Three Common-Sense Bans to Reform Golf

Cameron Young and Nelly Korda won their respective second and third tournaments of the year over the weekend, dominant displays once again from two of the sport’s best. Korda’s four-shot victory marks her third win in six starts this year, a stretch in which she hasn’t finished worse than runner-up. Young similarly blew out the field, coasting to a six-shot, wire-to-wire win despite calling a penalty on himself in the second fairway on Sunday — a positive mark in the Strokes Gained: Clear Conscience category.

Instead of digging into the latest chapter of the tear each player is on during what was a fairly sleepy golf weekend, today I’d prefer to focus elsewhere: issuing a few sport-wide bans. There are a handful of initiatives I’d like to revisit in the future, like banning Trackman devices from major championship grounds, but some of those ideas are close to a pipe dream. So let’s start with three that are less extreme (and for the good of the game).  

1. No-cut events

We’re done with them. Ship ‘em out to sea.

It’s a failed experiment. Outside of the now-defunct Tournament of Champions at Kapalua — a pleasant, gentle handshake to kick off the season in a picturesque setting — no-cut events repeatedly fall flat. All four days feel the same. They’re hollow and juiceless, even when two of the best golfers in the world are paired together on Sunday. WGCs weren’t compelling, and signature events are essentially WGCs under a different label.

Doral, Firestone, pick your venue. No-cut events don’t work, no matter how much cash you stuff them with or where you stage them. LIV Golf has been a failure for a myriad of reasons, but the unseriousness of its no-cut, small field format shouldn’t be lost amongst the rest of its foolishness. In the same way that any golf fan with common sense sees through the smoke and mirrors that LIV has been, it was impossible to watch the Cadillac Championship and conclude it was any better. Sparse crowds suggested the citizens of Miami didn’t find it worthwhile either.

One of the best decisions PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp can make is restoring larger fields with legitimate cut lines as soon as possible. I get that there are trade-offs to make the whole system work, but limited field, no-cut events aren’t part of the solution. At the Players Championship, Rolapp expressed motivation to move the Tour back towards larger fields and cuts. He needs to get buy-in from players and partners, and to do so quickly. Effective in 2027, not in 2028.

2. The Blue Monster at Trump National Doral

Let’s call it what it is: a dreadful golf course. It is unapologetically and apolitically bad. Rather than just dumping on it, though, let’s get into why.

If two golf courses pose the same level of challenge, the one with more short grass and a more playable surface area is the better design. It isn’t a perfect rule — plus sheer difficulty shouldn’t necessarily be the goal — but more often than not, it will hold up. Creative contouring and thoughtful land use trump covering up the playing surface with rough, trees, and water hazards. Augusta National is impossible to replicate, but it is an annual reminder of the virtues of intelligent architecture. A design that is brilliant for the playing surface it presents, not for what it covers up.

No hole better epitomizes the opposite than No. 18 at Doral. A nearly 500-yard brute, the finisher is just over 20 yards wide in the landing zone with water lining the left and trees down the right.

It succeeds in playing difficult to par (+4.4 stroke average for the week), but is it a good golf hole? A hole with no fairway cut at all would play tough, but that doesn’t make it good.

Contrast that with the 18th at TPC Sawgrass, which offers slightly more optionality off the tee and, more importantly, sufficient width for a well-executed shot.

With wind, Doral is narrow and difficult, but in ways that don’t engage the brain. It’s a slog. In mild conditions, it’s still narrow but easy and unengaging. Tear up the contract. Get it off the Tour. There are worse venues out there, but if Trump National Doral never hosted another Tour event, we wouldn’t be missing anything.

3. Players Filming at U.S. Open Qualifiers

This ban should ultimately extend to all competitive golf events, but we’re going to start here. Competitive rounds don’t need to be content.

Nothing better captures what needs to #shrink in the sport than a “Come Play a U.S. Open Qualifier with Me” video, content that’s come under fire on social media over the last couple of weeks.

As these videos have surfaced on my timeline, I am reminded of Dottie Pepper’s comments about slow play at last year’s Farmers Insurance Open: it is about respect. Respect for the competition. Respect for fellow competitors.

People work on their games all year for one crack at a lifelong dream of playing in a U.S. Open. They should not have to deal with someone else’s vanity project in the process.

It is the golf equivalent of bringing your dog into a grocery store: a small, seemingly harmless breach of etiquette but an unnecessary intrusion into others’ lives nonetheless. All anyone can ask for is a fair shake at qualifying for one of the most prestigious championships in the world without the distraction of a competitor who thinks they’re bigger than the tournament. It is a fair request! Or to grab a tomato from the produce aisle without Golden Retriever hair all over it, but I digress.

Going forward, I hope the USGA denies all in-competition filming requests. The videos exist only to serve the person wearing the mic, not the championship. And it’s not as if the U.S. Open lacks exposure.

Overall, golf seems to be in a strong place right now, both competitively and recreationally. Sometimes, however, you add by subtraction. The sport would be better off without no-cut events, Doral, and influencer culture tainting the best tournaments in the world. Let’s rally the golf world and put the bans in effect.