SamSaid!

FAIRWAYS

     Sports fans do not normally turn to the Wall Street Journal to get breaking news, but the WSJ recently carried a full story on golf. Most tried and true golfers know that the game has changed enormously in the past 10 years or so. The rules haven't changed much, and women still can't be members at Augusta National (home of the Masters tournament), but there have been major changes in golf equipment  –  the clubs and the golf balls. Net result?  Good players now can hit the ball much further than they could before. Much further. For example, a 550 yard par five generally took 3 shots to get on the green. Now, the long hitters can get on the green with a wood and a mid-iron. It is commonplace for a pro to get on a 580 yard par five in two strokes, and most are unhappy if they do not.  The athleticism of players plus strength training account for some of the length off the tee, but fundamentally it is the juiced up ball that makes the difference.  Ten years ago, no one would have thought about hitting a 7 iron 180 yards. Now it is ho-hum.

     To stay abreast of the big hitters and lively ball, some courses have been lenthened to 7000 – 7500 yards instead of the general standard of 6500-7000 yards. That change by itself makes golf a lot more difficult for ordinary players. But bigger and longer courses are more expensive to maintain and groom. Thus, costs rise all the way around. Recently, however, a solution  (remedy?) has been proposed. Golf ball manufacturers have been urged to develop a new golf ball that would be “dead-er” and wouldn't fly so far. Makes sense. Current golf courses would not have to be lengthened, and sheer distance would be sacrificed for a greater reliance on just plain skill. Some of the pros and others will no doubt complain, but it is about time that common sense takes over.

     Golf is a game based strongly on tradition, and in that sense it is self defeating for the game to altered significantly to serve technology and TV. There are lots of rules in golf that date back hundreds of years, and there are also rules about club length and golf balls right now. So what is wrong with applying another rule for golf ball design?  Golf is a game that should be enjoyed by the 25-30,000 men and women who play it. There is no reason to change its nature to satisfy the top 200-300 players in the world and the TV sponsors of the PGA events.

     Take a little bit of zip out of the ball and return to the days when a 430 yard par 4 requires a tough second shot, not just a wedge or 9 iron. Trust the good old Wall Street Journal. When something important comes along, they print it. None of the golf ball manufacturers has come up with a “dead-er” ball as yet, but the ball is rolling –  no pun intended. The WSJ will likely keep us informed.

HANOI  JANE

     Jane Fonda has written a book, “My life so far” which will be on the bookstands soon if not already. At an early book signing in Atlanta, the crowd was sparse, but Time Magazine has made up for the absence of early publicity by publishing a feature story on Ms. Fonda in its 4/11/05 issue. Nothing like a huge shot of free publicity. I haven't read the book, but I did read the 7 page Time article which includes a very flattering photo of a 67 year old woman looking like 37.

     To say the least, Jane is presented in a sympathic and otherwise positive light of a person born into privilege and wealth who struggles through all sorts of difficulties including her Battles with Bulemia (otherwise known as ”binging and barfing”), her immediate family spats, her participation in marital depravities with husband Vadim (and others), and the years with Ted Turner. Of course, there is also the matter of the visit to Vietnam and being photographed in a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft battery  (helmet and all). She terms this a mistake in judgment that she will regret until the end of her life. Touching. The Time article (nor the book, presumably) spends little time on the Vietnam military widows or the fatherless children of the Vietnam vets. In the case of many, the “rest of their lives” came 30-35 years ago. Time didn't point that out.

     Hanoi Jane Fonda has blood on her hands. Neither Time Magazine nor her book can wash it off.