Photo: DR

Here is an innocuous answer or the fruit of a journey likely to revolutionize the world of golf. But back to the definition of the term " Through " which governs this game and too often paralyzes our gray cells. The word describes the ideal score whatever the conditions and made official in 1911 by one of the bodies that govern the sport, the USGA. * Beforehand, "Colonel Bogey" served as a benchmark, from the imagination of Hugh Rotherham, Coventry Golf Secretary in England. This colorful character succeeded in achieving an "obscure" score oscillating between 76 and 80, which was ultimately to be one above par; thus the term "bogey" was born!

At the world level, golf is running out of steam with fewer and fewer players. Time consuming, most of its playgrounds have become too expensive to build and maintain. In 1911, the par 3 did not exceed 210 meters for men. Today they are supposed to "cap" at 230 meters. Thus the masterpieces of the Golden Age of Architecture of the 20s are often undermined to supposedly satisfy the evolution of the modern game. The strategy, at the heart of their design, has been destroyed. The young and engaging Norwegian rising star of 21 Spring Viktor Hovland sums up the current situation well: "When you hit a 300-meter drive down the middle of the fairway, you don't have to think too much, you watch what you have to do and smash the ball" (Golfweek, June 17, 2019). What a pity ! The lobbying carried out by the equipment manufacturers does not suggest a massive return to a subtle and refined architecture with regard to an obvious design and to say the least boring!

The powerful swing of 21-year-old Norwegian Viktor Hovland - © CBS Interactive Inc

So only a drastic change in thinking model could constitute a lasting solution. It has been a long time since the emblematic par 72 has been sprayed (with some exceptions) by professionals for whom par 5 can be achieved in half with an iron. Having become full-fledged athletes and associated with constantly improving technologies, they catapult their drives to previously unimaginable distances. On Sunday evening, the top of the leaderboard usually shows negative results… and in double digits! The emphasis is on the score and not on the quality of the shots made, the rare ability of players to handle the ball and outsmart a course.

Of course, a different vision would also make it possible to respond to current ecological challenges with shorter and more sustainable land.

It's time to revisit your golfing thinking - © Brian Cronin

But to realize that a total distance and a simple number do not sum up the quality of a route, a certain open-mindedness or even real expertise is necessary. The Keiser family is a perfect example of this. Patriarch Mike Keizer, 74, was a pioneer when he created a unique golfing destination in the middle of nowhere in the small village of North Bend, Oregon. 24.000 green fees were recorded at the opening of the first Bandon Dunes course in 1999. Now three other courses complete the resort because for him: "One route is a curiosity, two a destination" (Golf Digest, July 26, 2014). Among the projects of this prolific family, the third route from Sand Valley to Nekoosa in Wisconsin. So the construction of "Sedge Valley", a 5,500-meter course, par 68, has been legitimately entrusted to the American Tom Doak and will start next year. It will include five par 3s and some cheerful par 4s, achievable in one… The Keisers have always known how to invent new ideas or surf "Old" without ever falling into "Gimmicks". "The Sandbox", 17 par 3 holes, opened in May 2018, is a great addition to the course built by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw two years ago in Sand Valley.

The sublime Sand Valley course in Wisconsin, designed in 2017 by Coore & Crenshaw - Photo: DR

Similarly, the par 3 course consisting of 13 holes, "Bandon Preserve" allows to end in a fun way a day punctuated by… par and birdies on the courses of Bandon Dunes. As to "Punch Bowl", putting green at the very least lively, a few cocktails shared during the game, unequivocally help to investigate twisted putts! In short, pure happiness. It only remains to hope that other Keiser will come to shake up some golf standards for the greatest pleasure of the game.

Kristel Mourgue d'Algue

KMA is a former European Circuit player, co-editor of the Rolex Guide to the “1000 Best Golf Courses in the World” and co-owner of the Grand Saint Emilionnais Golf Club

* United States Golf Association