn and his perspective, precisely because it flies in the face of prevailing/conventional wisdom. His is an important point of view - a sole Scottish Socratic Gadfly challenging the Great Ran City-State of GCA.COM.That said, I think he fails to make a fundamental distinction, i.e. that between the game as game and the game as experience. We all know how golf as a game came to be: walkers walking windswept linksland with only their eyes to guide them and with the goal of steering clear of vast blown-out hazards using implements uniquely ill-suited to the task. Yes, that's the game of golf, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, worlds wthout end. But the experience of golf -- which of course is better termed the experience of golfers -- is, and must be, and will be despite all the protestations of the old prophets of purity, as varied and changing and fickle and ego-fuelled as the millions upon millions of golfers past and present are in themselves, fallen creatures in a fallen world who want and insist that the game serve them and not that they serve the game. We are a stubborn people, modern-day golfers, and soft around the middles and pudgy, wobbly legged from all our sedentary office duties and shaky of hand from the liquor we insist on downing before, during and after our rounds; and Melvyn is the stern ascetic, a sole voice crying out in the wilderness for us to repent -- but alas, we are in the main heedless of this man (not in animal skins, surely, or eating locusts and honey -- I hope in a nice tweed jacket and comfortable corduroy pants) who thunders loudly on behalf of the game as game. Peter
Quote from: PPallotta on December 30, 2014, 01:39:56 PMLike others, I have always appreciated Melvyn and his perspective, precisely because it flies in the face of prevailing/conventional wisdom. His is an important point of view - a sole Scottish Socratic Gadfly challenging the Great Ran City-State of GCA.COM.That said, I think he fails to make a fundamental distinction, i.e. that between the game as game and the game as experience. We all know how golf as a game came to be: walkers walking windswept linksland with only their eyes to guide them and with the goal of steering clear of vast blown-out hazards using implements uniquely ill-suited to the task. Yes, that's the game of golf, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, worlds wthout end. But the experience of golf -- which of course is better termed the experience of golfers -- is, and must be, and will be despite all the protestations of the old prophets of purity, as varied and changing and fickle and ego-fuelled as the millions upon millions of golfers past and present are in themselves, fallen creatures in a fallen world who want and insist that the game serve them and not that they serve the game. We are a stubborn people, modern-day golfers, and soft around the middles and pudgy, wobbly legged from all our sedentary office duties and shaky of hand from the liquor we insist on downing before, during and after our rounds; and Melvyn is the stern ascetic, a sole voice crying out in the wilderness for us to repent -- but alas, we are in the main heedless of this man (not in animal skins, surely, or eating locusts and honey -- I hope in a nice tweed jacket and comfortable corduroy pants) who thunders loudly on behalf of the game as game. PeterAnd so ends 2014!! Not with a whimper but bang! Melvyn returns from the grave an PP writes a cracker of description of this most wondrous occasion!Happy New Year everyone,Colin
Quote from: John Kavanaugh on December 30, 2014, 02:17:22 PMPlease leave Facebook arguments to Facebook. Those of us who choose to not be part of that society deserve our freedom from it. Amen
Quote from: Brian Hoover on December 30, 2014, 02:16:24 PMI agree with many of his principles and ideas (not all, particularly the range finder issue which I think speeds up play) ... Brian: range finders speed up play about as much as women digging their wallets out of their purses at the checkout counter so they can swipe their credit cards for every silly little $2.63 purchase speeds up the line at Walgreens.
I agree with many of his principles and ideas (not all, particularly the range finder issue which I think speeds up play) ...
How about just eyeballing it?