Herrmann: Nicklaus backs 12-hole rounds for kids

The golfer who turned the back nine charge into an art form, especially at the 1986 Masters, is proposing to do away with the back nine. Under Jack Nicklaus’ new plan, there would be a back six.

Nicklaus raised eyebrows on Long Island and everywhere else when he said at a charity outing in Tennessee last week that he believes a round of golf should be 12 holes, at least for casual play. His rationale is that the game takes too long, especially for young people, and that 12 holes are better than none.

“The kids are all playing soccer or lacrosse or basketball,” Nicklaus, a multisport athlete in high school, told The Tennessean at Vince Gill’s tournament. The all-time major championship leader — he has 18, the number of holes in a traditional round — added that he has had 12-hole scorecards made up for his courses, Muirfield Village and The Bear.

At the Long Island Golf Association’s Presidents Invitational seminar Monday, local officials were noncommittal about the 12-hole proposal. But they agreed that it is good to hear one of golf’s great traditionalists thinking about how to win new players and bring back old ones.

“In the busy world that we all live in, time is a very valuable commodity,” said John Ammerman, president of St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Setauket. “So if you can get someone on the golf course to play in 2 1 / 2 to three hours, you might be able to get more play.”

Mike Sarcona, president of Plandome Country Club, said, “The days of 40 guys showing up at 12 o’clock on a Wednesday are over. Everybody is working, everybody has got kids and the kids have all got sports.”

Sarcona said that Plandome has a junior program in which 8- and 9-year-olds play only three holes, 10- and 11-year-olds play only six holes. That keeps it fun without risking tedium. Ammerman said that at St. George’s, youth clinics often end with kids playing only a hole or two.

Not that the sport is going out of business. Dan Condon, the head of a major accounting firm, told the gathering at Huntington Country Club Monday that just about all Long Island clubs appear healthy enough to survive — a better picture than people expected a year or two ago.

Still, Jay Mottola, executive director of the Metropolitan Golf Association, said, “Every year, we lose almost 4 million golfers . When you look at those 4 million, 2.5 million of them would like to get back in the game. So obviously, that’s very fertile ground,” he said. “I don’t think 12-hole courses are going to replace 18-hole courses.”

Nor should they, says John McGrath, a Bellmore attorney who is tournament chairman for the Nassau Players Club. “The game is a test of what you can do over 18 holes that are 18 different holes,” he said. “When you set up courses for competition, the idea is you should have to use every club in the bag. On a 12-hole course, you’re not necessarily doing that. It’s no longer the same test.

“I can understand the time issues and trying to get a faster game,” McGrath said, “but I think that can be accomplished if people just learned the rules or learned the etiquette.”

Some nonetheless believe the game needs a push. The U.S. Golf Association and PGA of America jointly announced on Tuesday a national plan for July, in which all golfers will be invited to play from forward tees. The idea is to make the game quicker and more enjoyable.

And 12-hole golf might have its niche. “We actually have a lot of guys who play 12 holes at our course,” Plandome’s Sarcona said. “The 12th hole ends right next to where the ninth hole ends, by the halfway house. A lot of times, you come off No. 9 and you say, ‘We can’t play another nine, but we can play another three.’ ”

Pro-turned-amateur wins Walter J. Travis

Nick Gilliam, a former NCAA champion and then a mini-tour pro, went through the trouble of regaining his amateur status for days like the one he had Sunday. The Green Bay, Wis., native and Gainesville, Fla., resident won the final two holes and captured the 101st Walter J. Travis Invitational at Garden City Golf Club.

Gilliam was a star for the University of Florida, playing on the same squad with Camilo Villegas and winning the national individual title in 2001. He turned pro and tried to work his way to the PGA Tour, but spent most of his eight seasons on the Hooters Tour.

Now 32, he works for FootJoy and is playing a national-scale amateur schedule. He won the national-scale Travis, 1-up, Sunday over Steve White, who plays out of Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Outings

The Long Island Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation will hold its Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic June 6 at Fresh Meadow Country Club, Lake Success. Visit jdrf.org/longisland . . . The New Ground Golf Tournament, benefiting formerly homeless families by providing critical services and educational programs, will be June 13 at the Hamlet Golf & Country Club, Commack. Call 516-564-4764, ext. 141 . . . The Swing for Kids Golf and Tennis Tournament, benefiting the Tilles Center’s arts education program, will be June 13 at The Creek in Locust Valley. Call 516-299-3825.

Tip of the day

“As we have seen thus far in the early season, the elements can be tough at times. The ‘punch’ shot can help you control the ball a little better in the wind and wet conditions. Try this next time out:

1) Take one extra club for the shot and grip down;

2) Move the ball slightly forward in your stance and keep your weight anchored on the front leg;

3) Make a compact swing, about three-quarters, turning around your front leg;

4) Swing in control.”

— Greg Pace, PGA assistant professional, Huntington Country Club

Long Island aces

Irv Rudowitz (of Hauppauge), Palm Beach National GC, third hole 145 yards, 7-wood
Bill O’Toole, Smithtown Landing CC, 11th hole, 163 yards, 9-wood
Vinnie Papa, Laurel Links, ninth hole, 151 yards, 4-iron
Anthony Cassino, Island Hills GC, fifth hole, 146 yards, 5-iron
Brett Alazraki, Lido GC, 15th hole, 145 yards, 9-iron
Peggy Bowles, Cedars GC, seventh hole, 100 yards, 9-wood
Anthony Brito, Harbor Links, third hole, 146 yards, 9-iron
Anthony Camaro, Merrick GC, eighth hole, 160 yards, 8-iron
Michael Senese, Spring Lake GC, sixth hole, 130 yards, pitching wedge
Don Rubbo, Spring Lake GC, 13th hole, 153 yards, 8-iron