Is Tee It Forward Really Helping Anyone?

Rory McIlroy is a dominator. To be blunt, his Tiger-like performance last weekend was as silly as anything Tiger has ever done. His dominance was so complete that I payed attention to other things that were going on and presented during the telecast. One interesting segment was a description of a new PGA initiative called Tee It Forward.

The PGA Website describes “Tee It Forward” as follows:

Move on up and TEE IT FORWARD!

If you want to have more fun on the golf course and maybe play a little faster, TEE IT FORWARD may be just the game for you. Because TEE IT FORWARD can help you play from tees best suited to your game.

This new national initiative from The PGA of America and United States Golf Association will take place at golf facilities nationwide from July 5-17, but you can do this anytime. And, it’s really simple:

• Play forward tees.
• Play faster.
• Have more fun.

That’s what TEE IT FORWARD is all about.

When the segment appeared, my dad (a casual golf fan) and my mom (who knows almost nothing about the game) were both in the room and (surprise, surprise) they had conflicting views.

“I’m a golf purist,” said my father in what was only a slightly sarcastic tone. “This thing is totally weak. They’re telling me I shouldn’t measure my game against the best anymore.”

My mother thought differently.

“It seems like it would make it more fun to play,” she said. “People could actually feel successful.”

And the golf conundrum was beginning to materialize.

Golf is a unique game. It is designed to make a normal player feel below normal (if par is considered “normal”). It is a game with built-in ways to level the playing field in handicaps and varied tees. At any course, you might find up to five options to start each hole which may vary by 100 yards or more.

At any time, a golfer can, theoretically, measure him or herself up against a professional by playing the tips at a course on-tour. While this person is likely to feel humbled and probably slow down the players behind him, this experience is not readily available in any other sport.

At the same time, enjoyment of golf often comes in accepting how much of a puny mortal you really are.

Experts like Dr. Joe Parent (Zen Golf) discuss achieving the most enjoyment and best play when we stop comparing ourselves to anyone else. In other words, golf is the only game where you have the ability to ACTUALLY measure yourself on the same course (or a close approximation) as the pro’s and yet for 99 percent of us, it’s the most enjoyable as soon as we accept that our swing may not net McIlroy-like red numbers on our scorecards.

When I played Torrey Pines a few times in college, part of the thrill was playing the same course as the professionals. At the same time, hitting out of the La Jolla rough shot after shot was one of the most physically fatiguing and frustrating experiences I’ve ever had in golf.

If I am to be truthful with myself, the most rewarding moments I have in golf are typically on easier courses when I plan and play the game within myself- that is to say within my abilities. To that end, Tee It Forward makes some sense.

But I have to agree with my pops on this one (Happy Father’s Day by the way) and say that one of the things that makes golf such a beautiful game is the interplay between its accessibility to all and a person’s ever-elusive mastery (or lack thereof).

I just hope this new initiative does not take move the game away from this beautiful juxtaposition.