There is a huge amount of discussion going on about growing the game and how we are not attracting new golfers, and losing old ones by the thousands. One of the areas receiving lots of attention is that the 4.25-inch hole makes the game too hard. Is that really it?

There have been some tournaments conducted recently with a 15-inch hole, but is that really "golf"? What do you all think?

We had a lively dinner discussion the other night about just what is it about golf that is running off some believers and making it less appealing to "newbies." The conversation ran through the usual culprits — it costs too much, it takes too much time, etc. But is that really it?

In a marketing research presentation I attended a few years ago, the researchers presented the notion that the game loses players, or fails to capture them, when it ceases to be FUN. That can mean lots of things. But when it fails to be FUN, you'll find other places for your money and time.

But does relaxing the gentlemen's dress code or rules of decorum add fun? Or does it tarnish the game for those of us already devoted to it? Call me old-fashioned, but it does bother me a bit to see guys on the course in all manner of disheveled dress and behavior — shirt tails out, music playing, etc.

And I really have a difficult time with the current fashion trend of PGA Tour players "going to work" without shaving. It just looks disrespectful to me. Disrespectful of the sponsors, the fans and of themselves. Their hosts at these fine clubs — who make it possible for these guys to play for millions of dollars — show up in blazers and ties, to watch tour players not even bother to shave.

But I digress. I do think the game has gotten too hard for too many? This infatuation with high-speed greens makes the last one hundred feet more daunting than the first 400 to 500 yards. Is that really golf? Should the chip, pitch, or putt be more challenging than the drive and approach shot that got you there?

I played a very simple little golf course in Fort Worth the other day — and had a delightful time. There was a good mix of long and short approaches, and challenging drives. I put a 4-iron or longer in my hands on six holes. But what made it fun was that this course didn't beat you up trying to save pars and keep it down to two putts per hole. And that was a change from my own club, which is extremely demanding with our undulating 11-to-12 Stimp greens.

And this club was very kid- and beginner-friendly, too, because every hole had a run-up approach possibility, which many "championship" courses lack.

I might have rambled here, but ask yourself if the course you play is really friendly to a beginner or kid. It takes a long time to develop the short game and putting skills to deal with super-fast greens and deep green-side bunkers and rough. If it isn't fun, that kid or beginner won't last long enough to get there.