ASGCA Past President Bill Amick is noted for not only his impressive career as a golf course architect, but also as a writer with a talent for sharing his thoughts in verse. Here are some of his views on rolling back the golf ball and the advantages of shorter courses.
In a number of ways is this how golf courses were meant to be?
I guess cause it’s kinda seems so based on the noted ones to me!
Long and large so macho men can hit that little white ball on holes very far!
And because of course’s length most players feel a need to ride around them in tiny cars.
Those requiring much land so in metro areas potential sites being expensive and scarce,
Not much encouraging for new courses there because competition with everything else.
Despite the golf ball’s “somewhat rollback” coming in 2028,
Which so the “shrinking of new courses” will likely not be so completely great!
For those will also require a lotta of water to irrigate them to stay “pretty and green,”
So when shown overhead from a drone will make for a spectacular scene!
With the sun out and very bright on their bunker sand of pure white,
Those in fancy shapes so when shown will be an interesting and a spectacular sight!
Are the above ways all courses for the pleasures of ball-strikers must be?
Or perhaps with an even shorter ball still pleasure could exist for others, even thee?
Thus not so much favoring men who are just strong,
Yet a ball now making courses more practical in populated places is it really wrong?
Oh the Pointfive is a shorter such missile mercy me!
So causing some visionary course developers to shout with joy and glee!
PS And oh yes how fine! That those smaller courses would also need to be suitably designed?