But we make ourselves so busy. We complicate our lives with busy-ness, or business, as the case may be. I came here to the high desert of central Oregon, which is one of the loveliest places on earth, to forget about the everyday business of golf and think about its future. For a long time, golf has been in need of a conscience. Now, finally, it is developing one.
More individuals seem to care more deeply about all the people who play the game.
Whereas American golf once was primarily a network of private clubs, many of them linked in their snobbery, it is now a vibrant mixture of private and public courses. Golf, this game we love, is for all social and economic classes. In proof, National Golf Foundation statistics show that approximately 80 percent of the golf in the U.S. is played on public courses. This is golf's melting pot. The PGA Tour, which spearheaded the First Tee initiative to build driving ranges and practice courses for inner-city youth, should be applauded for its vision.